INT. JASON’S CUBE – EARLY MORNING
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡk4k71ItMmJ
[Light peeks through the grimy blinds, casting faint strips of silver across the cluttered concrete cube. The air is quiet, still thick with the warmth of robotic sleep cycles. Somewhere in the corner, a motor hums softly. And on the bed—Jason stirs.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4CcKl4sff6
JASON (muttering, half-conscious)
“...Five more cycles... just five…”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfHFKXc6yzH
[He rolls over and nearly falls off the bed but manages to catch himself with a sleepy grunt. A, still blanket-wrapped, shifts and buries his face deeper into the pillow. Jason lays there for another few moments, his optics flickering dimly like a dying flashlight.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXE6gjLr12w
JASON (grumbling into his palm)
“Nope. Nope. Not dying in this bed today. Get up. Be a responsible Security bot. You can do this.”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkeoE79YVw
[He sloooowly slides off the bed like someone trying to sneak away from a sleeping lion, only this lion is a vaguely humming A-burrito. His servos creak faintly as he stretches.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBNlE9G9McO
JASON (quietly)
“System startup: 12%. Hangover level: catastrophic.”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAjXTrf04UT
[He trudges over to the small makeshift kitchen corner, which looks more like a mechanic’s junk pile than anything culinary. He pours a bit of filtered oil into a cup, then cracks open a cooling battery pack and pops a piece into his mouth like it’s breakfast cereal.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnYOEIL7Nhb
JASON (grimace)
“Ugh. Vintage acid flavor with a dash of ‘please shut up’.”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1K8t2uVRx8
[He walks past the mess of scrap and tools to the wall terminal—currently dark. He boots it up quietly, screen flickering with a warm glow as it loads the default channel: Central City Morning—sponsored by Vision Tech. Jason immediately turns the volume down to a whisper.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDZfjX9dK5
TERMINAL (NEWS ANCHOR, V.O.)
“—unusual static pulses detected in the Outskirts. Authorities advise citizens to stay alert and report any abnormal activity—”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1qwO3Vhnoe
[Jason sips his drink, one optic twitching at the taste. Then he glances up—right at the ceiling.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcwYx0qyKi2
JASON (deadpan)
“...You’ve gotta be kidding me.”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡStHpOrx4Rq
[K is still hanging upside-down from the ceiling like a gothic chandelier. His arms are crossed. Head tilted. Not moving. His optics are off, giving him the uncanny look of a very decorative corpse.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjLPZBqQqX7
JASON (staring)
“How is that even comfortable? Like, is this a habit? Were you trained in anti-gravity napping? Should I be worried?”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzDutNMdqsA
[He turns back to the terminal, shaking his head.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWuwCFyXyT8
TERMINAL (V.O.)
“...no official statement has been made by Security Bot HQ regarding the anomalies from two days ago...”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8BIYu9tz7Y
JASON (half-laughing to himself)
“Yeah, because I was the anomaly. Great. That’s not nerve-wracking at all.”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8PhOufdNeO
[He leans against the counter, quietly munching a battery strip like a sad energy bar, sipping bad oil, flicking through news headlines with a tired expression. Occasionally glancing back to make sure neither of his guests is about to wake up or explode.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudjh8xhNsk
JASON (mutters)
“Honestly… not even mad about the illegal roommates. But the hangover? That’s betrayal.”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlxi3tDhXXI
[He lets out a long sigh, finishes his drink, and sets the cup down a little too hard, then winces as if it hurt him more than the cup.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnPxe5jwXjy
[A sleepy beep comes from the terminal behind him. New headline: ‘The Secret Life of Scrapyard Drones: Are They Sentient or Just Nosy?’ Jason doesn’t even blink.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0gLGldexWd
JASON
“I miss when my life was boring…”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtr0Q1ndwR8
[But even as he says it, there's a flicker of a smile at the edge of his voice. He glances once more toward the bed—A, tangled in the blanket like it’s war armor. Then to K, still performing his dramatic impression of a dormant gargoyle.]
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTUhSV3MHRh
JASON (softly, shaking his head)
“Yup. Definitely cursed.”
81Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXotXiodE6F
[He walks off to gather his gear. Another day, another headache. But he moves just a bit lighter.]
ns216.73.216.107da2
