INT. JASON’S CUBE – EARLY MORNING
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVxWseCIvb
[Light peeks through the grimy blinds, casting faint strips of silver across the cluttered concrete cube. The air is quiet, still thick with the warmth of robotic sleep cycles. Somewhere in the corner, a motor hums softly. And on the bed—Jason stirs.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXlpm9ClF01
JASON (muttering, half-conscious)
“...Five more cycles... just five…”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxanVqOAZmz
[He rolls over and nearly falls off the bed but manages to catch himself with a sleepy grunt. A, still blanket-wrapped, shifts and buries his face deeper into the pillow. Jason lays there for another few moments, his optics flickering dimly like a dying flashlight.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBjrrMoZSPh
JASON (grumbling into his palm)
“Nope. Nope. Not dying in this bed today. Get up. Be a responsible Security bot. You can do this.”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr9p8hxw3LR
[He sloooowly slides off the bed like someone trying to sneak away from a sleeping lion, only this lion is a vaguely humming A-burrito. His servos creak faintly as he stretches.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtFouDuLS4b
JASON (quietly)
“System startup: 12%. Hangover level: catastrophic.”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8zVFhtrynR
[He trudges over to the small makeshift kitchen corner, which looks more like a mechanic’s junk pile than anything culinary. He pours a bit of filtered oil into a cup, then cracks open a cooling battery pack and pops a piece into his mouth like it’s breakfast cereal.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOL5KMoDtRG
JASON (grimace)
“Ugh. Vintage acid flavor with a dash of ‘please shut up’.”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi28qKYTPoM
[He walks past the mess of scrap and tools to the wall terminal—currently dark. He boots it up quietly, screen flickering with a warm glow as it loads the default channel: Central City Morning—sponsored by Vision Tech. Jason immediately turns the volume down to a whisper.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdijs5OACVD
TERMINAL (NEWS ANCHOR, V.O.)
“—unusual static pulses detected in the Outskirts. Authorities advise citizens to stay alert and report any abnormal activity—”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ3XV2OJAIB
[Jason sips his drink, one optic twitching at the taste. Then he glances up—right at the ceiling.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfdpgP0ZT6N
JASON (deadpan)
“...You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0PKQIPR5Xo
[K is still hanging upside-down from the ceiling like a gothic chandelier. His arms are crossed. Head tilted. Not moving. His optics are off, giving him the uncanny look of a very decorative corpse.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZHZjiDJXMv
JASON (staring)
“How is that even comfortable? Like, is this a habit? Were you trained in anti-gravity napping? Should I be worried?”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHN7ZRpGUgL
[He turns back to the terminal, shaking his head.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA2zlSox4Fg
TERMINAL (V.O.)
“...no official statement has been made by Security Bot HQ regarding the anomalies from two days ago...”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLfojYxpw3w
JASON (half-laughing to himself)
“Yeah, because I was the anomaly. Great. That’s not nerve-wracking at all.”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNQAg8Hsvqg
[He leans against the counter, quietly munching a battery strip like a sad energy bar, sipping bad oil, flicking through news headlines with a tired expression. Occasionally glancing back to make sure neither of his guests is about to wake up or explode.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ76O7FtgbQL
JASON (mutters)
“Honestly… not even mad about the illegal roommates. But the hangover? That’s betrayal.”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMMuSyJ4xS8
[He lets out a long sigh, finishes his drink, and sets the cup down a little too hard, then winces as if it hurt him more than the cup.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFoXc5P3IrI
[A sleepy beep comes from the terminal behind him. New headline: ‘The Secret Life of Scrapyard Drones: Are They Sentient or Just Nosy?’ Jason doesn’t even blink.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIByfpO7Fu0
JASON
“I miss when my life was boring…”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWcx7sI2Axp
[But even as he says it, there's a flicker of a smile at the edge of his voice. He glances once more toward the bed—A, tangled in the blanket like it’s war armor. Then to K, still performing his dramatic impression of a dormant gargoyle.]
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEuPXXoid76
JASON (softly, shaking his head)
“Yup. Definitely cursed.”
28Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRWMxkaVeXP
[He walks off to gather his gear. Another day, another headache. But he moves just a bit lighter.]
ns18.218.54.80da2
