×

menu
Penana
US
search
search
Popular Tags
What Others Are Reading
Loginarrow_drop_down
Registerarrow_drop_down
Please use Chrome or Firefox for better user experience!
close
Comments close
Show more...


favorite
0
comment
0
arrow_back_ios_new
Prev
arrow_back_ios_new
Next
format_color_text
Style
open_in_full
Expand
list
Menu
coins
Sponsor
campaign
Request update
share
Share
report
Report
×
Login first to show your name as a sponsor, or donate with Pena Coins.

× Pena Coins Credit Card

Close
People Who Like This
#4

SCENE 2 – “Quiet Doesn’t Last”

Author Author
Apr 15, 2025 110 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!jhj0ZmPbSWRzuIVGCKa9posted on PＥNAＮＡ

EXT. ALLEY – EDGE OF MARKET SECTOR – NIGHT APPROACHING

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSAXNm6oBwn

[The temperature drops. Lights flicker on across the city. Jason stands at the mouth of the alley, still as a statue. Snow drifts lazily past. The alley is narrow—metal walls lined with trash units, rusted ducts, and broken Vision Tech monitors playing ads for discontinued products.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUDo2oE0rJp

[Jason activates a low-visibility scan mode. His eyes glow dim red. HUD flickers—“Noise Source: Detected. Biological Presence: 0. Motion Signature: Unknown.”]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRh4OFYWWAx

JASON

(quietly to himself)

“If this is a rat with a speaker again, I’m melting Crank’s legs.”

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy5C8ztM02P

[He steps in. Each footfall clanks softly. His axe retracts, hand reverts, then shifts into a scanning array. He swipes it over the ground—tracks show up. Small indents in the snow. Heavy. Erratic. Not standard Security or Labor movement.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGaM7nR0HBh

JASON

“…Not a drunk Labor bot either. Unless they’ve started growing wings.”

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAKe7y31P6u

[He looks up. A dented pipe above him is leaking oil. Fresh. Thin trail leading deeper.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡj1IhTZm2Z6

[Jason follows. The alley splits. He hears another faint sound—metal scraping softly. Like claws. Or retractable blades.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsWvdxAG1mt

JASON

(muted sarcasm)

“Claws and secret passageways. Yeah, this is definitely how Security bots retire early.”

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sYu4UtTMQ

INT. ABANDONED UTILITY SHAFT – HIDDEN ENTRY IN ALLEY WALL

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTMQedd4bFg

[A wall panel flickers open—freshly tampered with. Jason ducks through.]

Inside: darkness, steam, flickering emergency lights. Pipes run along the walls. It’s an old Vision Tech substructure, unused since the humans vanished.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpwWypg1jq

[He walks quietly, arm transforming back into a cannon this time.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnVxcG9jnWo

JASON

(dry)

“Whoever’s squatting down here, you better be friendly. Or slow. I’m flexible either way.”

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYN4nrZGaCZ

[He stops. His HUD locks onto a faint heat signature—not natural, but artificial. Purification-grade energy levels. It disappears immediately.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUQZ2S5ILhm

[Jason freezes. Everything’s silent. Then, suddenly—CLANG! A piece of pipe drops behind him. He spins around—nothing.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPMKJq1f2bu

[Lights flicker again. A brief flash of movement at the end of the corridor—a silhouette with metal wings.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfRUqf4LjbG

JASON

(muttering)

“Oh. Fantastic. They’re nesting now.”

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2CQRb6Rpx8

[He crouches down, hand reverting to scanning mode again. This time he plants a small device into the floor—a tiny spider-drone. It activates silently and crawls off.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsZUSPxE8DI

JASON

“Go find me something to regret.”

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7W7M9bEipN

INT. JASON’S POV – SPIDER-DRONE FEED

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCisDEP2LxW

[The spider-drone creeps through the shafts. Darkness. Steam. Suddenly—it pauses.]

Something moves just past its range. The feed blurs slightly. A face flickers across the frame—familiar, but wrong. Like a Labor bot’s face stretched over something built for war. Then static.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMdNI1DzGS9

DRONE FEED: SIGNAL LOST.

