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.......... 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... ~,........
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.......... 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.) ..........
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.....,~*^@ @^*~,.....
....,~*^@& 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. ..........
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.......... 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. ..........
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........,~ 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. @^*~,.....
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