........,~ ~,........
.......,~* *~,.......
......,~*% %*~,......
.....,~*%§ §%*~,.....
....,~*%§¤ ¤§%*~,....
...,~*%§¤¶ ., ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,. ¶¤§%*~,...
..,~*%§¤¶@ 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. ,.........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
........., ,.........
........,~ ~,........