&&.&..&&&. .&&.&.&&&&
.&&&.&..&& &.&&&&....
&..&&&.&.& &&...&....
&.&..&&&&. .&..&&...&
&&&.&...&& &&.&.&..&.
..&&&..&.. ., ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,. .&&&&&.&&&
.&..&.&&.. 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. &&&..&.&..
.&...&.... ..&.&&&&..
&&..&&.... .&&&...&..
.&.&.&.... &..&..&&.&
&&&&&&...& &.&&.&.&&&
.....&..&. &&.&&&&...