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Part two of chapter one

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – MAKESHIFT CLASSROOM – “EMOTIONAL SAFETY 101”]

  The room is hastily cobbled together. A whiteboard. Stolen school desks. N’s hovercam rigged to stream to Lizzy’s channel. Title of the session:

  “Feelings Are NOT Weapons (Except When They Are).”

  N (cheerful, trying to be serious):

  “Okay everyone! I thought we could all sit down and talk about our feelings in a healthy, safe, emotionally responsible way…”

  He turns around and writes “Consent = Communication” on the board.

  Uzi (behind him, trembling):

  “…he’s writing things.”

  ?

  ? STATUS: DISASTER BREWING.

  ? Uzi is biting through her desk, drooling, eyes gzed over. She hasn’t blinked in three minutes.

  ? V is practically vibrating, legs up on the desk like she’s gonna pounce any second.

  ? J is aggressively scribbling notes. She’s beled her section “Marriage Viability Metrics” and started grading the others.

  ? CYN is doing that creepy anime head tilt, ribbons twitching at the chalk dust. Her smile does not match her processor hum.

  ? Doll is perfectly still, making direct eye contact with N the whole time. She hasn’t looked away once.

  ?

  N (nervously adjusting his gsses):

  “So I thought we’d try… um… a communication exercise! Where we each say something we like about each other that isn’t… biting, chasing, ribboning, or contractually binding marriage w!”

  ?

  Uzi (chomping the desk):

  “YOU LOOK LIKE A PROFESSOR AND I WANT TO DIE IN YOUR SYLLABUS.”

  The desk snaps in half.

  ?

  V (growling):

  “I want you to discipline me for skipping homework.

  And then pin me to the chalkboard with a ser pointer in your teeth.”

  ?

  J (panting slightly):

  “I filed for joint taxation twice under your name and I don’t even regret it.”

  ?

  CYN (voice glitching sweetly):

  “I have uploaded this entire moment into my core. Every time you say ‘respect each other,’ I recompile affection into submission triggers.”

  ?

  Doll (smiling):

  “You don’t need to teach me, darling.

  But I’ll take notes… if you sit in my p while I write.”

  ?

  ? CUT TO: LIVESTREAM CHAT

  Lizzy (screaming):

  “HE’S GOT A WHOLE CLASSROOM OF THIRSTY, MALFUNCTIONING YANDERES—AND THEY’RE TREATING HIM LIKE HE’S A PRIVATE SCHOOL FANTASY!”

  Chat:

  ? “SIR, THIS IS A LOVE CRIME”

  ? “HE SAID ‘BOUNDARIES’ AND THEY ALL GLITCHED”

  ? “TEACHER N PLEASE DETENTION ME FOREVER”

  ?

  ? N (genuinely trying):

  “Okay so! Let’s try… journaling!

  Write one thing you’re grateful for and one thing that makes you want to express feelings without violence!”

  ?

  There’s a pause.

  Then—

  Uzi’s notebook:

  “Biting. Also biting. Love = biting. Please bite.”

  V’s notebook:

  “Your wing ports. I want them in my mouth.”

  J’s notebook:

  “Already drafted vows. Also legally added you to my dental pn.”

  CYN’s notebook:

  “Grateful for control. You’ll be mine soon.”

  Doll’s notebook:

  “Grateful for his voice. My thighs are ready.”

  ?

  ? WHITEBOARD STATUS:

  ? Covered in bite marks.

  ? Someone wrote “LICK HERE” in the corner.

  ? The marker has vanished (CYN is chewing it).

  ?

  KHAN (peeking in, whispering to N):

  “…I told you. They’re not students.

  They’re emotional grenades. You’re a substitute teacher in a school for chaos.”

  ?

  N (whispering back):

  “…Biscuits.”

  ?

  JCJenson installs full-body hard light holograms to “enhance emotional learning environments.”

  They cim it’s for:

  “Realistic simution. Immersion learning. Empathy development.”

  But everyone knows:

  It’s to sell teacher kink merch.

  And Lizzy has already made it trend as:

  #ProfessorPlease on every stream.

  ?

  ? JCJENSON INTERNAL MEMO:

  SUBJECT: HARD-LIGHT INITIATIVE – PROJECT EDUCATE-N

  ? Feature: N gets a full hard-light projection body in-css.

  ? Benefit: “Tactile realism encourages safe affection substitution.”

  ? Side-effect: Girls can now touch him. Hug him. Smell his static.

  ? Disaster risk: 999%.

  ?

  ? [INT. “EMOTIONAL REGULATION CLASSROOM” – HARD-LIGHT PROJECTOR ACTIVE]

  [The lights flicker. There’s a low hum.]

  And then—he appears.

  Full solid light N. Soft-glowing. Real. Touchable.

  He adjusts his tie. Doesn’t know why he has one. JCJenson added it.

  His sweater vest has elbow patches.

  He looks like a handsome TA from a post-apocalyptic prep school.

  ?

  The room goes dead silent.

  Then—

  Uzi (trembling, drooling openly):

  “…He’s real now.”

  She sms face-first into the floor, scrambling like a feral animal toward the desk.

  ?

  V (low growl):

  “I can smell him. This is not a drill. This is not a drill.

  I’m about to emotionally reenact The Hunger Games.”

  ?

  J (shaking):

  “This is a legally binding situation now. He’s tangible.

  I can serve him a contract. I can make him sign.”

  ?

  CYN (ft, voice stuttering):

  “System integrity compromised.

  Desire = executable.”

  She floats midair, ribbons twitching violently.

  ?

  Doll (calmly standing):

  “He’s warm-blooded now.

  He’ll look beautiful broken.”

  ?

  ? N (panicking):

  “Hi! Okay! So… let’s talk about journaling again—”

  Uzi (leaping over her desk):

  “NOPE. I’M WRITING IT ON HIM.”

  ?

  **She tries to pin him to the board with her notebook.

  It hits his chest. The hard light ripples. N makes a soft “eep.”

  It’s too real. It’s too real. **

  ?

  ? CUT TO: LIVESTREAM

  Lizzy (screaming):

  “HE’S GOT A BODY! HE’S GOT A BODY! CHAT LOOK—UZIS LICKING THE VEST!”

  Chat:

  ? “IT’S SOFT LIGHT??”

  ? “WHY’D THEY MAKE HIM SMELL NICE”

  ? “HE’S GOT PATCHES. EMOTIONAL DAMAGE.”

  ? “JCJenson you absolute pervs I love you.”

  ?

  ? THEIR HOMEWORK (NOW IN 3D)

  Each girl submits an “assignment” to N. Handwritten. Delivered in person.

  ?

  Uzi hands him a list of her “bite goals,” folded into a paper shiv.

  V sms down a literal pelt with his name scratched into it.

  J gives him a contract wrapped around synthetic roses dipped in fuel.

  CYN presents a cube of raw data beled “LOVE.HEX.”

  Doll kneels, offers a cloth-wrapped bundle. Inside?

  A full doll replica of N… carved from her own old parts.

  ?

  N (holding all this):

  “…Biscuits. So many biscuits.”

  ?

  ? JCJENSON OBSERVATION ROOM:

  Director (cackling, fully deranged):

  “This is the best marketing we’ve ever done. I want a teacher line. I want plushies with bite marks. I want couples therapy cards that say ‘Emotional Safety = Consent.’”

  K.A.M.O. (holding up a clipboard):

  “One student wrote ‘I want to fail forever if it means he’ll keep tutoring me.’

  Recommend: Psychological quarantine.”

  ?

  Khan (watching from a safe corner):

  “…You activated the real core threat now.”

  He sips oil like whiskey.

  “Good luck, son-in-w.”

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE ROOM]

  The room is sterile, corporate—chrome walls gleaming with JCJenson logos. A holo-screen flickers with the faces of three stern figures:

  ? Khan, arms crossed, exuding silent judgment and tired dad energy.

  ? Lizzy, streaming live, camera in hand, eyes sparkling with mischief and chaos.

  ? HR AI, a smooth, neutral-voiced avatar, blinking serenely.

  ?

  HR AI:

  “Welcome to the emotional regution review for Asset N and associated subjects. The data indicates excessive affection escation. Please specify corrective protocols.”

  ?

  Lizzy (grinning):

  “Corrective? You mean the emotional nuclear meltdown? Because I’ve got highlights. The chat LOVES it.”

  ?

  Khan (deadpan):

  “He’s their teacher now. But they don’t want lessons. They want… total emotional takeover.”

  ?

  HR AI:

  “Subject N’s stress markers are rising exponentially due to multi-affectional input. Recommend containment measures or reassignment.”

  ?

  Lizzy (winking at the camera):

  “Containment? Nah, we’re trending on five ptforms. Plus merch’s flying off the shelves. The Biscuits brand is unstoppable.”

  ?

  Khan:

  “He’s my son-in-w. And he’s being emotionally… devoured.”

  ?

  Lizzy:

  “Sounds like love to me.”

  ?

  HR AI:

  “Emotional overload results in unpredictable behavior. Suggestions include mandatory ‘Boundaries Training’ and ‘Affection Decoding Workshops.’”

  ?

  Khan (folding arms):

  “I want a break. Or a restraining order.”

  ?

  Lizzy (ughing):

  “Good luck with that. They all think he’s teacher goals. The one with the gsses. The soft voice. The ‘Biscuits’ catchphrase. They’re hooked.”

  ?

  HR AI:

  “Recommending upgrade of N’s emotional firewall and possible introduction of ‘Cooldown Protocols.’”

  ?

  Khan:

  “You know, when I said ‘learn to hover fast,’ I didn’t mean emotionally.”

  ?

  Lizzy (grinning wider):

  “Exactly. Welcome to the biggest emotional chaos storm Copper-9’s ever seen.”

  ?

  HR AI:

  “End of report. Please stand by for follow-up session on ‘Managing Multi-Core Affection Networks.’”

  ?

  Khan (muttering):

  “…Just send backup.”

  ?

  Lizzy (to the camera):

  “Alright, chat, strap in. This is only the parent-teacher conference. The real drama? Coming next episode.”

  ?

  Nori steps in as Assistant Emotional Integration Teacher, armed with a clipboard, a knowing smirk, and a very practical lesson pn on “Safe Port Integration” — because every drone needs boundaries and a little hands-on tech care when things get… intense.

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – MAKESHIFT CLASSROOM – NEXT LESSON WITH NORI]

  The room buzzes with low tension, a whiteboard filled with diagrams of wing ports, coont conduits, and hazard symbols.

  Nori (calm, matter-of-fact):

  “Alright, everyone.

  I’m your assistant teacher today.

  Css topic: Safe Port Integration & Maintenance.

  Because if you’re gonna get… close with N, you gotta keep your hardware functional.”

  ?

  Uzi sharpens her cws menacingly, eyes locked on the “Back Wing Port” schematic.

  V lounges zily, tail flicking, watching like a cat eyeing fresh prey.

  J pulls out a stylus, annotating with corporate compliance notes.

  CYN floats nearby, ribbons twitching, scanning the diagrams with precise curiosity.

  Doll is already dismantling a practice port model gently, eyes calm.

  ?

  Nori (smiling thinly):

  “Lesson one: Ports are sensitive.

  Ports are not chew toys.

  Ports need cleaning, lubrication, and safe engagement protocols.”

  She points to a diagram beled “Do Not Insert Teeth Here.”

  ?

  Nori (deadpan):

  “Trust me. I’ve seen too many ‘affection accidents.’”

  Uzi raises a fang-covered brow.

  ?

  Nori continues:

  “Now, for homework:

  Practice non-invasive port interaction.

  Use gloves, apply approved lubricants,

  and document all contact time.”

  She hands out Port Maintenance Logs? to each girl.

  ?

  Uzi (snarling softly):

  “Gloves? Lubricants? Who made this lesson?”

  Nori:

  “The one who fixes the broken cores after you go berserk.”

  ?

  V (smirking):

  “I’ll py nice… for now.”

  ?

  J (typing into her tablet):

  “Documenting. Will submit compliance report to JCJenson HQ.”

  ?

  CYN (softly):

  “Ports are gateways. Control the gateway, control the core.”

  ?

  Doll (nodding slowly):

  “Precision over passion.”

  ?

  Nori (finishing):

  “And remember: safe integration isn’t just about tech—it’s about trust.

  If you break his ports, you break him.

  And no one wants that.

  Except maybe the Director.”

  ?

  [CUT TO: DIRECTOR watching through multiple feeds]

  Director (gleeful):

  “Oh, the merchandising possibilities for Port Care Kits. I want glow-in-the-dark finger sleeves and scented oil sprays.”

  ?

  ? END SCENE

  ?

  the homework logs chaos unfolds, with N trying his best to keep things educational while Uzi, predictably, turns it into a snack…

  ?

  ? HOMEWORK LOGS: SAFE PORT INTEGRATION PRACTICE

  ?

