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People Who Like This
#93

SCENE 90 – "A Totally Normal Lunch"

Author Author
May 2, 2025 62 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!7MZWgVl8uyM92K0aJ1lmposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. THE CUBE – NOONISH

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7vrpw8IVAM

The gang—Jason, A, K, Josh, Violet, and baby Emily in her pod—are gathered around the cube’s modest table.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkf3AMcn0ot

Someone found a tablecloth. It’s wrinkled and uneven.

There are some actual chairs. And one overturned crate that Jason is now using because K stole his chair.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpoHoxIgR0f

Plates are set. Food is… not fancy. Reheated packets and some "grilled" synth-meat Jason swore was edible.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fK394HI7f

Everyone is trying very hard to pretend this is not the weirdest lunch group ever assembled.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Kcp6SDiou

VIOLET (cheerfully)

“So, A. K. Ever think of getting a pet? Maybe a little drone you can train to do flips?”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCBn8BEAgx9

K (blankly, slicing his food with claws)

“I had a pet once. It tried to eat me in my sleep.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm1sPcYHBC1

VIOLET

“Oh?”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcoNq3hFILS

K (still calm)

“I ate it first.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOSkbn7IVtd

Josh pauses mid-bite.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgzsOpHL72C

JOSH (quietly)

“…Awesome.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCa6W1uucBh

Jason nearly chokes on his drink.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrvyh8JqKxk

JASON (coughing)

“K. Stop trying to assassinate the mood.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8qyVcygjnr

A gently adjusts Emily’s pod next to him, carefully placing a tiny spoon of nutrient gel beside it like she’s gonna eat it.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ86HELCUPT3

A (softly)

“She doesn’t eat food yet, right?”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyrh96MKGnk

JASON

“Not unless you want your insides rewritten by infant code corruption.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAxEREfr2k2

A quickly retracts the spoon.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡx4BqTDIsFT

Josh still looks shell-shocked, trying to act normal.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0WAaVd4nEC

JOSH

“You know what’s wild? I came here thinking it’d be like, ‘Oh look, our old pal Jason being weird again,’ and now I’m dining with killer robots who are surprisingly better at childcare than Jason is.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8k43xqETJU

JASON (mouth full)

“Surprisingly? Rude.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBD1J6KAXKy

VIOLET (smirking)

“He's got a point, Jay. You hid from a crying baby like she was a tax audit.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDsGbFn6yP

JASON (defensive)

“She screamed at me! I’m a security unit, not a therapist!”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkbqfGX43M2

K (deadpan)

“You sure? Because you whine like one.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zFaAQMXSw

A hides a snort behind his hand.

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Emily chirps again—one of those sweet, garbled beeps that makes everyone pause.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzT6QLK6pAW

K reaches over and gives the pod a gentle tap.

It lights up with a happy ripple of soft pink.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDaGsOKDTNS

K (softly)

“…Weird kid.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5Lw6au9Q2A

Josh watches this silently.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaJerO6kkPU

Then, after a long breath:

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjrF3NQnFvz

JOSH

“Okay. Okay. Maybe this isn’t the worst idea.

But if my daughter starts talking about plasma bombs or high-efficiency kill protocols, I’m deleting your entire entertainment collection, Jason.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhTA3IVpiwi

JASON (grinning)

“Deal. She’ll be a warlord by Friday.”

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIUUko0i8VN

A whacks him with a spoon.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIzDtoZ39eQ

Everyone laughs.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkHiPTWsQGR

Somehow, despite the chaos, it really does start to feel like a normal lunch.

66Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVaOqja3sIr

Or at least—their version of normal.

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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