,                                                    
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
                     &                                        
                    &&&,,                                     
                     &   ,,,,                                 
                             ,,,,   &&&&&&                    
                                 ,,,,&&&&&                    
     ^                                &&&&                    
                                      ,&&&                    
                                     ,  &&                    
                         &          ,    &                    
                         &&        ,                 ^        
                         &&&      ,                           
                         &&&&    ,                            
                         &&&&&  ,                        ,    
                         &&&&&&,                              
,,&&&&,,&&               &    ,&                    ,&,&,,&&,&
&,&,,,&,&,               &&  , &&                   ,&&&&,&,&&
,&&&,,&&&&               &&&   &&&                  &&,,,&&&&,
,&,,&,&,,,               &&&&  &&&&                 &,&,,&,,,&
&&&,&&&&,,               &&&&& &&&&&                ,&&&,&&,,&
,,,&&,,,&,               &&&&&&&&&&&&               ,&,,&&,&,&
&,,&,&,,&&                                          &&&,&,&&&&
,&,&&&&,&, ######################################## ,,,&&&&,,,
,&&&,,,&&& #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ,,,&,,,&,,
,&,,&,,&,, ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,,,&&,,&&,
,&&,&&,&&, #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ,,,&,&,&,&
&&,&&,&&,& ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### &,,&&&&&&&
,,&&,&&,&& #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### ,&,&,,,,,,
,,&,&&,&&, ######################################## &&&&&,,,,,
,,&&&,&&,&                                          ,,,,,&,,,,
,,&,,&&,&& there is  another  company.  a  climbing ,,,,,&&,,,
,,&&,&,&&, and penetrating vine. it's in the  rocky ,,,,,&,&,,
,,&,&&&&,& plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's ,,,,,&&&&,
,,&&&,,,&& deep below. glistening  silver  burrows, ,,,,,&,,,&
&,&,,&,,&, red-pink   logo,   unclear  nationality, &,,,,&&,,&
,&&&,&&,&& veiled motives.                          ,&,,,&,&,&
                                                              
           a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.           
                                                              
           we   will   grow  humans   in   pea-pods   =       
                                                              
           shimmering     sound-card     emergence,           
           something   there   on  the   shore   of           
           turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
           the  digital,  waves  in   dithering  of           
           third-rate  dac's,  caressing  the sand,           
           bringing things  up from  the depths  of           
           the circuit.  and  there, deposited: the           
           first   seed   crystal   of   artificial           
           intelligence.                                      
      =                                               ,       
           this  changes   everything,  of  course.           
                                                       ^      
           ########################################           
 ^                                                            
           the  company is  named  for  it's  first           
           product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
       ,   passive sentinel  and an  active  torch:           
           set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it           
           will light  up a  whole city  at  night,           
           and at its narrowest it becomes a  laser          ,
           to  cut  through  mountain   and  metal.           
                                                              
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time           
           when  that  something  was found on that        =  
      ,    beach, now  the mirrors are all  used to  ^        
           beam    energy   at    different    mirr           
     ,     implements,  as   a  rather  static  and           
           boring power source. (and subtle  threat           
           of violence.)                                      
                                                              
           ########################################           
                                                        ,     
           the  ai  is  a   coral.  they  grow   it   ^       
        ,  (crystal  oil, lead glass,  gentle laser           
           curtains)  only to  carve  it apart  and           
           section   it.  to   become  conditioned,    =      
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously      ,    
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the           
           surface.                                  ,        
                                                              
           whispers now,  about  featherbite...  is           
 ,         she  a  real person? or is this the mirr           
      ^    ai, being unleashed upon the youth?  and           
           another  conspiracy  theory about  there           
           not actually being  any  human employees           
           left.                                              
                                                              
           in  the   meantime,  dubious  creations. ,         
           cerberus bodies are born.                     ,    
                                                        ,     
,          ########################################    ,      
                            #######################   ,       
    ^                        ######################  ,        
                              ##################### ,         
                               ####################       ^   
                               ,###################           
                              ,  ##################           
         ,                   ,    #################  ,        
 ,                          ,     ,################           
                           ,     ,  ###############           
                          ,     ,    ##############           
                         ,     ,      #############           
                        ,     ,        ############           
                       ,     ,          ###########           
                            ,           ,##########           
                           ,           ,  #########           
         ^                ,           ,    ########    ,      
       ,                 ,                  #######           
                        ,                    ######           
                       ,                      #####           
       ,              ,                        ####           
  ,                  ,                          ###      ,    
        ,           ,                            ## ^         
                                                  #           
                                                              
       =                                                  ^   
                                                     ,