.....^**§§ §§**^.....
.^~**£§@## ##@§£**~^.
.^~**£§#@# #@#§£**~^.
.^~***£§§# #§§£***~^.
.^~**£§§§@ @§§§£**~^.
.^~**£#@## .^ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ^. ##@#£**~^.
.^~**£§#@# 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. §*~~......
...^~~*£## ##£*~~^...
.^~~~****§ §****~~~^.
.^~**£§#@# #@#§£**~^.
.^~**£§#@# #@#§£**~^.
....^**§#@ @#§**^....