.....-~^%* *%^~-.....
....-~^%*¤ ¤*%^~-....
...-~^%*¤¶ ¶¤*%^~-...
..-~^%*¤¶# #¶¤*%^~-..
.-~^%*¤¶## ##¶¤*%^~-.
..-~^%*¤¶# .- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -. #¶¤*%^~-..
...-~^%*¤¶ 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. #¶¤*%^~-..
...-~^%*¤¶ ¶¤*%^~-...
....-~^%*¤ ¤*%^~-....
.....-~^%* *%^~-.....
......-~^% %^~-......
.....-~^%* *%^~-.....