INT. MAINTENANCE TUNNEL – BELOW CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT29Please respect copyright.PENANAARcMLpSnxE
29Please respect copyright.PENANAtwfXZg9mtn
[The tunnel is barely wide enough for Jason’s shoulders. His flashlight-arm illuminates the narrow path ahead—metal walls groaning softly as the city above shifts in its sleep. There’s a low hum. Not from machinery. Not natural.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAX1pTwBtBWq
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[He presses forward, eyes locked on the streaks of oil and scratch marks.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAyd1Mt62pB4
29Please respect copyright.PENANAUZ39G3dmcP
[Then he sees it—light reflecting off something wet, just ahead.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAWpVnx6VHEB
29Please respect copyright.PENANAGk3B2ksFuP
[He emerges into a cramped side chamber filled with hanging wires, blown-out consoles, and a single Labor bot—slumped, twitching, back propped against a wall.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAQGv42k0G4c
29Please respect copyright.PENANA8zgEE8SBnj
[At first glance: standard unit. Rusted. Oil leaking from the abdomen. But then—Jason freezes. The bot’s chest cavity is… wrong.]29Please respect copyright.PENANA9guq3kd0IO
29Please respect copyright.PENANAWg2qxNUAAc
[A spiderweb of black tendrils coils out from the seams. They're organic-metal hybrids, squirming faintly—alive. They pulse slowly, like a machine breathing.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAtk1llxC47S
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JASON29Please respect copyright.PENANANdOZGWZw8F
(low, guarded)29Please respect copyright.PENANAnXsr4fvJb3
“…What the hell?”29Please respect copyright.PENANAYbmGhMDLs5
29Please respect copyright.PENANAX039111FgE
[The Labor bot’s eyes are dim red, blinking erratically. One arm tries to lift but fails, fingers spasming. Jason steps closer, railcannon aimed. The tendrils respond—contracting inward like they’re hiding.]29Please respect copyright.PENANASWM21SQPCx
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[He crouches, scanning.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAsMvBqatNaK
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JASON (V.O.)29Please respect copyright.PENANApvr9HuErQJ
“That’s no hacking virus. That’s infestation.”29Please respect copyright.PENANAF8oXu9emk4
29Please respect copyright.PENANAsExaXgJXNs
[The bot jerks its head slightly, jaw creaking. Its voice module is corrupted—glitchy, broken.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAhK1fYYHaL2
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LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)29Please respect copyright.PENANAiTlguH45hM
“h̵̼̖̐͊ē̷͕͗͝l̵̢̛̍̐͗p̴̘̿̎̕… ̷̻͉̓͆m̶̯̼̐͐͝e̷̢̥̎̈́̐…”29Please respect copyright.PENANAb80iknm6eM
29Please respect copyright.PENANAIh93VowqTw
[Jason stares. His hand twitches. For a second, the tough-guy façade slips. Just a second.]29Please respect copyright.PENANA5wnQppWLZ1
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JASON (V.O.)29Please respect copyright.PENANA8SMtD1Trsz
“I’ve fought bots trying to kill me. I’ve fought bots programmed to kill. But this… this looks like something forgot how to die.”29Please respect copyright.PENANAJ0d8RqCbEY
29Please respect copyright.PENANAoi7jRfjXvi
[Suddenly, one of the tendrils lashes out, narrowly missing his head. Jason blasts it, and the bot shrieks—a distorted, multi-pitched sound that echoes off the walls like metal screaming.]29Please respect copyright.PENANArMUrxqsC0g
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[The tendrils retreat into the bot’s torso. Its frame convulses violently. Jason raises his railcannon again.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAVP64rqr9Mv
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LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)29Please respect copyright.PENANA7cnfpCjlq1
“d̷͕̒o̴̘͊n̷͔̽’̸̦̔t̵͚͋̕… ̷̟̊l̸̤̎ē̸̪t̵̯͌.̴̤̐̚.̶͚̐.̶̼͑”29Please respect copyright.PENANAZycTXhkQ77
29Please respect copyright.PENANArYkL5FRDPw
[Jason pauses. Then fires a single, clean shot into the bot’s core. It collapses, finally still. The tendrils curl, blackened, twitch once—and die.]29Please respect copyright.PENANALopSDiT5vk
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[Silence.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAG5qVQR6wQg
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[Jason kneels, wiping splattered oil from his face.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAPb5MnDBth2
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JASON29Please respect copyright.PENANARRCH8vcx12
(softly)29Please respect copyright.PENANAA7OvtpNRu4
“This wasn’t a bot anymore.”29Please respect copyright.PENANAoC3rlYfpMc
29Please respect copyright.PENANAWLygvvjnWP
[He looks at the remains of the parasitic mass.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAzDoUOyLiTz
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JASON (V.O.)29Please respect copyright.PENANAgBZxOKofQQ
“Whatever this is… it wasn’t built. It grew.”29Please respect copyright.PENANA7HCKfz0U7w
29Please respect copyright.PENANAvcoAFCUziL
[He pulls a blade from his side holster, slicing off a fragment of the tendril and storing it in a sealed tube. He stands, breathing heavier than usual. Not from exertion—but unease.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAVuO7uDmroA
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[Suddenly—thud. A distant sound from the tunnel ahead. Not footsteps. Something… dragging.]29Please respect copyright.PENANAvVzEUH42lY
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JASON29Please respect copyright.PENANAcpDDvYpbtl
(to himself)29Please respect copyright.PENANAS8PMS3ZB7z
“Round two already? Great.”29Please respect copyright.PENANAl41J7j6C7l
29Please respect copyright.PENANAdPENcdLCNE
[He turns toward the sound, eyes glowing sharper now. One last glance at the dead bot. Then—onward.]29Please respect copyright.PENANA2tlUwLkaBp