&,,&,,,,,& &,&&,,,,,&
&&,,&,,,,& ,,&&&,,,,&
,&&,,&,,,, ,,&,&&,,,&
,&&&,,&,,, &,,,&&&,,,
,&,&&,,&,, ,&,,&,&&,,
,,,&&&,,&, ,, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,, ,,&,,,&&&,
,,,&,&&,,& 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. ,,&,&&,,,,
,,&,,,,,,& ,,,,&&&,,,
,,,&,,,,,, &,,,&,&&,,
,,,,&,,,,, &&,,,,&&&,
,,,,,&,,,, ,&&,,,&,&&
&,,,,,&,,, ,&&&,,,,&&