¨¨¨¨¨«**$# #$**«¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«**$#@## ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@@@ @@@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨,«**$$# #$$**«,¨¨¨
¨,«**$#@## ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨«***$@# ¨, ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,¨ #@$***«¨¨¨
¨¨¨««*$$@@ nick wilde is a red fox and a conman. @@$$*««¨¨¨
¨,«**$#@## ¨, ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,¨ ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨,,«***#@ 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 #@$$*,¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨¨,**$# colonies. there's large vats of the #$**,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«**$#@## original culture which is fed blood ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## meal, bone meal, what doesn't qualify ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,*$#@ to go in the "wild flesh" paste, and @#$*,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«**$##@@ some processing chemicals. all these @@##$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## ingredients have an effect on the blood ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«««***$@ which in turn affects miku. @$***«««,¨
¨,«**$#@## ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨,,**# there is a large tank behind the #**,,¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«**$#@## factory that contains a vast number of ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## auxilliary blood colonies. miku watches ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## over these as well. their purpose is ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## unclear. ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨¨,***$@ @$***,¨¨¨¨
¨,«**$#@## the factory is surrounded by the blood ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#### meal farms. there is a constant ####$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@@# exchange of blood and blood meal. this #@@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## provides two of the major materials for ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨,*$# both the colonies and miku. #$*,¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨,«****$$# #$$****«,¨
¨,«**$#@## ««« ««« ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## ««« ««« ««« ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨¨¨¨«*$# ««« ««« #$*«¨¨¨¨¨¨
¨¨¨¨,«*$## ##$*«,¨¨¨¨
¨,«««*$##@ nick is uncomfortable around @##$*«««,¨
¨,«**$#### the "wild flesh" vats. ####$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## ##@#$**«,¨
¨¨¨««***## ##***««¨¨¨
¨,«**$#@## ##@#$**«,¨
¨,«**$#@## ##@#$**«,¨
¨,««***$$@ @$$***««,¨