.&&....&.& .&&&..&&&.
.&.&...&&& &&..&.&..&
&&&&&..&.. ..&.&&&&.&
.....&.&&. &.&&&...&&
&....&&&.& &&&..&..&.
&&...&..&& ., ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,. ...&.&&.&&
..&..&&.&. 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. .&...&..&&
&&&&&..&.. &&&..&&.&.
&....&.&&. &..&.&.&&&
.&...&&&.& .&.&&&&&..
.&&..&..&& &&&&....&.
.&.&.&&.&. ....&...&&