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##.##.#.#.                                          .#.##.#.#.
.#..#.#.#. 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.                     .    
                                                        .     
.          ########################################    .      
                            #######################   .       
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                              ##################### .         
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                              .  ##################           
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                            .     .################           
         .                 .     .  ###############           
     .                    .     .    ##############           
                         .     .      #############           
                        .     .        ############           
     *                 .     .          ###########           
                            .           .##########           
   .                       .           .  #########       .   
                          .           .    ########           
                         .                  #######          .
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                       .                      #####           
                      .                        ####     *     
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