§§§¨§¨§¨§§                                          ¨§§§¨§§¨§¨
¨¨§§§§§§¨§                                          §¨¨§§¨§§§§
¨§¨¨¨¨¨§§¨                                          §¨§¨§§¨¨¨§
§§¨¨¨¨§¨§¨                                          §§§§¨§¨¨§§
¨§¨¨¨§§§§¨                                          ¨¨¨§§§¨§¨¨
§§¨¨§¨¨¨§§       ¨, »»»»»»» »»»»»»» »»»»»»» ,¨      ¨¨§¨¨§§§¨¨
¨§¨§§¨¨§¨§ 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.          §¨¨¨¨§§§¨§
§¨§¨§§¨§§¨                                          §¨¨¨§¨¨§§§
§§§§¨§§¨§¨                                          §¨¨§§¨§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§§¨§§§¨                                          §¨§¨§§§¨¨§
¨¨§¨§§¨¨§¨                                          §§§§¨¨§¨§§
¨§§§¨§¨§§§                                          ¨¨¨§¨§§§¨§