EXT. LOW ROOFTOP NEAR RESIDENTIAL COMPLEX – NIGHT
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[Three tired silhouettes drop onto a lower rooftop. Not quite home yet, but close. The concrete cube jungle where Jason’s cozy “apartment” waits is visible in the near distance, bathed in sleepy neon and soft glows from scattered windows.]
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JASON (grinning tiredly)
“There she is. Home sweet–wait, why is it glowing purple tonight? That’s not–”
(squints)
“Ah. Probably someone overclocked their heating core again.”
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SD-A (suddenly pointing)
“Hey! What’s that thing?”
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[They all turn. At the edge of the rooftop, hidden half behind a collapsed ventilation pipe, stands a vending machine. Rusted, humming gently, and flickering with a soft red glow. It’s clearly older than any of them, but still functioning… somehow.]
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[On its glass panel, in faded but still legible text, are the words:]
“Alcohol & Stuff – For bots who’ve had enough.”
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JASON (slow turn to A)
“Why do you notice the cursed objects first?”
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SD-K (flatly)
“We’re changing the plan again. Of course we are. Who needs structure or logic?”
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JASON (ignores him, already walking over)
“I’ve literally never tasted anything that wasn’t machine oil. Or battery acid. This might be a character development moment.”
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[The machine flickers again. A series of suspiciously bright-colored bottles sit inside, labels like “Buzz.exe,” “RUM-ware,” “GinUnit 7,” and something simply titled “Screaming Protocol.”]
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SD-A (leaning close)
“This one says it simulates your processor being in love. That sounds nice.”
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SD-K
“That sounds like malware with branding.”
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[Jason jams a few credits into the slot. The machine whirs violently, then spits out three dusty, glowing glass bottles. One immediately steams.]
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JASON (holding it like it might explode)
“…This is the worst decision I’ve made all day. And I got carried through the air by a murder drone.”
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[They each grab a bottle, inspecting the weirdly alive liquids.]
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SD-A (cheerfully)
“Cheers?”
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SD-K
“Prayers.”
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[They clink glass gently and take sips. Jason makes a weird face as his HUD briefly crashes and restarts. K swallows and goes silent. A blinks rapidly, his eyes turning temporarily pink.]
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JASON (smacking his lips)
“…Okay. That tasted like rusted freedom and mild corruption. I don’t hate it.”
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[The three of them continue walking, Jason using his grappling hook to descend while muttering angrily about “never flying again.” They land silently in the alley behind their complex.]
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[From a distance, just three normal citizens walking home after some late-night... retail exploration. Grocery bags swinging. Bottles clinking. No murder. No chases. No drama.]
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SD-A (contently)
“I like walking. It feels less… hostile.”
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SD-K (still holding his bottle)
“I’m gonna reverse-engineer this drink and file it under war crimes.”
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JASON
“You’ll do that after we finish the other two we bought.”
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[They vanish into the glowing maze of the concrete cube apartments, nothing more than shadows and laughs in the quiet night.]
ns18.116.165.143da2
