~                                                    
                                                              
                                                              
 ,                                                            
                                                    ,         
                     &                                  ,     
     ,              &&&,,                                  ~  
                     &   ,,,,                                 
                             ,,,,   &&&&&&             †      
                                 ,,,,&&&&&                    
  ,                                   &&&&                    
                                      ,&&&                    
                                     ,  &&                    
                         &          ,    &                    
                         &&        ,                          
       ,                 &&&      ,                           
                         &&&&    ,                    ,       
                         &&&&&  ,                             
                         &&&&&&,                              
&,,&&,,&,,               &    ,&                    ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,&               &&  , &&                   &&&&&&&&&,
&&&&&&&&,,               &&&   &&&                  &&&&&&&&,,
,&&&&&&,,,               &&&&  &&&&                 &&&&&&&,,,
,,&&&&,,&&               &&&&& &&&&&                &&&&&&,,&&
,,,&&,,,,&               &&&&&&&&&&&&               ,&&&&,,,,,
&&,,,,&&,,                                          ,,&&,,&&&&
&,,&&,,,,, ######################################## ,,,,,,,&&&
,,,,,,&&&& #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## &&&&&&,,&&
,&&&&,,&&, ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ,&&&&,,,,,
,,&&,,,,,, #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ,,&&,,&&&&
,,,,,&&&&, ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### &,,,,,,&&,
&&&&,,&&,, #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### ,,&&&&,,,,
,&&,,,,,,, ######################################## ,,,&&,,&&,
,,,,&&&&&&                                          &&,,,,,,,,
&&&,,&&&&, there  is  another company.  a  climbing ,,,&&&&&&&
&&,,,,&&,, and penetrating  vine. it's in the rocky &&,,&&&&&&
&,,&&,,,,& plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's ,,,,,&&&&&
,,,,,,&&,, deep below.  glistening  silver burrows, &&&&,,&&&&
,&&&&,,,,& red-pink   logo,   unclear  nationality, ,&&,,,,&&,
,,&&,,&&,, veiled motives.                          ,,,,&&,,,,
  ,                                                   †       
       ~   a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.           
                                                              
           we   will   grow  humans   in   pea-pods           
                                                        ,     
           shimmering     sound-card     emergence,         † 
           something   there  on   the   shore   of           
           turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
     ,     the  digital,  waves  in  dithering   of           
      ,    third-rate dac's,  caressing  the  sand,           
           bringing things up  from the  depths  of           
     †     the circuit. and  there, deposited:  the           
           first   seed   crystal   of   artificial           
           intelligence.                                  ,   
                                                              
 †         this  changes   everything,  of  course.           
     ~                                                       ,
           ########################################           
                                                              
 ,         the  company is  named  for  it's  first           
           product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
        ,  passive sentinel  and an  active  torch:           
  ~        set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it           
           will light up  a whole  city  at  night,           
†          and at its narrowest it becomes  a laser           
           to   cut  through  mountain  and  metal.           
                                                              
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time           
         , when  that  something was  found on that           
           beach,  now the  mirrors are all used to           
           beam    energy    at    different   mirr           
           implements,  as   a  rather  static  and    ,      
           boring power source. (and  subtle threat           
           of violence.)                                   ,  
                                                              
           ########################################           
   ,                                                          
           the  ai  is  a  coral.   they  grow   it           
           (crystal oil, lead  glass,  gentle laser           
           curtains)  only  to  carve  it apart and           
           section  it.   to  become   conditioned,  †        
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously           
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the           
           surface.                                         ~ 
                                                              
           whispers  now,  about  featherbite... is           
           she  a real person? or  is this the mirr   ,       
           ai, being  unleashed upon the youth? and           
           another  conspiracy  theory  about there           
           not actually being  any  human employees           
           left.                                              
 ,                                                            
           in  the  meantime,  dubious   creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     ,    
                                                        ,     
,          ########################################    ,      
                            #######################   ,       
    ~                        ######################  ,        
                              ##################### ,         
                               ####################           
                               ,###################           
                              ,  ##################   ,       
      ,                      ,    #################           
                            ,     ,################           
                           ,     ,  ###############     ,     
     ,                    ,     ,    ##############           
                         ,     ,      #############         , 
                        ,     ,        ############ ,         
                       ,     ,          ###########           
                            ,           ,##########           
                           ,           ,  #########           
                          ,           ,    ########           
                         ,                  #######           
                        ,                    ######           
                       ,                      #####           
                      ,                        ####     †     
                     ,                          ###           
                    ,                            ##  ,        
                                                  #           
                                                              
                                                              
    †                                                         
        †