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People Who Like This
#87

SCENE 84 – "Midnight Meltdown"

Author Author
May 2, 2025 40 3 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!QEQNgjCwLqHH8Ms6FnEqposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. THE CUBE – EVENING

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The soft glow of the overhead light bathes the room in warm yellow as they prep for bedtime.

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Emily’s pod rests on the center of the mattress now surrounded by pillows. A sits cross-legged beside her, a thin, worn storybook in his hands.

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A (serious, determined)

"I'm reading her a bedtime story."

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Jason sprawled nearby, fiddling with a blanket, raises a brow.

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JASON (teasing)

"You sure you don't wanna tell her about the cruel reality of taxes instead?"

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A (ignoring him)

"This one is called 'Rust and Steel.'"

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He opens the book and starts reading.

The story tells of a Labor bot and a Security bot—their quiet friendship blossoming into deep love despite the odds.

But misunderstanding, class prejudice, and fear from other robots rip them apart.

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By the end, the two characters sit under different skies, forever separated.

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A (softly, closing the book)

"...and they never saw each other again."

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Silence.

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Jason stares at A like he just summoned a thunderstorm into the room.

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JASON (deadpan)

"Great. Depression o'clock.

And you yelled at me for teaching her about tax fraud."

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A frowns.

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A (quietly)

"I thought it was beautiful."

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Jason opens his mouth to argue—and then just... sighs, defeated.

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JASON (grumbling)

"Whatever. If she grows up and writes emo poetry about failed love, it’s your fault."

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K (flat, already laying down)

"Appropriate emotional preparation for existence."

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They laugh lightly.

One by one, they drift off to recharge mode, soft whirring of cooling fans filling the room.

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---

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TIME SKIP – MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

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INT. THE CUBE – 2:41 AM

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Emily’s pod begins to tremble.

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A soft whimper.

Then a louder one.

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Then full-blown siren-level CRYING noises.

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Jason bolts upright in pure panic.

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JASON (blinking, hoarse whisper)

"Whuh—fire? Earthquake?!"

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A shoots up immediately and grabs the manual Josh left.

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A (focused, flipping pages)

"She's crying!"

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K calmly walks over, checking the pod’s readout.

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Jason stumbles around like a headless chicken.

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JASON (panicked, cursing)

"Dammit, dammit, this is why I don’t want one of these miniature nightmares!!"

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Emily keeps crying—loud, mechanical sobs echoing off the cube walls.

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A (reading manual aloud)

"Try feeding! Try holding! Try—uhh—singing??"

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Jason stares at him.

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JASON (flat, horrified)

"I’m not singing. I will not be a part of this cult ritual."

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Meanwhile, K gently picks up Emily, cradling the pod like it’s made of glass. He softly, almost rhythmically, rocks her.

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Jason meanwhile, flings himself under the blanket, dragging it over his entire body.

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JASON (muffled, despairing)

"I was not built for this...

I was built for slamming idiots against walls...

I was built for Security protocols... not this tiny crying gremlin!"

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He curls up tighter, murmuring into the fabric.

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JASON (muffled, nearly breaking down)

"This is why I don’t want a kid... they cry, they hate you, they grow up and call you a dinosaur and leave you in a scrapheap nursing home—"

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A gently sits beside the blanket burrito that is Jason.

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A (softly, soothing)

"It's okay. You're not alone."

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Jason peeks out a single optic, pathetic and betrayed by the world.

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Meanwhile, K—efficient as ever—manages to calm Emily down.

He rocks her with the soft mechanical equivalent of a hum, and the crying slows to a tired whimper.

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Finally, Emily’s pod goes back into a gentle sleep mode, lights pulsing softly.

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Silence returns.

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Jason finally peels himself halfway out of the blanket, looking at K like he's some kind of wizard.

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JASON (grumpy awe)

"...How the hell did you do that?"

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K (dry, simple)

"I used to hunt things. Making prey sleep is survival."

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Jason blinks slowly.

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JASON (tired sigh)

"I don't know if I should be impressed... or terrified."

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They all collapse back onto the mattress around Emily, exhausted beyond comprehension.

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Somewhere, Jason mutters something about "never trusting data pods again," but he’s already half-asleep.

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And Emily?

Peaceful, snuggled safely between the three most dangerous babysitters in the whole damn city.

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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