##@§$$:~-. .-~:$$§@##
#@§$$:~-.. ..-~:$$§@#
@§$$:~-... ...-~:$$§@
§$$:~-.... ....-~:$$§
$$:~-..... .....-~:$$
$:~-...... .- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -. ......-~:$
:~-....... 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. ........-~
-......... .........-
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........
.......... ..........