Author: Salvatore Difalco Clanking past the barber shop, the parking bot looked ramshackle—steel alloy and green rubber, with the jaw of a hippopotamus. “They could’ve made those things more attractive,” said Varner, a Third Grade Nonpolluter, proud of his pathological ...

Author: Mina Amaya strode down the gently curving corridor, glad she had worn her sensible heels to the reception. All the corridors at the Lublina Space Station curved gently. It made you long for straight lines and sharp, right-angled corners. She was worried and hoping ...

Author: William Sieving My cell was full of beautiful memories, when it wasn’t covered in dirt and grime. Instead of smooth stones I often felt the coarse texture of my family’s ceremonial robe, a blue and white gown that my daughter Mia had received on her eighth birthday. ...

Author: John McLaughlin Proceedings of the 31st Conference on Pre-Symbiotic Human Societies, New Ashen University "The containment hood is breached! Hello? Yes, that’s correct. There’s been a breach. Lock down the floor! I said--" The panicked voice cut out suddenly ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer There’s another muted ‘thud’. Bangstri leans its eyeball on the cool bulkhead. “How many is that?” “Seventeen, Venerated Piloting Specialist.” It rotates it’s necktacle to glare. “My appellative is Bangstri. You are to use it at all ...

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 ...