Author : Joshua Reynolds Rifles barked and Censor Wight grunted with the impact of each slug. High-velocity bullets. Unpleasant. A lucky shot had disrupted the light-bending circuitry. He continued to run, hugging his burden to his chest and weaving between the columns thrusting upward through the orange sands of Mars. Behind him the aether-troops of [...]
Author : RFK There is a 65% chance I’m thinking with you now, though your scientists believe it to be smaller if you’ve heard of me at all. Although I found you mammals late in the Cretaceous period, I was legion when the Cenozoic era began. I started with small marsupial-like rodents who later because [...]
Author : Daniel Nugent The stars shone coldly through the solar plane of the binary system XJ-22V. At a point 100,000 kilometers away from the lone planet in the system, space began to warp itself in such a way that if you looked at it, you would vomit. Which is what the grey, blast-marked ship [...]
Author : Idan Cohen The car was like lightning beneath the curve of his body, electricity and steam pumping in unholy unison to create a movement that was never meant for mortal men. Cities flashed by the windows, kaleidoscopic – Petrograd, Birmingham, Chicago, Tel Aviv, a thousand thousand more. Forests gave birth to deserts and [...]
Author : V.L. Ilian “Have you come to a decision?†The voice of the negotiator is breaking my concentration. Just like I’ve been told… it’s a fair deal but I can’t help feeling like I’m selling my soul. “Some feel that they’re selling themselves but that is simply not the case.†“But this isn’t what [...]
Author : Kate Thornborough David was able to make the transition as soon as he finished University. I’ve been in Secondary for a little more than seven years. I should have undergone the transition years ago. If only my brain was faster. Everyone else in my compound can perform advanced math and equate many species’ [...]
Author : Allen McGill LEADER was about to impart; hoards of followers pressed toward the sanctified podium in the domed plaza, along the warren of tunnels leading from it, and on every crag and terrace where the stentorian resonance could be felt. The silence of static thousands was tangible, pressing on the epidermal layers, smothering. [...]
Author : L. Hall Martin’s hand waved lazily at the string of scented smoke that hung in the air. The tent smelled of sand and hot breezes, mixed with heady aromas of spices and metal. The mines on Cypress 304 provided the Wan Military with their massive ships, but the aboriginal people provided the metal. [...]
Author : Patricia Stewart Space Colony Delta was the largest manned spacecraft in history. It was a three-mile in diameter donut that rotated in the most stable location in the Earth-Moon system, the Lagrange L4 position. The population of 12,176 souls lived and worked in the six Habitat Sections that were equally spaces around “The [...]
Author : V.L. Ilian With only a beep the small wrist recorder came to life extending its minute sensors. “Casefile 2501 /12– Primary analysis of crimescene. Hello Neko… what do we have today?†A rather tall man in a containment suit approached. “Well detective, we’ve finished setting up the stasis field in the alley. Victim [...]
Author : Rollin Jeglum “Sam, would you check the sensor detection module? Some of the readings are scrambled.†“Sure, no problem. Any specifics?†“Try the logic board in slot A3. I’ve switched to backup already.†– – – – – – – - Mining engineer Dean Jenkins stepped out of his transporter and surveyed the [...]
Author : Martin Spernau I was in deep trauma when I first met her. They had suspended me from active duty after cutting me from the remains of my fighter six days after the battle in deep void. Recreation! But the war wasn’t over! It was my duty to fight, to protect humanity! “You are [...]
Author : Aelanna Cessara Within a fraction of a second of its birth, it had already consumed its environment in its entirety, every last nook and cranny and crack available to it, and already it hungered for more. With blinding speed, it expanded, met the barrier that had meant to hold it while performing tests, [...]
Author : S. Clough (Hrekka) “…you see, the Commonwealth is actually a net exporter, primarily of unprocessed ores and foodstuffs…” Michael Struss was the regional ambassador for the Nomad Republic. His job had been easy in the past, just a simple admin job on a backwater world. But it had grown into a nightmare ever [...]
Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Marcus leaned, hands shoulder width apart on the pipe steel railing, looking down upon his brothers vacated domain. He’d been gone three weeks, and yet the tear inside was as raw now as it had been when the call had finally come from the hospital. Eleven minutes separated them [...]
