&%††--.... ....--††%&
##@&%†:-~. .~-:†%&@##
&†:~...... ......~:†&
#@%%%†:-~. .~-:†%%%@#
#@@&%†:-~. .~-:†%&@@#
@@@&%†:-~. .~ ------- ------- ------- ~. .~-:†%&@@@
##@&%†:-~. 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. .....--†&@
##@&%†:-~. .~-:†%&@##
@&†--..... .....--†&@
#&††-~~... ...~~-††
&††--~.... ....~--††&
&†††††:-~. .~-:†††††&