...^«*†%&& &&%†*«^...
.^«*†%&### ###&%†*«^.
...««†††%& &%†††««...
.^«*†%&### ###&%†*«^.
.^«*†%&### ###&%†*«^.
.^«*†%&### .^ ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ^. ###&%†*«^.
.^^^«**††& 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. ###&%†*«^.
...^«†††%& &%†††«^...
..^^**%&&# #&&%**^^..
...«*†††&& &&†††*«...
.^«*†%&### ###&%†*«^.
.^«*†%&&&# #&&&%†*«^.