EXT. CENTRAL CITY – ROBOT MARKETPLACE – AFTERNOON
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhNOq0k5jcR
[The trio steps out of the scrapyard and into a whole different world. The Marketplace is alive with mechanical motion, neon flashes, and a symphony of servos and sales pitches. Robots of all shapes and sizes crowd narrow aisles between stalls made of spare plating and rainbow-lit screens. Some hover. Some crawl. One rolls around yelling about memory chip discounts.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6M0NxJ2Dt
[A Security bot plays smooth synth jazz through his shoulder speaker while juggling bottles of machine oil. A little cleaning bot in a tutu tries to spray-wash graffiti off a big, ugly vending unit that proudly wants to be graffiti’d.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJJvvDtBLY7
JASON (taking it all in with mild annoyance)
“Ah, the market. The only place in the city where you can buy a logic drive, lose a leg, and still not find decent batteries.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCXcA2zv1CN
SD-K (narrowing his optics)
“This many bodies in one place… chaotic. Illogical.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWvGz2MtkiH
JASON
“Yeah, well, that’s capitalism for you.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzfnl6Gd0dh
SD-A (staring wide-eyed at a mug stall)
“…Jason. Are those… faces on the mugs?”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeepagEuU5b
JASON (squinting)
“Oh, those? Yeah. Vision Tech made ‘em. Don’t worry, they’re not sentient. Just creepy. Like motivational posters. But for your lips.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6s8xNolfH1
[One of the mug stands has a sign: “Drink your Dreams™” above shelves of ceramic cups shaped like little humanoid heads with vacant smiles. One even has a gold tooth. No one knows why.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡspJPG7xl5a
[Jason grabs a tray from a nearby battery-snack vendor. He pops one into his side panel like a casual chew.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4rxT9jGElM
JASON (mouth slightly full)
“Grab whatever supplies you two need. Just... act like you’re not fugitives with questionable bone structure.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPt1iy2ZGc2
[SD-K disappears toward a vendor with gleaming blade attachments and spare limbs. SD-A wanders toward a stall selling outdated vision lenses shaped like fashion glasses. Jason eyes a magazine rack called Wired & Tired Weekly.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgQs2049Boa
[A television drone zips overhead, displaying news headlines:
"Operator Council Debates Raising Power Tax for Security Bots – Again."
"Purification Bot Sighting Outside South Wall, Two Units Down."
"Vision Tech Legacy Exhibit Opens Tomorrow – Ghosts of Humanity’s Golden Age."]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmuOLzrmiyN
[Jason scowls briefly at the screen before looking away.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNbNvNnxISj
[They meet up again near a small fountain that sprays coolant mist in decorative arcs.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSzquY6fOcY
SD-A (holding a weirdly curved antenna)
“...Is this decorative, or is it a weapon?”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPZ8P8HiKzz
JASON (shrugging)
“If you hit someone hard enough, it’s a weapon.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgaPohWoMSy
SD-K (tossing a new belt of power cores into the crate Jason’s pushing)
“This place is absurd. No order. No purpose. Just noise and glitter.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM7L2tQ1l6x
JASON
“Now you’re getting it. It’s called culture, K.”
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7a0LZTYPE
[They begin pushing the crate away, blending into the crowd again. The camera lingers briefly on the mug stand. One of the mugs—cracked and slightly tilted—has a faint scratch on the base. A familiar symbol. The prototype’s mark. It's subtle. Blink and you'd miss it.]
70Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI1uquMnHnp
[They vanish into the crowd. Marketplace buzz continues like nothing happened.]
ns216.73.216.154da2
