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People Who Like This
#69

SCENE 66 – “Dead Air”

Author Author
Apr 29, 2025 12 2 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!CfOAfnLTCfoBLqyqZVZJposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. JASON'S CUBE – NIGHT

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqRjhwtx8b

The small cube is quiet—too quiet for how loud their thoughts are.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0jerw8yrOw

The cartoon terminal is off. The fax machine is quiet. Even Spoon-King has been turned toward the wall.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡz8jitHeLO6

A sits by the door, hugging a pillow, knees curled to his chest, coat sleeves too long and tugged over his hands. His optics flicker anxiously every few seconds toward the texter machine on the table.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOgpRTdl8Hx

K leans against the wall, arms crossed, one leg up on the crate-table, unreadable but tense. His blade flicks in and out, a nervous tic he’d never admit to.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqm2wFeUglT

A

“...He didn’t text anything back.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ36BtQNsc7X

K

“I noticed, thanks.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs0cuOgx1Qm

A

“Maybe he just forgot? Jason forgets things. Like that time he put peanut butter in the fridge and it turned into a brick.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc5c1vod4hY

K

“That was a tactical decision. He wanted it to last longer. Still idiotic.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡv188LIR8kS

A

(quietly) “What if something happened?”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQ9yDiM7Vj

K

(beat)

“...Then he’d probably come back angry and bleeding but alive. You’ve seen what he walks away from.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBmLHqlQdgZ

A

“But what if it’s not something you can walk away from? The news didn’t even say anything. Just said ‘minor infrastructure malfunction’ and ‘no civilian access.’ That’s—! That’s lying! That’s a lie!”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4NaDXxwBrA

K walks over to the window—pulls the curtain back just a little. Nothing but fog and dark towers beyond.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUo2SFZeSKF

K

“They blocked everything off. S.R.S. doesn’t play around unless it’s serious. And the Texter’s dead silent. That’s not good.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtryWEjKsYj

A

“You think he’ll come back tonight?”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnqorUky5EI

K

(softly)

“I don’t know.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQdGubAEdGJ

That hangs in the air. Thick. Heavy.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIjd58FnZJV

A lowers his head onto his knees.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6gpQFT3joc

A

“I don’t like this. He always texts. Even when he’s mad or annoyed or... being weird.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuRkDewqiqu

K

“I know.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9buIuZgYFU

A long silence.

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeHKL22mwPp

K

“He’s not the type to just disappear. If he’s not back by morning, we go looking.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjQuYu57vzo

A

(staring at the door)

“...Okay.”

16Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSQkbmRUSaP

FADE OUT.

3.144.134.101

ns3.144.134.101da2
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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?"
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