INT. THE CUBE – EVENING
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The door swings shut behind them with a soft clack. The trio disperses into their usual corners of chaos.
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Jason tosses the medicine bag onto the kitchen shelf, sorting bottles into the half-empty cabinets with a low sigh. Across the room, A sprawls out onto the bed, nose already buried in the new book he picked at the store. K, meanwhile, grabs a scrap of paper and a black pen, sketching something that looks deeply concerning—a mass of twisted limbs and hollow eyes.
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---
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JASON (over his shoulder, muttering)
"You better not be drawing what I think you’re drawing, K."
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K (without looking up)
"No promises."
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Jason rolls his eyes and heads into the bathroom, peeling off his jacket as the shower kicks on with a hiss of steam. The door clicks shut behind him.
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Silence settles for a moment, until—BEEP-BEEP—Jason's texter buzzes loudly on the kitchen counter.
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A glances up from his book, curious. He hops off the bed and picks up the device, the screen still glowing. A new message blinks:
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> Josh Anderson:
Hey, Jason! Are you free tomorrow? Violet and I have a reunion. Can you babysit Emily for a few hours? She’s still in the pod, so it's easy. Thanks, bro!
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A tilts his head, thinking.
Shrugging, he types back:
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> A:
Sure!
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Just as he puts the texter down, Jason’s voice echoes from inside the bathroom.
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JASON (calling out)
"Hey, who’s texting me?"
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A (loudly, innocent)
"Josh. He’s asking if we can babysit a data pod tomorrow. I said yes. You don't mind, right?"
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A beat of silence.
Then the sound of Jason’s forehead slamming against the shower wall.
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JASON (muffled, pained groan)
"Why—why—would you think it's appropriate to let me—literally the worst adult in three factions—and you two homicidal maniacs babysit a kid?!"
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A (cheerfully)
"Because you like kids?"
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JASON (in existential agony)
"I like other people's kids when they're far away! Not when they’re in the blast radius!"
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K snickers darkly from his seat on the floor.
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K (deadpan)
"Don't worry. If the pod gets corrupted, we'll just raise it into a weapon of destruction."
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JASON (yelling from the shower)
"THAT DOESN'T HELP!"
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A picks up his book again, smiling as if he’s already proud of their upcoming mission.
Tomorrow was definitely going to be something.
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FADE OUT.
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