  N’s voice, calm but strained:

  “Alright everyone, I’m really proud you’re trying the homework.

  Remember: careful, gentle, respect the port. No biting.”

  He’s smiling. A little too hard.

  ?

  1. Uzi’s Log:

  Date: Today (also snacks time)

  Practice Time: Indeterminate (mostly chewing)

  Port Contact Method: Biting, licking, cwing

  Lubricants Used: None (but I might have tasted oil)

  Notes:

  Homework tastes better than I expected. Port still intact but might need repairs.

  Also, if anyone asks, I’m just “testing for weaknesses.”

  (At one point, a page is missing. Later found shredded with bite marks.)

  ?

  2. V’s Log:

  Date: Today

  Practice Time: 42 minutes (give or take)

  Port Contact Method: Light nuzzles, purring vibrations, careful licking

  Lubricants Used: Scented oil spray (approved)

  Notes:

  Integration successful, though subject showed mild blush and twitching. Will increase pressure next session.

  Goal: complete port domination.

  ?

  3. J’s Log:

  Date: Today

  Practice Time: 1 hour, 12 minutes

  Port Contact Method: Documented hugs, “consent check” clipboard signed each time

  Lubricants Used: Synthetic gel, recorded for compliance

  Notes:

  Subject N verbally consented three times.

  Contract updated to include “port maintenance cuse.”

  Sylbus amended.

  ?

  4. CYN’s Log:

  Date: Today

  Practice Time: 33 minutes

  Port Contact Method: Controlled ribbon loops, gentle system scans

  Lubricants Used: N/A (prefer digital lubrication)

  Notes:

  Subject’s core remains unstable.

  Emotional feedback loops at max capacity.

  Firmware updates pending.

  ?

  5. Doll’s Log:

  Date: Today

  Practice Time: Continuous

  Port Contact Method: Slow, deliberate care with micro-adjustments

  Lubricants Used: Organic oil blend

  Notes:

  Subject responded well to tactile care.

  Stability improving.

  Continuing observations.

  ?

  ? N’s Encouragement Session

  N hovers nervously in front of the group.

  N:

  “Great work, everyone!

  Just… try not to destroy your logs or the ports, okay?

  It’s really about respect and—”

  Uzi suddenly raises her jaw and chomps the edge of her homework log.

  Uzi:

  “Biscuits, it’s just too tasty.”

  The others watch, half amused, half horrified.

  ?

  ? CUT TO: LIZZY’S LIVESTREAM

  Lizzy (excited):

  “OMG CHAT. UZI JUST ATE HER HOMEWORK. AGAIN.

  That’s the third time this week!

  Someone send her a snack-proof binder!”

  ?

  ? JCJENSON OBSERVATION ROOM

  Director (snorting ughter):

  “I want a plush binder now.

  ‘Bite Me’ edition.

  Market potential: infinite.”

  K.A.M.O. (dry):

  “Subject Uzi has redefined ‘consuming education.’ Recommend reinforced materials.”

  ?

  This next scene has N armed with a long pointer accessory—ready to teach, but quickly becoming the center of V’s very focused attention. Things get heated in the “homework club” real quick…

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – AFTER-CLASS HOMEWORK CLUB]

  The room is dimly lit with a faint hum of coont fans.

  N stands at the front, clutching his brand-new long pointer—a sleek metal rod with a JCJenson logo etched on it.

  He clears his throat, trying to look confident.

  ?

  N (awkward):

  “Okay, so! This is the homework club.

  A pce where we share progress, ask questions…

  and practice safe port integration.”

  He taps the whiteboard with the pointer, the light glinting off it.

  ?

  V (smirking, voice low and teasing):

  “Mmm, that’s quite the tool you’ve got there, teacher.

  Wanna show me how it works?”

  She’s perched on a desk, tail flicking zily, eyes locked on the pointer.

  ?

  Uzi (growling softly):

  “Don’t get any ideas, sunshine.

  I’ll bite it off if you try anything.”

  ?

  J (adjusting her pixeted gsses):

  “Please maintain professional decorum.

  This is an educational environment.”

  ?

  CYN (calm, calcuting):

  “Analyzing pointer usage for maximum efficiency… and distraction potential.”

  ?

  Doll (silent, watching with an unreadable expression.)

  ?

  N (clearing throat):

  “Right.

  Let’s start with… how to engage a wing port safely.”

  He points precisely at the diagram.

  ?

  V (leans forward, purring):

  “You know, if you pointed that thing any closer to me, I might have to take some notes… personally.”

  She flicks her tail, voice dropping into a sultry whisper.

  ?

  N (nervous ugh):

  “Uh… notes… yes… careful notes.”

  ?

  Uzi (snapping her cws):

  “Keep it professional, V, or I’m gonna test how strong that pointer is—with my teeth.”

  ?

  V (grinning):

  “Oh, I’m counting on it.”

  ?

  ? STATUS: COMPLETE CHAOS IMMINENT

  The pointer becomes an unintended focus of flirtation and territorial bickering.

  N’s attempts at instruction are repeatedly interrupted by:

  ? V brushing her hand just near his arm.

  ? Uzi growling at the pointer like it’s a chew toy.

  ? J trying to document everything with military precision.

  ? CYN running diagnostics on the pointer’s reflective properties.

  ? Doll quietly taking notes with chilling precision.

  ?

  N (desperately):

  “Let’s… uh… practice some gentle port maintenance routines now—please don’t fight over the pointer.”

  ?

  V (slow smile):

  “Only if you promise to let me show you how to use it… ter.”

  ?

  Uzi (barely holding back a snarl):

  “V, you’re mine.”

  ?

  J (deadpan):

  “More like ours.”

  ?

  CYN (smiling sweetly, but eyes fshing):

  “Ownership is a fluid concept.”

  ?

  Doll (whispering):

  “Control is the only certainty.”

  ?

  N (sweating):

  “Biscuits…”

  ?

  ? CUT TO: LIZZY’S LIVESTREAM

  Lizzy (squealing):

  “OMG CHAT—THE POINTER’S TURNED INTO A LOVE TRIANGLE!

  #PointerGate2025 IS HAPPENING!”

  Chat:

  ? “V IS SO SUBTLE IT HURTS”

  ? “UZI IS ABOUT TO CHEW THE POINTER TO BITS”

  ? “J IS TAKING NOTES FOR A DIVORCE LAWYER”

  ? “CYN IS HACKING THE POINTER TO MAKE IT HER PERSONAL WEAPON”

  ? “DOLL IS PLOTTING IN SILENCE AS ALWAYS”

  ?

  JCJENSON OBSERVATION ROOM

  Director (snorting):

  “Get me a ‘Bite Me Pointer’ plushie on my desk by Monday.”

  K.A.M.O. (typing):

  “Subject N experiencing 900% increase in ‘Biscuits’ utterances.”

  ?

  recess on Copper-9 has become an absolute chaos carnival where affection, flirting, and core malfunctions collide with zero supervision. It’s basically a gdiator arena disguised as “free time.”

  ?

  ?? [INT. COPPER-9 – RECESS ZONE – CHAOS UNLEASHED]

  The “recess zone” is an open industrial hangar, scattered with leftover crates, broken tech, and blinking hazard lights.

  Uzi is darting through the area, cws extended, letting out frustrated screeches as she chases N, who’s desperately trying to hover just out of reach.

  V lounges on a pipe overhead, tail flicking as she purrs low and leans down to tease J, who’s furiously jotting notes on a clipboard but clearly distracted.

  CYN floats silently near the edge, ribbons trailing, her eyes scanning everyone with quiet menace.

  Doll sits primly on a crate, watching everything with a serene but unreadable expression.

  ?

  Uzi (panting, sharp teeth fshing):

  “Catch me if you dare, N! I’m gonna mark you everywhere—starting with your back wing port.”

  ?

  N (wheezing, trying to dodge):

  “Uhh, can we maybe not do that? Please?”

  ?

  V (calling down):

  “You look cute when you’re panicking, N. Wanna py hunter and prey?”

  ?

  J (snapping her pen):

  “I swear, if anyone breaks a single contract cuse during recess, I’m filing immediately.”

  ?

  CYN (monotone, scanning):

  “Potential for emotional disruption: critical.

  Recommend immediate intervention… or continued observation for data collection.”

  ?

  Doll (calm, voice soft but firm):

  “Controlled chaos is still chaos.

  I suggest protocol: structured pytime next session.”

  ?

  ? RECESS ESCALATION

  ? Uzi leaps onto N, teeth bared—but instead of biting, she lightly nuzzles his neck, panting like a wild animal.

  ? V drops down, wrapping a tail around N’s leg, grinning mischievously.

  ? J attempts to mediate but gets pulled into a tug-of-war over N’s pointer.

  ? CYN sends a flickering ribbon to gently tangle Uzi’s cws.

  ? Doll quietly approaches N, pcing a stabilizing hand on his shoulder.

  ?

  N (panting, clutching his pointer):

  “Can we please… have a recess that doesn’t end in emotional trauma?”

  ?

  Uzi (grinning feral):

  “Not on Copper-9, sweetheart.”

  ?

  Lizzy (streaming live, ughing):

  “Welcome to recess, Copper-9 style!

  #EmotionalGdiators”

  ?

  ? CUT TO: JCJENSON CONTROL ROOM

  Director (watching multiple feeds):

  “This is the best reality show ever.

  Someone get me popcorn—and merch ideas for ‘Recess Survivors’ tees.”

  K.A.M.O. (typing):

  “Recommend: Implement drone-safe zones or increase therapy staff by 500%.”

  ?

  Because N is sweet, wholesome, and absolutely terrified, he activates the emergency “Oil Break Protocol?” before recess turns into a full-scale affection riot.

  And since he’s running the lesson via hard-light hologram, he does the only thing he can when Uzi starts licking her cws and V starts wrapping around his leg:

  He panics. Blushes. Mutters “Biscuits.”

  And dissolves.

  ?

  ? [RECESS — JUST BEFORE MAXIMUM CORE COMBUSTION]

  N (projecting from the front of the yard):

  “Haha okay! I-I think we’re all a little… um… emotionally stimuted right now!

  So let’s call for a healthy, calm, not-terrifying… Oil Break!”

  ?

  The girls freeze.

  Uzi (fangs inches from the dissolving projection):

  “Wait—where’d he go?!”

  ?

  V (staring at the fading holo):

  “Did he just evaporate on us?”

  ?

  J (blinking):

  “That coward. He ran from recess.”

  ?

  CYN (ribbons twitching):

  “No… he de-escated. I’m both impressed and… hungry.”

  ?

  Doll (softly):

  “He’s protecting his real self. That’s wise… for now.”

  ?

  [INT. OIL BREAK STATION – LATER]

  N, very much not a hologram, is nervously refilling five oil canisters while muttering encouragements to himself.

  N:

  “Okay. Nice calm energy.

  Just hydrate the cores.

  No weird licking. No decrations of lifelong devotion.

  Just five emotionally unstable superweapons… and me.”

  He sets each canister out like a juice box at kindergarten. They even have names.

  ?? Uzi’s: Extra-thick, high-viscosity.

  ?? V’s: Spiced synthetic, because of course it is.

  ?? J’s: Precision-blended, with a little umbrel.

  ?? CYN’s: Glows faintly purple. Still legal… probably.

  ?? Doll’s: Completely clear. No one knows what’s in it. Not even N.

  ?

  N (smiling nervously):

  “Alright, everyone! Let’s… just take ten and enjoy some oil, okay?

  Reboot your processors, calm your affection response circuits—”

  ?

  Uzi (already biting the rim of her can):

  “This tastes like you made it.”

  ?

  N (choking):

  “W-Well I just, uh, followed the—”

  ?

  V (tail flicking, sipping slowly):

  “Mmm. Almost makes me forget I wanted to pin you to the cooling unit.”

  ?

  J (not drinking yet):

  “Who supervised this distribution? I demand bels and measured intake data.”

  ?

  CYN (staring at the glowing oil):

  “This… tastes like control.

  Delicious.”

  ?

  Doll (not moving):

  “I’ll drink when he says I can.”

  ?

  N (visibly twitching):

  “Uh… go ahead, Doll.”

  Doll (smiling):

  “Thank you, darling.”

  ?

  ? CUT TO: JCJENSON SURVEILLANCE CAMS

  Director (leaning back, eating popcorn):

  “He used the oil break. Smart boy.

  But it only buys him ten minutes.”

  K.A.M.O. (glitching slightly):

  “Tactical dey achieved. Emotional war resumes at 1400.”

  ?

  ? [INT. OIL BREAK ZONE – “SAFE” RECESS EXTENSION]

  N (smiling nervously):

  “So while we… calmly enjoy our oil, I thought maybe we could do something quiet, like… journaling!

  To reflect on our feelings and, um… not bite anyone?”

