Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Condor’s back. Ten years ago he stood in front of me, the rain streaming down his face failing to dim the fire in his eyes. In reply to my question about why I should hold off reporting, he offered me a datacard. “Your enthusiasm gets you ...

Author: Aspen Greenwood In a world gasping under the heavy cloak of pollution, the Catalogers—scientists driven by a mission—trekked through dwindling patches of green. Among them, Maya, whose spirit yearned for the vibrant Earth imprisoned in old, faded textbooks, delved ...

Author: Janice Cyntje Alfonso stood near the podium of his community center's conference room and waivered. Although he was grateful that his niece had invited him to speak at this 12-step support group, he was nevertheless cautious of the emotional fallout from airing his ...

Author: Jennifer Thomas Get advice from three generations of Thompson women: Sara (age 90), Lydia (age 60), and Willa (age 15)! They all receive the same questions but answer independently. Today they discuss the most-asked question of the year!

Author: Jeremy Marks One morning an unfamiliar odor filled the air. Sweet at first, the scent soon reeked of rot. It was not a domestic smell but something wild: a floating carpet of flowers a few kilometers offshore. Townsfolk used spyglasses to study a mysterious group ...

Author: J.D. Rice "I remember them." My hand moves the candle with perfect precision, carefully transferring the exothermic reaction from its wick to that of the taller candle in front of me. The combustion thus spread, I place the first candle back in its holder. The ...

Author: Majoki “It’s not a case that we can’t see the fuckdam forest for the fuckdam trees,” Lipton spat as she whirled on Parrati, “because anywhere, anyhow we look at it that fuckdamn beast is waiting, ready to bite our fuckdamn heads off.” Parrati tapped slender ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Tallisandre peers at my dagger. “That’s a wicked stick you have there. I’ve never seen the like.” I hold it up so the light from the forge catches the square end of the blade, showing the third edge and double point where the ...

Author: Peter Griffiths Elsie had heard some noise in the night, but hadn’t had the energy to get out of bed to see what it was. Now she could see splatters of paint on the window pane, grey on the grey of the cold morning light. The result was obvious even before she ...

Author: Jordan Emilson “Make sure it has a name” Werner whispered to the darkened figure beside him, looming over the crib. In the blackness the room appeared in two dimensions: his, and the one his wife and child existed in across the floor. Her head turned, or at least it ...

Author: Alastair Millar “It would be fitting,” the Sardaanian said, “if you took a new name now. A human name.” “But my name has always been T!kalma,” the woman replied. “Yes,” ze replied, “but that is one of our names. Your birth people are reaching out, as we predicted. ...

Author: David C. Nutt The newbie made his way through central supply. “Why can’t I have a Prussian Blue exosuit?” I rolled my eyes. “Because you can’t.” The kid slapped the counter, my counter. “Unacceptable. You dissin’ me because I’m a noob?” I smiled. “No. I am ...

Author: Zayan Guedim Once caught by Sheriff Jeb, criminals faced a gruesome demise. Grave offenses or petty misdemeanors, all the same, he would drive them to the abandoned silver mine. Then alone he would return, with bloody clothes and a blanched face. A judge, jury, and ...

Author: Majoki As he entered the lab, no one was directly staring at Etherid, but he felt all eyes on him. No doubt because of the neon orange Hawaiian shirt and optic green shorts he was sporting. As a new hire in his first week, he’d gotten an email yesterday from HR ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Yesterday I climbed Everest with Hillary. Tomorrow I’m travelling as a passenger on the 1888 Orient Express. Today? I’ve been asked to make a presentation to you all about what we’re doing here at the Human Existence Archive. My name is ...

Author: Matthew Miehe The large hangar was where starships sat to be scrapped or bought by new owners. It’s also where Hammer-II, a blue and grey cargo cruiser, had found love. When he flew into the dock, Argus Luxury Model (serial code 11727) was the first thing he laid ...

Author: David Barber Even grandfathers fearful of paradox— in case squashing a butterfly alters the future—had no cause to fret, because the time engine emerged in low Earth orbit and just took pictures. What could go wrong? Instruments gazed down on a warm, pristine ...

Author: Bill Cox “What’s happened?” The Captain’s voice was a harsh rasp, his throat still raw from the cryo-fluid. “The ship has experienced a failure of one of the three cold fusion engines due to a catastrophic meteor strike,” the mainframe avatar replied. “We have ...