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People Who Like This
#13

SCENE 11 – “Below the Skin of the City”

Author Author
Apr 17, 2025 93 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!e4lvcfeHoEUSzrcgypHMposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. UNDERGROUND DUCTS – BENEATH CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnIVBge1vjb

[Jason moves deeper into the passage. The corridor is narrow, filled with tangled cables and rusted maintenance bots long since scavenged for parts. Oil drips rhythmically from overhead pipes, tapping like an anxious heartbeat.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbKU9vCSlgc

[His optics scan the area—no signs of movement. But the drag marks are fresh, smearing across grated flooring and disappearing into the dark.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A2Jm8Loc1

JASON

(muttering)

“This is either really clever… or really stupid.”

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjPLZnYCUjm

[His right arm clicks—shifting from normal hand into a compact flashlight. The beam cuts through the gloom, revealing data-tag graffiti on the walls. Gangs. Traffickers. Someone’s been using this place for business.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVHDrGGsf6i

[Jason keeps walking. Quiet now. Only the low hum of the city above. Then—something shifts.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeZ99nW5Lmz

[His foot lands with a faint squish. He freezes.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrn3XNHrQe7

[Looks down: a puddle of fresh machine oil.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqJ3SxdDPvv

JASON

“Still warm…”

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRAqJlr04CE

[He turns his head slowly—and spots the drag marks again, leading to a doorway slightly ajar.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuD4l7B2XA

[He approaches, raising his arm—now reconfigured into his railcannon. He pushes the door open with his foot.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9MhxWPHyDi

INT. ABANDONED SUBLEVEL ROOM – CONTINUOUS

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzNWljBFiGu

[Inside: empty. Or so it seems.]

Piles of worn components line the walls—some medical grade, some not. A shattered workbench. Half an android arm with a “PROPERTY OF VISION TECH” label.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk75ovk4nSu

[A flicker catches his eye—a security cam, still powered. He raises his palm, shooting a micro-burst EMP. The camera dies.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKx59Vubs3m

[He exhales. But then—he spots it.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsBRdX7eZoS

[Behind a crate: a broken chassis. Too clean. Stripped of its parts with almost surgical precision.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeLhpGKfyHb

[Jason kneels beside it, examining a clean gash where the core used to be.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOzPRkmBaMA

JASON

(quietly)

“This wasn’t just looting…”

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl50mtFiAvJ

[He leans back, resting against the wall for a moment. He rotates his shoulder; the joint grinds slightly.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwwci0vxZf8

[He smirks—but the edge is thin now.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjGtDEQDEQ9

JASON (V.O.)

“You start to wonder what you’re really doing. What difference it makes. Hunt, kill, repeat. No medals. No purpose.”

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv87KvRfrWX

[He taps his right arm, and it folds gently back into a hand. He flexes the fingers—there’s a soft click as the servos adjust.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtBSZAFpF1N

[A pause. Then—noise. A faint shuffle. Metal scraping against stone. Jason immediately lifts his railcannon arm, aiming toward the back of the room.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4A6oHenc5G

[He steps forward, slow. Cautious. The sound leads him to a hidden passage between wall panels—barely wide enough for a bot to crawl through.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtcY2f99dw

JASON

(low, almost amused)

“Looks like the plot’s got legs.”

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgiwAUOgyWD

[He crouches, peering inside the narrow tunnel. More oil. More fresh marks.]

97Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr8DdThYHVh

[He sighs. Then crawls in after them, disappearing into the darkness.]

216.73.216.107

ns216.73.216.107da2
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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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