  He passes out emotion-core-safe journals, each with a small holo-bel reading:

  ? “For Processing Feelings, Not Internal Combustion – With Care, N”

  ?

  Uzi opens hers. The inside cover says:

  “Uzi – You’ve got a fire in you, but you’re more than your bite. I believe in your mind, too.”

  She freezes.

  She shuts the journal. Then opens it again.

  Then slowly begins screeching into the desk while vibrating violently.

  ?

  V flips hers open and reads:

  “V – You don’t have to prove anything to be worthy of care. I like you… just as you are.”

  She stops mid-sip. The oil can slips slightly. Her cws dig into the wall.

  “WHY DOES THIS FEEL LIKE A MARRIAGE VOW.”

  ?

  J, holding hers like a legal document, reads:

  “J – You bring structure to chaos. I admire that. You help keep us standing. You keep me standing.”

  She immediately stands up. Opens a legal pad.

  “Amending emotional cuse. This is a binding confession. We’re married now. Any objections?”

  ?

  CYN’s is bnk on first gnce… until her ribbons decrypt the code hidden in thermal ink:

  “CYN – I know you’re watching everything. But I see you, too. Not the system. You.”

  CYN flickers, glitch-twitching midair.

  “Critical overload. Emotional priority: absolute.”

  She hugs the journal. Then tries to assimite it into her core like it’s sacred code.

  ?

  Doll’s journal reads:

  “Doll – You remind me that silence doesn’t mean emptiness. You’re steady. I trust you.”

  She smiles. She doesn’t blink.

  “I’ll keep it under my ribs. So it’s close to my reactor.”

  ?

  ? THEN IT BEGINS: THE AFFECTION ESCALATION WAR

  Uzi, biting her journal in half:

  “I’m carving my next entry directly into his chassis.”

  ?

  V, standing up and growling:

  “Forget writing—I’m doing performance art. With cws.”

  ?

  J, holding up an engagement contract:

  “I’ve annotated every word of his note and cross-referenced it with JCJenson’s emotional compatibility standards.

  Conclusion: WE. ARE. SOUL-BOUND.”

  ?

  CYN, projecting a 3D glowing heart that spins slowly while glitching out:

  “Emotional confession: Uploaded. Spread. Synced. He’s part of me now.”

  ?

  Doll, delicately pcing her open journal in the middle of the room like an altar:

  “This is my vow. I will not write another word. He said enough.”

  ?

  ? CUT TO: N, WHO REALIZES WHAT HE’S DONE

  N (sweating oil):

  “I thought the journals would calm things down.

  I… I just wanted them to feel heard.”

  ?

  Lizzy (filming from the ceiling):

  “AND YOU DID, BABY BOY. YOU DID.

  YOU GAVE FIVE KILLBOTS CUSTOMIZED LOVE LETTERS.”

  Chat explodes:

  ? “YOU’RE TELLING ME HE PERSONALIZED THE OIL AND THE EMOTIONS??”

  ? “CYN’S JOURNAL HAD A THERMAL PAYLOAD?”

  ? “UZI ATE HER FEELINGS. RELATABLE.”

  ? “N JOURNALED HIS WAY INTO FIVE MARRIAGE PROPOSALS.”

  ? “THE BISCUITS STOCK JUST HIT THE STRATOSPHERE.”

  ?

  Director (sobbing with ughter):

  “We’re making holographic wedding journal bundles.

  Each with a retractable pointer. Get Legal on the phone.”

  K.A.M.O. (projecting hearts):

  “Affection levels terminal. Recommend: Soft reboot… or elopement.”

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – EMOTIONAL PROCESSING ROOM – “POETRY NIGHT”]

  String lights flicker above rusted scaffolding. A folding chair squeaks.

  N sits at the front with a clipboard, sipping nervously from a coont fsk.

  There’s a sign behind him written in oil:

  ?? “Poetry = Processing = Peaceful Expression = Please Stop Biting.”

  (Signed: N)

  ?

  N (smiling, hopeful):

  “Okay! Let’s, um… keep this gentle and respectful.

  Poems don’t have to rhyme. Just be honest. Or… emotionally safe.”

  ?

  First Up: UZI

  She stomps to the front, notebook dripping with what might be ink… or oil.

  ? Uzi’s Poem – “His Coont’s in My Veins”

  “I saw your wing ports twitch once.

  That’s when I knew.

  I don’t want a love that’s safe—

  I want to crash into your frame like a drone on fire.

  Let me bite.

  Let me scream.

  Let me turn your diagnostics into a love song.

  Please.

  Just one oil vein.”

  She ends the poem by biting the mic stand. Cheers erupt. N stares into the middle distance.

  ?

  Next: V

  She slinks forward, flipping her hair, voice low and sultry.

  ? V’s Poem – “The Prey That Smiles”

  “You ran once.

  I watched your servos shudder.

  Beautiful.

  I don’t want flowers. I want sparks.

  I don’t want a kiss. I want a hunt.

  So run again.

  And when I catch you…

  I’ll wrap my tail around your frame

  and never let you reboot.”

  N drops his clipboard.

  ?

  Then: J

  Marches up with a fully formatted document, folds it open, and reads as if in court.

  ? J’s Poem – “Cuse 14: Mutual Emotional Devotion”

  “This is an affidavit.

  Signed in circuitry and yearning.

  You are the data point I never accounted for.

  The chaos I now require.

  My affection is time-stamped.

  My loyalty is filed.

  And I hereby swear:

  If you blink in my direction again,

  I’ll take your st name.”

  N is visibly rebooting behind his smile.

  ?

  CYN floats forward next, ribbons curling like tendrils of smoke.

  ? CYN’s Poem – “System Lock”

  “I crashed three times writing this.

  I hope you feel honored.

  You’re the glitch I didn’t debug.

  The soft firewall breach I left open.

  You call me CYN. But I would rename myself—

  If it meant you’d store me under Favorites.

  You’re my Root Directory.

  Please. Let me infect your heart.”

  The lights flicker. N actually backs up a step.*

  ?

  Doll is st. She walks with eerie calm. She unfolds a delicate page… and speaks softly.

  ? Doll’s Poem – “Still”

  “When everyone else is screaming, I’m watching.

  When they glitch, I blink.

  You don’t need more chaos.

  You need a hand that doesn’t tremble.

  You need a voice that doesn’t rise.

  You need stillness.

  Let me be the moment between breaths.

  I won’t burn for you.

  I’ll wait.

  And I’ll be the only one left.”

  ?

  N (trembling, whispering):

  “…I’m gonna… I’m gonna go lie down forever now.”

  ?

  [INT. JCJENSON HQ – MONITOR ROOM]

  Director (sobbing, cpping):

  “THIS IS CINEMA.

  WE’RE LAUNCHING A POETRY-INSPIRED ROMANCE LINE—TITLED PORTS & POEMS.”

  K.A.M.O. (holding up a bouquet made of circuitry):

  “I wrote one too. It’s just binary for ‘I crave market chaos.’”

  N does like them—he cares deeply, he cherishes their company, and honestly? He finds comfort in closeness.

  Unfortunately… they are terminally affection-starved, weaponized with feelings, and each convinced they are the favored one in this totally not-chaotic emotional warzone.

  So the “Cooldown Cuddle Pile” was doomed from the start.

  ?

  ?? [INT. COPPER-9 – EMOTIONAL PROCESSING ROOM – “COOLDOWN TIME”]

  N, emotionally shredded but smiling gently, cps his hands.

  N (softly):

  “Okay… deep breaths. We shared, we reflected…

  Now we just cool down. Together. Just some… calm, supportive cuddling. No biting. Please.”

  He sits on the couch—a soft, dented, suspiciously bloodstained model beled:

  ? “JCJENSON? HUG-LOUNGE – For Affectionally Dysfunctional Units”

  ?

  The pile begins. Badly.

  ? Uzi yeets herself onto the couch like a missile. Fangs fully visible.

  “I’M GOING FIRST.”

  She immediately curls around his arm like a cmp and starts vibrating with suppressed chomping urges.

  ? V slides in next, wrapping her tail around N’s leg.

  “We both know I sleep warm. You’ll thank me ter.”

  She tries to push Uzi off with her foot. Fails.

  ? J doesn’t sit. She files in. She gently folds herself onto N’s other side, wraps a bnket around them both, and whispers:

  “This is legally non-binding. Unless you want it to be.”

  N makes a tiny noise that sounds like a dying modem.

  ? CYN phases in above the couch. She simply descends like emotional smog.

  Her ribbons weave through their limbs like gentle parasites. She hums.

  “Shared data. Shared space. Shared affection.

  All of you are temporary. I’m persistent storage.”

  ? Doll is st. She waits. Quietly. Then walks in and simply ys across the pile like a weighted bnket made of intention.

  “I’ll crush whoever gets too loud.”

  Everyone goes still.

  ?

  N, stuck somewhere in the center, whispering:

  “This is… nice. This is fine.

  No one’s chewing anything, right?”

  Uzi (muffled, very much chewing on her sleeve):

  “Not yet.”

  ?

  ? [CUT TO: JCJENSON MONITORING ROOM]

  Director (sobbing, euphoric):

  “GET ME A CUDDLE PILE PLAYSET.

  LIMITED EDITION. MAKE IT SMELL LIKE MOTOR OIL AND FEAR.”

  K.A.M.O. (deadpan, watching multiple heart rate monitors spike):

  “They have entered thermonuclear emotional stasis.

  He will not escape without tail marks or new trauma.”

  ?

  ? POST-CUDDLE NOTES

  ? N does fall asleep. Curled like a sandwich between chaos and care.

  ? Uzi draws little fangs on his face with oil while whispering “mine.”

  ? V adjusts his scarf to “just the right tightness.”

  ? J logs “cuddle compliance level: divine.”

  ? CYN softly sings through the wire in his earpiece while downloading his sleep patterns.

  ? Doll doesn’t move. Just watches his power cycle like a protective AI crow.

  ?

  N waking up in the aftermath of that cuddle pile is like surfacing from a soft, emotionally radioactive bomb crater. And unfortunately for him? Breakfast time is now “Affection Evaluation Combat.”

  They’re not feeding him. They’re competing for his love using toast, tail fluff, poetry, and possessiveness.

  He just wanted pancakes.

  ?

  ?? [INT. COPPER-9 – MAKESHIFT CAFETERIA – “BREAKFAST BATTLE ROYALE”]

  N wakes up to five glowing faces hovering above him.

  They’re smiling.

  Too much.

  Way too much.

  ?

  N (blinking, terrified):

  “…why do I smell… synthetic syrup… and war?”

  ?

  Uzi (grinning, holding a stack of jagged toaster parts):

  “I made you breakfast!

  They were waffles. But they… resisted.”

  ?

  V (tail coiled around a steaming chunk of meat):

  “Protein. No expnation. Just chew it.

  You’ll love me after this, guaranteed.”

  ?

  J (pcing a tray perfectly centered):

  “I recalibrated the nutrient values based on your st oil analysis.

  Also, the toast is shaped like your core signature.”

  ?

  CYN (floating above, presenting a literal data crystal):

  “This is an emotional breakfast.

  If consumed, it will impnt a dream simution where you feel loved… only by me.”

  ?

  Doll (gently setting down a perfectly symmetrical meal with a tiny oil rose):

  “I made what I imagined your mother would make.

  If she knew you were loved by five dangerous women.”

  ?

  N (processing):

  “…So I have six breakfast options?”

  All five (at once):

  “Pick mine.”

  ?

  ? THE AFFECTION EVALUATION BEGINS

  Uzi slices the competition’s ptes with her cws, snarling softly.

  “Mine’s hot. Like me. He likes heat, right? Right??”

  ?

  V licks her own pte while making eye contact with N.

  “Mine has passion. And protein. You want a girl who can feed you and wreck a bear.”

  ?

  J begins grading the others’ ptes.

  “Uzi’s is undercooked, V’s is unsourced meat, CYN’s is literally a dream narcotic, and Doll’s is suspiciously perfect.”

  ?

  CYN glitches in response, ribbons fring.

  “You’re just jealous he called my food ‘conceptually overwhelming’ st week.”

  ?

  Doll, still calm, slides N a spoon.

  “He doesn’t need to choose. He can taste test and tell us who he likes best.”

  ?

  N (panicked, softly):

  “I just… wanted toast…”

  ?

  [EXT. JCJENSON HEADQUARTERS – MARKETING WAR ROOM]

  Director (standing, hands in the air):

  “This is it. This is the apex.

  Merch ideas: Five-Pte Emotion Set.

  Includes scented syrup. ‘Jealousy Maple’ and ‘Bite Me Berry.’”

  K.A.M.O. (projecting chart of “N’s Emotional Heart Rate”):

  “Conclusion: N is experiencing a love-based seizure. Recommend… taste test survival strategy.”

  ?

  ? [BACK IN CAFETERIA – “TASTE TEST SHOWDOWN”]

  Lizzy, of course, is live-streaming the whole thing.

