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..##..##..               #    .#                    ##..#.....
#........#               ##  . ##                   ......####
..######..               ###   ###                  #####..###
...####...               ####  ####                 ####....#.
##..##..##               ##### #####                ###..##...
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.######### ######################################## ##..##..#.
..######## #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ..........
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######....                                          #..###....
.####..### 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.                     .    
                                                        .     
.          ########################################    .      
                            #######################   .       
    ,                        ######################  .        
                              ##################### .         
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                              .  ##################           
         ^                   .    #################           
                            .     .################           
                           .     .  ###############           
                          .     .    ##############           
  ^                      .     .      #############           
                        .     .        ############        ^  
   .                   .     .          ###########           
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     .                   .                  #######           
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                       .                      #####           
                      .                        ####           
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