Author: Elena Tosato My visor kept flagging gaps: from timestamp T+19:43:12 onward, my sensors had gone dark. The system had filled the void using Steve and Ian's data, which were both intact. Yes, sir. The implant reconstructed my memories from backups, but my sensors ...

Author: Majoki Alice reread the last lines on the financial journalist’s blog: "The debt-pocalypse, the credit crash, is coming. Unless." Unless. It was almost too perfect. Unless. That tantalizing conjunction of possibility. But, there was no more possibility for this ...

Author: Colin Jeffrey As Janet walked the familiar path to the simulation chamber, the stainless steel walls reminded her of the morgue where she’d viewed his body. The technician at the front desk barely looked up from his crossword as she approached. “Twenty ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Joel enters the meeting room to find everyone gathered. “Good morning. Now, I know details about yesterday’s attacks are going to take weeks to formalise, but I have a lot of powerful people with no worthwhile understanding of the ...

Author: Logan S. Ryan They landed and attacked faster than we could name them. They flattened armies like moist clay. They didn’t swarm the skies with high-tech ships or storm our streets with laser rifles. Our extermination wasn’t cinematic at all. They just rolled over ...

Author: Starlight “But its so gross down there, Dad,” complained Ziggy with an exaggerated pout on her face. “I’m sure Arcturus doesn’t mind,” I replied, my tone sounding less reassuring and more irritated than I wanted it to be. Shatter was going to be on in less than ...

Author: Aubrey Williams Mr. Huang, the wrinkled proprietor of Best Dumpling House, always told his employees that life was a scam. “Everyone pretends.” He’d said it so many times that people were surprised the words hadn’t engraved themselves on his cracked and ...

Author: Bill Cox There was a moment, in his dream, when he realised that he was no longer alone. It brought such comfort to him, this other presence, that he shed a tear, understanding, up until that moment, how truly alone he’d been in this world. The strong emotion ...

Author: Hillary Lyon The entire planet watched the otherworldly broadcast of the gyrating bipedal creature. Seeing that when he crooned the females swooned, the males adopted his sartorial style as a mating strategy. It not only worked, it changed everything. For the first ...

Author: Majoki A banquet at the regency was not to be missed, especially for an enshrinement. Fervent loyals regaled their regent with cheers at the sight of the opened tins and unsealed pouches on the repurposed tablatures. Yes, the cybersiege had been a humiliating ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The alarm goes off again. Helen rolls over and swats at it, scoring a hit that sends it backwards off the bedside cupboard, still beeping until it hits the floor with an ominous cracking sound. She sits up. That phone’s not even a month ...

Author: GJ Welsh Sarah was like all the other estate agents, as was her fate. “Pristine, you can see she has had a bit of work done. But she has solid bones and great resale value.” Every house they saw came with a matching real estate agent, in matching skirting and ...

Author: Colin Jeffrey If there's anyone who knows more about aliens than Dreagle Fungebiskit, I'll eat my hats. He's what you'd call an authority on all the extraterrestrial beings, their habits, and motivations. And I don't say that lightly – he's only got a bunch of ...

Author: R. J. Erbacher The up-arrow light dinged off and the doors slid open as I stepped onto the elevator at my office building, early for work, as usual. There was one person in the car standing in the exact center. That was strange because this was the lowest floor and ...

Author: Mark Renney Warren’s specialty was to reshape the facts, he was a manipulator of the truth. Apart from the burning desire to be incredibly wealthy he had no interest in politics or economics and was unhindered by conscience or ethics. Perhaps this was why he was the ...

Author: Amanda Fetters You scramble against the upholstery. “What are you doing?” —Hold still. “No, really. What are you doing.” —Making a copy. Stop squirming. We could have been done by now. “A copy of what?” —Your ≹§. “My…?” —It’s not a great ...

Author: Majoki Cloudfall almost killed him. He’d arrived on Verdant during thirdcycle when the sudden burst of water and biomass knocked him off his feet and sent him sluicing down into the Well. Only the Mistery had saved him. One of the chanters saw his tell-tale ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The sun beats down mercilessly upon dunes and cliffs, turning the scene to shades of gold scattered with tan shadows. Across this starkly beautiful landscape, a series of small, sandy divots lie where the breeze has not blown them back to ...