&.&&&&.&.. &....&&...
&&...&&&.& &...&.&..&
.&..&..&&& &..&&&&.&.
&&.&&.&..& &.&...&&&.
.&&.&&&.&. &&&..&..&&
&.&&..&&&. .~ ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ~. ..&.&&.&.&
&&.&.&..&& 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. ...&&.&&.&
&&&.&&.&&. ..&.&&.&&&
..&&.&&.&. .&&&.&&...
.&.&&.&&&& &..&&.&...
&&&.&&.... &.&.&&&...
..&&.&...& &&&&..&..&