EXT. ABOVE CENTRAL CITY WALL – NIGHT – CURFEW HOURS
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[Dim red lights blink lazily along the outer wall of Central City. The massive security gates are locked shut, automated sentries scanning the area with unblinking eyes. A mechanical voice echoes in the cold air:]
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AUTOMATED VOICE
“Curfew active. Unauthorized entries will be disassembled for your safety. Have a nice recharge.”
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[A moment of silence. Then—]
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JASON (deadpan)
“Wow. Nothing says ‘welcome home’ like the promise of legally-scheduled murder.”
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[A and K stand beside him just outside the wall, wings folded. Jason, wearing a ridiculous safety harness A made from spare cables and belt straps, looks like a kid ready for their first flying lesson—if their instructor was a murder drone.]
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SD-K (eying Jason’s setup)
“I give this five minutes before he screams and flails like a wet fan.”
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SD-A (nervously tightening the straps)
“I’m 83% sure I can carry him without breaking anything important. Or dropping him. Probably.”
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JASON (eyebrow twitching)
“Oh good, my body’s in the hands of a possibly-reformed killer bot who measures confidence in percentages.”
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[A shrugs, wings unfolding in a metallic fan. Jason takes a deep breath.]
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JASON (muttering)
“…Regretting every life choice that brought me here.”
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---
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[They take off. Jason’s eyes snap wide open as the ground drops away. He clamps his jaw shut, refusing to scream just to prove K wrong. The city glows below like a circuit board in the dark.]
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JASON (teeth clenched)
“YOU’RE NOT ALLOWED TO DROP ME!”
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SD-A (cheerfully)
“Technically I’m able to, but I won’t! Probably!”
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[K glides next to them silently, face blank but obviously enjoying the visual of Jason dangling like a floating briefcase. They soar low over the wall, lights reflecting on their wings. No alarms. No bullets. So far, so good.]
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---
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EXT. ROOFTOP – ABANDONED MIDRISE – MOMENTS LATER
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[They land with a heavy thud on a cracked rooftop. Jason wobbles like he’s just survived a rollercoaster, holding his knees and swearing at gravity. A sets him down as gently as possible.]
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JASON (groaning)
“Land-based travel. I miss it so much. Never leaving the ground again.”
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SD-K (dryly)
“Excellent. We’ll leave you behind next time.”
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SD-A
“Aw, come on, he did great!”
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JASON (glares at both)
“My dignity’s still up there somewhere.”
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[They all crouch beside a rusted HVAC unit, peering over the rooftop edge at the maze of alleys below. The city hums quietly now, most bots shut down or in power-saving mode. A lone vendor bot rolls past selling spark-nuggets and pre-oiled screws on sticks.]
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JASON (peeking out)
“Alright, home’s only like… eight blocks that way. We go rooftop to rooftop until we hit the residentials.”
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SD-K
“And what if one of us slips?”
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JASON
“You bounce. I’m sure those alloy bones of yours can handle a little concrete.”
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[K glares. Jason winks. A is already mapping the route on a cracked digital display embedded in his wrist. The plan is risky—but it’s their best shot.]
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SD-A
“Ready?”
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JASON (stretching out his limbs, still grumbling)
“As I’ll ever be. Let’s commit some light trespassing.”
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[They disappear into the shadows, leaping silently across the steel skeletons of the sleeping city, three silhouettes against the pale light of Iresans’ ringed sky.]
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