=~,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,~=
\=~,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,~=\
%\=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=\%
*%\=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=\%*
§*%\=~,,,, ,,,,~=\%*§
#§*%\=~,,, ,~ ======= ======= ======= ~, ,,,~=\%*§#
##§*%\=~,, 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. ,~=\%*§###
##§*%\=~,, ,,~=\%*§##
#§*%\=~,,, ,,,~=\%*§#
§*%\=~,,,, ,,,,~=\%*§
*%\=~,,,,, ,,,,,~=\%*
%\=~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~=\%