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                                 ....#####             ^      
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                         ####    .                            
                         #####  .                          .  
                         ######.                              
##.##..##.               #    .#                    .#.##.#..#
##..#.#.#.               ##  . ##                   .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#.               ###   ###                  .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#.               ####  ####                 .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#.               ##### #####                .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#.               ############               .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#.                                          .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#. ######################################## .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#. #########  ##  ##  ##   #####   ######## .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#. ########   #   ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#. #######        ##  ##    ####    ####### .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#. ######  #   #  ##  ##  #  ###  #  ###### .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#. #####  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##  ##### .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#. ######################################## .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#.                                          .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#. there  is  another  company.  a climbing .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#. and penetrating vine.  it's in the rocky .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#. plains,  it's  inside  the  hills,  it's .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#. deep  below.  glistening silver burrows, .#.##.#.#.
##..#.#.#. red-pink  logo,   unclear   nationality, .#..#.#.#.
.#.##.#.#. veiled motives.                          .#.##.#.#.
                                                              
 .         a  cave  company,  a  magician  company.           
           sharpest     knife,     cutest    knife.           
       .                                                      
           we   will   grow   humans  in   pea-pods           
     .                                                        
       .   shimmering     sound-card     emergence,      .    
           something  there   on   the   shore   of           
           turtle beach.  the  primordial  soup  of           
  .        the  digital,  waves   in  dithering  of   .       
           third-rate dac's,  caressing  the  sand,           
           bringing  things  up from the  depths of           
       .   the  circuit. and  there, deposited: the           
           first   seed   crystal   of   artificial          .
           intelligence.                                      
                                                              
           this  changes  everything,  of   course.           
                                                              
        .  ########################################           
                                                              
           the  company  is  named for  it's  first           
           product,  the  orbital  mirror,  both  a           
           passive sentinel and  an  active  torch:           
 .         set  to  it's  widest  configuration  it           
           will light  up  a whole city  at  night,           
           and at its narrowest it becomes  a laser           
           to  cut   through  mountain  and  metal.      ^    
                                                              
.          still  unsold  prototypes  by  the  time      .    
           when  that  something was  found on that           
        .  beach,  now the mirrors are all used  to           
           beam    energy    at    different   mirr           
           implements,  as  a  rather  static   and           
           boring power  source. (and subtle threat           
           of violence.)                                 .    
                                                              
       .   ########################################           
                                                              
           the  ai   is  a  coral.  they  grow   it           
           (crystal oil,  lead glass, gentle  laser           
           curtains) only  to carve  it  apart  and           
        ^  section  it.  to   become   conditioned,           
           refractured,  grown  again.  deliciously         . 
           honed.  mirr  sinks  further  below  the           
           surface.                                           
                                                       .      
           whispers  now,  about featherbite...  is           
           she a  real  person? or is this the mirr           
           ai,  being unleashed upon the youth? and           
           another  conspiracy  theory  about there           
           not actually  being any  human employees           
           left.                                              
                                                    .         
           in  the   meantime,  dubious  creations.           
           cerberus bodies are born.                     .    
                                                        .     
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                            .     .################           
                           .     .  ###############          .
                          .     .    ##############           
                         .     .      #############           
                        .     .        ############    .      
                       .     .          ###########           
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        .               .                    ######           
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