INT. SECURITY BOT HQ – MAIN OPERATIONS OFFICE
81Please respect copyright.PENANAbZmcvQpNsF
[The HQ is a towering spire of reinforced metal, with corridors wide enough for tanks and elevators that judge your clearance level before they let you in. Jason steps through security scanners with a beep and a mechanical “Welcome, Officer Gearman.”]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAOJPwuQlKyl
JASON (murmuring)
“Yeah, yeah. Happy to be here. Really.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAXYYIC2ZJGr
[He walks past walls plastered with propaganda posters: “THINK LIKE A BOT, ACT LIKE A WALL,” and “EMOTIONS GET YOU DEACTIVATED.”]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAYaBY6pJA7V
[Jason enters the main floor: rows of desks, many still dented from the last time someone got “passionate” about protocol.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANASRLPv27U9l
SECURITY BOT DESK BOTS
[All variations of tall, slender bots in uniform colors. Some with visors, others with glowing faceplates. Most typing at blinding speed while sipping various fluids not approved by Central Health Regulation.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAaNihyxSPOB
[Jason passes a desk where a younger Security bot is poking an explosive with a pen.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANA47TTTr1cwX
YOUNG BOT
“Hey, Gearman, how many fingers do you lose before you get promoted?”
81Please respect copyright.PENANA0xbucYoNPc
JASON (without looking)
“None. I just lose faith in humanity instead.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAbeN6rGEtyE
[He slides into his assigned cube. The desk is… sad. A cracked monitor, an old can of synthetic lube he’s been using as a paperweight, and a sticker that reads “WARNING: THIS UNIT BITES.”]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAyLSVH0Twj5
INT. SECURITY HQ – JASON’S OFFICE DESK
81Please respect copyright.PENANAT7QftuqNBc
[Jason logs in. His screen flickers through system reports, surveillance logs, and about twelve forms labeled “INTENT TO DESTROY.” Most are paperwork related to breaches, complaints, suspicious behavior reports, or security feed reviews.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAaDRqvgV4kH
[He groans.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAyKI1nuBeRj
JASON (V.O.)
“There’s nothing quite like being a trained lethal combat unit stuck processing complaint logs about vending machine vandalism.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAV9SSOevhwq
[He sips his coffee-substitute from earlier. Eyes one document titled “STRANGE SIGNALS – CENTRAL CITY SECTOR 7B.”]
81Please respect copyright.PENANArdtjyVzQVK
[His optics flick slightly. He opens the file… but it’s mostly redacted.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAqyc6eA9oM2
FILE SCREEN:
“Signal originated near abandoned industrial lines. Scrambled frequency pattern. No confirmed visual. Suggest further observation.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAB0E5QK4zPd
JASON (muttering)
“Huh. Great. Now even the paperwork is haunted.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAi2FAih50l3
[He minimizes it. Starts filling out his required daily form: “Have You Terminated Anything Today?” He checks ‘No’. A sad beep follows.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANATfCDvhXU4R
[Just then, COMMANDER NINE-2, a massive rectangular bot with a head like a briefcase, appears on the screen above Jason’s desk.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAi1V6A9Dti8
COMMANDER NINE-2
“GEARMAN.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAMI2kCAjm4i
JASON (instantly straightening)
“Reporting in, sir.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAZifoPrq5Gp
COMMANDER NINE-2
“You’re late submitting Form 9-B: Emotional Containment and Threat Risk Self-Assessment.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAUNsyUB4LiR
JASON
“Right, yeah. I left that in my other trauma.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAh4I2sG1BkF
[The commander doesn’t laugh. He never does.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAdCdNfdgLE0
COMMANDER NINE-2
“Also, you are scheduled for a loyalty reinforcement seminar this Friday. Attendance is mandatory.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANARZi8PnePVX
JASON (barely hiding the existential sigh)
“Looking forward to it.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAbZmTv2ifTp
[Commander logs off. Jason slumps back.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAn5Vnlt9y2D
JASON (V.O.)
“I’d rather wrestle a sewer bot than go through that again.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAuGz4fJ7Eh9
[The clock ticks. Jason opens a side file called “SECURITY BOT HR HOTLINE – Confessions and Concerns.” He scrolls through an entry.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAJXhK0z9Utt
ENTRY LOG #47:
“I think my partner’s been reprogramming the coffee machine to scream.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANAasihIm6Vo7
JASON (deadpan)
“Same.”
81Please respect copyright.PENANA1DdOgH6RNa
[Outside the office window, the city looms like a slow-breathing beast.]
81Please respect copyright.PENANAB16clxArjX
[Jason sighs. Clicks into another document. His fingers move on autopilot.]
ns216.73.217.1da2