Illegal
Author: Rick Tobin “You can always get someone to do your thinking for you.” —Gordie Howe, famous hockey player “I want him off the ice. I don’t care if you have to take him out!” Patterson adjusted his dress pants over his stuffed pin-stripe executive suit. “Boss,…
read moreIntercept: PrepOne
Author: Jae Miles, Staff Writer > > At least with the second Faraday cage built as an ‘airlock’ around the entrance to the living module, burst transmissions from anything inside won’t do them any good. ‘Them’ – so imprecise. Winning wars depends on information….
read moreThe Black Knight
Author: Scott Angus Morrison The red light blinked. Twice. One half-second later, it blinked twice more. The man at the desk sat and watched: Blink-blink. Pause. Blink-blink. Pause. Blink-blink. The sequence continued. Slowly, the man reached up and flipped off three…
read moreMy Nick
Author: Jeffrey Holst I have died many times but have always been brought back. My Nick, he loves me and he always brings me back. My Nick shows me his favorite things and keeps me near him. I think that even when I have died, My Nick keeps me at his side. There are…
read moreThe Watch
Author: Denise N. Ruttan It wasn’t that Grady had an objection to the Watch, per se. She didn’t even remember the implantation procedure; she had been a baby. The procedure had left a scar, a box of raised skin on the inside of her wrist. She’d watched film of the…
read moreOnce a Robot was a Slave…
Author: Ashwin Dayal Notification. And so, rings the phone. Pounce on it and check. The Writer gritted his teeth. Darn insurance. Where was it? He had thrust his finger on the ‘Submit’ button six months ago and They could not thrust their ruddy fingers on the…
read moreTales Told To The Dread Emperor
Author: David Barber “And did they put up a fight?” the Dread Emperor asked. Around the vast ill-lit throne room, flatterers, sycophants, and the rest of the nobility tensed. After another long day – it was forbidden to eat or drink in the Emperor’s presence, or to…
read moreWildfires
Author: Shon-Lueiss Harris You expect the world will fall apart. It’s the one thing scientists, evangelicals, and politicians seem to agree on. One day, maybe in our lifetimes, it’s all going to end. Except it doesn’t just end. It starts with a kid, a bag of…
read moreTime to Sleep
Author: Jae Miles, Staff Writer “You know, I think Adolph is rightly regarded as inspirational.” Darius spins round, his expression horrified. “That’s not how I’d describe Kristallnacht, Mister Lamen!” Russ Lamen points at the screen. “Crystal-what? I mean his first…
read moreGutterfish Prime
Author: Ken Poyner I start evenings at six o’clock. Delta is usually on her porch in her shimmering yellow superhero costume. I excitedly wave and holler, “Good evening, Delta. Good day in the City?” She may not have gotten that day into the city, but she will say…
read moreMitosis
Author: Nicholas Schroeder Dr. Sellars set up the teleportation machine. He was done waiting. It was time to test it. He powered up and stepped inside. The system initiated and vibratrons filled the chamber. “Here we go.” “Countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, … System Error!” The…
read moreTill Death Do Us Part
Author: Naomi Eselojor The Earth was dying. Scientists had predicted this day would come, but they never imagined it would be this soon. Volcanoes all over the world were erupting. There was a lighting storm raging, lighting buildings, and causing a rampaging fire….
read more“And Now the News…”
Author: Nigel Anthony Sellars Aliens Announce End to Abductions ROSWELL, NM (ICUP)-In a stunning announcement today, the leaders of an interplanetary organization that kidnaps humans and subjects them to high colonic examinations said it was ceasing such kidnappings…
read moreFutures Nightmare
Author: Tom Purkiss Do you dream? You do? Oh good. I do too, I wish I didn’t, but I do. Do you have good dreams? Of home, friends, and family? Do you dream of crowning triumphs, or of wishes you’ve yet to fulfill, maybe a secret desire, or… A lover perhaps; one…
read moreBy The River
Author: Richard Albeen A different world. A different nameless town, a different nameless river. In the dimness, the water looked almost peaceful. The moon and stars danced in it through the lingering smoke of another war. It was good to be alone. The weariness in my…
read moreDead Man’s Money
Author: Jae Miles, Staff Writer “What now?” I look at Rico. “Mate, the shit just hit the fan, but it’s not immediate. Give me a moment to think, please.” Tricia slaps the back of Rico’s head. “He means back the fuck up.” Time to do like my brother taught me: mentally…
read moreGift
Author: Ken Poyner My husband has fashioned me many things of great wonder. A gryphon, our unicorn, the town’s signature basilisk. With his ability to resequence DNA and a sufficient quantity of raw living cells, there seems no end to what he can accomplish. And no…
read moreBon Appétit
Author: Alicia Yau It was entertaining to watch Chevelle busily pan-searing a lab-grown salmon fillet, cooking a bit of spaghetti, boiling a hydroponic broccoli head, and pouring a glass of wine. “Done.” “Smells good.” Before my first bite, she asked, “Can I join…
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