###&%^\~., ,.~\^%##
&&&^\...,, ,,...\^&&&
##¶&%^\~., ,.~\^%&¶##
#&^^~.,,,, ,,,,.~^^
##¶&%^\~., ,.~\^%&¶##
&^^^~.,,,, ,. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ., ,,,,.~^^^&
##¶&%^\~., 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. ,.~\^%&¶##
##¶&%^\~., ,.~\^%&¶##
##¶&%^\~., ,.~\^%&¶##
#¶&%\.,,,, ,,,,.\%&¶#
#&^\..,,,, ,,,,..\^
###¶&%^\~. .~\^%&¶###