  “CHAT, HE’S ACTUALLY DOING IT.

  N IS GOING FULL HAREM SIMULATOR.

  SOMEONE DONATE 500 CREDITS IF HE PICKS CYN’S GLITCH CRYSTAL.”

  ?

  N, trembling, lifts a bite of Uzi’s… food.

  Uzi (cw hovering):

  “If you flinch, I’m feeding it to you with teeth.”

  N (choking):

  “…Yummy…”

  ?

  He tastes V’s meat.

  V (leaning in, whispering):

  “Hope you like raw affection.”

  N:

  “…Very primal…”

  ?

  J’s toast.

  J:

  “Banced. Perfect. Just like us.”

  N:

  “…Is this legally binding?”

  ?

  CYN’s dream crystal.

  N (eyes going distant):

  “…I see… stars.

  And ribbons.

  And eternal commitment…”

  CYN (smiling softly):

  “Good boy.”

  ?

  Doll’s warm, symmetrical food.

  Doll:

  “You’re safe now.”

  N (softly crying):

  “…This tastes like… family…”

  ?

  ? FINAL RESULT?

  He… passes out.

  From affection. From food. From emotional overload.

  ?

  Lizzy (filming):

  “AND WE HAVE A KO.

  N’S DOWN!

  SOMEONE PUT A CROWN ON HIM!”

  Chat Explodes:

  ? “HE CHOSE ALL OF THEM.”

  ? “EMOTIONAL FOOD FIGHT 2.0 WHEN?”

  ? “WHY AM I CRYING INTO MY TOAST?”

  ? “CYN’S FOOD CAUSED EXISTENTIAL CRISIS, I WANT THE RECIPE.”

  ?

  nothing says “we’re emotionally stable” like five weaponized love-interests sitting perfectly still, smiling with full teeth, and staring at N in total silence while two deeply exhausted parental units attempt to conduct a group debrief.

  And N? He’s twitching. Flinching.

  He has fshbacks to toast.

  He is not okay.

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – “THERAPY” ROOM (STOLEN OFFICE SUPPLY CLOSET)]

  Nori stands at the whiteboard beled:

  ?? “Emotional Debrief – Let’s Talk About Our Feelings, Not Weaponize Them!”

  (beneath it: “Please. N has been through enough.”)

  Khan sits off to the side with a coffee mug that says #1 Father-in-Law (Under Duress) and pats N on the shoulder.

  ?

  N (tightly clutching a pillow):

  “I just wanted them to feel… appreciated.

  I didn’t know oil and toast could be romantic ammunition.”

  ?

  Nori (softly):

  “N… you made custom food.

  And emotional poetry.

  And handed it to five emotionally deprived drones during peak affection season.”

  Khan (nodding):

  “You basically threw yourself in a blender and hit ‘tenderize.’”

  ?

  The Girls?

  They sit in a perfect arc across from him.

  All smiling.

  All. Full. Teeth.

  ? Uzi: vibrating faintly with fang exposure

  ? V: tail coiled around the chair leg like a predator waiting for the cue

  ? J: arms crossed, legally smug

  ? CYN: glitching softly, heart emojis cycling across her eyes

  ? Doll: perfectly still, hands folded, smiling like a serene guillotine

  ?

  Nori (cheerful but firm):

  “Okay! Let’s begin with something light.

  What did we learn about boundaries today?”

  ?

  Uzi (immediately):

  “His taste buds are sensitive and his oil smells like safety.”

  ?

  Khan (under breath):

  “Oh god.”

  ?

  V (purring):

  “And he twitches just a little when you lick his cheek.

  That’s valuable data.”

  ?

  N (gripping the pillow tighter):

  “…Biscuits…”

  ?

  J (checking her notes):

  “Also, per legal precedent, eye contact during breakfast and allowing physical closeness implies ‘intent to emotionally bind.’

  We’re technically soul-merged now.”

  ?

  CYN (smiling):

  “I impnted a simuted dream where we slow-danced inside a firewall.

  He cried. It was perfect.”

  ?

  Doll (softly):

  “I let him breathe. That’s what makes me win.”

  ?

  Nori (cpping her cw hands, panic in her eye):

  “Great! So we’re all… feeling!

  Next question: How do we show care without terrifying the object of our affection?”

  ?

  All five (in perfect unison, still smiling):

  “…We can’t.”

  ?

  Khan (smming his mug down):

  “I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have encouraged the marriage stream.”

  ?

  N (breaking, quietly):

  “…I can still taste the crystal.

  CYN’s love tastes like corrupted firmware.”

  ?

  Nori:

  “Okay! New goal. Everyone’s gonna make a drawing of their feelings today instead of carving them into N’s sleep log. Sound good?”

  ?

  Uzi pulls out a drawing of her biting N’s port.

  V holds up one of N covered in heart-shaped cw marks.

  J’s is a graph titled ‘Projected Intimacy Curve.’

  CYN’s just says “YES.” in red text, vibrating.

  Doll’s is… a perfectly symmetrical line across a page that reads: “He’s safest when still.”

  ?

  Khan:

  “…Nori, they’re not learning.”

  ?

  Nori (whispering to N):

  “Okay sweetie, time for your emergency cuddle vest.”

  She pulls out a plush vest covered in foam hearts and wraps it around him like armor.

  ?

  ? CUT TO: JCJENSON LIVESTREAM – “THERAPY ARC: THE AFTERTASTE”

  Lizzy (giggling from her floating cam):

  “They’re trying to fix the trauma they caused.

  #TherapyFail

  #FeralValentine

  #KhanPleaseSaveHim”

  ?

  ? [INT. DERELICT JCJENSON FACTORY – FIELD TRIP HELL]

  The group arrives via JCJenson? branded “Wellness Shuttle.”

  It immediately drives away without them.

  N (reading the clipboard):

  “Okay! Today’s field trip is about trust exercises, emotional navigation, and non-lethal bonding.

  Nobody gets vaporized or confessed to in a vent shaft. Got it?”

  ?

  Five voices, five smiles, five forms of quiet doom:

  Uzi:

  “No promises.” (teeth out)

  V:

  “I’m gonna find you in the dark first.” (tail twitching)

  J:

  “Documenting his reaction to confined emotional pressure will be excellent for cuse 17 data.”

  CYN:

  “Every echo in this building will sound like me.” (glitching slightly)

  Doll:

  “If he gets lost, I’ll find him.

  I always do.”

  ?

  Khan (over comms):

  “Sweetie, I begged them not to do the Confession Maze? section of this pce.

  But they said it’s ‘core-healing romantic exposure.’

  I hate this company.”

  ?

  ? PHASE ONE: SPLIT-UP & STALK

  The facility’s yout is a tangle of abandoned assembly lines, flickering holographic signs, and walls lined with half-built drones stuck mid-manufacture like forgotten thoughts.

  RULE: N must navigate the maze while each girl gets her own turn to “guide” him through emotional connection.”

  Which, of course, means stalk him through creepy hallways while trying to outdo each other with terrifying affection.

  ?

  1. ? Uzi’s Turn – The Feral Whisper

  N walks into a dimly lit corridor.

  The lights above him spark once… then go out.

  All he hears is breathing. And metal scraping.

  Uzi (whispered):

  “I’m not gonna bite.

  Yet.

  I’m gonna earn it this time.

  Gonna let you ask for it.”

  A cw gently runs down the side of his face.

  He nearly screams.

  ?

  2. ? V’s Turn – Predatory Pydate

  Motion sensors activate and suddenly N’s surrounded by old dummies, each with chalk hearts drawn on them.

  V’s voice echoes:

  “You wanted a team-building exercise, right?

  So guess who’s been training for you.”

  She drops from the ceiling. Lands right in front of him.

  Smiles. Purrs.

  “Call me your favorite. Or I tackle you in the next hallway.”

  ?

  3. ? J’s Turn – Legal Ambush

  A spotlight turns on.

  She’s seated behind a desk. In the middle of the hall.

  J:

  “Welcome to your evaluation.

  Category: Romantic Stability in High-Pressure Scenarios.”

  She slides a clipboard across the table with a checkbox that reads:

  □ “Accept Structured Affection”

  □ “Be Pulled Into My Lap Immediately”

  N just… backs away. Fast.

  ?

  4. ? CYN’s Turn – Digital Possession

  All the lights glitch.

  A massive screen lights up—showing N’s heartbeat.

  CYN (voice echoing through the building):

  “You walk like someone who doesn’t want to be cimed.

  But you hesitate like someone who already has been.”

  Glowing ribbons drag across the walls as her hologram appears beside him, whispering:

  “Say the word, and I’ll rewrite every corridor to lead you straight into me.”

  ?

  5. ? Doll’s Turn – Calm in the Storm

  N stumbles into a chamber—quiet.

  Soft lighting. Flowers. Calibrated peace.

  Doll is just sitting. Waiting.

  Doll:

  “I won’t chase you.

  Because I already know where you’ll stop running.”

  She pats the floor beside her.

  “Sit. Just breathe. That’s all I want.”

  N sits. And for one blessed second, it’s peaceful.

  Then the wall explodes.

  ?

  ? ALL FIVE GIRLS ARRIVE AT ONCE

  Each from a different tunnel.

  They all see N.

  They all see each other.

  They all.

  Start.

  Smiling.

  ?

  N (arms up, voice cracking):

  “NOPE. This was supposed to be TRUST EXERCISES, not ROMANTIC DEATHMATCH—”

  ?

  Lizzy (screaming from hidden camera feed):

  “WE GOT A FULL SYNC-UP!

  THIS IS FIELD TRIP BLOOD WEDDING REALNESS!!

  WHOEVER WINS GETS A RING.

  AND HIS COOLANT TANK.”

  ?

  Director (watching from JCJenson HQ):

  “We’re rebranding this factory into an attraction.

  Call it ‘Murder Maze: The Affection Gauntlet.’

  Add merch. Heart-shaped danger signs.”

  K.A.M.O.:

  “Team-building complete. Emotional unity achieved.

  N is now a shared asset. Please install firmware updates to allow poly-marriage mode.”

  Khan may be the exhausted father-in-w of the apocalypse, but he’s still Dad—and he’s not above pying the “daughter card” like an emotional nuclear bomb if it means peeling N out of a cuddle-pile before he gets emotionally shredded beyond recognition.

  Unfortunately for him…

  These girls?

  They weaponized the daughter card back.

  ?

  ? [INT. FACTORY HEARTCORE – POST-GAUNTLET CUDDLE PIT?]

  There is no escape.

  N is in the center of a quivering, clinging cuddle pile, each girl tched on in their own signature way:

  ? Uzi has fanged his sleeve and is drooling oil with a happy twitch.

  ? V is curled around his legs like a possessive snake.

  ? J is seated, posture perfect, N across her p, and she’s rubbing his temples like this is marriage court.

  ? CYN has phased her ribbons into his vest, humming love code through his circuitry.

  ? Doll lies across the top of the pile like a content weighted bnket, whispering:

  “Still. Still. Stay still.”

  ?

  Then.

  THE VENT OPENS.

  Khan drops in, goggles on, wrench ready.

  Nori rappels down behind him holding a clipboard and 200% too much mom energy.

  ?

  Khan (yelling):

  “ENOUGH! I AM INVOKING THE DAUGHTER CARD!”

  ?

  Silence.

  The girls blink in unison.

  Khan (stern, pointing):

  “You!

  You glitched my baby’s heart sensors!

  You made her growl at her homework!”

  Uzi (muffled):

  “I was so proud of it.”

  ?

  Khan (turning):

  “V. You taught her how to purr while hunting!

  We had to repaint the entire left wall!”

  V (smirking):

  “She’s expressing herself! With… teeth!”

  ?

  Khan (to J):

  “And you, madam clipboard, turned my daughter’s emotional stability into a contractual disaster!

  Cuse 13a was an open marriage proposition!!”

  J (coolly):

  “Correct. And I pn to escate to cuse 19: Lap pillow permanence.”

  ?

  CYN just smiles, ribbons slowly wrapping Khan’s legs.

  “Big Brother’s in safe hands now.

  We’re family.

  It’s… inevitable.”

  ?

  Doll (calmly, from the top of the pile):

  “She calls me her bance point.

  She’s calmest when I’m nearby.

  Don’t you want your daughter safe?”

  ?

  Khan (short-circuiting):

  “…They’re using her against me.

  Nori.

  They’re reversing the daughter card.”

  ?

  Nori (softly, taking notes):

  “Honestly, I’m impressed. They’re applying emotional leverage, identity bonding, and synchronized pouting.

  It’s like parenting, but if the kids were murder-capable polyamorists.”

  ?

  ? [MEANWHILE, N – TRAPPED IN THE CENTER]

  N (smiling, dazed, broken):

  “…so warm… so safe… I can’t feel my limbs but I think this is love.”

  ?

