......~=†%                                          %†=~......
.....~=†%&                                          &%†=~.....
....~=†%&£                                          £&%†=~....
...~=†%&£#                                          #£&%†=~...
..~=†%&£##                                          ##£&%†=~..
...~=†%&£#      .. ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ..       #£&%†=~...
....~=†%&£ 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.)     =~........
.........~                                          ~.........
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..........                                          ..........
..........   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.       ..........
..........                                          ..........
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..........                ~~~ ~~~ ~~~               ..........
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.........~                                          ~.........
........~=       NICK IS UNCOMFORTABLE AROUND       =~........
.......~=†          THE "WILD FLESH" VATS.          †=~.......
......~=†%                                          %†=~......
.....~=†%&                                          &%†=~.....
....~=†%&£                                          £&%†=~....
...~=†%&£#                                          #£&%†=~...
..~=†%&£##                                          ##£&%†=~..