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