&...&..&&. &.....&...
&&..&&.&.& .&....&&..
&.&.&.&&&& &&&...&.&.
&&&&&&&... ...&..&&&&
.......&.. &..&&.&...
.......&&. .- »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» -. .&.&.&&&..
.......&.& 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. .&&&&&&&&&
....&..&.& .&........
....&&.&&& &&&.......
....&.&&.. ...&......
....&&&.&. &..&&.....
....&..&&& &&.&.&....