Author : Anamarija Slatinec An oppressive light is shining into my face and it jolts me out of my sleep. A thought hits me hard before my eyes are even open. “It’s Inspection Day” I say aloud. Every month it feels like it has come around sooner than the last. You start ...

Author : Charles Paul Wallace The microscope sat on Lena's desk exactly where she'd found it. It had been there when she got home from school. Her mother just looked at her blankly when asked where it had come from. It was grey, a clunky thing with an adjustable dial on ...

Author : Samuel Stapleton “Megan! Sweetheart! You’re on time!?” “Not here to chat.” She hissed as she paraded in. “I know, I know. I’ve got your new look ready, stand still please.” She complied as best she could, but every now and then quivers of excitement would ...

Author : Russell Bert Waters Their Emperor once conquered vast expanses; like Genghis Khan, who cried when he ran out of lands to conquer. But the Tar don't cry. They don't hear, see, or speak. Their home planet was a silent and dark place. No vibrations, no ...

Author : Hillary Lyon The old woman leaned over the tombstone, and wiped the flat screen embedded in the front. It was grimy from exposure to the elements, but with a few gentle, conscientious strokes with her handkerchief, came clean. She sighed wearily, stepped back, and ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer The sub-tropical jungle steams in the sultry afternoon heat as the sun reappears after the mini-monsoon. Sapping humidity returns. Two figures appear: the leader moving with the ease of long familiarity with the terrain, the follower ...

Author : C. James Darrow Human? Yes, my friend? I feel. . .different. The old man cleared his throat and looked up from his desk. We’ve been over this, my friend, you are a machine. You do not feel. Not yet. The machine had been in the shadows, playing with ...

Author : Jules Jensen “John. What is that sound?” There was a moment of tension as John’s mother, still wearing her hospital scrubs, sat at the head of the table. John heard the noises. Little high-pitched squeals and miniature explosions, muffled but obviously coming ...

Author : Suzanne Borchers The hot breeze whispered through the sparse vegetation around their home. Heat waves rose choking Sybil’s lungs with the acrid fumes. She knelt on bruised painful knees in her garden and began digging up tufts of clay with her torn fingernails ...

Author : Philip Berry Dropping out of purple clouds into a thin brown layer of wind-scour, Gess identified the Pinnacle City, capital of Fenlan Found. Waves of refraction formed pulsatile auras around the high, glass-clad buildings, making them warp in the relentless ...

Author : David K Scholes “Did you hear that K1983441 was beaten at chess by a, ah___,” J3343578 hesitated for just a moment, “by a, ah ___ human being.” Somehow she managed to make the word sound quite dirty. I made a computer note that her diplomacy chip might need an upgrade. No humans ...

Author : Jules Jensen His sword vibrated painfully when it made contact with the thick-skinned creature that towered over him. It clawed at him with a hand large enough to engulf his whole body if he let it. He dodged to the side as the creature lunged again, huge black ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer “What is that which burns like the star had a child?” “Terra of Sol Three, my bairn. Its residents called it ‘Earth’. It was beautiful.” “Why does it burn, pata?” “They had the war they said they’d never have.” “That seems ...

Author : David Henson "Sign here, human, to give us permission." A titanium alloy finger taps the document they've put in front of me. Here we go. "Permission?" "Yes, just sign here." Tap. I look over the paper, but everything is written in robotistic lingo I can't ...

Author : Samuel Stapleton I get very tired of the color blue. But other than that, I have no complaints. Well okay. One. I work on a synthetic farm you see. A portable pod anchored in the ocean. The company grows synth plankton, krill, shrimp, crabs, fish, and even a ...

Author : Samuel Stapleton “Hey Doc,” I said as I leaned into the recliner. “Ian, so good to see you again. I hope everything is relatively okay. Why am I seeing you today?” She said softly. “Straight to the point, huh?” “You and I know each other well enough, I ...

Author : C. James Darrow “If you think you are ready for this race, I assure you—you are not.” That had been the first thing out of the host’s mouth in quite some time since they arrived planet-side. But now the cameras were rolling and his charisma resurfaced in the ...

Author : B.York, Founding Writer Knowledge is power. Carved into the stone next to her in an elegant font as Maisy slumped back against the structure to catch her breath. Salty tears drew down her cheeks. She stretched out her hands and observed the fingers ...