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPADbrO8OZJ

[Jason blinks. Stands up slowly.]

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr0udp4PPUa

JASON

(low, serious for once)

“…No way you’re supposed to be in here.”

114Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf6ms4QkNLS

[Cut to Jason stepping deeper into the corridor. The camera lingers on the dark behind him, where a faint glow pulses briefly. Then fades.]

216.73.216.144

ns216.73.216.144da2
favorite
comment 0
coins
0 likes Suggest Edits
Be the first to like this issue!
Next Issue >
close
Robotic Essences
home
Bookmark!
campaign Request update 0
Table of Contents
#0 Intro
#1 Welcome to Central City
#2 SCENE 1 – “Security Life” pt1
#3 SCENE 1 – “Security Life” pt2
#4 SCENE 2 – “Quiet Doesn’t Last”
#5 SCENE 3 – “Unwelcome Footprints”
#6 SCENE 4 – “Break the Silence”
#7 SCENE 5 – “The Parts We Don’t Talk About”
#8 SCENE 6 – “Still Breathing”
#9 SCENE 7 – “The Smiling Knife”
#10 SCENE 8 – “Ghost in the Pipes”
#11 SCENE 9 – “Right-Hand Problems”
#12 SCENE 10 – “Drag Marks and Doubt”
#13 SCENE 11 – “Below the Skin of the City”
#14 SCENE 12 – “What Shouldn’t Be There”
#15 SCENE 13 – “Echoes of Vision”
#16 SCENE 14 – “Fragments of a Dying Empire”
#17 SCENE 15 – “Shadows Don’t Bargain”
#18 SCENE 16 – “Rust Between Circuits”
#19 SCENE 17 – “The Breach”
#20 SCENE 18 – “Three Bots & a Parasite”
#21 SCENE 19 – “Paperwork and Parasites”
#22 SCENE 20 – “Smuggle Me Softly”
#23 SCENE 21 – “Oil, Info, and Idiots”
#24 SCENE 21 – EXTENDED: “Sleepover Protocols & Other Malfunctions”
#25 SCENE 22 – “Robot Makeover: Low Budget Edition”
#26 SCENE 23 – “Caffeine, Cloaks, and Casual Paranoia”
#27 SCENE 24 – “Rustfields”
#28 SCENE 25 – “Buzz and Circuits”
#29 SCENE 26 – “Tune-Ups and Tightropes”
#30 SCENE 27 – “Errands and Egos”
#31 SCENE 28 – “Groceries and Good Lies”
#32 SCENE 29 – “Dinner and Disclosures”
#33 SCENE 30 – “Steam, Suffering, and Swords”
#34 SCENE 31 – “Dicey Decisions”
#35 SCENE 32 – “Good Night, You Weirdos”
#36 SCENE 33 – “Dreamscapes”
#37 SCENE 34 – “Office and Off-Duty”
#38 SCENE 35 – “A Pleasant Stroll… with Minor Homicidal Undertones”
#39 SCENE 36 – “Wings and Wires”
#40 SCENE 37 – “After-Hours”
#41 SCENE 38 – “Alcohol & Stuff”
#42 SCENE 39 – “Shutdown.exe”
#43 SCENE 40 – “The Weight of Peace”
#44 SCENE 41 – “Midnight, Glitches, and Blankets”
#45 SCENE 42 – “Dawn of the Mildly Functional”
#46 SCENE 43 – “Commute to Doom”
#47 SCENE 44 – “An Office Full of Violence and Vending Machines”
#48 SCENE 45 – “Lunch Break and Clickbait Nightmares”
#49 SCENE 46 – “Rise and Resist (Routine)”
#50 SCENE 47 – “Unauthorized Research”
#51 SCENE 48 – “Wardrobe Upgrades”
#52 SCENE 49 – “Field‑Trip From Hell”
#53 SCENE 50 – “Afternoon Idleness”
#54 SCENE 51 – “Uno and Other Emergencies”
#55 SCENE 52 – “Tech on a Budget”
#56 SCENE 53 – “Delivery, Disobedience & Discoveries”
#57 SCENE 54 – “Questions & Quirks”
#58 SCENE 55 – “Privacy Settings”
