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People Who Like This
#94

SCENE 91 – “Business As Usual”

Author Author
May 2, 2025 19 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!Zc0bpSqAR5T95LSiHDBjposted 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.

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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.

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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.

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TV ACTOR (sobbing)

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

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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.

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A cube filled with chaos. And companionship.

18.116.36.23

ns18.116.36.23da2
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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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