Author : Leanne A. Styles I woke, squinting through the harsh dawn light; the girl’s bloodied face emblazoned on my brain. It was always the same girl, from the Whirlpool galaxy. I couldn’t remember which planet. They all blurred into one. Like the battles. The ...

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer The elevator descended to the hospital basement, and she followed the orderly through the open doors and down a pale green hallway. He was speaking, but she listened instead to the hum of the overhead fluorescent lights, and her heels ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer “Have you seen what they do? Have you?” He’s right in my face, so I priv-jolt him and uplink for a Poliz. To my surprise, he drops to one knee and bows his head: “Ow! Chica, you didn’t have to zap me.” I take a step back: “Too much ...

Author : Olivia Black, Staff Writer “What is wrong with that cat?” Jacob grumbled under his breath what was easily the millionth time. All morning the furry creature had been meowing like something was very wrong in the world. He didn’t get it. The thing had food, fresh ...

Author : Aaron Koelker Two Cardinalis cardinalis, the northern cardinal. Five Zenaida macroura, the mourning dove. One Toxostoma rufum, the brown thrasher. And the highlight of the excursion – one Pandion haliaetus, an osprey! I couldn’t wait to tell Maria, but for now I ...

Author : Mark Cowling I had Dad drop me off at the rear of the complex. Last time I didn't know better and rolled up to the front, got swarmed by the news-crews and the paps and like a thousand screaming fanboys. It was super embarrassing to be driven there by my parents, ...

Author : Anthony Tedeschi "Okay, so look – I don’t do nitrous anymore." Sirius Dunbar whispered through a weaseled grin. He sat on the splintered wooden floor within the cabin of the flying fortress. Around the crooked table, littered with disheveled playing cards and open ...

Author : Alicia Cerra Waters We were lost in the desert on Omega, sitting under one of those skeleton trees, slowly drying out like everything else around us. They call Omega the first and the last; the first planet from its galaxy’s sun, and the last planet anyone would ...

Author : Priya Chand, Featured Writer I put two bottles and two cards in front of the NGO lady. She scooped them and nodded. “Karen Wallacho. Your sister isn’t here?” “She’s eight. She doesn’t get up this early,” I lied. “Your scarf is pretty.” She always had a scarf on ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer You had to fall into mine. Lord, but you are a sight for jaded eyes. Hair like liquid night, eyes a man could drown in, lips that form a bow Robin Hood would kill for. We’re a long way from Sherwood, milady, and the Sheriff’s ‘men’ are ...

Author : David Burkhart Only Anderson and Miller reached the concrete bunker door. The rest of the squad had fallen in a heroic attempt to reach and secure the bunker. With bullets whizzing around them, Anderson keyed in the code to open the bunker door while Miller ...

Author : Thomas Desrochers “You have to understand that, at the time, people still believed in a better future. There were people who could see the writing on the wall, of course, but nobody was willing to listen to them, much less able. When the barges stopped it was quite ...

Author : Rick Tobin Ventilation fan rumblings echoed over huddled mourners chilled in multi-colored, insulated, puffy arctic suits. Their drifting breath mists bellowed over a gaunt figure, attired in a jumpsuit dyed red on the left—solid white on the right, draping over a black, ...

Author : T. N. Allan There’d never been any protocols set in place for a disaster of this magnitude, no emergency course of action which might have retrieved the situation; but how could there have been? It wasn’t possible to make allowances for the unknown. Cromwell knew ...

Author : Priya Chand, Featured Writer Her hands groped the earth. Superheated fingertips sent urgent signals to the chip embedded in her neocortex. Owl withdrew, shook her hands and heard the particles cascade back home. "This is it," she said. "The motherlode." Whisper ...

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer The man coming round the corner blinks as I punch a killrod under his ribs and through his heart. By the time his body completes its slide down the wall, I’m over the barrier and extracting the other killrod from the receptionist’s eye ...

Author : Hillary Lyon “Just think of all the work you will complete, Connie, now that you have an extra month here.” Conrad ignored Tandie, the on-board computer that ran everything. Including scheduling. He was in the middle of a job, and didn’t care for distracting ...

Author : Paul Alex Gray “See everyone’s got a level,” says Cassie, swigging more than a mouthful of lager. “You can go way over. But you’ll pay. We paid! Remember? You’d always swear ‘never again!’” She smiles broadly and nods at my glass. I take the hint and swallow ...