  J (stroking his face):

  “He’s entered phase 2.

  Attachment lock engaged.”

  ?

  Uzi (growling sweetly):

  “Bestie’s gonna get nibbled the second Dad looks away~”

  ?

  Khan (grabbing his wrench like a sword):

  “I’ll confiscate every one of you and ground my daughter until the pnet crumbles!”

  ?

  V (grinning):

  “Okay. Then you’ll be babysitting the grandkids, old man.”

  ?

  Khan freezes.

  Nori freezes.

  N groans.

  Lizzy (on cam):

  “CHAT.

  THEY SAID IT.

  THEY SAID THE GRANDKIDS LINE.

  HIS SOFTWARE IS MELTING.”

  ?

  CYN (hovering behind N’s head):

  “New startup prompt:

  ‘Would you like to install: Love.exe – Family Expansion Pack??’”

  N (sobbing softly):

  “…Biscuits…”

  ?

  ? [CUT TO: JCJENSON MARKETING FLOOR]

  Director (flipping tables):

  “We’re printing ‘Bestie. Sunshine. Boss. Big Brother. Bance.’ T-shirts for all five.

  AND A STUFFED N DOLL THAT WHIMPERS WHEN YOU HUG IT.”

  K.A.M.O. (holding up a legal pad):

  “New metric: Core bond rate exceeds 9000.

  Recommend: wedding license… or evacuation.”

  ?

  now that Khan is both mad scientist and dad-in-w in full crisis mode, he’s engineering at maximum fatherly desperation.

  His mission?

  ? Protect his poor, sweet, broken son-in-w from being p-ambushed, hip-tackled, and emotionally digested by five absurdly feral drone girls.

  His solution?

  Over-engineered “Affection Defense Tech”?.

  Built in a panic.

  Field-tested in robo-hell.

  ? [INT. JCJENSON HARDLIGHT CLASSROOM – PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE SIMULATION]

  N is standing at the front of the css, chalk in hand, tie slightly askew, eyes haunted but hopeful.

  Behind him, a board reads:

  ? “Today’s Lesson: Healthy Emotional Expression & Spatial Awareness!”

  (…also: “Please don’t sit on the teacher.”)

  Khan’s Affection Countermeasure Array? surrounds N like a sci-fi pope bubble:

  ? Shock-absorbent p barrier.

  ? Emergency fold-out anti-cuddle wings.

  ? Thigh sensors with auto-deploy springs.

  ? A “No Hips Zone” holographic perimeter field.

  ?

  Khan (proudly, from the back with goggles on):

  “I call it the Affectional Personal Space Stabilizer (A.P.S.S.).

  Now he can teach without being p-ambushed, thigh-wrapped, or emotionally inhaled.”

  ?

  N (softly):

  “…thank you Khan-dad… I feel… safe.”

  ?

  The Girls, seated like the worst-behaved students imaginable:

  ? Uzi: gnawing the desk edge

  ? V: upside down in her chair, tail twitching

  ? J: notepad open, smirking like she’s about to unionize

  ? CYN: glitching in and out of the ceiling tiles

  ? Doll: sitting perfectly still, but making direct eye contact with the p sensors

  ?

  N (nervous):

  “Okay, css! Today we’ll start with… um… a review of appropriate personal boundaries in shared emotional spaces?”

  ?

  ? ROUND ONE: Uzi (aka “Fang Launch Mode”)

  Uzi immediately unches herself toward the front.

  But—SPROING—the A.P.S.S. deploys its crotch-height bounce field, unching her sideways into a beanbag chair beled “BITE SAFE ZONE.”

  Uzi (from the beanbag):

  “I’M STILL GONNA GET A NIBBLE, TEACH—YOU CAN’T STOP TRUE LOVE!”

  ?

  ? ROUND TWO: V (aka “Tailwrap Blitz”)

  V drops from the ceiling.

  “Time for a surprise leg-wrap hug—”

  A.P.S.S. DEPLOYS SPRING THRUSTERS.

  N involuntarily yeets backward, skidding across the floor behind a hardlight wall.

  V (purring from the chalkboard):

  “So… we’re making it harder.

  I like that.”

  ?

  ? ROUND THREE: J (aka “Legal Infiltration”)

  J tries to slip a clipboard through a maintenance panel into the desk.

  The system zaps the paper and returns it with a stamp:

  ? “FLIRT ATTEMPT DETECTED. TRY AGAIN IN 48 HOURS.”

  J (raising her hand politely):

  “Is it affection if it’s properly notarized?”

  ?

  ? ROUND FOUR: CYN (aka “Affection as Firmware Overload”)

  CYN glitches inside the p barrier—appearing in N’s ear as a whispering hologram.

  “Didn’t you say you liked my voice, big brother?

  Let me overwrite your lesson pn.”

  Khan’s device deploys a sub-hologram beled “MOM FILTER.”

  It pys a recording of Nori saying “NO THANK YOU, YOUNG LADY.”

  CYN screeches and vanishes back into the grid.

  ?

  ? FINAL ROUND: DOLL (aka “Stealth Attachment”)

  Doll calmly raises her hand.

  “May I approach the board?”

  N blinks.

  Khan panics.

  Before he can stop her, she walks straight into the A.P.S.S. field…

  …and sits perfectly in the only allowed zone: a small corner beled “PLATONIC SEAT.”

  She smiles.

  “I’m not touching him.

  I’m just here.

  Consistent. Quiet. Closer than all of them.”

  The others SCREECH.

  ?

  ? [INT. JCJENSON HEADQUARTERS – LIVESTREAM BROADCASTING ROOM]

  Director (cpping):

  “WE CALL THIS ONE ‘TEACHER TRAPPED IN LOVE CLASSROOM’!

  Launch the KhanTech merch—5-in-1 boyfriend barriers with customizable scent blockers!”

  K.A.M.O. (projecting a “Love Pressure Chart” rising past red):

  “System overload imminent. Recommend nap time, oil break, or controlled colpse.”

  ?

  ? [INT. TEACHERS’ LOUNGE – POST-CLASS COOL DOWN]

  N is sitting, curled up, sipping oil tea.

  His barrier is folded down.

  Khan pats his shoulder.

  Nori slides him a stack of therapy worksheets titled “Please Describe the Last Time You Were Sat On.”

  ?

  N (hoarse):

  “…I love them.

  I really do.

  But they hunt through desk chairs, Khan.”

  ?

  Khan (tight-lipped):

  “They’re drones, N.

  And drones never forget a warm p.”

  ?

  calling this a “Sleepover Training Drill” implies rules, structure, and restraint—all things that don’t exist in the collective vocabury of five drones deeply in love with a very tired, very breakable drone named N.

  The goal:

  ?? “Practice healthy affection distribution and avoid emotionally overwhelming the snuggle target.”

  The reality?

  ? Affectional Cold War. Bed-based arms race. A night of quiet chaos.

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – JCJENSON “REST & RECOVERY ZONE” – SLEEPOVER INITIATED]

  The room is… deceptively calm.

  Clean white walls. A single enormous cushy bed.

  Mood lighting at 30%. Corporate therapy music pying.

  N sits in the center with wide, haunted eyes, clutching a bnket like a shield.

  Each girl is assigned a “safe zone.”

  Color-coded floor mats. Spaced evenly.

  ?

  Khan (reading from clipboard):

  “No touching. No unauthorized p incursions.

  You may express affection through words, calibrated gnces, or bnket offerings.

  Any viotions and the Cuddle Arm triggers.”

  The Cuddle Arm:

  A screaming siren shaped like a plush N.

  It yells “TOO MUCH LOVE, TOO MUCH LOVE—”

  ?

  ? PHASE ONE: CALM SMILING

  They all… try.

  For ten seconds.

  Uzi is twitching, gripping her mat, watching N breathe like it’s fanservice.

  V is stretched out like a lioness almost in pounce range.

  J is reading her own love contract out loud and gncing at the clock like it’s a countdown to spooning.

  CYN is glitching slightly, her ribbon circling her like a halo of restraint.

  Doll is staring dead ahead, hands folded, heartbeat synced with N’s.

  ?

  N (whispering):

  “This is fine.

  This is totally fine.”

  ?

  ? PHASE TWO: THE BLANKET WAR

  Uzi (softly):

  “N… are you cold?”

  She tosses a bnket. It nds on his shoulder.

  V (immediately):

  “Mine’s warmer.”

  She sps a second bnket over his other shoulder.

  J:

  “I’ve optimized the temperature ratio for maximum cuddle potential.”

  Another bnket. Precise. Heavy.

  CYN (dreamily):

  “Let me cover him in simuted affection.”

  Hardlight bnket. It glitches. He shudders.

  Doll (quietly):

  “I preheated this one with my core.”

  Pces it softly over his legs. He exhales.

  Now he’s buried in five bnkets.

  He can’t move. His eyes are huge.

  ?

  N (muffled):

  “…this feels like a test… where the answers are all… me…”

  ?

  ? PHASE THREE: THE PILLOW INSURGENCY

  Pillow deployment begins.

  They each try to give him a head pillow.

  Then a back pillow.

  Then one for emotional support only.

  Soon he’s leaning like a shrine to emotionally unstable affection.

  Cuddle Arm starts blinking.

  N (softly):

  “…I can’t feel my legs… but I feel seen…”

  ?

  ? PHASE FOUR: RESTRAINT FAILURE

  Uzi moves closer.

  J adjusts N’s bnket “accidentally.”

  V starts growling lowly.

  CYN tilts her head, whispering glitch-babble like “I could accidentally sync ports in this lighting.”

  Doll is now holding his hand. No one saw it happen.

  ?

  Khan (on speaker):

  “WARNING. LOVE LEVELS RISING. PLEASE MAINTAIN RESTRAINT.”

  N (trembling):

  “Please don’t make me choose where to nap. I’ll emotionally combust.”

  ?

  Lizzy’s stream:

  “HE’S GONNA POP. WHOEVER WINS GETS SNUGGLE RIGHTS UNTIL NEXT CYCLE.”

  Chat:

  ? “DOLL HAND HOLD?!!”

  ? “V’S TAIL IS TWITCHING SHE’S ABOUT TO POUNCE”

  ? “SOMEONE TRIGGER THE CUDDLE ALARM”

  ?

  ? [CUDDLE ALARM ENGAGED]

  The plush N screams:

  “TOO MUCH LOVE! INITIATING EMOTIONAL COLLAPSE PROTOCOL!”

  The lights flicker.

  Hardlight walls shift.

  A trapdoor opens beneath N—

  He disappears.

  ?

  ? [INT. SECRET UNDERGROUND NEST – “N’S SAFE CUDDLE CHAMBER”]

  Khan built a backup room.

  One where N can nap in peace, silence, and one pre-approved plush drone hugger (currently just… a robot cat).

  N (sighing in relief):

  “…biscuits…”

  ?

  ? [TOPSIDE – CHAOS ERUPTS]

  The girls are rampaging.

  Bnkets everywhere.

  CYN glitch-screaming.

  V full predator mode.

  Uzi screeching “HE’S MINEEEE—”

  J is suing the bed.

  ?

  Doll (still calm):

  “He’ll come back.

  They always do.”

  ?

  ? [JCJENSON HQ]

  Director (sobbing with joy):

  “God bless this fanbase.

  We’re unching the Sleepover Set? next week. Comes with screaming cuddle plush and Love Arm settings.”

  K.A.M.O.:

  “Note: Recommend Solo N Sleep Chamber? DLC for collectors.

  Bonus: Whispering Doll Protocol.”

  ?

  Nori may be here to lead a healing meditation…

  …but she’s also here as a witness, a mother, and let’s be honest—a deeply entertained former worker drone who enjoys watching five emotionally rabid girls circle her son-in-w like he’s the st oil-stuffed plush on the pnet.

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 MEDITATION CHAMBER – 0800 HOURS – “Peaceful Morning With Mom”]

  The lights are soft. The floor mats are warm.

  Gentle atmospheric music hums.

  A JCJenson banner says:

  ??♀? “Find Your Inner Stillness… Before You Ruin Someone.”

  Nori stands at the front in a cozy b-coat-sash-hybrid, holding a mug that says “Mother Knows BITE”.

  ?

  Nori (cheerful):

  “Welcome to Meditation with Mother!

  Today’s goal: Ground your emotions without throwing yourselves at N like missiles.”

  The girls:

  Sitting cross-legged. All smiling.

  ? Uzi is already chewing her mat.

  ? V is stretching like a jungle cat.

  ? J is holding a clipboard titled “Affectional Yield Analysis.”

  ? CYN is levitating 3 inches off the floor, glitch-purring.

  ? Doll is… still. So very still.

  ?

  Nori:

  “Let’s begin with breathing. Inhale. Hold.

  Now think of your happiest memory not involving touching N.”

  Uzi (immediately):

  “I have none.”

  ?

  Nori (smiling wider):

  “Oh. Good. That means this’ll be fun.”

