¨:~\$$## ###&$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$## ###&$$\~:¨
¨¨¨¨:~~$$¶ ¶$$~~:¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨:~$$&&& &&&$$~:¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨::\$&¶ ¶&$\::¨¨¨¨
¨:~\$$&¶## ¨: ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ :¨ ##¶&$$\~:¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨:~$& NICK WILDE IS A RED FOX AND A CONMAN. &$~:¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨~~$$¶ ¨: ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ :¨ ¶$$~~¨¨¨¨¨
¨:~\$$&¶## ##¶&$$\~:¨
¨¨¨¨:\$& 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 ##¶&$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$&¶## THE "WILD FLESH" VATS. ##¶&$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$&¶## ##¶&$$\~:¨
¨¨¨::\\$¶¶ ¶¶$\\::¨¨¨
¨:~\$$## ###&$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$&¶## ##¶&$$\~:¨
¨:~\$$&¶## ##¶&$$\~:¨