¶@@@%*~~¨¨ ¨¨~~*%@@@¶
##¶#@%*~~¨ ¨~~*%@#¶##
###%%%*~~¨ ¨~~*%%%###
##¶#@%*~~¨ ¨~~*%@#¶##
##¶#@%*~~¨ ¨~~*%@#¶##
¶@@%~~~¨¨¨ ¨~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~¨ ¨¨¨~~~%@@¶
¶##%**~¨¨¨ 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. ¨~~*%@#¶##
##¶#@%*~~¨ ¨~~*%@#¶##
##%~~¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨~~%##
##¶#@%*~~¨ ¨~~*%@#¶##
¶@*~¨¨¨¨¨¨ ¨¨¨¨¨¨~*@¶
¶###@%*~~¨ ¨~~*%@###¶