INT. MAINTENANCE TUNNEL – BELOW CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT126Please respect copyright.PENANAzg2b5wP0mt
126Please respect copyright.PENANAwtHKDvdOup
[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.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAesasOLuCur
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[He presses forward, eyes locked on the streaks of oil and scratch marks.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAWlj8aY24n7
126Please respect copyright.PENANAqaZvLRrDI4
[Then he sees it—light reflecting off something wet, just ahead.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAjTQqFWPpiR
126Please respect copyright.PENANAcAd8p6Dyey
[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.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAde9Njtx4rm
126Please respect copyright.PENANAKb7wEjdA9F
[At first glance: standard unit. Rusted. Oil leaking from the abdomen. But then—Jason freezes. The bot’s chest cavity is… wrong.]126Please respect copyright.PENANASjrLgvBn5o
126Please respect copyright.PENANAStewtFRafL
[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.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAWgks6VTPx5
126Please respect copyright.PENANAml2sL62xKg
JASON126Please respect copyright.PENANAnzVHhhQW2R
(low, guarded)126Please respect copyright.PENANAM8HbLr1ARd
“…What the hell?”126Please respect copyright.PENANACPmhsODXrx
126Please respect copyright.PENANA5I5GcFcj34
[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.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAyJINGTQPLA
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[He crouches, scanning.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAAMCC0t84p0
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JASON (V.O.)126Please respect copyright.PENANAFjIjuQk5VI
“That’s no hacking virus. That’s infestation.”126Please respect copyright.PENANA8dXTnlmsvb
126Please respect copyright.PENANALPHn70Wdsy
[The bot jerks its head slightly, jaw creaking. Its voice module is corrupted—glitchy, broken.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAmmSWpx8RvD
126Please respect copyright.PENANAEsdYZx98ST
LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)126Please respect copyright.PENANAYpet58jHhR
“h̵̼̖̐͊ē̷͕͗͝l̵̢̛̍̐͗p̴̘̿̎̕… ̷̻͉̓͆m̶̯̼̐͐͝e̷̢̥̎̈́̐…”126Please respect copyright.PENANA7g7OkcCdRD
126Please respect copyright.PENANAKvbjis1Amd
[Jason stares. His hand twitches. For a second, the tough-guy façade slips. Just a second.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAVsZt27wVZZ
126Please respect copyright.PENANAnYwbMGue4s
JASON (V.O.)126Please respect copyright.PENANAXVPVkAPCn2
“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.”126Please respect copyright.PENANAUriby2c7x2
126Please respect copyright.PENANAh3Er0aoCgi
[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.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAqTzAIpFQMe
126Please respect copyright.PENANAkX26noFLIZ
[The tendrils retreat into the bot’s torso. Its frame convulses violently. Jason raises his railcannon again.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAWpCDCcSWTg
126Please respect copyright.PENANAHnMRPHT5bd
LABOR BOT (GLITCHED)126Please respect copyright.PENANAQLYY7t2KWM
“d̷͕̒o̴̘͊n̷͔̽’̸̦̔t̵͚͋̕… ̷̟̊l̸̤̎ē̸̪t̵̯͌.̴̤̐̚.̶͚̐.̶̼͑”126Please respect copyright.PENANA1I2Zut0MN0
126Please respect copyright.PENANA1CvuQrM802
[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.]126Please respect copyright.PENANABHQxmE45mn
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[Silence.]126Please respect copyright.PENANA0Fuvcv2Kxg
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[Jason kneels, wiping splattered oil from his face.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAPZRzXq0bou
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JASON126Please respect copyright.PENANAsb2NM5X8VK
(softly)126Please respect copyright.PENANALKm0TzPoTJ
“This wasn’t a bot anymore.”126Please respect copyright.PENANA6AsE20DEIQ
126Please respect copyright.PENANAW0Meb5MfrK
[He looks at the remains of the parasitic mass.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAjWuGpppShA
126Please respect copyright.PENANAjOk7lhSCUF
JASON (V.O.)126Please respect copyright.PENANA1Fmv6UI2Xs
“Whatever this is… it wasn’t built. It grew.”126Please respect copyright.PENANANMZIygnEIV
126Please respect copyright.PENANA7eDKEnO1Df
[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.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAg9PAof9K2p
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[Suddenly—thud. A distant sound from the tunnel ahead. Not footsteps. Something… dragging.]126Please respect copyright.PENANA8GaEi2VT41
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JASON126Please respect copyright.PENANAiqei5t2Bwb
(to himself)126Please respect copyright.PENANAsCssoAuRxd
“Round two already? Great.”126Please respect copyright.PENANARniIe86Bsj
126Please respect copyright.PENANAcbxW0ge5a5
[He turns toward the sound, eyes glowing sharper now. One last glance at the dead bot. Then—onward.]126Please respect copyright.PENANAC4TuKEBxmK