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People Who Like This
#69

SCENE 66 – “Dead Air”

Author Author
Apr 29, 2025 4 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!uxQY5Qq9px1OAYv2d0eeposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. JASON'S CUBE – NIGHT

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡexShLXZ2z7

The small cube is quiet—too quiet for how loud their thoughts are.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5zB2fXmZx5

The cartoon terminal is off. The fax machine is quiet. Even Spoon-King has been turned toward the wall.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAQky4e1RTC

A sits by the door, hugging a pillow, knees curled to his chest, coat sleeves too long and tugged over his hands. His optics flicker anxiously every few seconds toward the texter machine on the table.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOsU6HhenLK

K leans against the wall, arms crossed, one leg up on the crate-table, unreadable but tense. His blade flicks in and out, a nervous tic he’d never admit to.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡku3rdIPwZ1

A

“...He didn’t text anything back.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaar5uh3YnP

K

“I noticed, thanks.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDq7AUGeKFn

A

“Maybe he just forgot? Jason forgets things. Like that time he put peanut butter in the fridge and it turned into a brick.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWlkjupcjWb

K

“That was a tactical decision. He wanted it to last longer. Still idiotic.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGzcK2Vn3jb

A

(quietly) “What if something happened?”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWm1MUDbhys

K

(beat)

“...Then he’d probably come back angry and bleeding but alive. You’ve seen what he walks away from.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3eds7Sg4rQ

A

“But what if it’s not something you can walk away from? The news didn’t even say anything. Just said ‘minor infrastructure malfunction’ and ‘no civilian access.’ That’s—! That’s lying! That’s a lie!”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5lhY4umGju

K walks over to the window—pulls the curtain back just a little. Nothing but fog and dark towers beyond.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL1cwINLsAE

K

“They blocked everything off. S.R.S. doesn’t play around unless it’s serious. And the Texter’s dead silent. That’s not good.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeyhikYoElU

A

“You think he’ll come back tonight?”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAkDn24GGWF

K

(softly)

“I don’t know.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IOGNEcu0m

That hangs in the air. Thick. Heavy.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDK6UKgVJtD

A lowers his head onto his knees.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJrCASGiUJ4

A

“I don’t like this. He always texts. Even when he’s mad or annoyed or... being weird.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhRg6hd1YdJ

K

“I know.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBsvVSCBOti

A long silence.

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWSsJNTEzdX

K

“He’s not the type to just disappear. If he’s not back by morning, we go looking.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHeUmsGEkeJ

A

(staring at the door)

“...Okay.”

8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQJ0AuVq0FA

FADE OUT.

18.117.107.97

ns18.117.107.97da2
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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?"
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