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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. ,,,,,,,~~;
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~,,,,,,,,, NONE OF THE EMPLOYEES KNOW THIS.) ,,,,,,,,,~
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$=;~~,,,,, NICK AND MIKU ARE BOTH STATIONED IN ,,,,,~~;=$
#$=;~~,,,, EARLY PROCESSING, HOUSED IN A STATE OF ,,,,~~;=$#
@#$=;~~,,, THE ART FACTORY CLOSE TO THE DOCKS. ,,,~~;=$#@
#@#$=;~~,, THEY CREATE THE EARLY BUILDING BLOCKS ,,~~;=$#@#
##@#$=;~~, THAT ARE LATER COMBINED INTO THE MEALS ,~~;=$#@##
#@#$=;~~,, THAT'S SOLD TO CUSTOMERS. ,,~~;=$#@#
@#$=;~~,,, ,,,~~;=$#@
#$=;~~,,,, THE BASES ARE MOSTLY SLUDGES ,,,,~~;=$#
$=;~~,,,,, OR PASTES, SUCH AS: ,,,,,~~;=$
=;~~,,,,,, ,,,,,,~~;=
;~~,,,,,,, ;~ 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. ,,,,,,,,,~
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$=;~~,,,,, NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND ,,,,,~~;=$
#$=;~~,,,, THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ,,,,~~;=$#
@#$=;~~,,, ,,,~~;=$#@
#@#$=;~~,, ,,~~;=$#@#
##@#$=;~~, ,~~;=$#@##
#@#$=;~~,, ,,~~;=$#@#
@#$=;~~,,, ,,,~~;=$#@