,,,&&,&,&, &&&,,&&,,&
&,,&&,,,,& &,&&,&&&,,
,&,&&&,,,, ,,&&,&,&&,
,,,&,&&,,, ,,&&,,,&&&
&,,,,&&&,, &,&&&,,&,&
&&,,,&,&&, ,. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ., &,&,&&,,,&
,&&,,,,&&& 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. ,,,,,&,,&,
&&&,,&,,,, ,,,,,,&,,,
&,&&,,&,,, ,,,,,,,&,,
,,&&&,,&,, &,,,,,,,&,
,,&,&&,,&, &&,,,,,,,&
&,,,&&&,,& ,&&,,,,,,,