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People Who Like This
#69

SCENE 66 – “Dead Air”

Author Author
Apr 29, 2025 20 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!aO8av0Y6VdQSYfbQo8exposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. JASON'S CUBE – NIGHT

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSYZ5Gn23ZU

The small cube is quiet—too quiet for how loud their thoughts are.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMyRKlLoRy

The cartoon terminal is off. The fax machine is quiet. Even Spoon-King has been turned toward the wall.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKvrNkZfcY

A sits by the door, hugging a pillow, knees curled to his chest, coat sleeves too long and tugged over his hands. His optics flicker anxiously every few seconds toward the texter machine on the table.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL5Ta1vFhxX

K leans against the wall, arms crossed, one leg up on the crate-table, unreadable but tense. His blade flicks in and out, a nervous tic he’d never admit to.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9T8q1BXPf4

A

“...He didn’t text anything back.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNaVXtdeT1a

K

“I noticed, thanks.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2ijphPUrj

A

“Maybe he just forgot? Jason forgets things. Like that time he put peanut butter in the fridge and it turned into a brick.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ1Sy5z2kDl

K

“That was a tactical decision. He wanted it to last longer. Still idiotic.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPTxMVJkxCF

A

(quietly) “What if something happened?”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqdkD2v9hiQ

K

(beat)

“...Then he’d probably come back angry and bleeding but alive. You’ve seen what he walks away from.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNCos2wW44j

A

“But what if it’s not something you can walk away from? The news didn’t even say anything. Just said ‘minor infrastructure malfunction’ and ‘no civilian access.’ That’s—! That’s lying! That’s a lie!”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ42dzpVLb3b

K walks over to the window—pulls the curtain back just a little. Nothing but fog and dark towers beyond.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkplJBerth6

K

“They blocked everything off. S.R.S. doesn’t play around unless it’s serious. And the Texter’s dead silent. That’s not good.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi0khYUAeDj

A

“You think he’ll come back tonight?”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSm2rX0YtLj

K

(softly)

“I don’t know.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHuzTVoNmM6

That hangs in the air. Thick. Heavy.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbNcSgSc90r

A lowers his head onto his knees.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjSX5jJA7B5

A

“I don’t like this. He always texts. Even when he’s mad or annoyed or... being weird.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡun3vkwgIYe

K

“I know.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9dsQHklgkA

A long silence.

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmzJeteKsaR

K

“He’s not the type to just disappear. If he’s not back by morning, we go looking.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiSakPt0pBE

A

(staring at the door)

“...Okay.”

24Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjUlzf2GvAT

FADE OUT.

3.137.180.196

ns3.137.180.196da2
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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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