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