#%*=~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~=*%#
#¤%%===~,¨ ¨,~===%%¤#
###¤%*=~,¨ ¨,~=*%¤###
###¤%*=~,¨ ¨,~=*%¤###
###¤%*=~,¨ ¨,~=*%¤###
###¤%*=~,¨ ¨, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,¨ ¨,~=*%¤###
#¤¤¤%*=~,¨ 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. ¨,~=*%¤¤##
###¤%*=~,¨ ¨,~=*%¤###
¤**~,¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨,~**¤
¤%**===~,¨ ¨,~===**%¤
#¤¤¤%*=~,¨ ¨,~=*%¤¤¤#
##¤¤%*=~,¨ ¨,~=*%¤¤##