Author : J.D. Rice The worn grandfather clock stood idly in the corner, looking out of place against the stale, concrete wall. Its slow and steady ticking echoed quietly around the room, breaking up the silence between the room's two occupants. Sitting behind a white-washed ...

Author : Michael Holt "This gives a whole new meaning to the term peep show don't you think?” said, Trayden. "Mr. Rice while we enjoy your humor you really must get your rest, we have some more tests for you tomorrow." said the intercom above the doorway. "I really ...

Author : Kent Rosenberger “It’s happening,” announced Saul Quick from two minutes ago. “Is everybody ready? We’re only going to get one pass at this.” “Who cares?” sniped Saul Quick from sixty-six years ago, his grungy concert shirt in terrible need of a wash. “What does ...

Author : Russell Bert Waters Let me be clear: there is reality, even when there is not. What I am writing here exists. It is both linear and classical. It is on paper, and it is not. It’s on paper if you print it. But you cannot, with certainty, proclaim that ...

Author : Matthew J. Beckman The Deputy stood in front of the patched screen door, staring down at Danny Willis. Moths flickered around the porch light. “Were you up there three nights back? In the canyon?” Danny licked his chapped lips. A moth landed on the side of the ...

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer “So why’d you join the off-world diplomacy exchange?” buzzed Zazzy through his translator. His mandibles glistened and his iridescent bright-purple eyestalks waved back and forth like windshield wipers in a light rain, scanning my face. ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer Jolla looks toward the setting sun: “A million light years from home and we still instinctively count ‘one’, ‘two’, ‘three’, ‘four, ‘lots’. Our territories are virtually limitless, yet our minds still consider a horizon as the end of the ...

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Kanárek walked a few paces ahead of the squad, weapon in the low ready position. He talked back to Caufield, the squad leader, as they advanced, glancing back only occasionally to see if she was paying attention. "It's bad enough they ...

Author : R.D. Harris Do you want to get away, but don't have the money? Look no further than your friends at TeleGo! Our state-of-the-art teleporters are cancer-free and stress-free. No muss, no fuss. Choose any of our models for you trip. We offer the TeleGo 86, 87, and ...

Author : Christina Dalcher You have to bid right in these things. Too low, you wake early; too high, your money is lost. No refunds, no exchanges, all sales are final. The first decisions are made on the outside, when the surgeon wears white and not green, when talk is of ...

Author : Kate Runnels The monkey tattoo stared at Zim. Forever frozen as it climbed a tiny branch. All it did was stare at him. No, that wasn’t quite right. It had started something else. It questioned him. -Why am I here?- Zim had gotten the tattoo long ago. Too ...

Author : Olivia Black, Staff Writer The entrance to the tunnel was much less circumspect than we expected. Had to have walked past it at least three times before we found it. I wasn’t sure how Birdie even knew about this place, and I wasn’t sure I wanted to. It was miles ...

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer "So when's your kill frenzy?" asked the giant, barbed Tark beside me. His name was Jant. We were both assigned to navigation in the starship. It was our first day. He had hundreds of holes in the back of his uniform to accommodate his ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer Getting used to sleeping while your body moves is the hardest thing about exoskeletal operations. Right now, I’m tail-end Charlie in a forty-man column accompanying a trio of Big Dogs lugging the payloads for tonight’s test. Above us, a ...

Author : David Henson I notice the message in the sky as I'm going into Eat-A-Lot mart -- COMING SOON. I figure it's a vapor-trail promo, but when I come out, the words are still there. By the time I get home, not a single letter has frizzed. Looking more closely, I see the ...

Author : Russell Bert Waters ...fireworks exploding, the smell of sulphur… ...sliding off the road on a slushy day… ...first kiss, soft, lights of the city in the distance… ...fighting, bloody nose, principal blocked by a crowd of kids… ...nervous job interviews, too ...

Author : Adam Fout Her hut is digitized light. They are coming for her. Her prayers to the netGODS continue. But there will be no deliverance. She has heard the whispers. She has seen the dissention. Her daughter screamed at her this morning. "Go." "Go!" "You must ...

Author : Olivia Black, Staff Writer The clinic is smaller than Joan expected. The surgical lighting and immaculate white surfaces make the space feel less claustrophobic, but it doesn’t do much to settle her nerves. Truth be told, she’s not entirely sure what she’s doing ...