,.~^%$@### ###@$%^~.,
,,.~^%$@## ##@$%^~.,,
,,,.~^%$@# #@$%^~.,,,
,,,,.~^%$@ @$%^~.,,,,
,,,,,.~^%$ $%^~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~^% ,. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ., %^~.,,,,,,
,,,,,.~^%$ 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 $%^~.,,,,,
,,,,,,.~^% THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. %^~.,,,,,,
,,,,,.~^%$ $%^~.,,,,,
,,,,.~^%$@ @$%^~.,,,,
,,,.~^%$@# #@$%^~.,,,
,,.~^%$@## ##@$%^~.,,
,.~^%$@### ###@$%^~.,