,,~\%$¤@## ##@¤$%\~,,
,,,~\%$¤@# #@¤$%\~,,,
,,,,~\%$¤@ @¤$%\~,,,,
,,,,,~\%$¤ ¤$%\~,,,,,
,,,,,,~\%$ $%\~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~\% ,, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,, %\~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~\ NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. \~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ,, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,, ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, REWARDS. ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, AND THUS HE'S CURRENTLY WORKING ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,~ ALONGSIDE HATSUNE MIKU FOR A COMPANY ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,~\ THAT MAKES SYNTHETIC MEAL REPLACEMENTS. \~,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~\% HE'S GOT A VAGUE OUTLINE OF A PLAN, TO %\~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~\%$ 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. ~,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
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