Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer Felix rolled out of his bunk and immediately regretted every decision he'd ever made. Well, at least those of the last dozen hours or so. The steel deck plate was cold against his feet, and he considered pressing his head against it ...

Author: Russell Bert Waters Charlie is throwing a tantrum, that’s all it amounts to. He had stumbled upon the case files; he had seen the end. A siren wails in the distance, deeper within the subterranean facility. Each Charlie we compile begins as a child, knowing ...

Author: Thomas Tilton I was five minutes late to work, which meant an extra 1/10 of a mile on my MPH for the day. But I didn’t care. It was the day after my birthday. I was nursing a killer hangover and had contemplated calling in sick, but that would mean a demerit and ...

Author: Mark Thomas The boy and his robot companion walked along the ruined wall to a school complex, as they did every morning. “Here it is,” the companion said. He pointed to a spot where the stonework changed subtly. “I still don’t see it.” The boy looked closer. ...

Author: Samuel Huang “It’s time, Ms. President.” Sarah Juanita Chen wanted to run, but a dozen secret service agents filled the Oval Office, barring every possible avenue of escape. The regal room where she had once guided the course of world events now felt like the ...

Author: Janice Rothganger This was the spot. No longer needing his compass, Jackson tucked it inside his shirt. He dropped his pack and went about setting up the campsite: pitching a tent, igniting the fire, cooking dinner. He had planned the trip right down to the number ...

Author: Tyler Hawkins Bernard gasped awake suddenly, and his eyes frantically darted around the darkened room looking for threats. Greeted only by the slow, rhythmic breathing from his wife laying next to him in bed, he focused on remembering the harrowing dream he just ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The dim room is momentarily illuminated as the door opens to admit two men in dark suits. They sit on the sofa, facing their guest across a low table. The door silently closes. The left-hand figure produces a badge that glows with a pale ...

Author: Rollin T. Gentry Moira-1403 awoke, eyes wide open, ignoring the slight feedback in her sensors. She stood next to General Sabatyn in a small cave of which she had no record. The last thing she remembered was helping the General select the Cadet of the Year in his ...

Author: Kemal Onor Arkwell sat at the kitchen table. He was looking down into his coffee cup, admiring the roll of clouds. It reminded him of fast-moving July storms, and of rain on grass fields in the country. He made no attempt to stir the liquid. The mug was still full ...

Author: Steve Smith, Staff Writer Peck met Richards at the door of the diner. They stood staring at each other without speaking for a long minute before Peck opened the door and ushered his partner inside. Gwynne was at a booth in the very back corner. There was a halo ...

Author: Vanessa Kittle Robert Stolz looked at the body on the table. The problem seemed simple. He had to get into that thing. It was only centimeters away. The best scientists in the Solar System had been working on this problem for two decades, and now Stolz was ready to ...

Author: David Henson *The distinction between past, present, and future is only an illusion.* A stranger is standing on the stoop. Ben lifts the ax and pulls it down in a smooth arc. "Cup of coffee for a wanderer?" the stranger says. As the couple eats, there's a knock. ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer John trundles the pallet truck toward the ramp. “A few of us acquired some things from Centra Medico on your behalf. Doesn’t seem right, just throwing you out.” He smiles and I hope my embarrassment doesn’t show. ‘Civil war’ is a ...

Author: David Barber The new doctor mangles my name. “What is that, Iranian? Arabic?” I have learned to be still while their thoughts congeal into language. To slow the movements they mistook for nervous tics. “Is this part of the review?” Speak slowly, so they can ...

Author : Lewis Richards Today is my 456th birthday. Growing up everyone is made to think space is a dangerous place full of Alien space pirates and impending doom, ( I'm looking at you, Sigourney Weaver). But as it happens, space is just empty. The majority of problems ...

Author: Rick Tobin “Get out of here, now!” Telerman yelled into his beleaguered colleagues’ faces over blaring dance music inside Omnia, as lights flashed around them, from above, over a vast dance floor of writhing partygoers. “Chill pill, Telerman,” Sheila Barsted ...

Author: Marcel Barker Rrrtx class destroyer Ssstnbrx hung high over Earth’s southern pole, invisible and silent. Commander Tttx read from the onyx screen in front of him. 10 Facts About Bananas Doctors Don’t Want You To Know Beneath the English text, the display ...