..&&&&.&&. &..&&..&..
..&...&&.& &&.&.&.&&.
..&&..&.&& &.&&&&&&.&
&.&.&.&&&. .&&.....&&
.&&&&&&..& .&.&....&.
.&.....&.& .~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~. .&&&&...&&
&&&....&&& 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. ...&&&&..&
.&...&&&.. &..&...&.&
&&&..&..&. &&.&&..&&&
...&.&&.&& &.&&.&.&..
...&&&.&&. &&&.&&&&&.
...&..&&.& ...&&....&