§§¨¨¨§¨§¨¨                                          §¨§¨¨§¨¨¨§
¨§¨¨§§§§¨§                                          §§§¨§§¨¨§¨
§§¨§¨¨¨§§¨                                          ¨¨§§¨§¨§§¨
¨§§§¨¨§¨§¨                                          ¨§¨§§§§¨§§
§¨¨§¨§§§§§                                          §§§¨¨¨§§¨§
§¨§§§¨¨¨¨§      ¨~ ======= ======= ======= ~¨       ¨¨§¨¨§¨§§¨
§§¨¨§¨¨¨§¨ 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.          §¨¨¨¨§§¨¨¨
¨¨¨§¨§§§¨§                                          §¨¨¨§¨§¨¨§
¨¨§§§¨¨§§¨                                          §¨¨§§§§¨§§
¨§¨¨§¨§¨§§                                          §¨§¨¨¨§§¨§
§§¨§§§§§¨¨                                          §§§¨¨§¨§§§
¨§§¨¨¨¨§¨§                                          ¨¨§¨§§§¨¨¨