,,,,,~*£## ##£*~,,,,,
,,,,,~***£ £***~,,,,,
,,~=***££# #££***=~,,
,,~=**£### ###£**=~,,
,,~=**£### ###£**=~,,
,,,,~~~**# ,, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,, #**~~~,,,,
,,~=****## 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. ###£**=~,,
,,,,,,,~*£ £*~,,,,,,,
,,~=**££## ##££**=~,,
,,,~==**£# #£**==~,,,
,,~=*****# #*****=~,,
,,~=****£# #£****=~,,