&,,,,&,,&& ,&,&,&,,,,
&,,,&&,&,& &&&&&&,,,&
&,,&,&&&&& ,,,,,&,,&,
&,&&&,,,,, ,,,,&&,&&&
&&,,&,,,,& ,,,&,&&,,,
,&,&&,,,&& ,^ ------- ------- ------- ^, ,,&&&,&,,&
&&&,&,,&,, 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. ,&&,,,,&&&
,&&,&,,,,& &,&,,,&,,,
&,&&&,,,&& &&&,,&&,,,
&&,,&,,&,, ,,&,&,&,,&
,&,&&,&&,, ,&&&&&&,&,
&&&,&&,&,& &,,,,,&&&,