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#86

SCENE 83 – "Chaos, Baby-Sized"

Author Author
May 2, 2025 67 3 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!GXdEa0aRXJDUS989Toa4posted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. THE CUBE – LATE MORNING

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The three sit around the cube’s makeshift living room—a lumpy couch, a tiny table, and now, a pristine blanket laid carefully on the floor where Emily’s data pod rests, humming softly.

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K crouches nearby, gently adjusting a tiny cooling patch on the pod's surface like a practiced medic.

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JASON (muttering, impressed)

"Wow. Didn’t think you of all murder gremlins would be the motherly type."

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K flicks his optic lazily toward Jason, then returns to fussing over the pod.

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K (flatly)

"Efficient survival ensures the continuity of species."

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JASON (grinning)

"Translation: You like the kid, admit it."

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A sits beside the pod with a storybook—not that Emily can read yet, but it doesn’t stop him from showing her colorful illustrations.

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A (brightly, to Emily)

"This is a cow! It goes ‘moo.’ This is a firetruck! It goes ‘woo-woo!’ And this is Jason—he goes 'aaaaah' when he stubs his toe."

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Jason throws a pillow at A’s head.

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JASON (snickering)

"At least I don’t split my face open to eat a sandwich."

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A smirks and ruffles Emily’s pod surface softly.

The room feels weirdly warm... normal.

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Jason, ever the corrupting influence, leans closer to the pod conspiratorially.

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JASON (whispering to Emily)

"Listen up, kid. First rule of survival—never pay for overpriced coolant at chain stores. And second rule—always insult your enemies’ processors before you smash 'em."

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Emily’s pod hums innocently.

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Before he can spill more questionable wisdom, A’s optic narrows dangerously.

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A (sternly)

"Jason Gearman, you are banned from education duties."

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JASON (mock hurt)

"WHAT? I was giving life lessons!"

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A (folding arms)

"Corner. Now."

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K silently points to the farthest, saddest corner of the cube.

Jason trudges over dramatically, slumping against the wall like a punished cat.

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JASON (grumbling)

"This is oppression."

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K (deadpan)

"You deserve worse."

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---

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TIME SKIP – MIDDAY

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Emily naps peacefully on her blanket.

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Jason sneaks back to the couch, only to find A and K deep in conversation—of all things—about robot intimacy systems.

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A (curious, whispering)

"I still don’t get it. So when two robots... you know... how does it even work?"

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Jason perks up immediately, sensing forbidden topics.

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JASON (grinning like the devil)

"Well, it's more code-based than... physical. Technically, you don’t need a body to mix code. Two bots sync their operating systems and allow their base codes to interact."

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K hums thoughtfully.

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K (tapping chin)

"Programs exchanging information at core level... sounds like a strategic resource merge."

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A (wide-eyed)

"And... babies happen when their codes mix, right?"

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JASON (nodding)

"Yup. Two codes—sometimes more if you're into complicated networks—merge and start a self-writing program inside a data pod. It grows on its own, bit by bit, until the pod tells you it’s ready to be upgraded to a proper body."

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A thinks about it seriously.

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A (tilting head)

"So technically, two robots of the same model, same type... even same gender identity... can still have a kid?"

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JASON (grinning)

"Exactly. No squishy biology bullshit. Pure logic... and chaos."

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K (murmuring)

"Efficient."

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Jason leans back smugly.

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JASON (grinning wider)

"Romance, marriage, all that? Optional. But if two idiots love each other enough to smash their codes together and raise a tiny chaos gremlin... well, that's commitment."

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A looks down at Emily's sleeping pod.

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A (softly)

"Sounds nice."

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Jason, noticing the tone, shifts a little uncomfortably.

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JASON (teasing, but a little gentle)

"You planning to make tiny yous one day, A?"

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A (smiling shyly)

"Maybe. One day."

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K shrugs.

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K (calm)

"Would be nice to have backup."

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Jason bursts out laughing at that answer.

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The chaos continues—Jason tries to sneak-feed Emily "forbidden knowledge" about tax fraud, gets caught again and sentenced to another round in the Sad Corner.

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Meanwhile, A and K actually turn out to be amazing babysitters.

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The afternoon passes in a weird bubble of peace, laughter, and the tiny sound of Emily’s happy humming.

216.73.216.154

ns216.73.216.154da2
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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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