INT. SECURITY HQ – JASON’S OFFICE DESK
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQKXE3ec0a
[The glowing blue of the screen reflects on Jason’s face as he slouches deeper into his chair. Hours have passed. The pile of unread reports hasn’t shrunk—it’s just moved slightly to the left.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS3OrNRoJpG
[Jason’s screen now shows a Security-approved entertainment portal, which is just a flashy name for “barely functioning internet.” He scrolls through: mindless robot sitcoms, low-budget drama vids, weapon reviews, reviews of weapon reviews… and—ah yes—MechaFeed, home of rumors and nonsense.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzTeBzuYcl
[Click. Click. Scroll. Clickbait title pops up.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJ0krPjRNoY
TITLE:
“This Bot Claimed He Saw a Robot Melt Into Metal and Crawl Inside Another—You Won’t Believe What Happens Next.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpo0uELnWfa
JASON (muttering)
“…I probably will believe it, and that’s the problem.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoMFjEdI9ko
[He clicks it.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5CMGMsfHkB
POST (Voiceover in Jason’s head)
"Saw something weird last cycle. Bot was twitching near the waste zone, like it was getting eaten from the inside. Whole side peeled open like wet foil. Something crawled out, climbed into another chassis, and—no joke—started moving like nothing happened."
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdftAP5ZXLm
[Jason pauses. His optics narrow. He zooms in on one blurry frame attached to the post. A twisted heap of metal. Something vaguely organic… spreading.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjnYeB7ho5R
JASON (V.O.)
“That’s either a very convincing fake or I just found a friend of the thing we sliced up the other night.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGlaL49IDHv
[He opens three more tabs. Cross-referencing data, local sightings, encrypted rumor boards. As much as 87% of it is garbage. But the other 13%? Hits a little too close.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsAKg4tStmm
[He taps his finger on the desk. Then his stomach lets out a robotic grumble—like a dying fax machine.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzYE8h4NzWi
JASON
“Right. That’s lunch.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYR7QtR1fmq
INT. SECURITY HQ – CAFETERIA
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAXIgtsx3zj
[The cafeteria is a minimalist slab of metal and glowy screens offering selections like “High-Octane Oil Gel,” “Battery Nibbles,” and “Mystery Paste #8.” Jason grabs a tube of oil, a discount heat snack, and a coolant-flavored energy capsule.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFzxB9EilTO
[As he turns toward the checkout, he spots COLT-31, another Security bot, leaning against a vending machine.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK8Rtd6RAti
COLT-31
“Look who finally crawled outta that paper pit.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSOlrhrcE7E
JASON (faking a smile)
“You mean my workspace? Nah, I live there now. Thinking of putting in curtains.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBwkIjGmQB
COLT-31
“Thought you'd be puffin' on one of those death sticks by now.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2ovai9V58F
JASON
“Quit. Two months ago.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCuj5Y0oepj
COLT-31 (grinning)
“Because of your lungs or your wallet?”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi4znL0P3yK
JASON (sighs)
“Josh threatened to triple my monthly checkup cost. Said if I wanted to corrode my parts early, I could pay for the privilege.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJwq77pFsr
COLT-31 (laughing)
“Damn. The big guy really got through to you.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3VBfcXs7Zv
JASON
“Yeah. Turns out fiscal death is scarier than physical.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8mh0p3ZN5Y
EXT. SECURITY HQ – ROOFTOP – MOMENTS LATER
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB026JXiqcz
[Jason exits onto a quiet rooftop, nestled between cooling vents and signal towers. His “secret spot.” A single folding chair, old scorch marks, and a great view of Central City’s skyline—if you squint past the smog.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIwTM7KXg3I
[He sits, opens his snack. Stares at the distant spires.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0oRBdHR2p7
[Wind hums. Somewhere below, a siren wails.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqAYGn5J1Jj
JASON (V.O.)
“Used to come up here and smoke until the smell of burning wire reminded me of what I was becoming.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡccqAOkwLGg
[He munches quietly. The wind tugs at his coat.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7gVms1EJrF
[In his HUD corner, one of the tabs from earlier flashes. Another post. Same clickbait site. New report. Same symbol. Same melting.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSUUZHYEq8y
[Jason doesn’t open it. Not yet.]
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hsKfPfIfr
JASON
“…Yeah. I’ll ruin my appetite later.”
87Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLlI9K7bVdE
[He leans back, chair creaking. Lunch break’s ticking away, but for now? Just him, some awful synthetic food, and the headache of knowing something very wrong is happening again.]
ns216.73.216.210da2
