&&......&& ........&&
&..&&&&... &&&&&&&..&
....&&..&& .&&&&&....
&&&....... ..&&&..&&&
&&..&&&&&& &..&....&&
&....&&&&. .. ------- ------- ------- .. .....&&..&
..&&..&&.. 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. .&&....&&.
..&&...... ....&&....
&....&&&&. .&&....&&&
..&&..&&.. ....&&..&&
.......... .&&.......
&&&&&&&&&& ....&&&&&&