INT. SECURITY BOT HQ – EARLY MORNING – CUBICLE HELL
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[We begin with a harsh fluorescent buzz, a stack of digital forms the height of a dishwasher, and Jason Gearman sitting at his assigned desk looking like he’s about to melt into the chair.]
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JASON (V.O.)
"Some bots get assigned to field missions. Some guard the city gates. I? I committed the crime of being mildly annoying to the chief, and now I’m in paperwork purgatory."
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[Jason glares at his digital screen, which blinks with cheerful text: “FORM 728-C: Report Inconsistencies in Sub-Categorized Protocol Anomalies!”]
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JASON (mutters)
"I’d rather fight five parasitized bots in my boxers."
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[A fellow Security bot passes by, drops another file onto Jason’s already-doomed pile.]
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SECURITY BOT
“Commander says this one’s urgent. And you’re not allowed to ‘accidentally’ set it on fire this time.”
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JASON (deadpan)
“Define ‘accidentally.’”
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---
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INT. JASON’S APARTMENT CUBE – MORNING – DOMESTIC DISORDER
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[Cut to the cube. The space is quiet, sunbeams filtered through mismatched metal curtains. SD-A is lounging upside-down on the couch, surrounded by snack wrappers and watching a chaotic animated series where two robots try to babysit a nuclear-powered infant.]
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TV ROBOT (ON SCREEN)
“IT’S EATING THE REACTOR CORE AGAIN!!”
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SD-A (laughs)
“That baby’s got style.”
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[K walks into frame holding a half-open book, eyeing the scene like he’s been betrayed by reality.]
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SD-K
“I left you alone for ten minutes.”
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SD-A (grinning)
“And in that time, I gained cultural insight and a new appreciation for explosive parenting.”
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SD-K
“…You’ve rotted your circuit board, haven’t you.”
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[He sighs and flops into a chair, tapping the book in his hand.]
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SD-K
“This is literally the only decent thing in here. A book on Ethical Hacking for Sad Bots. I’m starting to think Jason’s taste is just ‘impulse dumpster.’”
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[SD-A perks up, clearly inspired.]
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SD-A
“Hey! Let’s build something! We’ve got, like… wires. Tools. Some weird stuff under Jason’s bed.”
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SD-K (staring at him)
“I’m not touching anything from under that bed. You want a second Liberation?”
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[They both freeze at the awkward silence that suddenly hovers over the room.]
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SD-A
“…Too soon?”
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SD-K
“Too real.”
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---
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INT. SECURITY BOT HQ – MIDDAY
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[Jason’s still staring at the same form. His eyes are dead inside.]
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JASON (V.O.)
"Maybe if I hold still long enough, the universe will uninstall me from this timeline."
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COMMANDER BOT (O.S.)
“GEARMAN!”
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[Jason jumps.]
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JASON (salutes in slow motion)
“Sir, present and slowly losing will to live.”
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COMMANDER BOT
“Don’t be dramatic. You’re on Office Duty because you requisitioned a crate under someone else’s ID.”
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JASON
“That sounds like something a bold and resourceful agent might do.”
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COMMANDER BOT (grumbling)
“It sounds like paperwork.”
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---
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INT. JASON’S CUBE – AFTERNOON
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[K’s organizing scrap metal by type. SD-A is trying to balance a battery on a spinning screwdriver. It ends poorly. The screwdriver lodges itself in the ceiling.]
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SD-A
“...That was cooler in my head.”
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SD-K
“Yeah, your head’s clearly very spacious.”
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[K opens the window slightly and peers out.]
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SD-K
“...You know, I don’t trust this city. The longer we’re here, the more it feels like the floor’s going to open and swallow us whole.”
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SD-A (shrugs)
“Could be worse. Could be paperwork.”
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[K nods. That’s... not wrong.]
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---
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INT. SECURITY HQ – EVENING
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[Jason is finally done. Barely. His pile is cleared, his processor is fried, and his right arm keeps twitching into hammer mode out of stress.]
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JASON (mumbling to himself)
“If they ask me to do inventory, I’m joining the Purifiers.”
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[He clocks out.]
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---
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INT. JASON’S CUBE – NIGHT
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[The front door opens with a tired hiss. Jason stumbles in, arms full of weird snacks and battery packs.]
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JASON
“Home! Daddy’s back with questionable groceries and mild trauma.”
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[He sees A tangled in a sheet fort. K is cross-legged, looking like he aged a decade.]
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SD-K
“We need an adult.”
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SD-A (muffled under blankets)
“I am an adult.”
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[Jason drops everything, lets out a laugh, and walks into the fort like it’s completely normal.]
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JASON
“I missed you weirdos.”
ns18.218.199.14da2
