&.&&&..&.. ..&&&&&&.&
&&..&.&&.& .&.....&&.
.&.&&&.&&. &&....&.&&
&&&..&&.&. .&...&&&.&
..&.&.&&&. &&..&..&&.
.&&&&&..&& ., ------- ------- ------- ,. .&.&&.&.&.
&....&.&.. 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. .&&&...&&.
.&.&&&&..& &..&..&.&&
&&&...&.&. &.&&.&&&.&
..&..&&&&& &&.&&..&&.
.&&.&..... .&&.&.&.&.
&.&&&....& &.&&&&&&&.