INT. SECURITY HQ – JASON’S OFFICE DESK
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡg5d42xx725
[The glowing blue of the screen reflects on Jason’s face as he slouches deeper into his chair. Hours have passed. The pile of unread reports hasn’t shrunk—it’s just moved slightly to the left.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEtQVmiaid4
[Jason’s screen now shows a Security-approved entertainment portal, which is just a flashy name for “barely functioning internet.” He scrolls through: mindless robot sitcoms, low-budget drama vids, weapon reviews, reviews of weapon reviews… and—ah yes—MechaFeed, home of rumors and nonsense.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOil3gbxxPY
[Click. Click. Scroll. Clickbait title pops up.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPECGCvAvPM
TITLE:
“This Bot Claimed He Saw a Robot Melt Into Metal and Crawl Inside Another—You Won’t Believe What Happens Next.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNa5GsmERh
JASON (muttering)
“…I probably will believe it, and that’s the problem.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEygihG3qxY
[He clicks it.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF04b0uHDxg
POST (Voiceover in Jason’s head)
"Saw something weird last cycle. Bot was twitching near the waste zone, like it was getting eaten from the inside. Whole side peeled open like wet foil. Something crawled out, climbed into another chassis, and—no joke—started moving like nothing happened."
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgOVeyWHDSu
[Jason pauses. His optics narrow. He zooms in on one blurry frame attached to the post. A twisted heap of metal. Something vaguely organic… spreading.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVPx7vJJSFy
JASON (V.O.)
“That’s either a very convincing fake or I just found a friend of the thing we sliced up the other night.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuqvb765EJa
[He opens three more tabs. Cross-referencing data, local sightings, encrypted rumor boards. As much as 87% of it is garbage. But the other 13%? Hits a little too close.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpbdgDvHPzw
[He taps his finger on the desk. Then his stomach lets out a robotic grumble—like a dying fax machine.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtcuh9CSlBo
JASON
“Right. That’s lunch.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0h5yKFzS2e
INT. SECURITY HQ – CAFETERIA
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKIaKSG7uCj
[The cafeteria is a minimalist slab of metal and glowy screens offering selections like “High-Octane Oil Gel,” “Battery Nibbles,” and “Mystery Paste #8.” Jason grabs a tube of oil, a discount heat snack, and a coolant-flavored energy capsule.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2vBPEle2ak
[As he turns toward the checkout, he spots COLT-31, another Security bot, leaning against a vending machine.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeJhjKVfFMj
COLT-31
“Look who finally crawled outta that paper pit.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzB8PktLqY0
JASON (faking a smile)
“You mean my workspace? Nah, I live there now. Thinking of putting in curtains.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoLwZiLRp6x
COLT-31
“Thought you'd be puffin' on one of those death sticks by now.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvozagPfr28
JASON
“Quit. Two months ago.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCYZA4Tgi7R
COLT-31 (grinning)
“Because of your lungs or your wallet?”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwEuuOMmmJI
JASON (sighs)
“Josh threatened to triple my monthly checkup cost. Said if I wanted to corrode my parts early, I could pay for the privilege.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFiTChVztd
COLT-31 (laughing)
“Damn. The big guy really got through to you.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOM0Yc0D3ud
JASON
“Yeah. Turns out fiscal death is scarier than physical.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd5N4NbJWbp
EXT. SECURITY HQ – ROOFTOP – MOMENTS LATER
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyyXx4tEfqI
[Jason exits onto a quiet rooftop, nestled between cooling vents and signal towers. His “secret spot.” A single folding chair, old scorch marks, and a great view of Central City’s skyline—if you squint past the smog.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9N6OYPNRwr
[He sits, opens his snack. Stares at the distant spires.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRBHzQF5MX4
[Wind hums. Somewhere below, a siren wails.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSbIC1spf8Y
JASON (V.O.)
“Used to come up here and smoke until the smell of burning wire reminded me of what I was becoming.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIGJ6Xz4czF
[He munches quietly. The wind tugs at his coat.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGvwT9mLedF
[In his HUD corner, one of the tabs from earlier flashes. Another post. Same clickbait site. New report. Same symbol. Same melting.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1t1F5Mabpi
[Jason doesn’t open it. Not yet.]
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs7nOh8gW8B
JASON
“…Yeah. I’ll ruin my appetite later.”
80Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGOT6316c1E
[He leans back, chair creaking. Lunch break’s ticking away, but for now? Just him, some awful synthetic food, and the headache of knowing something very wrong is happening again.]
ns216.73.216.154da2
