.....-/%%# #%%/-.....
.-~/^%§#@# #@#§%^/~-.
.--~/^^^%§ §%^^^/~--.
.-~/^%§#@# #@#§%^/~-.
......~/%# #%/~......
.....~//%# .- ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ -. #%//~.....
...-/^%%## 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. ###§%^/~-.
.....~/^^§ §^^/~.....
.-~/^%§#@@ @@#§%^/~-.
.-~/^%§§§# #§§§%^/~-.
.-~/^%§#@@ @@#§%^/~-.
.....~^%%§ §%%^~.....