@¶*$:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ¨- ------- ------- ------- -¨ ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ¨- ------- ------- ------- -¨ ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ HE'S NOT ABOVE PETTY CRIME, BUT HE ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ KNOWS THAT IF HE PUTS IN A BIT OF WORK, ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ HE WILL FIND MUCH MORE LUCRATIVE ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ REWARDS. ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ AND THUS HE'S CURRENTLY WORKING ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ALONGSIDE HATSUNE MIKU FOR A COMPANY ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ THAT MAKES SYNTHETIC MEAL REPLACEMENTS. ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ HE'S GOT A VAGUE OUTLINE OF A PLAN, TO ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ SCATTER WITH SOME PRODUCT, OR EVEN ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ BETTER, SOME FORMULA? THESE THINGS ARE ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ WORTH A LOT TO A COMPETITOR. ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ HE'S BEEN LUCKY; THE PLACE IS ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ SURPRISINGLY UNGUARDED. ONCE HE'S GOT ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ HIS PAWS ON SOMETHING WORTHWHILE, IT'LL ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ BE EASY TO JUST WALTZ OUT. UNTIL THEN, ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ KEEP DOING THE WORK... ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ COME TO THINK OF IT, THE PLACE IS ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ALMOST EERILY EMPTY. THERE ARE FEW ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ COWORKERS. (IN FACT THE COMPANY IS ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ AI-RUN AND ONLY A FEW KEY ROLES ARE ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ FILLED BY ACTUAL PEOPLE. ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ NONE OF THE EMPLOYEES KNOW THIS.) ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ --- --- ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ --- --- --- ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ --- --- ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ NICK AND MIKU ARE BOTH STATIONED IN ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ EARLY PROCESSING, HOUSED IN A STATE OF ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ THE ART FACTORY CLOSE TO THE DOCKS. ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ THEY CREATE THE EARLY BUILDING BLOCKS ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ THAT ARE LATER COMBINED INTO THE MEALS ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ THAT'S SOLD TO CUSTOMERS. ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ THE BASES ARE MOSTLY SLUDGES ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ OR PASTES, SUCH AS: ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ :- PLANT MATTER ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ :- BLOOD COLONY ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ (MADE WITH A TYPE OF BACTERIA) ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ :- WILD FLESH ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ (FREE ROAMING ANIMALS) ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ :- ORGANS ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ (TAKEN FROM A LIVING HUMAN THAT ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ IS WILLING TO SELL) ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ :- MINERALS ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ :- BLOOD COLONY TWO ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ :- INSECTS ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ (WHICH ARE MAINLY USED FOR THEIR ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ BRAIN, WHICH IS USED TO EXTRACT ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ RECEPTORS THAT DETECT PHEROMONES) ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ --- --- ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ --- --- --- ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ --- --- ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ MIKU IS IN CHARGE OF THE BLOOD ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ COLONIES. THERE'S LARGE VATS OF THE ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ORIGINAL CULTURE WHICH IS FED BLOOD ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ MEAL, BONE MEAL, WHAT DOESN'T QUALIFY ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ TO GO IN THE "WILD FLESH" PASTE, AND ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ SOME PROCESSING CHEMICALS. ALL THESE ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ INGREDIENTS HAVE AN EFFECT ON THE BLOOD ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ WHICH IN TURN AFFECTS MIKU. ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ THERE IS A LARGE TANK BEHIND THE ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ FACTORY THAT CONTAINS A VAST NUMBER OF ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ AUXILLIARY BLOOD COLONIES. MIKU WATCHES ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ OVER THESE AS WELL. THEIR PURPOSE IS ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ UNCLEAR. ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ THE FACTORY IS SURROUNDED BY THE BLOOD ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ MEAL FARMS. THERE IS A CONSTANT ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ EXCHANGE OF BLOOD AND BLOOD MEAL. THIS ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ PROVIDES TWO OF THE MAJOR MATERIALS FOR ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ BOTH THE COLONIES AND MIKU. ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ --- --- ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ --- --- --- ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ --- --- ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
*$:--¨¨¨¨¨ NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND ¨¨¨¨¨--:$*
¶*$:--¨¨¨¨ THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ¨¨¨¨--:$*¶
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:$*¶@
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
##@¶*$:--¨ ¨--:$*¶@##
#@¶*$:--¨¨ ¨¨--:$*¶@#
@¶*$:--¨¨¨ ¨¨¨--:$*¶@