,,,,:::@@& &@@:::,,,,
,,~:%@&¶## ##¶&@%:~,,
,,,,~~~%&& &&%~~~,,,,
,,~:%@@&&¶ ¶&&@@%:~,,
,,~:%@¶### ###¶@%:~,,
,,~~~~%%@¶ ,, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,, ¶@%%~~~~,,
,,~:@&¶### 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. ##¶&@%:~,,
,,~:%@&¶## ##¶&@%:~,,
,,,,~%%&¶¶ ¶¶&%%~,,,,
,,~:%@## ###&@%:~,,
,,~:%@¶### ###¶@%:~,,
,,,~~:@&&¶ ¶&&@:~~,,,