#...#..#.. #..#.###.#
##...#..#. ##...#.#.#
.##...#..# .##......#
.###...#.. .###......
.#.##...#. .#.##.....
...###...# ., ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,. ...###....
...#.##... 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. .#....###.
....#....# ..#...#.##
#....#...# #..#....##
##....#... .#..#...#.
###....#.. ..#..#....
#.##....#. ...#..#...