,.-†%@¤¶@# #@¶¤@%†-.,
,.-†%@¤¶@# #@¶¤@%†-.,
,.-†%@¤¶@# #@¶¤@%†-.,
,.-†%@¤¶@@ @@¶¤@%†-.,
,,,.†††@¤@ @¤@†††.,,,
,...-†%%¤¤ ,. ------- ------- ------- ., ¤¤%%†-...,
,.-†%%%@@¶ 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. ##@¶¤@†-.,
,.-†%@¤¶@# #@¶¤@%†-.,
,.-†%@¤¶@# #@¶¤@%†-.,
,.-†@¤¶@## ##@¶¤@†-.,
,.-†%@¤¶@# #@¶¤@%†-.,
,.-†%@@¤¤@ @¤¤@@%†-.,