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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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                       .     .          ###########           
     .                      .           .##########           
                           .           .  #########           
                          .           .    ######## .         
                         .                  #######          .
    ^                   .                    ######           
                       .                      #####           
                      .                        ####    ^      
      $              .                          ###           
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