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People Who Like This
#94

SCENE 91 – “Business As Usual”

Author Author
May 2, 2025 82 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!EK80ainBCWcPuz3LJVh7posted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. THE CUBE – MID AFTERNOON

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The cube is oddly peaceful. Sunlight filters through the dusty window, and each of them is doing their own thing—but the hum of life is present.

86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw4AgLpEC4V

AT THE TABLE –

Jason’s right arm is completely detached, wires and servos exposed. Josh is hunched over it with a toolkit, sleeves rolled up and face full of concentration.

86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4JQcrA4bHC

Jason lounges lazily on the chair, sipping a canned coolant like it’s soda.

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JASON

“You’re way too serious, man. If I replaced that servo with a potato, I bet it’d still punch fine.”

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JOSH (dryly)

“Sure. Until it catches fire and explodes in your face. Again.”

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JASON

“That was one time.”

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Josh gives him a look like he’s heard that line a thousand times.

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JOSH

“‘One time’ is exactly the number of times a limb explosion should occur in your life, Jason.”

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JASON

“Fair.”

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ON THE COUCH –

Violet and A are on the sofa, a soap opera flickering on the screen. The dialogue is melodramatic and utterly ridiculous—overacted, emotional chaos.

86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXMym4KjZa

TV ACTOR (sobbing)

“…But Travis! You’re my twin brother’s cloned son! I can’t love you unless I erase my memory chip!”

86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LvjBIC1ng

A blinks slowly.

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A

“This…is confusing.”

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VIOLET (delighted)

“It’s educational. This is where you learn how to manipulate dramatic tension.”

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A (concerned)

“I thought you said this was about family.”

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VIOLET

“It is. A very complicated family.”

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She leans over, whispering something not-at-all family friendly into A’s auditory sensor.

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A’s eyes widen instantly. He sits upright, mouth twitching in horror.

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A

“That… That’s not how docking protocols work—”

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JASON (shouting across the room)

“VIOLET! STOP TEACHING HIM THAT! HE’S TOO PURE!”

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VIOLET (grinning)

“Jason, you can’t protect him forever.”

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JASON

“I can try!”

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K (quietly, nearby Emily’s pod)

“Can someone put on something that doesn’t rot logic circuits?”

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No one hears him.

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EMILY’S POD chirps happily as K turns a page in his book with a claw.

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BACK TO THE TABLE –

Jason watches Josh solder something into the forearm module.

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JASON

“…Hey. Seriously. Thanks for doing this.”

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Josh doesn’t look up, but gives a small smirk.

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JOSH

“Just paying you back for all the trauma in college.”

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JASON

“Pfft. Trauma builds character.”

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JOSH

“Character built. Now let me fix this mess before you blow it off again.”

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They keep working in silence, a comfortable kind.

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The scene is calm. Strange, imperfect—but warm.

86Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcxrCUk7dLF

A cube filled with chaos. And companionship.

216.73.216.210

ns216.73.216.210da2
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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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