...,,†§###                                          ###§†,,...
.,«†^§#@@@                                          @@@#§^†«,.
.,«†^§#@##                                          ##@#§^†«,.
....,††^##                                          ##^††,....
.,«†^#@@##                                          ##@@#^†«,.
.,«†^§#@@#       ., ««««««« ««««««« ««««««« ,.      #@@#§^†«,.
.,«†^§#@@# 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.          #§§§†««,..
.....«†^#@                                          @#^†«.....
.,«†^§#@@#                                          #@@#§^†«,.
.....«†§##                                          ##§†«.....
.,«†^§#@@#                                          #@@#§^†«,.
...,††§§#@                                          @#§§††,...