†                                                            
  †                                                           
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                    &&&,,                                     
                     &   ,,,,                                 
        †                    ,,,,   &&&&&&                    
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                                      ,&&&                    
                                     ,  &&                    
        ,                &          ,    &                    
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                         &&&      ,                           
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                         &&&&&  ,                             
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&&&,&,&,,&               &    ,&                    &&,,&&,&,,
,&&,&,&,&,               &&  , &&                   ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&,               &&&   &&&                  ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&,               &&&&  &&&&                 ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&,               &&&&& &&&&&                ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&,               &&&&&&&&&&&&               ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&,                                          ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&, ######################################## ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&, #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&, ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&, #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&, ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&, #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&, ######################################## ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&,                                          ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&, there is  another  company.  a  climbing ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&, and penetrating  vine. it's in the rocky ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&, plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&, deep  below. glistening  silver burrows, ,&,&,&,&,&
,&&,&,&,&, red-pink  logo,   unclear   nationality, ,&,&,&,&,&
,,&,&,&,&, veiled motives.                          ,&,&,&,&,&
                                                              
           a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
   ,       sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.           
                                                              
           we  will   grow   humans   in   pea-pods           
                                                         ,    
           shimmering     sound-card     emergence,           
           something   there  on   the   shore   of           
         , turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
           the  digital,  waves  in  dithering   of           
     -     third-rate  dac's, caressing  the  sand,           
           bringing  things  up from  the depths of           
           the  circuit. and  there, deposited: the           
           first   seed   crystal   of   artificial           
           intelligence.                                      
                                                           -  
           this  changes  everything,  of   course.           
        ,                                                     
           ########################################           
     ,                                                        
           the  company  is  named  for  it's first           
           product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
           passive  sentinel and an  active  torch: -         
           set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it           
           will  light up a  whole  city at  night,           
           and at its narrowest  it becomes a laser           
           to  cut   through  mountain  and  metal.        -  
                                                              
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time           
           when that  something was  found on  that           
           beach,  now the mirrors are  all used to           
 ,         beam   energy    at    different    mirr  ,        
           implements,  as   a  rather  static  and           
           boring power source. (and  subtle threat           
           of violence.)                                      
        ,                                                     
           ########################################           
                                                              
           the   ai  is  a  coral.  they   grow  it           
           (crystal  oil,  lead glass, gentle laser          †
           curtains)  only to  carve  it apart  and           
           section  it.   to   become  conditioned,           
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously           
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the        -  
      †    surface.                                      †    
                                                              
           whispers now,  about  featherbite...  is           
           she  a real person? or is this the  mirr           
           ai, being unleashed upon the  youth? and           
           another  conspiracy  theory  about there        ,  
           not actually being  any human  employees           
           left.                                              
                                                              
      ,    in  the   meantime,  dubious  creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     ,    
                                                        ,     
,          ########################################    ,      
                            #######################   ,       
    -                        ######################  ,        
                              ##################### ,         
                               ####################           
         ,                     ,###################           
                              ,  ##################           
                             ,    #################           
    ,                       ,     ,################           
                           ,     ,  ###############           
                          ,     ,    ##############           
                         ,     ,      #############           
                        ,     ,        ############           
                       ,     ,          ###########           
        -                   ,           ,##########           
    -                      ,           ,  #########           
                          ,           ,    ########           
                         ,                  #######           
                        ,                    ######           
                       ,                      #####           
                      ,                        ####    ,      
   †                 ,                          ###           
                    ,                            ##           
                                                  #           
                                                              
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                                                          †