,,,,,,,~:% %:~,,,,,,,
,,,,,,~:%$ $%:~,,,,,,
,,,,,~:%$# #$%:~,,,,,
,,,,~:%$#@ @#$%:~,,,,
,,,~:%$#@# #@#$%:~,,,
,,~:%$#@## ,, ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ,, ##@#$%:~,,
,,,~:%$#@# 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. ##@#$%:~,,
,,,~:%$#@# #@#$%:~,,,
,,,,~:%$#@ @#$%:~,,,,
,,,,,~:%$# #$%:~,,,,,
,,,,,,~:%$ $%:~,,,,,,
,,,,,,,~:% %:~,,,,,,,