^    
     ,                                                        
  †                                                           
                                                              
                                                              
     †               #                                       †
                    ###,,                                     
                     #   ,,,,                                 
                             ,,,,   ######                    
                                 ,,,,#####                    
                                      ####          ,         
                                      ,###                    
                                     ,  ##                    
                         #          ,    #                    
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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.                     ,    
                                                        ,     
,          ########################################    ,      
                            #######################   ,       
    ^                        ######################  ,        
                              ##################### ,         
                               ####################   †       
                               ,###################           
                              ,  ##################           
                             ,    #################           
                            ,     ,################           
                           ,     ,  ###############           
                          ,     ,    ##############           
                         ,     ,      #############           
                        ,     ,        ############           
 ,                     ,     ,          ###########           
                            ,           ,##########           
                           ,           ,  #########           
                          ,           ,    ########           
                         ,                  #######           
                        ,                    ######           
                       ,                      #####           
                      ,                        ####           
                     ,                          ###           
                    ,                            ##           
                                                  #           
                                                            , 
     ,                                                        
                                                         ,    
 †