##@*$*~,,, ,,,~*$*@##
#@*$*~,,,, ,,,,~*$*@#
@*$*~,,,,, ,,,,,~*$*@
*$*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*$*
$*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*$
*~,,,,,,,, ,~ ======= ======= ======= ~, ,,,,,,,,~*
~,,,,,,,,, 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 ,,,,,,,,~*
$*~,,,,,,, BOTH THE COLONIES AND MIKU. ,,,,,,,~*$
*$*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*$*
@*$*~,,,,, === === ,,,,,~*$*@
#@*$*~,,,, === === === ,,,,~*$*@#
##@*$*~,,, === === ,,,~*$*@##
###@*$*~,, ,,~*$*@###
####@*$*~, NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND ,~*$*@####
###@*$*~,, THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ,,~*$*@###
##@*$*~,,, ,,,~*$*@##
#@*$*~,,,, ,,,,~*$*@#
@*$*~,,,,, ,,,,,~*$*@
*$*~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~*$*
$*~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~*$