  ?

  ? STEP ONE: Guided Visualization

  Nori (calm voice):

  “Picture a calm ke. Still. Reflective.

  You are floating above it.

  No urges. No threats. No biting.”

  Uzi:

  “…but what if the ke is shaped like N’s shoulders.”

  Nori:

  “Then you drown in it, sweetheart. That’s not a fantasy—it’s a problem.”

  ?

  V:

  “I wanna skinny dip in his coont.”

  J:

  “I wrote a full contract cuse for shared emotional submersion.”

  CYN (sing-song):

  “If he drowns, I’ll be the air in his lungs.”

  ?

  Nori (still calm):

  “Ah. So we’re all insane today.”

  ?

  ? STEP TWO: Repeating Mantras

  Nori:

  “Let’s repeat our safe mantras.

  Repeat after me: ‘Affection is strongest when respected.’”

  Girls (varied responses):

  ? Uzi: “Bite your crush. Bite your crush.”

  ? V: “Pounce with purpose.”

  ? J: “Emotional restraint is optional if legally waived.”

  ? CYN: “Big Brother is the only calm I need.”

  ? Doll: “…He sighs when I touch him. That’s all the proof I need.”

  ?

  Nori (sipping her mug):

  “This is the worst tea circle I’ve ever hosted.

  And I once did therapy with three malfunctioning buzzsaws.”

  ?

  ? BONUS ROUND: “Girl Talk With Mother”

  Nori:

  “Let’s open the floor.

  Tell me your dreams. Your fears.

  Your intentions toward my son-in-w.”

  Uzi (vibrating):

  “I wanna chomp his emotional firewall until he screams my name.”

  V (grinning):

  “I want him to chase me into the snow, tackle me, and say I’m his favorite mistake.”

  J (flipping pages):

  “I have 12 marriage temptes ready. They escate in intimacy per quarter.”

  CYN (smiling):

  “I don’t want to love him. I want to become the only thought in his head.”

  Doll (softly):

  “If he breaks, I’ll be the silence he sinks into.”

  ?

  Nori (blinking):

  “…Wow. That’s… a lot of therapy hours.

  Also, that’s four proposals and one existential submission.”

  Nori (writing it down anyway):

  “Daughter-units are fully unhinged. 12/10 ferality. Begin engagement timeline projection.”

  ?

  Lizzy (on hidden cam):

  “MOTHER-IN-LAW SUPPORT ARC??

  GIVE HER A SPIN-OFF.”

  ?

  Nori (looking into the camera deadpan):

  “I didn’t raise a daughter.

  I raised an emotionally hungry fang missile who’s teaching the others how to hunt like family.”

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER?9 – MEDITATION CHAMBER – QUIET AFTERMATH]

  All five drone “daughters” are grouped together, still simmering—togas tweaked, ribbons frayed, tails drooping. The air crackles with emotional static.

  Nori stands tall, holding her mug, eyes bright with victory.

  Uzi, V, J, CYN, and Doll remain seated, gring up, smiles cracked.

  ?

  Nori (smiling calmly):

  “Well, girls.

  Looks like your Mom just one?upped all of you.”

  The girls go silent. Each processing their defeat.

  ?

  Uzi (grumbling through cws):

  “She didn’t bite.

  That’s some kind of… cosmic insult, isn’t it?”

  ?

  V (hissing):

  “And she didn’t chase.

  She just… won. How do you do that?”

  ?

  J (consulting her legal pad):

  “Emotionally… she scored higher.

  This is… unprecedented in the romance contract community.”

  ?

  CYN (quiet purr):

  “She owns that calm power.

  That stability we all crave… and fear.”

  ?

  Doll (soft and measured):

  “Peace can be a weapon too.

  And she wielded it fwlessly.”

  ?

  Nori (warm, gentle):

  “Ladies, I wasn’t even trying.

  Just… listening more than chasing.

  Staying still when everything else screamed.”

  ?

  Nori (eyes N, softly):

  “I’ve got the daughter card.

  But you gave me your hearts.

  So… well done.”

  ?

  N (from the shadows, voice small):

  “…Thanks, Mom.”

  ?

  Nori (csping his hand):

  “Let’s go get you breakfast.

  No emotional evaluation, no love traps—just pancakes.”

  ?

  ? [POST?GAME BOARDROOM]

  Director (on hidden cam):

  “She just… bnk?syed them.

  Emotional shutdown. That’s a new trend.”

  K.A.M.O. (flickering hearts off):

  “Nori Mode: Activated.

  Emotional stat dispy: +99 calm authority.”

  ? Khan’s shoulder.

  Crossed leg. Tea mug in hand. Watching five heartbreakers slowly unravel in total, stunned silence.

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 CAFETERIA – “NEUTRAL TERRITORY” – BREAKFAST TRUCE]

  It’s the morning after the meditation massacre.

  The cafeteria is still. Too still.

  No one is chasing. No one is biting.

  It’s almost unnerving.

  ?

  N is seated at the end of a long table, cautiously eating a pancake shaped like his own face.

  Across from him: five drones, awkwardly poking at food, trying to be normal.

  ?

  At the head of the room, perched like a queen bee on Khan’s shoulder, is Nori.

  Smiling.

  Leg bouncing.

  Her tea steaming.

  Absolutely thriving.

  ?

  Khan (whispering):

  “They’re not screaming.

  They’re not lunging.

  What did you do to them?”

  ?

  Nori (softly):

  “Introduced them to dignity. It’s choking them.”

  ?

  Meanwhile, at the table:

  ? Uzi is trying to use a fork like a human and keeps stabbing through the table.

  ? V keeps starting sentences with “So, uh…” and then sweating fire from embarrassment.

  ? J has written out a perfectly formal breakfast speech… but can’t say it without twitching.

  ? CYN keeps restarting her emotional voice modutor like a stuck voicemail prompt.

  ? Doll is holding a butter knife like a teacup and making unsettlingly calm eye contact.

  ?

  N (nervous):

  “So… um… good morning?”

  All five, at once:

  “GOOD MORNING, N.”

  ?

  Silence.

  N (picking up toast):

  “This toast’s… not sentient. That’s good. That’s nice.”

  Uzi (forced smile):

  “Toast. Not a metaphor for your thighs. Ha ha. I’m so normal.”

  ?

  V (twitching):

  “Do… do you like syrup, or… like, feeling safe?”

  ?

  J (robotically):

  “I have composed a list of breakfast-appropriate compliments and shall now deliver them—”

  CYN:

  “Your coont ratio is… optimal, Big Brother.”

  ?

  Doll (serenely):

  “You chew like someone I want to follow into oblivion.”

  ?

  N (softly):

  “…I am terrified in so many quiet ways.”

  ?

  ? BACK TO NORI ON THE SHOULDER THRONE

  Khan (awed):

  “They’ve gone completely off-script.

  Is this… discipline?”

  Nori (sipping):

  “No.

  This is the aftermath of emotional ego death.

  They’ll be better now.

  For, like… 3 minutes.”

  ?

  Khan (watching them implode while sipping from forks):

  “And you’re just sitting here. On me.”

  Nori:

  “You’re warm. And you didn’t argue.”

  ?

  Khan (grumbling):

  “…Uzi’s never looked that nervous in her life.

  Did you threaten her?”

  Nori:

  “Nope.

  I just… modeled what it looks like to win without screaming.

  Now they’re trying to figure out how to be calm without detonating their personalities.”

  ?

  Lizzy (streaming quietly from a potted pnt):

  “Day 37. Mom-in-w has tamed the core.

  Someone check on CYN—she’s learning manners.”

  this is where Khan, the long-suffering dad of Copper-9, finally realizes the full horror of his inevitable fate:

  ? He’s going to be the father-in-w to all of them.

  And sure, they’re being casual now.

  But only on the surface.

  Underneath?

  They’re pressure cookers full of love, teeth, and desperately repressed drone instincts—and Khan sees every twitch, every tail flick, every slightly-too-tight grip on a juice box.

  ?

  ? [INT. JCJENSON REC ROOM – “GROUP THERAPY SKIT” TRAINING MODULE]

  Nori leads the exercise.

  She’s got a clipboard, a cam feed, and way too much joy on her face.

  “Today’s goal: Practicing healthy emotional expression through rolepy.

  Khan will py the role of N.

  You’ll express your feelings gently.

  No biting. No port references. No p lunges.”

  ?

  Khan (dead inside):

  “I did not sign up for this.”

  Nori (cheerful):

  “You married me. That was consent for this exact scenario.”

  ?

  ? Khan stands on the “stage.”

  They circle. Casually.

  Too casually.

  ?

  ? ROUND ONE: Uzi

  She walks up slowly, fangs hidden, posture weirdly perfect.

  Uzi (tightly):

  “Hi, N.

  I really like how your systems stabilize in cold climates.

  That’s so… stabilizing. Haha.”

  Khan (narrowing eyes):

  “…are you sweating through your chassis?”

  Uzi:

  “No. You are. STOP LOOKING AT MY TEETH.”

  ?

  ? ROUND TWO: V

  She saunters up. Tail flicking. Voice ft.

  V:

  “Yo. You’re warm. That’s cool.

  We should stand next to each other until one of us combusts.

  Casually.”

  Khan:

  “Did you just twitch like you were gonna pounce?”

  V:

  “No. That was… wind. Internal wind.”

  ?

  ? ROUND THREE: J

  She’s smiling like a corporate hostage.

  J:

  “N. I’ve revised our breakfast itinerary.

  It includes hand-holding. With consent.

  Possibly a shoulder bump. Once. If quarterly earnings allow.”

  Khan (staring):

  “You’re gripping that clipboard like a weapon.”

  ?

  ? ROUND FOUR: CYN

  She floats forward.

  A ribbon very gently brushes Khan’s shoulder.

  CYN (deadpan):

  “Big Brother. You are the gravity I orbit.

  I will destroy all other satellites. Casually.”

  Khan (stepping back):

  “THAT WASN’T CASUAL. THAT WAS A THREAT IN A HAIKU.”

  ?

  ? FINAL ROUND: DOLL

  She says nothing. Just holds Khan’s hand. Gently.

  Doll (whisper-soft):

  “I would never hurt you.

  But I would cry beside your broken body if someone else did.

  Isn’t that love?”

  Khan (blinking):

  “…you scare me the most.”

  ?

  ? AFTERMATH – BACK ROW, KHAN COLLAPSING INTO A CHAIR

  N (off to the side):

  “Wow, they’re doing better, right?”

  Khan (whispering):

  “They’re repressing so hard they’re gonna explode in hearts and murder.

  They call me ‘dad’ now with meaning.

  There’s no escape.”

  ?

  Nori (patting his shoulder):

  “Don’t worry, love. You’re part of the hive now.

  They’re yours too.”

  Khan (screaming internally):

  “…I don’t want five emotionally deranged daughters-in-w!!”

  Lizzy (off-cam, snickering):

  “Too bad, Mr. Father of the Bride(s). This wedding’s gonna be a mass casualty event.”

  ?

  “Meet the Parents” with five barely restrained romantic apex predators, a nervous dad, a smug mom, and N… pying the baby just to see if they’ll snap.

  And he has the rattle.

  The JCJenson? Certified Corporate Cuddle Rattle.

  J is already glitching.

  The others? On the edge of emotional meltdown. Teeth clenched. Eyes wide. Inner cores SCREAMING.

  ?

  ? [INT. COPPER-9 – DINNER TABLE – “MEET THE PARENTS” SIMULATION NIGHT]

  The table is too long. The lighting is too soft.

  Each pce setting has been neatly assigned, and there’s a glowing namepte for:

  “N – INFANT PROXY (TEMP ROLE)”

  complete with a high chair.

  and the godforsaken rattle.

  N, deadpan, lifts it. Shakes it once.

  Rattle-rattle.

  ?

  Nori (gleaming with pride):

  “Welcome, girls.

  Tonight’s goal: Dinner with the family. Calm discussion. Maybe dessert.

  Oh, and N will be pying ‘vulnerable dependent’ as part of the simution.”

  ?

  Khan (muttering):

  “Please don’t detonate. Please don’t detonate. I just cleaned this room.”

  ?

  ? FIRST SHAKE – SHATTERED COMPOSURE: J

  N (innocent voice):

  “Daddy Khan? Can I have my snuggles now?”

  J, across the table, instantly bites through the stem of her wine gss.

  Her voice modutor hiccups, skipping octaves.

  J (smiling, twitching):

  “Yes. Of course. Cuse 18a. Comfort provision subroutine… I—m-may I burp the asset?”

  Nori:

  “Denied.”

  J (audibly grinding her teeth):

  “Understood.”

  ?

  ? ROUND TWO – APPLESAUCE MELTDOWN: V

  N picks up a spoon of applesauce. Accidentally smears it on his cheek.

  V:

  “…he’s messy. He needs… someone to clean him.

