EXT. BACK LOT BEHIND SECURITY HQ – NIGHT
103Please respect copyright.PENANA6wcgJGzDdZ
[Jason crouches behind a pile of rusted-out vendor bots, scanning the surroundings like he’s about to rob his own place. His eyes lock onto a large cargo crate sitting unattended near a stack of expired vending modules. He sprints over and knocks on it—hollow and big enough.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANA5PIU0meGtG
JASON
(to himself)
“Spacious. Questionably clean. Smells like old coolant and regret. Perfect.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAatPC0XxuXf
[He yanks the lid open and jogs back across the street to the beat-up car where SD-A and SD-K are still crouched.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANA8SpYTbXWT5
JASON
“Alright, lovebirds, you’re up. Into the box.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAxv5mdaazLT
SD-K
(flatly)
“Into the box.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAqJj1gDwe5b
JASON
“Yup.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAe3TwGv98PG
SD-K
“You want two war-grade fugitives with metal murder-wings to cram into a used shipping crate… and sneak through one of the most populated housing zones in the city.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANA9bxY2ilyYb
JASON
“That’s the spirit.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANA4M5WTSTyPG
SD-K
(to A)
“Your friend’s an idiot.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAZI0QF22Sf3
SD-A
“He’s not my friend. He’s a contact. With a trolley.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAwWmC8Jhiq5
[Cut to: the crate now sitting on a squeaky old platform trolley, wobbling with every bump. Jason grunts, pushing it slowly across the industrial backlot and down a slope toward Central City’s inner housing district.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAErkts4GPpI
103Please respect copyright.PENANARFAWvNAcyq
---
103Please respect copyright.PENANAo58fueWOFG
EXT. CENTRAL CITY – APARTMENT COMPLEX – NIGHT
103Please respect copyright.PENANAeLac26M8dJ
[A towering maze of concrete cubes, glowing signs, wires hanging like sad confetti, and the buzz of robot chatter from behind cracked windows. Bots of all shapes and factions wander the halls—some recharge, others argue over power bills.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAWTNpgHkEtZ
[Jason rolls the trolley in, forcing the squeaky wheels to move with all the subtlety of a malfunctioning parade float. He mutters under his breath with each creak.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAm1RNoOHuL2
JASON
“Yep. Totally normal. Just an average Security bot... pushing suspicious freight... past thirty tenants and one probably-drunk Operator bot.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAFlPJwLDZUH
[He nods at a janitor Labor bot passing by, who eyes the crate.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANANGmXy2Gyfn
JANITOR BOT
“What’s in the box?”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAQKpP1B2SkB
JASON
(grinning too wide)
“My dignity. Had to ship it express.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAQIJIPGAZSV
[The janitor stares at him for a long beat before continuing down the hall, muttering.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAv7onCLid5A
JANITOR BOT
“Security guys are all weird.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAkHJOJPVjlk
[Jason sighs in relief and turns the corner, nearly running into a couple of Operator bots deep in a debate about microprocessors and existential dread. He ducks his head, forcing a polite smile.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAW5TvARB6Ax
OPERATOR #1
“Is that… rust I smell?”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAfn7XIDDZRz
JASON
(nodding earnestly)
“That’s just me. Natural cologne. ‘Essence of Battery Fire.’”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAbueArdJO7p
103Please respect copyright.PENANA9WU8XfuRMh
---
103Please respect copyright.PENANADrIRXUvdBL
INT. JASON’S APARTMENT – MOMENTS LATER
103Please respect copyright.PENANAxeULGmFXlg
[He finally reaches the door to his concrete shoebox—wires hanging everywhere, a flickering light barely illuminating the “DO NOT REFORMAT” sign duct-taped to the wall. He unlocks it, wheels the crate inside, and shuts the door behind him with a long exhale.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAWdRr4au2UU
JASON
“Alright, kids. Home sweet cube.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAncFcS8iS0N
[He pries open the crate. SD-K immediately stretches and grumbles like he just lived in a vending machine.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAlNPtExWZYt
SD-K
“This is how I die. Cramped, oily, and surrounded by rent-bots.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAOBui46YAnN
SD-A
(already scanning the room)
“You live in a closet.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAeVejWrnK4J
JASON
“Yeah, well... closets don’t come with questionable wallpaper and a neighbor who screams in binary at 2 AM.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANAYY6yVob1BT
[A loud, unintelligible mechanical screech echoes from the wall next to them. Jason holds up a finger.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANA2aG9Qg5vm8
JASON
“Speak of the devil.”
103Please respect copyright.PENANA08cPpg0uQI
[They all stand still for a moment. Safe. For now.]
103Please respect copyright.PENANAOl5yJkYS6v
FADE OUT.
ns216.73.216.134da2