Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer There was a door at the end of the Science wing that Malcolm had never opened, not in the decade or so he'd been at the university. He'd assumed it was a mechanical room, or something similar, but tonight there was a light on. Had the door ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer There's a fine line between genius and insanity, they say. As the same pundits keep hailing me as a genius, it's not as flattering as they seem to think. "Mister Elloiuse, could we get a quote for our feature? It would go over so ...

Author: Hillary Lyon Finn took his little sister Hazel by the hand. “Don’t be scared tonight. All those ghoulies and ghosties—they’re really holograms.” Since Holo-Monsters Inc. began selling their hologram monsters to the public, everyone wanted one for their Halloween ...

Author: Dr. Nagireddy R Sreenath The notification appeared at 3:47 AM: FINAL CONSCIOUSNESS BACKUP COMPLETE. Amara stared at her phone, hands trembling. Tomorrow—today, technically—she will undergo the procedure. Her biological brain, riddled with an inoperable tumor, ...

Author: Alicia Cerra Waters The current of the river surged in silvery waves, rushing over rocks jagged enough to turn bones to dust. It roared, quiet as any monster. Anyone could go backwards in time if they were brave enough to jump in with a conduit. I kept telling ...

Author: Alzo David-West Today, my face fell off. It has a habit of doing that sometimes, but it doesn’t really bother me. Have you ever wondered why your face doesn’t fall off? I have a headache once in a while. It comes and goes, so I scratch my temple. That’s usually ...

Author: Majoki His friend Leonard had warned him that Ms. Carraway conducted her business very differently, but he’d insisted she was an extraordinary travel agent. “What has brought you here?” That was a complicated question for Travis Kite. So many things: his ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Shess comments into the mike. “Are you not bored with blowing stuff up?” Ralf hollers back. “Aw hell no. What else is there to do out here on a weekend?” I hear Shess whisper. “Watch the stars, drink, eat, play Konane…” Far to our ...

Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer Kurtis woke into near darkness, which itself was unusual. Oh four hundred on the button, his body clock having sync'd to local time when he got here a few days ago. His bloodstream was already coursing with adrenaline and the usual cocktail ...

Author: Philip Ekstrom She walked into the donut shop looking like a daffodil. Yellow blouse, light green slacks, standing straight and tall with a quiet presence that looked the world straight in the face. She stepped aside to let others pass as she scanned the room. Her ...

Author: Richard Simonds John Jorgensen had won. No other word for it. He was the richest, most powerful man in the world. Shares of SuperAI had gone up 500% the day before as they had finally cracked the super intelligence barrier and released the code to the public. What ...

Author: Sandra Meaders Tatiana crept out through the night with a green pack on her back and a gun in her hand. The gun felt heavy and rigid. Her fingers streamed with sweat despite the cold air whipping at her long blond hair. She placed the gun down and pulled out a black knit cap from ...

Author: Alastair Millar “How many victims?” This was the fifth case in under a month, and Commissioner Jones was apparently taking an interest; he’d come down to the scene in person. “Four, sir. Three here, one in the consulting room,” said the keen but clearly nervous ...

Author: Alzo David-West While wars were burning, flowers were growing. *** No one had paid much attention to the small comets that had landed on the fringes of Eurasia, North America, and the Middle East in the midst of the ruptures and revolts that were dividing and ...

Author: Mark Renney It is difficult now for Jess to pinpoint exactly when the other one began to take hold but it had been years, at least five and maybe even more, since the visitor first arrived, appearing in her head, determined to see through her eyes and to take ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer “Why thank you, Susan. Happy to be here. You’re very kind, and one of the few to express my troubles so gently.” “Yes, I can see the reply streams. There’s some lag, but I’m not one for quick banter at the best of times, so it’s no ...

Author: R. J. Erbacher I was holding hands with the ‘alien’ as we walked through the forest. I had been dating her for the past three weeks now and even though I had seen her naked she wouldn’t sleep with me. She was stunning beyond compare and I really wanted to be with ...

Author: Aubrey Williams “So, anyway, I’m afraid I’m still going to have to kill you.” The Astronaut’s expression would have read puzzled and disappointed as he sat on the edge of the asteroid’s crater, if he wasn’t wearing a reflective visor. The green, long-snouted ...