.   
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
                     #                                    %   
                    ###..                                     
                     #   ....                                 
     .                       ....   ######                    
         .                       ....#####                    
                                      ####          %         
                                      .###                    
                                     .  ##             %      
                         #          .    #                    
                         ##        .                          
    .                    ###      .                           
                         ####    .                            
                         #####  .                             
                         ######.                              
###.#.#.#.               #    .#                    #...###.#.
..########               ##  . ##                   #..#..####
.#........               ###   ###                  #.##.#...#
##.......#               ####  ####                 ##.###..##
.#......#.               ##### #####                .##..#.#..
##.....##.               ############               #.#.####..
.#....#.##                                          ####...#.#
##...###.. ######################################## ...#..####
.#..#..#.. #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ..##.#....
##.##.##.# ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### .#.###....
.##.##.### #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ###..#...#
#.##.##..# ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ..#.##..##
##.##.#.#. #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### .###.#.#..
.##.#####. ######################################## #..#####.#
#.##....#.                                          #.#....###
##.#...##. there  is  another  company. a  climbing ###...#...
.###..#.## and penetrating vine.  it's in the rocky ..#..##..#
#..#.###.# plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's .##.#.#.##
#.###..##. deep below.  glistening silver  burrows, #.######..
##..#.#.## red-pink  logo,   unclear   nationality, ##.....#.#
.#.#####.. veiled motives.                          .#....###.
                                                              
           a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.           
     .                                                        
         . we   will  grow   humans   in   pea-pods           
                                                              
           shimmering     sound-card     emergence, %         
           something   there   on   the  shore   of           
           turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
           the  digital,   waves  in  dithering  of        .  
           third-rate dac's,  caressing  the  sand,           
           bringing things up from  the  depths  of           
           the circuit.  and  there, deposited: the    .      
           first   seed   crystal   of   artificial          %
           intelligence.                                      
                                                              
           this  changes   everything,  of  course.           
                                                        .     
           ########################################           
                                                              
           the company  is  named  for  it's  first           
        .  product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
      %    passive sentinel  and an  active  torch:           
       ~   set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it           
           will light  up  a  whole city at  night,       .   
           and at its narrowest it becomes a  laser           
           to   cut  through  mountain  and  metal.           
        %                                                     
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time           
           when  that  something was  found on that           
           beach, now  the  mirrors are all used to           
           beam    energy   at    different    mirr           
           implements,   as  a  rather  static  and           
~          boring power  source. (and subtle threat           
           of violence.)                                      
                                                              
.          ########################################           
                                                    ~         
           the  ai  is  a   coral.  they  grow   it           
      .    (crystal  oil, lead  glass, gentle laser     .     
           curtains)  only  to carve  it apart  and           
           section   it.   to  become  conditioned,           
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously    .      
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the           
           surface.                                          ~
    .                                                         
           whispers  now, about  featherbite...  is           
           she a  real person? or is this the  mirr    .      
           ai, being unleashed upon  the youth? and           
           another  conspiracy  theory about  there   .       
    %      not actually being  any  human employees           
           left.                                              
                                                              
        .  in  the  meantime,   dubious  creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     .    
                                                        .     
.          ########################################    .      
                            #######################   .       
    ~                        ######################  .        
                              ##################### .         
                               ####################           
         .                     .###################        ~  
                              .  ################## .         
                             .    #################           
                            .     .################           
                           .     .  ###############           
       .                  .     .    ##############           
                         .     .      #############           
                        .     .        ############    .      
                       .     .          ###########           
                            .           .##########           
                           .           .  #########           
    %                     .           .    ########           
                         .                  #######           
                        .                    ######           
                       .                      #####           
                      .                        ####           
                     .                          ###      %    
                    .                            ##           
                                                  #         ~ 
                                                       %      
 .                                                        %   
                                                              
                                                          .   
    %                                                   .