.,~†%%%%$@                                          @$%%%%†~,.
.,~†%$@###                                          ###@$%†~,.
.,~†%$£@##                                          ##@£$%†~,.
......,†$£                                          £$†,......
.,~†%$£@##                                          ##@£$%†~,.
.,~†%$£@##       ., ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,.      ##@£$%†~,.
.,,~~%$££# NICK WILDE IS A  RED FOX  AND A  CONMAN. #££$%~~,,.
....,†††$@      ., ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,.       @$†††,....
.,~†%$$£@@                                          @@£$$%†~,.
.,~†%$£@##    HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE    ##@£$%†~,.
.,~†%$$££@ KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK,  @££$$%†~,.
.,~†%%%%££     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  £%~.......
....,~~%$£   OVER THESE AS WELL. THEIR PURPOSE IS   £$%~~,....
.,~†%$£@##                 UNCLEAR.                 ##@£$%†~,.
......,†%£                                          £%†,......
.,~†%$@###  THE FACTORY IS SURROUNDED BY THE BLOOD  ###@$%†~,.
.,~†%$£@@#      MEAL FARMS. THERE IS A CONSTANT     #@@£$%†~,.
...,†%%$£#  EXCHANGE OF BLOOD AND BLOOD MEAL. THIS  #£$%%†,...
.,~†%$£@## PROVIDES TWO OF THE MAJOR MATERIALS FOR  ##@£$%†~,.
.....,,†$@       BOTH THE COLONIES AND MIKU.        @$†,,.....
.,~†%$£@@@                                          @@@£$%†~,.
...~~†%$£@                 ~~~ ~~~                  @£$%†~~...
.,~†%$£@##                ~~~ ~~~ ~~~               ##@£$%†~,.
.,~†%$£@##                 ~~~ ~~~                  ##@£$%†~,.
.,~†%$£@##                                          ##@£$%†~,.
.,~†%$£@##       NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND       ##@£$%†~,.
.,~††%%%$@          THE "WILD FLESH" VATS.          @$%%%††~,.
..,~††$£@@                                          @@£$††~,..
.,~†%$£@##                                          ##@£$%†~,.
.....,†$@@                                          @@$†,.....
.,~†%$£@##                                          ##@£$%†~,.
....~%%%%£                                          £%%%%~....