,,,,,,&,,& &,&&&,,,,&
&,,,,,,&,, ,,&,&&,,,,
,&,,,,,,&, ,,,,&&&,,,
,,&,,,,,,& ,,,,&,&&,,
,,,&,,,,,, ,,,,,,&&&,
,,,,&,,,,, ,. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ., ,,,,,,&,&&
&,,,,&,,,, 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. ,&,&&,,&,&
&&,,&,,,,, ,,,&&&,,,&
,&&,,&,,,, ,,,&,&&,,&
,&&&,,&,,, &,,,,&&&,,
,&,&&,,&,, ,&,,,&,&&,
,,,&&&,,&, ,,&,,,,&&&