#                              ,         
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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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                    ,                            ##      ^    
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      ,