Wind Chimes

Author : Sara Norja Where there is no air, there can be no wind. I miss a lot of things about Earth. Fresh bread baked by Mona's strong hands. The smell of the sea, salt-tanged like longing. But what I think of most here in this foresaken escape pod is wind. You can't feel solar ...

Con

Author : S. P. Mahoney There is an utterly absurd amount of mineral wealth sitting in Sol’s asteroid belt. Was. Whatever. A nickel-iron asteroid of middling size contains enough mineral wealth to choke a multinational, if you were to bring it back to Earth. Not to mention so expensive ...

Cleanup Crew

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer “That’s impossible!” “Previously thought to be. Think what this does to current thinking!” “We’re going to be famous!” The two figures sat side by side on a ledge, far up on the side of the Rock of Gibraltar. At their backs was the ...

Dinner Bell

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer Yes. The aliens came down and harvested the human race. Yes. We asked them to. That was the plan all along. We just didn’t know it. Our basic nature was installed in us by them. We were set down on this planet to evolve until overpopulation ...

Relayer

Author : Ian Hill Suspended above the ethereal ocean of dense fog was a network of free-standing platforms connected by thin, low hanging wires. Each platform was suspended hundreds of feet above the roiling accumulation of toxic gases. The towers were manned by a single sentry who ...

Picking Isometric Cotton

Author : E.S. Wynn “Let's go over it again.” “I don't see the point.” Cairns said, looked up, jaundiced eyes full of fatigue, a quiet sense of desperation. “You're going to kill me anyway. I've seen the way the judge looks at me. I've seen the jury. Doesn't matter what I say or how ...

The Pit

Author : C.Chatfield “…so we trumpeted nonsense about it sucking up our oxygen and our water and the godda-, pardon me, the ozone layer until it brought in enough fear money to build the dome. We said all our equipment disappeared without any readings but, the fact is, we couldn't get ...

Emotional

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Martin became aware of taste of metal, then the sensation of his pulse amplified in his head. It took a few more minutes before the electric hum around him pierced the pounding, and the realization that he was bound made him open his ...

Child of Earth

Author : Cesium By the late 21st century, nanotechnology had advanced to the point where it could not only synthesize almost anything given the right elemental feedstock, but also digitize a human brain and store the mind in a virtual simulation. Concurrently, rising sea levels and ...

The Merlin Broadcast

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer “We are Avalon. You cannot get through the Chalice Fields that defend this green and ascendant land. Grael technology will never be yours until you accept that your monarchs have returned. Look to the radioactive wastelands you have made of Europe ...

Ascension

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer I was so happy. Today was the day my sister Karen was going to die. Our whole family was there, blinking pictures of her and eyecamming the entire thing. She was the first person in our family to ascend. She had a lazy smile on her face as she ...

The Writing on the World

Author : George R. Shirer “Well,” murmured Agent Dumphy, “you don’t see that every day.” Brillson didn’t reply. He was too busy squinting at the luminous graffiti covering the alley wall. “How many people do you think have seen this?” asked Dumphy. Brillson pursed his lips. “Back ...

Clean Slate

Author : Bob Newbell "It'll cost me that much?!" asked the thin man in a louder voice than he'd intended. The man in the black suit who sat across from him in the coffee shop leaned in and gestured for him to lower his voice. "For the service you require, Mr. Dalrymple, the cost is ...

The Long Game

Author : Julian Miles, Staff Writer “Sweeper, what about that clump at five o’clock low to you?” “Negative on that, Houston. It may show as solid, but visual shows it’s a mass of sub-kilo pieces in close formation.” “Roger that, Sweeper. Your next action is twenty-seven clicks ...

DeTecTed

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Teddy shifted into second gear as the pickup crested the hill, her forearms burning from the long climb and having to fight a leaky steering pump the entire way. "I don't understand why you disabled the power assist Teddy, you make things ...

Beast

Author : Lester L Weil “Are you sure you want to do this,” he asked. “If so, you need to sign this release. We may be on another planet, but Earth laws apply on this station.” Hell yes I want to do this. I grabbed the paper and signed. I was excited. We had captured an alien ...

Visual Effects

Author : Josh Escobar (Host) Welcome, tonight we have a very interesting guest with us. Please welcome [REDACTED]. (Clapping) [REDACTED] Thank you, it’s great to be here. I’m a huge fan of the program. (Host) The pleasure is all mine. For those who don’t know, please tell our audience ...

The Night Lotus

Author : Matt Handle Dex felt the sleek machine between his legs thrum even deeper when he twisted the throttle, opening it up to full speed as he zipped through the streets of Central City. He weaved in and out of traffic as the wheelgaunts honed in on his signal. He could sense them ...

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