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People Who Like This
#76

SCENE 73 – "A Promise, A Vacation"

Author Author
Apr 29, 2025 72 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!eWI0EuRwIPLGxnkKcJShposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. JASON'S CUBE – AFTERNOON

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbiGnEluxgr

The lazy golden light of the afternoon drips through the dusty windows.

The cube, cluttered as usual, hums with a strange, easygoing energy.

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Jason sprawls on the couch, one arm thrown over his optics, half-napping.

A sits on the floor nearby, fiddling with the battered texter Jason gave him days ago, occasionally sneaking glances to make sure Jason's still there.

K occupies himself on the other side of the room, poking through some ancient board games they rescued from the fridge, looking deeply unimpressed.

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBzsXTbrt48

It’s been a strange adjustment—Jason actually staying put for more than a few hours.

But he’s keeping his promise.

Three days off. No patrols. No HQ calls. No Maglev rides straight into explosions.

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Just... this.

Him.

The cube.

And the two weirdos he somehow ended up calling family.

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JASON (groaning into his arm)

"...This is the first time I've taken more than one day off since, like, my fifth body frame upgrade."

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYodAKnUkAd

A looks up from the texter.

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A (gently)

"You needed it. You still need it."

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Jason snorts, rolling his head to the side to squint at A.

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JASON

"Yeah, yeah. 'Rest or else,' huh? Is that an official order from Commander Worrywart?"

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYkNNZwo8sO

A’s optics flicker slightly, but he nods.

Jason tries not to smile too much at that.

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Across the room, K flips the lid off an ancient, battered UNO box, sifting through the dusty cards.

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K (flatly)

"These are all sticky. I think something died in here."

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Jason waves a hand lazily.

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JASON

"Welcome to the cube. Everything's either sticky, broken, or cursed."

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm8eRTP2Apa

K (deadpan)

"Or all three."

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Jason chuckles quietly.

The easy flow of conversation, the warmth despite the mess—he didn’t realize how much he missed... this.

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAisLjETYl

Just being.

Not running.

Not fighting.

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A leans back on his hands, tilting his head.

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A

"...We should do something. To celebrate."

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Jason raises an eyebrow.

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JASON

"What, you wanna throw me a 'Congrats For Not Dying' party?"

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A (serious)

"Yes."

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Jason blinks.

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDfp1M2HISk

Then barks out a laugh that startles even K into looking up.

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0KDAwnYoL

JASON (grinning)

"Alright. Fine. But only if I get a crown and a parade."

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4SEVeJ4XoM

K tosses a UNO card at him without looking.

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K

"Your funeral."

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Jason catches the card lazily, still grinning.

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl1A0e9GHwa

The cube hums with the sound of the old ventilation kicking on, the texter buzzing with some notification A ignores, the lazy rhythm of a life Jason didn’t realize he was starting to crave.

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnR2vqvlrfg

Outside, the city rumbles on—chaotic, broken, alive.

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But in here?

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Here, things are... okay.

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At least for now.

76Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNgGhzN3MGu

FADE OUT.

216.73.216.111

ns216.73.216.111da2
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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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