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People Who Like This
#33

SCENE 30 – “Steam, Suffering, and Swords”

Author Author
Apr 20, 2025 67 3 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!0L5Lmy2vY7Ht7xCqYawCposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. JASON’S APARTMENT CUBE – LATER THAT NIGHT

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu6Z9BaHo3A

[The vibe is mellow. SD-A still sits near the wall screen, watching cartoons with his head tilted like he’s analyzing philosophy. SD-K is scanning something with his arm, maybe the weird duck-crab hybrid Jason made. Jason, on the other hand, stretches and heads to the small locker beside his charging pod.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQxrL3PXWBd

JASON

“Alright, we’ve eaten, you haven’t broken anything—mostly—and nobody's screaming from a parasitic infection… good day so far. Time to kick back even harder.”

(he pauses, pulling out a fresh towel-like cloth made of synthfibers)

“Take a bath. Relax. Recharge your... whatever you recharge.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyPjm10pFNE

SD-K (narrowing his optics)

“I’m not bathing with the abomination you were welding earlier.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaa4TxqcqKP

[Jason snorts, marches straight over, grabs K by the shoulder plate, and starts pushing him toward the bathroom.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7uPtbnS3Sf

JASON

“C’mon, you smell like battle trauma and old jet fuel. You’ll love it.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrLxHBn1wgG

SD-K (as he's pushed away)

“This is undignified—let go—what if it crawls up my charging port?!”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Mg5J5RWxc

JASON (grinning)

“Then it’s already won, pal. Let it have the tub.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjFAi9KRR9D

[SD-A bursts into laughter. A little while passes. Steam gently leaks out from under the bathroom door as one after another, the bots emerge slightly less dusty, slightly more confused by Jason’s soap system.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaq1CaYuakr

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhW68hgIbko

---

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoUhGKuVPCH

INT. JASON’S APARTMENT – A BIT LATER

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8O4NhiZVk8

[Jason, wrapped in a towel around his waist and looking way too proud of himself, walks out with something ancient and suspicious clutched in his hands. He sets it on the table with a dramatic THUD.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfSDlC7poJo

JASON

“So. You two ever played “Battlefate: Turbo Redux Omega” before?”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Yfyr91mvD

[He lifts the lid, revealing a tangled mix of printed maps, rusted dice, plastic figurines with medieval weapons, a laminated “Narrator’s Sheet,” and an unsettling number of mini mug tokens.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrcOGGTVdmw

SD-A (eyes wide, fascinated)

“What is it?”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHsxnKRwtDc

JASON (like a used airspeeder salesman)

“Only the finest role-playing board game ever smuggled out of Vision Tech’s employee lounges before they went kaboom. You build characters, go on dangerous quests, betray your friends, flirt with robots shaped like trees—it’s got everything.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyz3tFudLWC

[He starts unfolding the huge, creased map with a flick of the wrist.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXsao2g1Wb6

SD-K (watching with pure dread)

“This looks like torture.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVfkRm02IK6

SD-A (picking up a tiny rogue figurine)

“This looks amazing.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZbjUTIJiAn

[Jason picks a barbarian mug figure and holds it up like it’s holy.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0TSMK0mJP0

JASON

“Buckle up, bots. Tonight… we enter the cursed kingdom of Grindlefax. And you’re all level 1 cowards with dice-induced anxiety.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhihvB0upe

[SD-K slumps into his seat like a man accepting death. SD-A bounces a little.]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWmaDRs19r2

SD-K (to himself)

“I could’ve just stayed in the car. I chose this.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLzkr1I449M

[Jason already starts narrating with overdramatic flair, his voice suddenly deeper and booming:]

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ50YUQL9WDj

JASON (NARRATOR MODE)

“The skies above Grindlefax are gray and cursed, the winds carry the scent of rusted bolts and forgotten lore… and you, brave travelers, stand before a goblin holding an unpaid tab.”

71Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJYJUOsH0T9

[Cut to the three of them huddled over the board, dice clattering, pieces scattered, and the mug figurine somehow already decapitated.]

216.73.216.0

ns216.73.216.0da2
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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”
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