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