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#90

SCENE 87 – "Return of the Parents"

Author Author
May 2, 2025 63 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!EdkRkh8uQRO58a7OdCuXposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. THE CUBE – LATE MORNING

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSvv6WuW8pt

Knock, knock, knock.

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Jason drags himself to the door and swings it open lazily.

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAl9TukSGt6

Josh and Violet stand there.

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Josh looks absolutely wrecked—

his optics are dim and unfocused, his steps wobbly, and he keeps grabbing Violet’s shoulder to stop himself from face-planting on the floor.

Meanwhile, Violet looks as bright and energized as if she just came back from a week-long vacation at a luxury spa.

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡshEWq5YAiH

Jason stares at them for a long, slow second.

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JASON (deadpan, smug)

"Did you guys like… just crawl outta some shady motel or something?"

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Violet grins with a too-innocent shrug, her optics sparkling mischievously.

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VIOLET

"Maybe."

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Jason recoils slightly, groaning like he’s just been physically assaulted by secondhand embarrassment.

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4T4A4Zm36b

JASON (muttering under his breath)

"Not responsible parenting, I swear to every known and unknown god…"

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjM21HpivLS

Violet pats him on the head patronizingly as she walks in.

Josh stumbles in behind her like a dying man who’s seen things—

terrible things.

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ45Pl6LljX8

They gather in the main room. A, K, and Jason chatting briefly with Josh and Violet about how the night went (glossing over the "emotional breakdown" parts).

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR4fGKB2DUL

Josh eventually tries to hold Emily.

Everything seems fine—until Violet shifts to grab her coffee and accidentally knocks Emily’s data pod loose from Josh’s unsteady grip.

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Time slows to a crawl.

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The data pod slips from Josh’s hands, falling through the air.

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Jason’s optics widen in horror.

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K even looks concerned for a split-second.

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A moves faster than thought—his wing, sharp and precise like a blade, snaps out and catches Emily mid-air, cradling her gently with the soft membrane.

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbs3wgCvg6f

Silence.

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Everyone freezes.

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Josh’s jaw drops.

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Violet’s coffee sloshes onto the floor.

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K stops doodling and actually blinks.

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Jason stares blankly for a moment, then plants his face in both hands with a long, tortured groan.

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtPvOmEREdr

JASON (miserably)

"My fucking life…"

67Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK5c5rMsDAv

CUT TO BLACK.

216.73.216.166

ns216.73.216.166da2
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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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