INT. BRASSO’S BLACK MARKET SHOP – CENTRAL CITY – NIGHT
38Please respect copyright.PENANArbmx0REEQK
[We pick up right where we left off. Brasso’s place is packed with questionable goods: replacement memory drives, eyeball scanners, questionable coolant "energy drinks," and—yes—a suspicious number of Vision Tech coffee mugs.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANAnpc2wV7VjM
[Jason stands in the middle of the chaos, arms crossed. His right hand hums softly, like it’s bored.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANABqBQvqU2Fm
BRASSO (LABOR BOT)
(grinning)
“You sure you don’t wanna trade that arm, Gearman? I got bots lining up for pre-war tech like that.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAKWuXtpKtUx
JASON
(not looking at him)
“My arm has better social skills than you. And it doesn’t smell like engine grease.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAHd4BF68Nsm
[Brasso chuckles, walking behind the counter. Jason’s right hand twitches—then clicks. Plates shift, whirring. The hand transforms into a compact scanning module with a faint blue glow, automatically scanning the room.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANATybfr4LmKN
JASON
(to the arm)
“Cut it out. I don’t need a tactical readout on Brasso’s underwear drawer.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANA2VHksCTQUD
[The module retracts—then snaps into a short blade form for a moment before returning to its standard hand.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANASEaEbd4W39
BRASSO
“That thing always twitchy, or is it just excited to see me?”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAkN3dqfY1Xa
JASON
“Only twitchy when someone’s lying.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAYsRkJD6ed4
[A beat. Brasso freezes.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANASwp3zuYz9c
[Before he can respond—BOOM! The building shakes. A blast rips through the back wall. Brasso hits the floor. Jason’s arm transforms mid-motion—fingers collapsing inward as a short-barrel railgun emerges from his wrist.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANAB90sK4X2zT
[The HUD in his vision locks onto two incoming bots—heavily modified Labor units, clearly mob muscle. Painted black, eyes glowing red. Not here for conversation.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANA5CS6Jp2KN7
JASON
(grinning)
“Finally. A therapy session I actually like.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAyY5ck0gHXZ
[He fires—a sharp, electric crack. One bot’s head explodes in a shower of sparks. The other lunges at him with a jagged blade arm.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANA6H3KfFWmz1
[Jason ducks. His arm morphs again—this time into a whip-like chain of segmented razors. He spins, catches the bot mid-air, and slams it into the ceiling, then the floor. Hard.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANAtZYJS1TPgl
[The bot twitches, trying to stand. Jason’s arm resets into an axe. He ends it.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANA82uT14pKZZ
[Silence. Brasso peeks out from behind the counter.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANAje0WFyvuHV
BRASSO
“…You could’ve gone easy, y’know.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAoQXrGJkjY6
JASON
(wiping oil from his face)
“They started it.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAe4nVPNHYO9
[He walks toward the blast hole, his arm folding back into its sleek normal form—just another limb again.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANAzBJleeC68v
BRASSO
(still nervous)
“Who were they?”
38Please respect copyright.PENANAqAgkMpLsYh
JASON
“Black market muscle, maybe. But this wasn’t random.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANARbTFGWYXbo
[He kneels, inspecting the remains of one bot—finds a tiny embedded chip behind the neck port. Stamped with a barely-visible red triangle.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANApYStsUNgZj
JASON
“…Vision Tech. Again.”
38Please respect copyright.PENANA4GhJ9QESVB
[He pockets the chip, standing.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANAenUzkuEOJ8
JASON
(muttering)
“What the hell’s going on down here?”
38Please respect copyright.PENANA5skgigzPaC
[From outside the ruined wall, another sound—metal scraping. Not from a bot trying to enter. From something being dragged away. Jason’s optics narrow.]
38Please respect copyright.PENANAE7u6p6SAYp
[He steps outside into the night—ready.]
ns3.135.215.148da2