INT. MAINTENANCE TUNNEL – BELOW CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT83Please respect copyright.PENANA4MSkgpP14B
83Please respect copyright.PENANAPIghm7xYYa
[The tunnel is barely wide enough for Jason’s shoulders. His flashlight-arm illuminates the narrow path ahead—metal walls groaning softly as the city above shifts in its sleep. There’s a low hum. Not from machinery. Not natural.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAfY3FP24X1P
83Please respect copyright.PENANAd6dZtZE1RY
[He presses forward, eyes locked on the streaks of oil and scratch marks.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAUsatmoJ09B
83Please respect copyright.PENANAxGTTCuKmvy
[Then he sees it—light reflecting off something wet, just ahead.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAFlysgCOLtO
83Please respect copyright.PENANAbCfEx8I7qn
[He emerges into a cramped side chamber filled with hanging wires, blown-out consoles, and a single Labor bot—slumped, twitching, back propped against a wall.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAaIHNtouyD2
83Please respect copyright.PENANAxDOv5m9vTn
[At first glance: standard unit. Rusted. Oil leaking from the abdomen. But then—Jason freezes. The bot’s chest cavity is… wrong.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAQ3m4DJPw4G
83Please respect copyright.PENANA1FdK6B7fgX
[A spiderweb of black tendrils coils out from the seams. They're organic-metal hybrids, squirming faintly—alive. They pulse slowly, like a machine breathing.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAIb6qFO6UpS
83Please respect copyright.PENANAIkUIax2spe
JASON83Please respect copyright.PENANA9hnrK3i0BR
(low, guarded)83Please respect copyright.PENANAd5rXdabnhM
“…What the hell?”83Please respect copyright.PENANAILasuUuRwR
83Please respect copyright.PENANAEUlewkvJ2Q
[The Labor bot’s eyes are dim red, blinking erratically. One arm tries to lift but fails, fingers spasming. Jason steps closer, railcannon aimed. The tendrils respond—contracting inward like they’re hiding.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAYL7sISNCZW
83Please respect copyright.PENANAxYrEKkK8yC
[He crouches, scanning.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAuwZ4cbiqpd
83Please respect copyright.PENANAgkXaYJnpeD
JASON (V.O.)83Please respect copyright.PENANAckbMboihLf
“That’s no hacking virus. That’s infestation.”83Please respect copyright.PENANA2sqK3u1k9A
83Please respect copyright.PENANAwx2msnVn8N
[The bot jerks its head slightly, jaw creaking. Its voice module is corrupted—glitchy, broken.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAcWKUvIzuRH
83Please respect copyright.PENANAqtZXBc1PH6
LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)83Please respect copyright.PENANAkXBsdxlGeZ
“h̵̼̖̐͊ē̷͕͗͝l̵̢̛̍̐͗p̴̘̿̎̕… ̷̻͉̓͆m̶̯̼̐͐͝e̷̢̥̎̈́̐…”83Please respect copyright.PENANAVNlIi9zy3u
83Please respect copyright.PENANAMKq9lc0DhI
[Jason stares. His hand twitches. For a second, the tough-guy façade slips. Just a second.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAfnbeji8CAz
83Please respect copyright.PENANAxyyXtDI7N2
JASON (V.O.)83Please respect copyright.PENANAIXzbixeX4y
“I’ve fought bots trying to kill me. I’ve fought bots programmed to kill. But this… this looks like something forgot how to die.”83Please respect copyright.PENANATwCBLlL6o1
83Please respect copyright.PENANA649SMbe2Iz
[Suddenly, one of the tendrils lashes out, narrowly missing his head. Jason blasts it, and the bot shrieks—a distorted, multi-pitched sound that echoes off the walls like metal screaming.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAAqhsS2yhya
83Please respect copyright.PENANAvJZQec8ohl
[The tendrils retreat into the bot’s torso. Its frame convulses violently. Jason raises his railcannon again.]83Please respect copyright.PENANASFArguQhur
83Please respect copyright.PENANAX2sQdqElDw
LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)83Please respect copyright.PENANARkHTygg5AC
“d̷͕̒o̴̘͊n̷͔̽’̸̦̔t̵͚͋̕… ̷̟̊l̸̤̎ē̸̪t̵̯͌.̴̤̐̚.̶͚̐.̶̼͑”83Please respect copyright.PENANA53CTOXbxg7
83Please respect copyright.PENANAjlXUU0Sa1h
[Jason pauses. Then fires a single, clean shot into the bot’s core. It collapses, finally still. The tendrils curl, blackened, twitch once—and die.]83Please respect copyright.PENANACHjPrcisNv
83Please respect copyright.PENANAGuU0YGiWtg
[Silence.]83Please respect copyright.PENANA6gkuLVeJBU
83Please respect copyright.PENANAiPaoygScrY
[Jason kneels, wiping splattered oil from his face.]83Please respect copyright.PENANACzNXx4wWEA
83Please respect copyright.PENANANR6H1pglww
JASON83Please respect copyright.PENANADzpTchjjVU
(softly)83Please respect copyright.PENANApe6euif66r
“This wasn’t a bot anymore.”83Please respect copyright.PENANAPU8YLZYgri
83Please respect copyright.PENANA1BbWgT9Epm
[He looks at the remains of the parasitic mass.]83Please respect copyright.PENANATer3PudUh8
83Please respect copyright.PENANAxBKPSIqr2v
JASON (V.O.)83Please respect copyright.PENANA81c3YFbg7j
“Whatever this is… it wasn’t built. It grew.”83Please respect copyright.PENANAQ7JZxRMMeB
83Please respect copyright.PENANAdooOf73BrJ
[He pulls a blade from his side holster, slicing off a fragment of the tendril and storing it in a sealed tube. He stands, breathing heavier than usual. Not from exertion—but unease.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAZHo3gtVf8c
83Please respect copyright.PENANAbj6pnGFFEp
[Suddenly—thud. A distant sound from the tunnel ahead. Not footsteps. Something… dragging.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAlpp48clCgc
83Please respect copyright.PENANAw0x9kTwXlj
JASON83Please respect copyright.PENANAYVvNV5WT7W
(to himself)83Please respect copyright.PENANA7P3hlfLSBY
“Round two already? Great.”83Please respect copyright.PENANAb2GqBKXBS6
83Please respect copyright.PENANA53yXEHSZ8l
[He turns toward the sound, eyes glowing sharper now. One last glance at the dead bot. Then—onward.]83Please respect copyright.PENANAoLfQQ3sN8a