,,,,,,,,.~ ~.,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,.~= =~.,,,,,,,
,,,,,,.~=^ ^=~.,,,,,,
,,,,,.~=^& &^=~.,,,,,
,,,,.~=^&£ £&^=~.,,,,
,,,.~=^&£# ,. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ., #£&^=~.,,,
,,.~=^&£## 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. .,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
,,,,,,,,,, ,,,,,,,,,,
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,,,,,,,,.~ ~.,,,,,,,,