INT. BRASSO’S BLACK MARKET SHOP – CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT
27Please respect copyright.PENANAIXpLBaSbWm
[We pick up right where we left off. Brasso’s place is packed with questionable goods: replacement memory drives, eyeball scanners, questionable coolant "energy drinks," and—yes—a suspicious number of Vision Tech coffee mugs.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAl4cmfFZnJe
[Jason stands in the middle of the chaos, arms crossed. His right hand hums softly, like it’s bored.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAIKutTqMJXG
BRASSO (LABOR BOT)
(grinning)
“You sure you don’t wanna trade that arm, Gearman? I got bots lining up for pre-war tech like that.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAjLM0ZB6tWs
JASON
(not looking at him)
“My arm has better social skills than you. And it doesn’t smell like engine grease.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANARI2KDqIJss
[Brasso chuckles, walking behind the counter. Jason’s right hand twitches—then clicks. Plates shift, whirring. The hand transforms into a compact scanning module with a faint blue glow, automatically scanning the room.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAHPxOzoDcfz
JASON
(to the arm)
“Cut it out. I don’t need a tactical readout on Brasso’s underwear drawer.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAc7pa0Ot9m1
[The module retracts—then snaps into a short blade form for a moment before returning to its standard hand.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAZPfWYYGtNK
BRASSO
“That thing always twitchy, or is it just excited to see me?”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAtFfOaYFQle
JASON
“Only twitchy when someone’s lying.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANACIwKq5f8wQ
[A beat. Brasso freezes.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAIS2WTUXwxV
[Before he can respond—BOOM! The building shakes. A blast rips through the back wall. Brasso hits the floor. Jason’s arm transforms mid-motion—fingers collapsing inward as a short-barrel railgun emerges from his wrist.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAVoYDKMMh1F
[The HUD in his vision locks onto two incoming bots—heavily modified Labor units, clearly mob muscle. Painted black, eyes glowing red. Not here for conversation.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAYMJJ2F4M6N
JASON
(grinning)
“Finally. A therapy session I actually like.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANA22TJ0YFGJa
[He fires—a sharp, electric crack. One bot’s head explodes in a shower of sparks. The other lunges at him with a jagged blade arm.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAhJNVizHLJg
[Jason ducks. His arm morphs again—this time into a whip-like chain of segmented razors. He spins, catches the bot mid-air, and slams it into the ceiling, then the floor. Hard.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAaeVzbjmbQD
[The bot twitches, trying to stand. Jason’s arm resets into an axe. He ends it.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAYCpmT5hajS
[Silence. Brasso peeks out from behind the counter.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANASN7JaQeAT1
BRASSO
“…You could’ve gone easy, y’know.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAgExadQ7D3A
JASON
(wiping oil from his face)
“They started it.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAvQAiI4jUwm
[He walks toward the blast hole, his arm folding back into its sleek normal form—just another limb again.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAGrphEJXCHa
BRASSO
(still nervous)
“Who were they?”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAPyxwU7iRYn
JASON
“Black market muscle, maybe. But this wasn’t random.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANABLzwqzlkm5
[He kneels, inspecting the remains of one bot—finds a tiny embedded chip behind the neck port. Stamped with a barely-visible red triangle.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAgnw6xIBYzA
JASON
“…Vision Tech. Again.”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAL2PmlN8rJV
[He pockets the chip, standing.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANA5xvjx7tAjE
JASON
(muttering)
“What the hell’s going on down here?”
27Please respect copyright.PENANAaQjhs6QyQ9
[From outside the ruined wall, another sound—metal scraping. Not from a bot trying to enter. From something being dragged away. Jason’s optics narrow.]
27Please respect copyright.PENANAg5O4KTkyFf
[He steps outside into the night—ready.]
ns18.191.235.214da2