,:~=*¤@@@# #@@@¤*=~:,
,,:~=*¤@@@ @@@¤*=~:,,
,,,:~=*¤@@ @@¤*=~:,,,
,,,,:~=*¤@ @¤*=~:,,,,
,,,,,:~=*¤ ¤*=~:,,,,,
,,,,,,:~=* ,: ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ :, *=~:,,,,,,
,,,,,,,:~= 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. *=~:,,,,,,
,,,,,:~=*¤ ¤*=~:,,,,,
,,,,:~=*¤@ @¤*=~:,,,,
,,,:~=*¤@@ @@¤*=~:,,,
,,:~=*¤@@@ @@@¤*=~:,,
,:~=*¤@@@# #@@@¤*=~:,