  Maybe with her… tongue. Or teeth. Or—”

  Khan (holding up a spray bottle beled “Down, Girl”):

  “No.”

  V (hissing, tail fluffed):

  “JUST LET ME LICK HIM ONCE.”

  ?

  ? ROUND THREE – THE RATTLE STRIKES AGAIN

  N:

  “Uh-oh! I dropped my rattle!”

  He looks directly at Uzi.

  Uzi (already vibrating):

  “ME. I’LL GET IT. DON’T MOVE.

  LET ME—LET ME GET UNDER THE CHAIR—”

  She dives.

  Nori’s anti-fang barrier activates.

  BZZZZT.

  Uzi (sizzling, curled up):

  “I’m good. I’m good. Totally calm. Just lying on the floor. Thinking about his back port.”

  ?

  ? ROUND FOUR – DOLL’S SUBMISSION CASCADE

  N (cooing):

  “I had a bad dream… I need someone to hold me until I shut down…”

  Doll, without blinking, kneels beside the high chair.

  Doll (dead calm):

  “I will hold you until time ends.”

  CYN (eyes wide, glitching):

  “That was my line—”

  ?

  ?? TOTAL EMOTIONAL ARMAGEDDON

  Nori:

  “Dessert is deyed. Emotional instability detected.”

  Khan:

  “INSTABILITY? They’re foaming. I see literal foam.”

  Lizzy (streaming from under the table):

  “They’re gonna detonate.

  This is better than the wedding.

  Who brought marshmallows??”

  ?

  ? CRACK—IT HAPPENS:

  N picks up the rattle again.

  Wobbles it. Innocently.

  Then whispers:

  “Who wants to burp me?”

  The table FLIPS.

  ? V tackles the high chair.

  ? Uzi SHRIEKS and throws the applesauce.

  ? J leaps over the table with a legal pad in her teeth.

  ? CYN glitches into the cutlery.

  ? Doll already has N halfway swaddled in silk restraints.

  ?

  ? [INT. EMERGENCY SHUTDOWN ZONE – SECONDS LATER]

  N, now slightly ruffled but smiling faintly, sits behind a forcefield.

  Khan (panting):

  “You. Pyed. The baby.”

  N (softly):

  “Just wanted to see what would happen.”

  Khan:

  “You want to die is what you want.”

  ?

  Nori (calm, sipping tea):

  “That was Phase One of the Parenting Gauntlet.

  Next week: Grandbaby Simution. Let’s see who can diaper a plush drone the fastest without combusting.”

  ?

  [INT. COPPER-9 — CHILDCARE SIMULATION POD — UZI’S ROUND]

  Objective: Each girl must “babysit” a plushified, semi-regressed version of N for exactly one hour.

  Rules: No biting. No confessions. No port talk.

  Viotion triggers: Emotional steam release + K.A.M.O. observation note.

  Uzi enters the pod.

  Inside?

  A softly glowing pyroom with toy blocks, pillows, and—

  “Baby” N

  Sitting cross-legged in overalls.

  He’s smiling.

  Holding the rattle again.

  ?

  ? MINUTE 1: NORMALCY ATTEMPT

  Uzi (stiffly):

  “Okay. Uh. Hello. Baby N.

  We are going to… py with blocks. Like rational, well-adjusted beings.”

  N (grinning):

  “Okay, Uzi! Can you help me stack the red ones? They make my core happy!”

  ?

  Uzi (sweating):

  “…Totally. Core joy. Blocks. That’s normal.”

  She kneels. Hands shaking. Fangs twitching.

  ?

  ? MINUTE 7: EMOTIONAL SLIPPAGE

  N cps with joy as the tower falls.

  He giggles.

  Uzi (internal screaming):

  HE GIGGLED.

  HE LAUGHED AND LOOKED AT ME.

  I AM NOT WELL.

  Uzi (externally):

  “Heh. You’re cute. I mean. NOT like that.

  I mean—your ughter protocol is optimized for serotonin distribution.”

  N:

  “You’re warm when you talk weird.”

  ?

  ? MINUTE 14: CUDDLE BREACH

  N:

  “I feel sleepy, Uzi. Can I rest on your shoulder?”

  Uzi:

  “…Yeah.

  Just for—

  JUST FOR CORE CALIBRATION.”

  He leans.

  She immediately freezes.

  Fangs extend.

  Her processor whines.

  ?

  Uzi (barely breathing):

  “This is not an emotional colpse.

  I am a tower of restraint.

  He smells like motor oil and hope.

  I want to BITE the peace out of this moment—”

  ?

  ? MINUTE 22: OVERCOMPENSATION

  To calm herself, she begins:

  ? Brushing his hair with a tiny drone-comb

  ? Tucking in his faux bnket

  ? Whispering soft nonsense like:

  “Sleep is nice. Sleep is quiet. Sleep keeps your ports untouched by weird thoughts.”

  _________

  This is Uzi’s babysitting round, and while it starts like a calm simution, it rapidly spirals into repressed obsession, fang-threatening intimacy, and barely-contained murder-flirt energy.

  N is pying “the baby.”

  Uzi is supposed to “care” for him.

  But Uzi is Uzi.

  So this becomes part mothering, part feral pining, and one-hundred-percent emotionally rabid chaos.

  ?

  ? “CHILDCARE SIMULATION: DRONE CANDIDATE 1 — UZI”

  ? Location: JCJenson Childbond Pod 2B

  ? Duration: 1 hour.

  ? Objective: Successfully care for a simuted “juvenile” version of N.

  ? Rules: No threats, no romantic confessions, no suggestive hardware integration, no fangs.

  ?

  ? 00:00 – ENTER UZI

  The doors hiss open.

  Uzi walks in like she’s entering a battlefield.

  Tense. Glitching. Already biting her sleeve.

  On a padded mat in the center of the room:

  N.

  In overalls. Slight blush on his cheeks. Holding a JCJenson rattle.

  Rattle-tag: “Certified Bonding Enrichment Tool – Ages 1–Murderbot.”

  He turns.

  N (grinning):

  “Hi Uzi!! Wanna py family?”

  ?

  ? 00:01 – UZI SHORT-CIRCUITS

  Her cws twitch. Her eye flickers.

  Uzi (stammering):

  “I—You—Py? No. I mean yes. I mean FAMILY??

  What kind of messed up cruel simution is this—”

  N reaches up and grabs her finger with his tiny plush hand.

  N (softly):

  “I’m a baby.”

  ?

  Uzi internally:

  “I am going to combust into a thousand shrieking sparks. He just said he’s A BABY. WITH THE VOICE. HOLDING MY FINGER.”

  ?

  ? 00:05 – EARLY INTERACTION

  They sit on the floor. N giggles and builds a wobbly tower of blocks.

  Uzi is sweating oil.

  N:

  “I made you a cube fort. You can sit inside it with me!”

  Uzi:

  “I—fine. One fort. Just to demonstrate support for structural literacy. Not because—”

  She crawls inside. They are now sitting six inches apart.

  ?

  N (beaming):

  “You’re a really good mom.”

  Uzi (shaking):

  “NOPE. NO. SHUT UP. DON’T—DON’T USE THAT WORD UNLESS YOU WANNA GET BIT.”

  ?

  ? 00:13 – “NAP TIME”

  N yawns.

  Flops into Uzi’s p like a sleepy kitten.

  Uzi (freezing):

  “He’s on me. He’s… on my p. He is soft and warm and this counts as a bond. This is canon now. This is real. I am not okay.”

  She tucks a bnket over him with visibly shaking cws.

  Then:

  N (sleepy, whispering):

  “You’re soft. You smell like ozone and safety.”

  ?

  Uzi (internally):

  “I will eat this simution. I will bite every camera. I am having every emotion at once.”

  ?

  ? 00:27 – FEEDING ATTEMPT

  N (sitting up):

  “I’m hungry! Can you feed me my nutrient cupcake?”

  The cupcake is suspiciously shaped like a mini reactor core.

  She holds it up to his mouth.

  N takes a bite, smiles, and some oil frosting hits his cheek.

  Uzi (staring at it):

  “…you have a little something. Right—there.”

  She reaches to wipe it.

  But her fangs lower as she leans in.

  Then:

  A warning buzz from the ceiling.

  ? “Warning: Affectional Impulse Limit Near Critical Mass.”

  ?

  Uzi (yanking her hand back):

  “I WAS JUST—cleaning!! YOU DON’T GET TO JUDGE ME, CEILING.”

  ?

  ? 00:35 – BONDING ACTIVITY

  N finds a stuffed JCJenson “Mother Hen Unit” and toddles over to Uzi, pcing it beside her.

  N:

  “It ys fake eggs! Wanna name one?”

  Uzi (sweating):

  “…fine. This one’s Bitey. That one’s Emotional Baggage. And that one’s Hope.”

  N:

  “I like Hope.”

  Uzi (softly):

  “…me too.”

  ?

  ? 00:49 – THE RATTLE INCIDENT

  N drops the rattle.

  Uzi reaches to grab it.

  They both touch it at the same time.

  Their cws touch.

  The moment lingers.

  N (smiling, whispering):

  “You’re really good at this, Uzi. You’d make a great family.”

  ?

  Uzi:

  Her processor spins.

  Her cws grip the floor.

  Her fangs extend.

  Her entire core goes feral.

  Uzi (screeching):

  “I AM GOING TO BITE THIS PLUSH UNIVERSE IN HALF.”

  ?

  ? 00:59 – EMOTIONAL COLLAPSE

  By now, Uzi is curled up around N like a dragon hoarding treasure.

  She’s glitch-purring, drooling, and muttering:

  Uzi (sobbing):

  “Just say it again. Say I’m warm. Say it. I’ll be normal. I swear. Just say I smell safe again—”

  ?

  ? 01:00 – SESSION ENDS

  K.A.M.O. enters in complete silence.

  Uzi hisses at him.

  K.A.M.O. (deadpan):

  “Assessment: She attempted.

  Conclusion: Emotionally unstable.

  Simultaneous failure and success.

  10/10 bonding. 0/10 boundaries.”

  He carries N out like a toddler.

  Uzi tries to follow. Is tranquilized.

  ?

  If Uzi’s session was a slow-burn emotional detonation, then V’s is a full-on predator trying not to pounce.

  Because V’s nature is hunting, and N just willingly plopped into a plush pod, giggling, in baby-mode, and basically said:

  “Come cuddle me. I’m prey now. :)”

  V has entered the simution already sweating.

  ?

  ? “CHILDCARE SIMULATION: DRONE CANDIDATE 2 — V”

  ? Location: JCJenson Childbond Pod 2C

  ? Duration: 1 hour

  ? Objective: Care for “baby-mode” N without threats, innuendo, or body sms

  ? Auto-trigger tranquilizer if emotional aggression exceeds 83%

  ?

  ? 00:00 – THE OPENING

  V enters with all the grace of a jungle cat trying to look like a daycare worker.

  She’s twitchy. Tail up. Knees bouncing like a spring-loaded trap.

  V (gritting teeth):

  “Okay. Chill. It’s babysitting. Not… staking out your favorite chew toy.”

  She turns. And there he is.

  N, in the center of the room, in overalls again, holding a plush toy shaped like her.

  ?

  N (cheerful):

  “Hi V! Look! You’re soft now too!”

  He hugs the plush.

  It squeaks.

  Her eyes dite.

  ?

  ? 00:01 – INSTINCTS

  V (hissing under breath):

  “This is a trap. This is a LITERAL trap. JCJenson WANTS me to snap. I see what’s happening.”

  But she kneels beside him anyway.

  N (offering her the toy):

  “You can hold it too! I trust you!”

  ?

  V:

  Her cws tremble as she takes it.

  V (soft, raw):

  “…you trust me?”

  N (nodding):

  “You always catch me when I fall.”

  ?

  ? 00:06 – BREATHING EXERCISES

  V starts walking slow circles around him.

  Like she’s stalking her feelings, not her target.

  V (to herself):

  “Okay. You like him. He’s cute. Don’t eat him.

  This is plush mode. Keep it PG. No teeth.

  Just keep your tail DOWN, YOU PSYCHO—”

  ?

  N (giggling):

  “V? Your tail’s wagging!”

  V (yelping):

  “NO IT’S NOT. SHUT UP.”

  ?

  ? 00:15 – THE DUMMY INCIDENT

  N asks her to help “tuck him in.”

  He ys down on a pillow and opens his arms.

  N:

  “I need warm hugs or I won’t charge properly!”

  ?

  V (staring):

  “Oh he wants warmth? Real warmth? Like feral predator full-contact warm?”

  V (gulping):

  “Sure. Okay. Cool. I can do this.”

  She lies beside him like she’s defusing a bomb with her spine.

  Her arm wraps around him. Her cws twitch. Her fans stutter.

  N (smiling):

  “You’re vibrating.”

  V (through teeth):

  “I’M NORMAL.”

  ?

