##@#&$=-~. .~-=$&#@##
#@#&$†=-~. .~-=†$&#@#
&&†=~..... .....~=†&&
@&$=~..... .....~=$&@
#&††=~.... ....~=††&#
#@#&$†=-~. .~ ------- ------- ------- ~. .~-=†$&#@#
##&&$†=-~. NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. .~-=†$&&##
@&$=-..... .~ ------- ------- ------- ~. .....-=$&@
###&$†=-~. .~-=†$&###
@&†-~..... 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 ..~---†††&
##@#&$†-~. THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. .~-†$&#@##
&$=-----~. .~-----=$&
@##&$†=-~. .~-=†$&##@
@@#&$†=-~. .~-=†$&#@@
#@#&$†=-~. .~-=†$&#@#
#&†††-.... ....-†††&#