Author : Philip Berry "Just see what you can do with it Tak, if you'd be so good. No great urgency." muttered Johnson, Alec Tak's immediate superior in the Office of Colonies (First Wave). The buff folder landed on Alec's desk with a slap and lay there like an unclaimed ...

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer My eyes were the first to go. They'd been deteriorating since my mid thirties, and after a bacterial infection in my early forties I couldn't focus on anything anymore. I had coverage, so I had them replaced. I remember the change ...

Author : David Henson Ro and Ju are holding hands on a platform under a busy leviway when a sparrow lands nearby. Ro releases Ju's hand, draws his DeathRay, and fires. The sparrow glows brightly, then disappears. "Nice shot," Ju says. Ro steps back and shoots her in the ...

Author : Joseph Lyons A few years ago I was lucky enough to land a reasonably well paid job. Like most well paid jobs in this system it meant not great work in a not great place. It was a mining facility on an uncomfortably hot but habitable planet. We were encouraged to ...

Author : Jules Jensen He looked like the most average business man in the world. He even carried a briefcase in one hand. I wondered if he packed away a pitchfork or angel wings or horns or a halo in that thing. These days, no one could tell if they were selling their soul ...

Author : D.J. Rozell Liam’s eyes wandered down the conference table of potential investors calibrating what level of formality would be perceived as both confident and competent. “OK, so there are many dating apps available. Some of them even make money. However, they all ...

Author : Suzanne Borchers The black button seemed to sneer from its instrument panel at the two technicians facing each other with their hands resting on either side of it. They were the only two humans left on the warship. Neither had tasted battle with the aliens. They ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer 4740952167146306075469716387943171296873484638738184656751279298575016363416314627530498019135646823804328970695760150789349728658035712790913767420805651462- “What’s this? A smartgun? How long has this been here?” ENDCALC DEL ...

Author : James Machell Having sampled manna, which fell from Heaven and was enjoyed by Moses in the desert, picked dates from a batch given to the Prophet Mohammed, Derek Lockerby, restaurant critic, was determined to taste the wine, transformed after the wedding at ...

Author : Joseph Lyons “Good morning Mr…Ogden. I’m nurse Shaw, I’ll be your mod operator today. What can I do for you?” “I’m here for my girlfriend.” “Ok, perhaps I can interest you in the sensitivity package.” “No, no, no, no thank you. She says I'm sensitive ...

Author : J.D. Rice The last camel died at dawn. Doctor Peterson and the other survivors worked quickly to salvage what meat they could from the corpse, then pressed on into the desert. Unending waves of sand rose and fell ahead of them, ripples of heat pulsing from the ...

Author : Joseph Lyons “Hi, I’m Evan.” I introduce myself to the first lady to sit opposite me. “Clarissa.” We shake, left handed so she can purposefully check my bio-clock. She's nice enough to make polite small talk for the duration. Shame she has no interest I think as ...

Author : Kate Runnels Issa steered the wasp closer to the distant speck in the sky. A flash of light off metal had sparked her attention. It was an Airship, but whose? Dodoma City hadn’t had a good haul in months. They wouldn’t tangle with a Royalty cruiser. But if it ...

Author : Melannie Jay I ran a thumb over the milky flesh of my inner forearm, marvelling at what Mark had done to me. What used to be a knotted mess of puckered flesh had been made smooth again, without even a silver sliver to indicate what had happened three months ago in ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer That’s a Keilvogel up there. I recognise the contrail: a centre line triple the size of the flankers. This world has such a glorious sky. I’ve never really taken the time to appreciate it, but as I’m lying in a swamp of blood and oil that ...

Author : James Hunter Joe Miller stood silent in his dressing room. He was set to take the biggest stage of his life, yet he felt no nerves, no butterflies, he felt dead to the world. Joe “Knuckles” Miller had wanted to be a pro fighter his entire life. He had done well ...

Author : Matthieu C. R. Cartron Funny that they called her a mother, for she had neither sons nor daughters. Ancient but lively, she was as old as all of those who had been created alongside her. Every day she would look around, slowly, to watch her neighbors, hoping that ...

Author : Mark Adel I felt the urge to write speculative fiction. But I couldn’t. So I swallowed a nil pill. Still I couldn’t. So I swallowed another nil pill. Then I couldn’t remember my name. But when my fingertips touched the keyboard I realized I was sitting in the ...