..&&.&&&&. &&&&..&&.&
&.&.&&...& &...&.&.&&
.&&&&.&..& .&..&&&&&.
.&...&&&.& .&&.&....&
&&&..&..&& &&.&&&...&
...&.&&.&. .: ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« :. &.&&..&..&
&..&&&.&&& 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. &&.&&&.&&.
.&.&&&&.&. &.&&..&&.&
&&&&...&&& &&&.&.&.&&
....&..&.. ...&&&&&&.
....&&.&&. ...&.....&
&...&.&&.& ...&&....&