^     
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
      .              #                                        
                    ###..                                     
.                    #   ....                                 
                             ....   ######                    
                                 ....#####                    
                                      ####                    
                                      .###                    
                                     .  ##                    
                         #          .    #                    
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                         ###      .                           
                         ####    .                            
        .                #####  .                             
                         ######.                              
..##.#.###               #    .#                    #..##.#.#.
..#.####..               ##  . ##                   .#.#.#####
#.###...#.               ###   ###                  ######....
###..#..##               ####  ####                 #.....#...
#..#.##.#.               ##### #####                ##....##..
##.###.###               ############               #.#...#.#.
#.##..##..                                          .###..####
.##.#.#.#. ######################################## .#..#.#...
.#.####### #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## ###.####..
.###...... ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### #..##...#.
.#..#..... #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### ##.#.#..##
###.##.... ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### ..#####.#.
#..##.#... #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### #.#....###
.#.#.###.. ######################################## .###...#..
.#####..#.                                          .#..#..##.
.#....#.## there  is  another  company. a  climbing .##.##.#.#
###...###. and penetrating vine. it's  in the rocky ##.##.####
...#..#..# plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's ..##.##...
...##.##.# deep  below.  glistening silver burrows, #.#.##.#..
...#.##.## red-pink   logo,   unclear  nationality, #####.###.
...###.##. veiled motives.                          .....##..#
                                                              
           a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest    knife,     cutest     knife.     ^     
                                                              
   ^       we   will   grow  humans   in   pea-pods           
                                                              
           shimmering     sound-card     emergence,           
           something   there   on   the   shore  of           
   .       turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
           the  digital,  waves  in   dithering  of           
           third-rate  dac's,  caressing the  sand,           
   .       bringing  things up  from the depths  of          ^
           the  circuit. and there, deposited:  the           
           first   seed   crystal   of   artificial           
           intelligence.                                      
                                                              
           this  changes   everything,  of  course.           
                                                              
           ########################################           
                                                              
           the  company  is named  for  it's  first           
   ^       product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
           passive sentinel  and an  active  torch:           
           set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it           
 .         will light up  a  whole city  at  night,           
           and  at its narrowest it becomes a laser           
           to  cut   through  mountain  and  metal.           
                                                              
           still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time           
           when  that  something  was found on that           
           beach, now  the mirrors are  all used to           
^          beam    energy   at    different    mirr           
           implements,  as  a  rather   static  and           
           boring power source. (and subtle  threat           
           of violence.)                                      
                                                              
           ########################################           
                                                           ^  
           the  ai  is   a   coral.  they  grow  it           
           (crystal oil,  lead glass, gentle  laser           
           curtains)  only  to  carve  it apart and           
           section   it.  to   become  conditioned,           
  .        refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously     .     
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the           
           surface.                                           
  ^                                                           
           whispers  now, about  featherbite...  is           
           she a real person?  or is this  the mirr           
     .     ai,  being unleashed upon the youth? and           
           another  conspiracy theory  about  there           
           not actually being any  human  employees           
   .       left.                                              
                                                              
           in  the  meantime,   dubious  creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     .    
                                                        .     
.          ########################################    .      
                            #######################   .       
    .                        ######################  .        
                              ##################### .         
  .                            ####################        .  
                               .###################    ^      
                              .  ##################           
                             .    #################           
                            .     .################           
         .                 .     .  ###############   .       
 ^                        .     .    ##############           
      .                  .     .      #############           
       .                .     .        ############       ^   
                       .     .          ###########     .     
                            .           .##########           
.                          .           .  #########           
                          .           .    ########           
                         .                  #######     .     
                        .                    ######           
                       .                      #####           
                      .                        ####           
   .                 .                          ###           
      .             .                            ##           
                                                  #     .     
                                                    ^         
                                                              
                                                              
                                                              
                                                        .