INT. MAINTENANCE TUNNEL – BELOW CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT21Please respect copyright.PENANAzUsrQsqi1I
21Please respect copyright.PENANAm3ysWk3LoF
[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.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAtaVq5iqAFK
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[He presses forward, eyes locked on the streaks of oil and scratch marks.]21Please respect copyright.PENANA3QPgd28Ieu
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[Then he sees it—light reflecting off something wet, just ahead.]21Please respect copyright.PENANA0dcQjYzuMV
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[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.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAdUJ71xNWAX
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[At first glance: standard unit. Rusted. Oil leaking from the abdomen. But then—Jason freezes. The bot’s chest cavity is… wrong.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAcA9lMZNEPF
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[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.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAiFiMHN07CR
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JASON21Please respect copyright.PENANABIPrDjeHzF
(low, guarded)21Please respect copyright.PENANAVdNkUNfCei
“…What the hell?”21Please respect copyright.PENANAOtdF0hGR22
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[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.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAIK0sl1qD0W
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[He crouches, scanning.]21Please respect copyright.PENANADc2xgMNClP
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JASON (V.O.)21Please respect copyright.PENANADyu0nnl6vs
“That’s no hacking virus. That’s infestation.”21Please respect copyright.PENANASTtz2BbErM
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[The bot jerks its head slightly, jaw creaking. Its voice module is corrupted—glitchy, broken.]21Please respect copyright.PENANABx0FGRxm5c
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LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)21Please respect copyright.PENANAcQ2G2NUgii
“h̵̼̖̐͊ē̷͕͗͝l̵̢̛̍̐͗p̴̘̿̎̕… ̷̻͉̓͆m̶̯̼̐͐͝e̷̢̥̎̈́̐…”21Please respect copyright.PENANAj63KKRyQtr
21Please respect copyright.PENANAdy4WtwWcry
[Jason stares. His hand twitches. For a second, the tough-guy façade slips. Just a second.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAB0phKHTBya
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JASON (V.O.)21Please respect copyright.PENANAOTS4GFVZ0M
“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.”21Please respect copyright.PENANA9T6nGgXgnm
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[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.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAyWW2ckRmMW
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[The tendrils retreat into the bot’s torso. Its frame convulses violently. Jason raises his railcannon again.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAEfhlwadtxs
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LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)21Please respect copyright.PENANAwgZ0TiwBep
“d̷͕̒o̴̘͊n̷͔̽’̸̦̔t̵͚͋̕… ̷̟̊l̸̤̎ē̸̪t̵̯͌.̴̤̐̚.̶͚̐.̶̼͑”21Please respect copyright.PENANA2Nnh86B8Kv
21Please respect copyright.PENANATCDdIUlcUa
[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.]21Please respect copyright.PENANANmrrixCeYN
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[Silence.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAV3ZL1JZwxu
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[Jason kneels, wiping splattered oil from his face.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAuOAhoPjQ3A
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JASON21Please respect copyright.PENANAeNLS13shED
(softly)21Please respect copyright.PENANAvWXW6Hxvi6
“This wasn’t a bot anymore.”21Please respect copyright.PENANA19lePFYY88
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[He looks at the remains of the parasitic mass.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAuyvRxyF3Ea
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JASON (V.O.)21Please respect copyright.PENANAMBBw90PiDe
“Whatever this is… it wasn’t built. It grew.”21Please respect copyright.PENANAzPBVyESjwM
21Please respect copyright.PENANAWsd6bnxZgu
[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.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAuHvdfEbqPq
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[Suddenly—thud. A distant sound from the tunnel ahead. Not footsteps. Something… dragging.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAxPf60wVAtK
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JASON21Please respect copyright.PENANAX07Ief6dsW
(to himself)21Please respect copyright.PENANAyRxn5GbnPw
“Round two already? Great.”21Please respect copyright.PENANAK9nwpGkcnY
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[He turns toward the sound, eyes glowing sharper now. One last glance at the dead bot. Then—onward.]21Please respect copyright.PENANAOOziWAgIYg