.....&&&&& ...&&...&&
.&&&..&&&. &&....&...
..&....&.. &..&&...&&
....&&...& ......&...
&&&....&.. &&&&&...&&
&&..&&...& .: »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» :. .&&&..&..&
&......&.. 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. &.....&&&&
&....&&&.. ..&&&..&&&
..&&..&..& ...&....&&
.......... &&...&&...
&&&&&&&&&. &..&....&&
&&&&&&&&.. .....&&..&