¶&††\=,,,, ,,,,=\††&¶
¶@†\:,,,,, ,,,,,:\†@¶
¶@@@&†\=:, ,:=\†&@@@¶
#@&\\=:,,, ,,,:=\\&@#
¶@&\==:,,, ,,,:==\&@¶
¶¶¶@&†\=:, ,: ======= ======= ======= :, ,:=\†&@¶¶¶
¶&\\\::,,, 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. ,:=\†&@¶##
##¶@&†\=:, ,:=\†&@¶##
##¶@&†\=:, ,:=\†&@¶##
##¶@&†\=:, ,:=\†&@¶##
##¶@&†\=:, ,:=\†&@¶##
@&&†===,,, ,,,===†&&@