,,,-\\$$¶¶ ¶¶$$\\-,,,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,-~~\$&& &&$\~~-,,,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,,-~†$$¶ ¶$$†~-,,,,
,-~\†$&¶## ,- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -, ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,,,-\\†& NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. &†\\-,,,,,
,,,,,~††$¶ ,- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -, ¶$††~,,,,,
,-\†$&¶### ###¶&$†\-,
,,,,,,~~†& HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE &†~~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~†& KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, &†~,,,,,,,
,,,,-\\††& HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE &††\\-,,,,
,-~\\\\\$¶ REWARDS. ¶$\\\\\~-,
,-~\††$$¶# #¶$$††\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## AND THUS HE'S CURRENTLY WORKING ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&&¶¶ ALONGSIDE HATSUNE MIKU FOR A COMPANY ¶¶&&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## THAT MAKES SYNTHETIC MEAL REPLACEMENTS. ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## HE'S GOT A VAGUE OUTLINE OF A PLAN, TO ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†††$$& SCATTER WITH SOME PRODUCT, OR EVEN &$$†††\~-,
,,,,-\$&&# BETTER, SOME FORMULA? THESE THINGS ARE #&&$\-,,,,
,-~\†$&¶## WORTH A LOT TO A COMPETITOR. ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,-~~\†&¶ HE'S BEEN LUCKY; THE PLACE IS ¶&†\~~-,,,
,-~\†$&&&& SURPRISINGLY UNGUARDED. ONCE HE'S GOT &&&&$†\~-,
,,,,,-\†&& HIS PAWS ON SOMETHING WORTHWHILE, IT'LL &&†\-,,,,,
,,,,-~~†&& BE EASY TO JUST WALTZ OUT. UNTIL THEN, &&†~~-,,,,
,-~\†$&### KEEP DOING THE WORK... ###&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,-\\$$¶# COME TO THINK OF IT, THE PLACE IS #¶$$\\-,,,
,,,,,-\†&# ALMOST EERILY EMPTY. THERE ARE FEW #&†\-,,,,,
,,,,-~\$$& COWORKERS. (IN FACT THE COMPANY IS &$$\~-,,,,
,-~\\\\$&# AI-RUN AND ONLY A FEW KEY ROLES ARE #&$\\\\~-,
,,,,-~~†$& FILLED BY ACTUAL PEOPLE. &$†~~-,,,,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,---\\†††& NONE OF THE EMPLOYEES KNOW THIS.) &†††\\---,
,-\†$&¶### ###¶&$†\-,
,-~\†$&¶## ~~~ ~~~ ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,,,,-\†& ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ &†\-,,,,,,
,,,,,-~†&# ~~~ ~~~ #&†~-,,,,,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## NICK AND MIKU ARE BOTH STATIONED IN ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$$&¶# EARLY PROCESSING, HOUSED IN A STATE OF #¶&$$†\~-,
,,,,,-\$$¶ THE ART FACTORY CLOSE TO THE DOCKS. ¶$$\-,,,,,
,-~\†$$&¶¶ THEY CREATE THE EARLY BUILDING BLOCKS ¶¶&$$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## THAT ARE LATER COMBINED INTO THE MEALS ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## THAT'S SOLD TO CUSTOMERS. ##¶&$†\~-,
,,-~~~\†&# #&†\~~~-,,
,,,,-~†$¶# THE BASES ARE MOSTLY SLUDGES #¶$†~-,,,,
,-~\†$&¶## OR PASTES, SUCH AS: ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,-----~\†& \~ PLANT MATTER &†\~-----,
,,,,--~†$¶ \~ BLOOD COLONY ¶$†~--,,,,
,,,,,,~†&¶ (MADE WITH A TYPE OF BACTERIA) ¶&†~,,,,,,
,,,,,--\$¶ \~ WILD FLESH ¶$\--,,,,,
,,,,,,~\$¶ (FREE ROAMING ANIMALS) ¶$\~,,,,,,
,-~\†$$$¶¶ \~ ORGANS ¶¶$$$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## (TAKEN FROM A LIVING HUMAN THAT ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## IS WILLING TO SELL) ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## \~ MINERALS ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$$&&# \~ BLOOD COLONY TWO #&&$$†\~-,
,,--\†††&# \~ INSECTS #&†††\--,,
,-~\†$&¶## (WHICH ARE MAINLY USED FOR THEIR ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶¶# BRAIN, WHICH IS USED TO EXTRACT #¶¶&$†\~-,
,,,~~††$&# RECEPTORS THAT DETECT PHEROMONES) #&$††~~,,,
,,,,,,~\$& &$\~,,,,,,
,,,,,-\$¶¶ ~~~ ~~~ ¶¶$\-,,,,,
,-~\†$&¶¶# ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ #¶¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## ~~~ ~~~ ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,,,-\†&¶ ¶&†\-,,,,,
,-~\†$&&&¶ MIKU IS IN CHARGE OF THE BLOOD ¶&&&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## COLONIES. THERE'S LARGE VATS OF THE ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,,,,~†&& ORIGINAL CULTURE WHICH IS FED BLOOD &&†~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~†& MEAL, BONE MEAL, WHAT DOESN'T QUALIFY &†~,,,,,,,
,,,,,-\$¶¶ TO GO IN THE "WILD FLESH" PASTE, AND ¶¶$\-,,,,,
,,,,,-\†$& SOME PROCESSING CHEMICALS. ALL THESE &$†\-,,,,,
,,,,--\$&¶ INGREDIENTS HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BLOOD ¶&$\--,,,,
,-~\†$&¶¶# WHICH IN TURN AFFECTS MIKU. #¶¶&$†\~-,
,,,-~~~\$& &$\~~~-,,,
,-~\†$&¶## THERE IS A LARGE TANK BEHIND THE ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,,~~†&&¶ FACTORY THAT CONTAINS A VAST NUMBER OF ¶&&†~~,,,,
,,---~\†&& AUXILLIARY BLOOD COLONIES. MIKU WATCHES &&†\~---,,
,-~\†$&¶## OVER THESE AS WELL. THEIR PURPOSE IS ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶¶¶ UNCLEAR. ¶¶¶&$†\~-,
,,,,~~~~†& &†~~~~,,,,
,,---\$&&# THE FACTORY IS SURROUNDED BY THE BLOOD #&&$\---,,
,,,~~~†$$& MEAL FARMS. THERE IS A CONSTANT &$$†~~~,,,
,-~~~††&&# EXCHANGE OF BLOOD AND BLOOD MEAL. THIS #&&††~~~-,
,----~~\†& PROVIDES TWO OF THE MAJOR MATERIALS FOR &†\~~----,
,----~~†&& BOTH THE COLONIES AND MIKU. &&†~~----,
,-~\†$¶### ###¶$†\~-,
,-~\†$¶### ~~~ ~~~ ###¶$†\~-,
,,,,-~††$¶ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ¶$††~-,,,,
,-~\†$&¶## ~~~ ~~~ ##¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶¶¶ ¶¶¶&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&&&¶ NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND ¶&&&$†\~-,
,-~\†$&¶## THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ##¶&$†\~-,
,,--~\†&&& &&&†\~--,,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,
,,,,,,-\$¶ ¶$\-,,,,,,
,,,,,,~\$& &$\~,,,,,,
,-~\†$&¶## ##¶&$†\~-,