Author : Benjamin Fischer For her display of courage of the highest order in the defense of Mother Diana, Mariel was given a promotion and command of the newest space station in all of Luna’s territories. There were still bullet holes and bloodstains on the bulkheads, and the paint hadn’t even dried on the signs [...]
Author : Duncan Shields It wasn’t the blood or their still-staring eyes that did it. It was the smile I could feel fading on my cheeks. My throat hurt like I’d screamed myself hoarse and the muscles in my face hurt like I’d been laughing for hours. Everyone in the department was dead except for [...]
Author : Lauren L. Wheeler I walk to the front door, rubbing sleep out of my eyes. “Hello?” I say, trying to look through the peephole, but it’s so dark, I can’t make out anything. And now everything’s silent. It’s 3:14 in the morning, so everything should be silent. In fact, I’m not even sure [...]
Author : Pyai (aka Megan Hoffman) Three years and two continents later, they reunited in an airport in Nairobi. As far as airports go, it was one of the worst they could have picked. The dust blew in and aluminum clusters of waste rolled into the traps the homeless set up to catch the scrap [...]
Author : V.L. Ilian The vault doors closed unceremoniously under the gaze of thousands. The sound of the heavy machinery could still be heard for a few moments but people turned away from the massive gates. On the platform stood several men whose faces everybody knew. “Ladies and gentlemen, our benefactor…” the sounds of applause [...]
Author : Josh Romond “One more time. CAN ANYONE HEAR ME?†“Ugh, would you please STOP already?†“H-hello?†“Did it ever occur to you that simply no one’s interested in what you have to say?†“You can hear me! You can hear my thoughts!†“For quite some time now, actually. You’ve practically been on non-stop [...]
Author : Benjamin Fischer “Begging,†and the cop practically spat the word, “is not allowed in Silver City.†Nelson grinned and shook his plastic cup. It jingled, filled with a motley collection of transit tokens, poker chips, and low-end credit vouchers. The cop growled at him. “If you’re saying it’s illegal, I’m saying you’re wrong,†[...]
Author : Patrica Stewart The little boy was sitting in a chair that was clearly designed for an adult. His feet, which didn’t quite reach the floor, swayed back and forth like two tiny crisscrossing pendulums. His arms were wrapped tightly around some sort of red stuffed animal as his saucer-like eyes darted around the [...]
Author : Joshua Reynolds A little flare. Just a flash on the other side of the sun, our sun, and it was gone. That was when we knew it had escaped. We made it in a generator the size of a grown man’s thumb. Just a little thing, a little spark. But it was a [...]
Author : Jinque “How much further is it, sweetheart?” from the backseat of the car, Mitchell stroked his hand across baby Willow’s tiny head, slightly mussing her soft black hair. “At least two hours. The traffic ahead looks even worse than it has been. Curse you for suggesting we travel on a holiday.” From the [...]
Author : Kenny R. Brown “Hello there; it’s so nice to see you!” The door slid open noiselessly on a set of hidden tracks. The old man gestured expansively, welcoming his guest. “I’ve been hoping that you would visit for quite a while now. I’ve hardly had any company at all since… I can’t even [...]
Author : C. Hale After the Organ War, Jerald was called the Last Donor. An odd title for sure, considering that he was actually the first to do a lot of things. Most importantly, he was the first to figure out that we were nothing but walking organ banks being raised by families rich enough [...]
Author : Jeff Deignan As I floated, I thought to myself, “Poems end this way.†It was easy enough, in the beginning. People expected thieves to use lasers, the sonic tech, or even small atomics for holdups, and security would check for that sort of thing. Security would not, however, expect a black powder pistol [...]
Author : J.R.Blackwell, Staff Writer “I just can’t believe they dumped me!” Relex squealed into the Audio Tube. “Relex, Silkstring, Bloodpuff, you have to calm down.” Relex mothers voice chimed evenly through the Audio Tube. “It’s been three sun cycles now, and you need to start the process of healing, move on, maybe try to [...]
Author : Dustin Neal I had just rested my head on Billy’s shoulder when he asked me if I “believed.” Looking up into the cold, starlit sky, I didn’t stumble long with my response. “Yeah, Billy, I believe in God.” His eyes grew fierce as he pushed my head off of his warm, flannel shoulder. [...]
Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer The air was heavy with the stench of decay and turbulent with dust. The walls reverberated with the sound of treads biting into the war torn asphalt outside. A man half crouched and half ran from one shattered row house to the next through holes broken in walls and [...]
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