INT. MAINTENANCE TUNNEL – BELOW CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT64Please respect copyright.PENANAoZwT9nEgih
64Please respect copyright.PENANAnPGpuLKCbi
[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.]64Please respect copyright.PENANA25eAXZ3yzX
64Please respect copyright.PENANAmKm82PXlIR
[He presses forward, eyes locked on the streaks of oil and scratch marks.]64Please respect copyright.PENANA9j4pAIzPux
64Please respect copyright.PENANAbmfAB3qqDx
[Then he sees it—light reflecting off something wet, just ahead.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAH3U5wACeNP
64Please respect copyright.PENANAcXzuHAVb6v
[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.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAoJI10R5Vy3
64Please respect copyright.PENANAZfOjuzrfhG
[At first glance: standard unit. Rusted. Oil leaking from the abdomen. But then—Jason freezes. The bot’s chest cavity is… wrong.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAbKH23Snmqa
64Please respect copyright.PENANAvijEbAj2bD
[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.]64Please respect copyright.PENANASuBMHzt4vO
64Please respect copyright.PENANAk3PExgIccO
JASON64Please respect copyright.PENANAyWu3TA4ODf
(low, guarded)64Please respect copyright.PENANAUVprkFi1xp
“…What the hell?”64Please respect copyright.PENANAsUsV6fvCXS
64Please respect copyright.PENANADc1FG111TY
[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.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAsDv8x7jIZ6
64Please respect copyright.PENANAfRyNhnpnyT
[He crouches, scanning.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAbwU1ogfKp4
64Please respect copyright.PENANAITIK7M4QOs
JASON (V.O.)64Please respect copyright.PENANAmypto8g47v
“That’s no hacking virus. That’s infestation.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAw5G9JFmRqy
64Please respect copyright.PENANAnGZh1wx45y
[The bot jerks its head slightly, jaw creaking. Its voice module is corrupted—glitchy, broken.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAOk7oawnnS7
64Please respect copyright.PENANAiAYa93dfXl
LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)64Please respect copyright.PENANAJ31uKMCF86
“h̵̼̖̐͊ē̷͕͗͝l̵̢̛̍̐͗p̴̘̿̎̕… ̷̻͉̓͆m̶̯̼̐͐͝e̷̢̥̎̈́̐…”64Please respect copyright.PENANAl4TLgt0joB
64Please respect copyright.PENANAs0cr62a3XN
[Jason stares. His hand twitches. For a second, the tough-guy façade slips. Just a second.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAfEbJ0dD4El
64Please respect copyright.PENANAzUtCym93v8
JASON (V.O.)64Please respect copyright.PENANAiKTXsvsYUq
“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.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAFfFd5PqE7J
64Please respect copyright.PENANAJPdqog8fX6
[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.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAG8c0MO26yO
64Please respect copyright.PENANAthkAm6y3Rm
[The tendrils retreat into the bot’s torso. Its frame convulses violently. Jason raises his railcannon again.]64Please respect copyright.PENANA8moyD3HkH8
64Please respect copyright.PENANAvLs1h9Hzxk
LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)64Please respect copyright.PENANAkPaywE8A8X
“d̷͕̒o̴̘͊n̷͔̽’̸̦̔t̵͚͋̕… ̷̟̊l̸̤̎ē̸̪t̵̯͌.̴̤̐̚.̶͚̐.̶̼͑”64Please respect copyright.PENANA09Y0B3ZbSy
64Please respect copyright.PENANAWEApmXO1A2
[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.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAQrQQS7WRzk
64Please respect copyright.PENANAOlOE8cgyWr
[Silence.]64Please respect copyright.PENANA27yvtZTvrH
64Please respect copyright.PENANAsycuyqxvqO
[Jason kneels, wiping splattered oil from his face.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAYXITk9RBZQ
64Please respect copyright.PENANAe0ANIQdtLk
JASON64Please respect copyright.PENANAbDH88SLekz
(softly)64Please respect copyright.PENANAGEP0Tg3y5J
“This wasn’t a bot anymore.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAxOnsNPPZsI
64Please respect copyright.PENANANsHMUZiZDg
[He looks at the remains of the parasitic mass.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAqbbtswzXUN
64Please respect copyright.PENANAbEcWHHfgUL
JASON (V.O.)64Please respect copyright.PENANAQ7KscqLsm5
“Whatever this is… it wasn’t built. It grew.”64Please respect copyright.PENANANChNlfXynh
64Please respect copyright.PENANAgFO6aTbuon
[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.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAiS322rnpMg
64Please respect copyright.PENANAIwvHEUEV3Z
[Suddenly—thud. A distant sound from the tunnel ahead. Not footsteps. Something… dragging.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAJbNqBbc0hr
64Please respect copyright.PENANAaAwilSwY30
JASON64Please respect copyright.PENANAh40uHTllnR
(to himself)64Please respect copyright.PENANAWIW5iyqNIH
“Round two already? Great.”64Please respect copyright.PENANAKHhoXCkVVE
64Please respect copyright.PENANA1dLdhhN3tA
[He turns toward the sound, eyes glowing sharper now. One last glance at the dead bot. Then—onward.]64Please respect copyright.PENANAX0gwAG5MG0