...~~~:$$§                                          §$$:~~~...
.~=%$§@###                                          ###@§$%=~.
.~=:%$§@##                                          ##@§$%:=~.
...~~~=%$§                                          §$%=~~~...
....~~~:%§                                          §%:~~~....
.~~=::%§@@       .~ ======= ======= ======= ~.      @@§%::=~~.
....~=::$@ Nick wilde Is A  Red Fox And  A  Conman. @$::=~....
.~=:%$§@##       .~ ======= ======= ======= ~.      ##@§$%:=~.
...~:%%%§§                                          §§%%%:~...
.~=:%$§@##    He'S Not Above Petty Crime, But He    ##@§$%:=~.
.....=%§§§  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       @@$$%:=~..
.~=:%$§@##          The "Wild flesh" Vats.          ##@§$%:=~.
.~=:%$§@##                                          ##@§$%:=~.
..~==:%%§§                                          §§%%:==~..
....~~=%$§                                          §$%=~~....
.~=:%$§###                                          ###§$%:=~.
..~==%$$§#                                          #§$$%==~..