,,,&&&,&,, ,&&,&&,&&&
&,,&,,&&&, &&,&&,&&,,
&&,&&,&,,& ,,&&,&&,&,
&,&&,&&&,& ,,&,&&,&&&
,&&,&&,,&& ,,&&&,&&,,
,&,&&,&,&, ,. ------- ------- ------- ., ,,&,,&&,&,
,&&&,&&&&& 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. &&,&,&&,&&
&,,&&&&&,& ,,&&&&,&&,
&&,&,,,,&& ,,&,,,&&,&
,,&&&,,,&, &,&&,,&,&&
&,&,,&,,&& ,&&,&,&&&,
&&&&,&&,&, &&,&&&&,,&