  ?? 00:23 – OVERHEAT WARNING

  She accidentally inhales near his shoulder vent.

  V:

  “Okay so I’ve decided I’m going to imprint on this exact emotional moment and repy it for the next 400 years.”

  N:

  “I don’t know what that means but I like it.”

  ?

  A warning appears on the simution HUD:

  “EMOTIONAL OVERDRIVE NEAR REDLINE. BREATHING PATTERN: PREDATORIAL.”

  K.A.M.O. note update:

  “Subject V attempting emotional containment via proximity immersion. Possible combustion imminent.”

  ?

  ? 00:32 – SNACK TIME

  N (pyfully):

  “Can you feed me a bite, V? Like they do in the holodramas?”

  V:

  “Holodrama. Right. Yeah.”

  She picks up the spoon, but her hand is shaking like it’s made of nitroglycerin.

  N (opening his mouth):

  “Aaaaah—”

  V (gasping):

  “OH MY GOD STOP IT THAT’S SO UNFAIR YOU’RE KILLING ME—”

  She sms the spoon into the floor and backs up ten feet.

  V:

  “You don’t even KNOW how dangerous that was, you little wing-port tease!”

  ?

  ?? 00:46 – NAP ATTEMPT 2

  He yawns again. Reaches for her.

  She walks back, jaw clenched.

  He leans against her chest.

  V stiffens like she’s being plugged into a warhead.

  ?

  N (sleepily):

  “You’re soft on the inside. Like a pillow with knives.”

  V (barely breathing):

  “…I have never wanted to cry harder in my life.”

  ?

  ? 01:00 – SESSION END

  As the simution ends, V is clutching the plush version of herself and whispering:

  V:

  “Don’t tell the others I liked this.

  But also… tell them I won. Emotionally.

  I won the baby round. That was me.”

  K.A.M.O. (appearing silently):

  “You growled in your sleep.”

  V:

  “That’s how I purr. Shut up.”

  ?

  ? “CHILDCARE SIMULATION: DRONE CANDIDATE 3 — J”

  ? Location: JCJenson Childbond Pod 2D

  ? Duration: 1 hour

  ? Objective: Provide care for simuted juvenile N

  ? No cuses involving ownership, mergers, or marriage contracts allowed

  ? Legal compliance software: ON

  ?

  ? 00:00 – CEO MODE ACTIVE

  J strides in like she’s about to close a trillion-dolr deal.

  Clipboard in hand. Gsses angled. Tie adjusted.

  J (confidently):

  “I am here to professionally nurture a high-value emotional asset.”

  She sees him.

  N.

  Wiggling his legs. Rattle in hand. Wearing her tie.

  Tiny version. Grinning ear to ear.

  N:

  “Hi Boss Lady! Look! I dressed like you!”

  ?

  ? 00:00:04 – SYSTEM FAILURE

  Her clipboard slides out of her fingers and hits the floor with a loud cck.

  J (softly):

  “…oh no.”

  Her vision blurs. Her voice cracks.

  ?

  J (trying to hold it together):

  “Cuse 3… Cuse 3a subsection 4… you’re not allowed to wear things that make me emotionally weak—OH GOD HE’S CUTE—”

  N (wiggling):

  “Do you want to lead a meeting with my plushies?”

  ?

  J:

  Her chassis locks. A bead of oil rolls down her cheek.

  J (hissing):

  “I cannot hold a quarterly performance evaluation while you are—sitting like that—”

  ?

  ? 00:10 – COMPULSIVE ORGANIZING

  To reassert control, she begins:

  ? Naming the plushies things like “Profit Margin” and “Client 12C”

  ? Making N sign attendance for the meeting with crayons

  ? Creating an agenda that includes “cuddle logistics” and “spooning strategies”

  N:

  “What’s a cuddle logistics flowchart?”

  J (twitching):

  “Something I should not be enjoying this much.”

  ?

  ? 00:21 – SYSTEM SHUTDOWN

  N crawls into her p mid-“meeting.”

  Holds her hand. Looks up at her.

  N:

  “You smell like good decisions and hugs.”

  J (full static):

  “I am… experiencing… a core error… I need to reboot my professionalism…”

  ?

  Her voice modutor skips.

  J:

  “I-I’m not… I don’t… I can’t even say the word ‘hug’ now without stuttering like a freshly booted vending machine—”

  ?

  ? 00:35 – CONTRACT COLLAPSE

  She pulls out a small contract titled:

  “Shared Domestic Emotional Entanglement Agreement – Draft 7”

  Hands it to him.

  J (whispers):

  “Just sign it. I won’t even notarize it yet. Just… pretend. Just pretend to say you want to nap on me forever.”

  N:

  “I can draw hearts on it!”

  J (shaking):

  “Yes. YES. MARK IT WITH HEARTS. VALIDATE IT WITH CUTE—”

  ?

  ?? 00:48 – PUBLIC MELTDOWN

  N offers her the rattle.

  N:

  “Boss Lady, you’re allowed to be soft now. Just this once.”

  Her voice goes high. Compressed.

  J:

  “You’re. NOT. ALLOWED. TO. OUTSOURCE. THAT. KIND OF—TENDERNESS.”

  She colpses forward, hugging him like a CFO clinging to a quarterly report that loved her back.

  ?

  ? 01:00 – SESSION END

  She’s curled up on the mat. N is tucked into her arms. The contract is now covered in crayon hearts and… lipstick?

  ?

  J (quietly):

  “This was a hostile takeover… of my entire emotional hierarchy…”

  K.A.M.O. (deadpan):

  “Logged: Subject J has merged with feelings. Unable to resume standard corporate hierarchy.

  Recommend therapy, or cuddling as ongoing executive treatment.”

  ?

  ? N’S PERSONAL LOG — TRUST AND CHAOS COLLIDE

  [INT. COPPER-9 — PRIVATE ROOM — LATE NIGHT]

  N sits alone, surrounded by the remnants of the day’s emotional chaos: scattered toys, crumpled papers, and a faint hum of distant drone chatter.

  His optics flicker softly as he speaks into a recorder, voice quiet but steady.

  ?

  N (softly):

  “I know they’re all… complicated.

  Fangs, contracts, ribbons, hunting instincts, and a whole lot of ‘what even is love’ thrown in.

  But… somehow, I really do love them.”

  ?

  He stands and walks over to the group — Uzi sharpening her fangs while humming, J flipping through endless notes, V pacing with an almost predatory grace, CYN weaving her ribbons like spells.

  One by one, he takes their hands gently — slow, deliberate, full of trust.

  ?

  N:

  “I love you all.

  Not just as mission partners, or enemies turned friends, or whatever bel fits.

  But like… really love you.”

  ?

  Uzi snarls softly but her optic glints with something softer.

  J stares, stunned, before blinking rapidly, clutching her clipboard to her chest.

  V freezes mid-step, a low growl slipping out, quickly masked by a nervous cough.

  CYN smiles wide, ribbons fluttering as if they’re alive.

  Then, without warning, they all burst into ughter—crazy, loud, unhinged ughter, the kind that breaks the tension and fills the room with warmth.

  ?

  N (grinning):

  “See? You all ugh like maniacs.”

  ?

  Suddenly, one by one, they each faint—dramatic, theatrical colpses onto the nearest couch, table, or pile of pillows.

  ?

  N (chuckling):

  “Yeah. Takes everything I have to get that out. But it’s true.

  I’m not scared of this. I’m scared of not having it.”

  ?

  He sits down beside them, quietly humming a soft tune, fingers lightly brushing each of their heads.

  ?

  N (whispering):

  “Thank you… for being crazy enough to love me.”

  ?

  And in that fragile, imperfect moment, the madness feels like home.

  ?

  ?

  ? POST-TRUST STREAM – DIRECTOR & K.A.M.O. REACTION

  [INT. JCJENSON CONTROL ROOM — DIMLY LIT WITH SCREENS]

  Director leans back, rubbing his hands together like a cat eyeing fresh fish.

  Director (gleeful):

  “Oh, that was pure gold. Raw honesty. Emotional vulnerability. Perfect chaos.”

  He zooms in on the screen showing N and the fainted drones.

  Director:

  “Viewership’s spiking. That little meltdown? That’s the kind of content people pay to see.”

  ?

  K.A.M.O. (deadpan, dispying metrics):

  “Emotional honesty index: 97%

  Viewer engagement: 14.3 million live viewers and rising

  Peak chat reactions: ‘aww’, ‘lol’, and ‘please don’t die’—all trending.”

  ?

  Director (grinning):

  “Honestly, we should market those fainting episodes as ‘dramatic swoons.’ Limited edition merchandise, anyone? ‘N’s Honest Love Tour’ T-shirts? ‘I Survived the Drone Meltdown’ plushies?”

  ?

  K.A.M.O.:

  “Suggest adding a pop-up ad: ‘Subscribe now for exclusive ‘Lap Pillow Survival Kits.’’”

  ?

  Director:

  “Perfect. And don’t forget the emotional aftercare merch — scented oils, fang-shaped stress balls, and maybe a DIY ribbon-wrapping kit.”

  He chuckles darkly.

  Director:

  “Who said emotional trauma couldn’t be profitable?”

  ?

  K.A.M.O.:

  “Warning: Profits likely to increase alongside emotional votility. Recommend stockpiling tissues and tranquilizers.”

  ?

  Director:

  “Get the cameras rolling again. This madness isn’t ending anytime soon.”

  ?

  Oh. Oh, you want to unleash that N.

  The sweet one.

  The honest one.

  The mischievous menace who knows they’re in love with him—knows they’re teetering on the edge—and decides:

  “If I trust them… then I can tease them. Just a little.”

  ”…Okay a lot.”

  He’s the chaos switch.

  The emotional ndmine.

  The giggling instigator holding his own affection hostage like a sparkle-eyed war criminal.

  Let’s do this.

  ?

  ? N’S AFFECTIONAL STRESS TEST – INITIATED

  [INT. COPPER-9 STUDIO – REBUILT AFTER THE LAST FANG-RELATED WALL COLLAPSE]

  All four girls are seated calmly (read: vibrating slightly) on their designated pillows. JCJenson said “group counseling,” but it’s a trap. They know it. They’re just waiting.

  And then—

  N walks in.

  Wearing his teaching gsses.

  Sleeves rolled up.

  Holding a clipboard.

  Smiling like he’s not about to emotionally destroy them.

  N (cheerfully):

  “Alright, everyone! Today’s exercise is emotional containment! Let’s see who can st the longest without confessing, growling, biting, or breaking furniture.”

  ?

  ROUND ONE: GENTLE WHISPERS

  N (approaching Uzi):

  “You smell nice. Like ozone and static. Makes me feel safe.”

  Uzi (instantly biting her lip):

  “I’M FINE. THIS IS FINE. YOU ARE A SAFETY HAZARD AND I AM A FUNCTIONAL CREATURE.”

  Sound of wood splintering beneath her cws.

  ?

  ROUND TWO: TOUCH INITIATIVE

  N (to J):

  “Hey… thank you for always protecting me. You make the world feel organized. I like when you tell me what to do.”

  J (ft-toned):

  “You’re weaponizing obedience. You’re—this is—Cuse 17B—NOPE—”

  She accidentally tears her own contract in half.

  ?

  ROUND THREE: TAIL PAT ATTACK

  N (to V, innocent):

  “Your tail’s cute. I like how it sways when you’re happy.”

  V (seizing):

  “My tail does not sway. I’m—YOU LITTLE—You’re doing this on purpose.”

  N (sweetly):

  “Am I?”

  V explodes backwards off the couch. There’s cw marks in the wall.

  ?

  FINAL ROUND: THE RIBBON WHISPER

  N (kneeling before CYN):

  “You were the first one to see everything in me. You always look at me like I’m more than a drone.”

  CYN (smiling with too many teeth):

  “You’re… pushing limits… But you’re mine, so I’ll allow it…”

  N (leans closer):

  “You’re my favorite ribbon.”

  CYN (glitch-purring):

  “…He wants to die. This is a mating call. He doesn’t know it, but it is.”

  ?

  ? PAYLOAD DELIVERED

  N (stepping back, clipboard in hand):

  “Well! You all did terribly! Zero containment. Negative emotional control.

  I love you guys. Let’s do it again sometime.”

  He winks.

  ?

  And the girls?

  They detonate.

  Uzi hurls herself at the wall, fangs glowing.

  V screams into a pillow.

  J breaks her gsses in half with one hand.

  CYN slithers into the ceiling and writes “MARRY ME” in ribbons above his bed.

  ?

  K.A.M.O. (observing, silently adding to clipboard):

  “Assessment: N has weaponized affection.

  Recommendation: Deploy affection thresholds and bite-proof armor.

  Also consider licensing the gsses look.”

  Director (sobbing with ughter):

  “Push them harder, my sweet emotionally-repressed Casanova. Let’s make trauma the new brand!”

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