#59 SCENE 56 – “Entertainment Planning”
#60 SCENE 57 – "Loyalty Reinforcement Seminar"
#61 SCENE 58 – “Friday‑Night Free Play”
#62 SCENE 59 – “Spire of Panic”
#63 SCENE 60 – “Lines, Orders, and Vines”
#64 SCENE 61 – “Infiltration”
#65 SCENE 62 – “Regroup & Re‑Arm”
#66 SCENE 63 – “Through Flesh and Steel”
#67 SCENE 64 – “Descent Protocol”
#68 SCENE 65 – “The Lungs Below”
#69 SCENE 66 – “Dead Air”
#70 SCENE 67 – “The Heart of the Hollow”
#71 SCENE 68 – “Overheat Protocol”
#72 SCENE 69 – “Sanitized and Sampled”
#73 SCENE 70 – “Totally Normal Roommates”
#74 SCENE 71 – "The Long Walk to Judgment"
#75 SCENE 72 – "Welcome Home, Idiot"
#76 SCENE 73 – "A Promise, A Vacation"
#77 SCENE 74 – "Field Trip to Food"
#78 SCENE 75 – "Cabin Fever"
#79 SCENE 76 – "Manners, Please"
#80 SCENE 77 – "Errands with Extra Steps"
#81 SCENE 78 – "Books, Pills, and Poor Decisions"
#82 SCENE 79 – "Pharmacy Phantoms"
#83 SCENE 80 – "Digital Birds and Binary Bees"
#84 SCENE 81 – "Babysitting? Seriously?"
#85 SCENE 82 – "The Babysitting Begins"
#86 SCENE 83 – "Chaos, Baby-Sized"
#87 SCENE 84 – "Midnight Meltdown"
#88 SCENE 85 – "The Dreams They Dreamed"
#89 SCENE 86 – "The Morning After"
#90 SCENE 87 – "Return of the Parents"
#91 SCENE 88 – "The Reveal"
#92 SCENE 89 – "System Error: Josh.exe Has Stopped Responding"
#93 SCENE 90 – "A Totally Normal Lunch"
#94 SCENE 91 – “Business As Usual”
#95 SCENE 92 – “After the Storm”
#96 SCENE 93 – “The Rim of Opinions”
#97 SCENE 94 – “Tales, Tails, and Talking at 2AM”
#98 SCENE 95 – “Surgery, Solo”
#99 SCENE 96 – “Sleepless Core”
#100 SCENE 97 – “Unknown Systems”
#101 SCENE 98 – “Orders and Oil”
#102 SCENE 99 – “Key Moments”
#103 SCENE 100 – “Three Days of Sky”
× Share Email
Click to Share!
Share to Facebook
Share to Twitter
 content_copy
Copy link to clipboard
 share
Other options
Share this Publication by Email
Add a personal message
×

Proceed

×
format_size
remove_circle_outline 20 add_circle_outline
format_line_spacing remove_circle_outline 20 add_circle_outline
REGISTER
LOGIN

Forget Password?
OR
Login with Facebook
×
Subscribe
Go to the magazine
/
+ Add tip
The tip will be charged every payment period
+ Add promotion code
Apply close
Recipient Name

Shipping address



Phone Number


JOIN
Pay with
xxxx xxxx xxxx
Update payment method
Confirm Cancel
This is a one-time purchase.
If you don't cancel before the trial ends, you will automatically be charged the subscription fee every until you cancel. Renews automatically every , unless you decide to cancel. You can cancel your subscription at any time.
You can pay with non-card methods if you subscribe for 12 months.
Please leave your contact phone number here..
We will reach you soon by Whatsapp at the tel number you provide.
Please enter phone number.

Credit card payment

You have subscribed to this plan already!

Never miss what's happening on Penana!
Turn on notifications
Later
Close
×
Interface Language:
Story Language: