INT. THE CUBE – EARLY MORNING
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrPySVjr95s
The night folds away quietly, revealing the muted gold of morning light pushing through the city haze outside the Cube. The sky over Central City still wears its cloudy shawl, but there’s warmth behind it—a kind that doesn’t reach the streets but still pretends to.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1QpYh9k6L
Jason, already awake, moves around the living space with quiet purpose. He’s dressed in partial armor, tightening a new segment onto his right forearm. Tools clink and hiss softly as he works—efficient, automatic, like he’s done this a thousand times. He has.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9zLfu7grQE
K opens his optics slowly, his usual upside-down hang undisturbed.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNmGCvlV6Ys
K (casual, dry)
“Didn’t even try to sleep again, huh.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2lRaHtZjiF
JASON (quietly, not looking up)
“Didn’t feel like pretending.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFkaYeE3QF7
K lets out a small huff through his vents and drops to the floor soundlessly.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRTR3KCZhdy
K
“Well. Welcome to the living.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AJvmPtTAg
Suddenly, a loud thump and some dramatic shifting come from the shared bed. A stretches exaggeratedly with a groggy groan, flops over—
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ824l495yHh
A
“Morning suuu—OUCH!”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzq4ZIaDzrr
A sits up quickly. One of his waist armor plates clinks against the floor. Jason and K turn toward him.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ06NLrArKwG
JASON
“…Did something fall off you or did I finally go deaf from stress?”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX3FWKcK49U
A (confused)
“It’s the side plate! The one Josh welded on! What the hell—?!”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiOMeq1eAa
Jason walks over as A lifts his shirt slightly to inspect the spot.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpkby4HVuBK
No wound. No scorch mark. No exposed circuits. Just sleek metal skin, polished and smooth, like it was never injured.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTZyRRTABL0
JASON (blinking)
“…That’s not right.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaUcZ91flWa
K
“Wait. That’s healed?”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4L5G0H10P
A
“Yeah! It was there, remember? Big ugly burn. Jason did that cleaning thing, Josh did the patch-up welding, and now—” (he taps the unbroken plate) “—now it's just... gone.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡap3QdX2h7r
They fall into a short silence.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqmZIwgr1Z
JASON
“You don’t have internal repair nanites, do you?”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVgnTsvlNlb
A
“Nope. I wasn’t upgraded for that kind of luxury. Neither of us were.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1R5zS0hqvH
K (quietly)
“And yet, you healed. Without assistance.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9DEhxBlthQ
Jason crouches to pick up the armor piece, examining it. Then looks up.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwuzPoCulbc
JASON
“I’ve seen Purifiers melt, break, blow up, split open—none of them got the chance to show me this before dying. But maybe… maybe this was always there. Just hidden under all that chaos.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdcYwgc6g1O
K (arms folded)
“Regeneration. Like organic life. But we’re metal. Circuits. Code. This doesn’t make sense.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ654IUrTDXo
A (thinking aloud)
“What if we’re not just metal and code? What if Purification models had… something else wired in? Something they never told anyone?”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvJsMvjG5Bh
Jason stands, serious now.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnbpbMOyno
JASON
“They were already odd enough. But this—this crosses a line. Operators, Labors, Security units—we don't heal. We repair. There’s a difference.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkXX5a4JnNS
K
“Then maybe we were never made to survive long enough to find out.”
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwmTpt8eagG
They all stand there for a moment, quiet. Jason looking down at the armor plate, A gently touching the smooth, healed patch on his side, K looking toward the window.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOwgiZIrNqh
A single thought passes between them, unspoken.
83Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEwHGFBexjV
What else don’t we know?
ns216.73.216.154da2
