......~;†$ $†;~......
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........~; ;~........
.........~ ~.........
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.......~;† .. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ .. †;~.......
......~;†$ 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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