Author: Steve Pool "I...I just wanted you to know...that I'm...planning on upgrading to the latest ePhone...." "Was it something I did?" "No! No. No, you've been great...really great. It's just that...that...the new version has a better camera, and...." "I ...

Author: John McLaughlin Trevor waited in the Jump Box. Grey electrodes threaded from his scalp and bobbed like Medusa's curls as he amped himself up on electronica. I really need this A, he thought. The Lander sat at the stage's opposite end, in an identical translucent ...

Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer Darlene remained in her body through dinner, Jocelyn having prepared Osso Buco, and a strawberry flan for dessert, so it was worth listening to Arnold's self-indulgent rantings about his business to enjoy the food in person. She uplifted ...

Author: J Frank Wright A change. An accident. A disconnect. A revelation. There’s a signal in the signal. The television signal. The method had changed, but the name remained the same. It was comfortable. People liked comfortable. People liked things that made them ...

Author: Tori Morrow Like the other adults in our neighborhood, mom and dad blew their brains out the night the pods arrived. I always thought that was too harsh for you to know, but in the year I’ve been awake, I’ve become close friends with Natalie, the Chief Science ...

Author: Michael Michailidis I could never forget those mice. It was the way they looked at me behind their glass tank on that first day when I administered the new substance. Their eyes, as black as pinheads and about the same size were fixed on some invisible point behind ...

Author: Roger Ley He was enjoying his day off, after a hectic week starting a new job in a new city. The taxi drew up next to him as he was walking downtown. An old, pale looking man leaned out, he seemed familiar, perhaps he’d been on the interview panel a month ago. “We ...

Author: David Henson I was getting ready for school when suddenly there was a bright flash. I looked out the window and was surprised to see a clear, blue sky. Before I could think much about it, I heard a headline on my transistor radio — “New computing machine discovers ...

Author: Philip Berry “So, you’re saying it was nothing to do with you?” Malkex put his face an inch from Programmer Nik Billin’s sweaty brow. “Yet by your own account, you knew the code better than anyone in the solar system. The two statements don’t go Billin.” “I knew ...

Author: Matt Cowan It is not unheard of for a subject in Our care to die: We look after so many, and the rigours of interstellar travel affect each species differently. When it happens, We always try to follow local custom, to ensure the remains are disposed of in the ...

Author: John McLaughlin Dr. Jan Gorlick retrieved a new Synthetic from the docking bay, guiding the naked man by the hand as they ambled slowly to the center of the lab. There, he tapped two keys in succession and his console beeped. Coolant escaped from the chamber before ...

Author: Martin Berka Alma sobbed over the bed, oscillating between wails and shrieks until the exasperated surgeon ushered her to his small office at the back of the ICU. He offered her a seat, eased the door closed to spare his assistants’ ringing ears, and maneuvered a ...

Author: Lisa Jade It always takes a few moments to remember where I am. As I wake from a fitful sleep, my eyes fixed on the inside of the tank, it comes back to me. What this place is. What I agreed to. What life is like now. When the System boots up there’s a kick ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer There’s a dark atmosphere here on the hill, which is a sad achievement: with modern lighting and the city sparkling below, the Governor’s place is usually the brightest spot. Until Maleshi brought the ruckus to the docks and Grunhilde ...

Author: Mina No corporeal mind could comprehend the Cloud in their base form. Looking directly at them was like looking at the Milky Way but from a vantage point many light years closer to the centre than the Earth could claim to be (hence the unoriginal designation for ...

Author: Palmer Caine. “Have you heard about Lauren?” the fat thing asked, “Apparently your old partner, as wonderful as she is, has upset everyone, dealing to all sides...apparently.” Grottman scratched his flabby, floppy head. Felix smiled. He knew about Lauren’s ...

Author: Alzo David-West Wind blew over the plateau. The sky was a desolate faded blue. A woman with tangled black hair rode a slow-moving horse, a travois with a bundled load drawn after it. She wore a hide shawl and carried a broken spear. Her feet were bare and ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer “That’s it. Let the colours soothe you. So easy. Relax. It’s all here. Anything you need to be concerned over, everything you must have. There’s nothing you need to fear because we’ll tell you if there is. No, don’t worry. You’re not ...