..~^*%@#@# #@#@%*^~..
..~^*%@#@# #@#@%*^~..
..~^**%@@@ @@@%**^~..
.....~~*@@ @@*~~.....
..~^*%@#@# #@#@%*^~..
..~^*%%%#@ .. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ .. @#%%%*^~..
..~^**%%@@ 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. #@@%%*^~..
.....^**@@ @@**^.....
...~~**@@@ @@@**~~...
...~^^^*@@ @@*^^^~...
.....~*@@@ @@@*~.....
..~^*%#@## ##@#%*^~..