ACT I – SCENE II: “Drop Point Echo” (REVISED)

EXT. DERELICT INDUSTRIAL ZONE – NIGHT

The Fiat creeps through an abandoned warehouse district, headlights scanning rusted gates and broken signage. An automated checkpoint buzzes open with a stuttering hum. The delivery point glows faintly on his dashboard map: a fenced lot marked with a red X.

The Driver kills the engine.

He opens the glovebox. Inside: a sleek black case, unmarked, with a pulsing red light on one side. He picks it up like it might bite him. It hums faintly — too high to hear, but enough to feel in the bones.

A motion sensor activates on the lot. A mechanical arm rises from the ground, scanning him in quick vertical pulses. He holds the case forward.

“DELIVERY CONFIRMED. CR3DITS ISSUED: 400.”

The mechanical arm extends. A small hatch opens in its base. He slides the package in.

For a second, nothing happens.

Then the screen flickers again — a glitch. His HUD displays an error:

“TRANSFER ERROR. PACKAGE REMAINS IN TRANSIT.”

He blinks. The arm retracts anyway. The hatch closes.

“Delivery complete,” the Boss’s distorted voice echoes again — this time, almost amused.

The mist thickens.

He gets back in the car. Stares into the middle distance.

On the radio, Midnight City plays softly again — unprompted. He didn’t queue it up.

Suddenly: A flash of memory.

FIGHTER SIM – A PUNCH CONNECTING. Crowd noise. A coach’s voice yelling.

BACK TO DRIVER. He grips the wheel tighter. Breath shaky. He doesn’t know why.

The HUD blinks.

“New mission loading…”

He pulls away.

Above him, the monolith construction site looms. The mist coils upward like it’s watching.