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People Who Like This
#87

SCENE 84 – "Midnight Meltdown"

Author Author
May 2, 2025 54 3 Mins Read
x
No Plagiarism!Tl4fL0WkcgTKWTEwqt3Nposted on PＥNAＮＡ

INT. THE CUBE – EVENING

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The soft glow of the overhead light bathes the room in warm yellow as they prep for bedtime.

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Emily’s pod rests on the center of the mattress now surrounded by pillows. A sits cross-legged beside her, a thin, worn storybook in his hands.

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8nLZUqZ8Uo

A (serious, determined)

"I'm reading her a bedtime story."

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzbp8Z4UXjY

Jason sprawled nearby, fiddling with a blanket, raises a brow.

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JASON (teasing)

"You sure you don't wanna tell her about the cruel reality of taxes instead?"

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A (ignoring him)

"This one is called 'Rust and Steel.'"

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He opens the book and starts reading.

The story tells of a Labor bot and a Security bot—their quiet friendship blossoming into deep love despite the odds.

But misunderstanding, class prejudice, and fear from other robots rip them apart.

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuq7FcSGGpw

By the end, the two characters sit under different skies, forever separated.

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A (softly, closing the book)

"...and they never saw each other again."

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Silence.

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Jason stares at A like he just summoned a thunderstorm into the room.

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JASON (deadpan)

"Great. Depression o'clock.

And you yelled at me for teaching her about tax fraud."

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5eocGZUMem

A frowns.

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A (quietly)

"I thought it was beautiful."

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Jason opens his mouth to argue—and then just... sighs, defeated.

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JASON (grumbling)

"Whatever. If she grows up and writes emo poetry about failed love, it’s your fault."

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K (flat, already laying down)

"Appropriate emotional preparation for existence."

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They laugh lightly.

One by one, they drift off to recharge mode, soft whirring of cooling fans filling the room.

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTxHUVfJ69q

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHJk53cJOHU

---

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TIME SKIP – MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

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INT. THE CUBE – 2:41 AM

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Emily’s pod begins to tremble.

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A soft whimper.

Then a louder one.

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Then full-blown siren-level CRYING noises.

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Jason bolts upright in pure panic.

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JASON (blinking, hoarse whisper)

"Whuh—fire? Earthquake?!"

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A shoots up immediately and grabs the manual Josh left.

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A (focused, flipping pages)

"She's crying!"

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K calmly walks over, checking the pod’s readout.

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Jason stumbles around like a headless chicken.

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JASON (panicked, cursing)

"Dammit, dammit, this is why I don’t want one of these miniature nightmares!!"

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Emily keeps crying—loud, mechanical sobs echoing off the cube walls.

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A (reading manual aloud)

"Try feeding! Try holding! Try—uhh—singing??"

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Jason stares at him.

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JASON (flat, horrified)

"I’m not singing. I will not be a part of this cult ritual."

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMZGFsRQLj5

Meanwhile, K gently picks up Emily, cradling the pod like it’s made of glass. He softly, almost rhythmically, rocks her.

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Jason meanwhile, flings himself under the blanket, dragging it over his entire body.

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JASON (muffled, despairing)

"I was not built for this...

I was built for slamming idiots against walls...

I was built for Security protocols... not this tiny crying gremlin!"

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He curls up tighter, murmuring into the fabric.

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JASON (muffled, nearly breaking down)

"This is why I don’t want a kid... they cry, they hate you, they grow up and call you a dinosaur and leave you in a scrapheap nursing home—"

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A gently sits beside the blanket burrito that is Jason.

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A (softly, soothing)

"It's okay. You're not alone."

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Jason peeks out a single optic, pathetic and betrayed by the world.

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Meanwhile, K—efficient as ever—manages to calm Emily down.

He rocks her with the soft mechanical equivalent of a hum, and the crying slows to a tired whimper.

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxiJ54au1R9

Finally, Emily’s pod goes back into a gentle sleep mode, lights pulsing softly.

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Silence returns.

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Jason finally peels himself halfway out of the blanket, looking at K like he's some kind of wizard.

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JASON (grumpy awe)

"...How the hell did you do that?"

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K (dry, simple)

"I used to hunt things. Making prey sleep is survival."

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Jason blinks slowly.

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JASON (tired sigh)

"I don't know if I should be impressed... or terrified."

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They all collapse back onto the mattress around Emily, exhausted beyond comprehension.

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Somewhere, Jason mutters something about "never trusting data pods again," but he’s already half-asleep.

58Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeBc0qJFv36

And Emily?

Peaceful, snuggled safely between the three most dangerous babysitters in the whole damn city.

216.73.216.176

ns216.73.216.176da2
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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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