Trick or Treat
Author : J. S. Kachelries Officer Gannon of the Washington DC Police was clandestinely peeking around the trunk of a large maple tree next to the curb. A patrol car pulled up behind him and turned off its headlights. Sergeant Jose Viernes climbed out. “Hey, Bill,…
read moreVisiting the in-laws on Rigel 12
Author : Geoffrey Cashmore “I hate this bit.†Tress settled back into her trans-seat and blinked as the young man in the blue uniform smiled and sprayed a puff of Tranq into her face. “Blurq!†In the next seat, her husband lay back too as his host closed the…
read moreA Matter of Control
Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Today I’m teaching my new arm how to stack discs on a peg. This exercise is no different from everything else I’ve done here lately. All pretty much futile. The way it’s supposed to work is with my real right arm I place the biggest…
read moreThe More Things Change, etc.
Author : Cody Lorenz One explosion behind her, one to the left. Sylvia ducked into the nearest available hole, just as the third boom sent dust into that very same nook. She crouched, grabbing up the carbine, flipping open its cover, and staring at the little screen,…
read moreElectric Revolution
Author : Grady Hendrix The woman on the bus was beautiful. That was true of most suicide bombers – they had a glow about them like an expectant mother or a rich man. The bus turned up the hill and she tried not to let her elbows bump into the explosives strapped to…
read moreFire
Author : Emily Cleaver Something was wrong. The explosions cracked through Kinleigh’s earpiece. On the periphery of his vision to the left delicate violet orchids of plasma fire bloomed in the low gravity against the black bulk of the hill. They were firing. Why the…
read moreThe Russian Package
Author : Viktor Kuprin Father was up late cleaning his long rifle and my old musket. Mother fried biscuits and packed pickle dog for us to take on our trip to Fort Needmore. No, we don’t eat dogs. That’s just what we called pickled baloney. We always took it when…
read moreTemporal Psychosis
Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer Kathleen Wright entered the Temporal Control Room after being notified of a Class I permutation to the Primary Timeline. “I got your message, Williams. What’s the problem?” “Sorry to bother you on your day off, Ms Wright, but it…
read moreThe Art of the Sky
Author : Sam Clough aka “Hrekka”, Staff Writer “What’s that?” Cal asked, gesturing to the ornately patterned box resting on the mat in the centre of Petra’s cabin. His passenger had a southerner’s skin, and the wrist spurs that showed her to be a Kadian, a native of…
read moreAgent 13
Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer Agent 13 jumped out of the bomb-bay doors of the scrambler jet into silent extended twilight. He fell for three calm, wind-buffeted minutes before starfishing his teflon squirrelwings out. The wrist-to-ankle elastic bodychute…
read moreAfar
Author : Simon Petrie Afar contemplates lifting something small, a souvenir, but is distracted by the conversation at the next table: “…forgot our anniversary, so I’m sending flowers back.” “Isn’t that dangerous?” “You kidding? It’s just one day. Not going to affect…
read moreA New Kind of Data
Author : Beth Mathison She knew it was a bad idea when the man dropped dead in front of her. She had seen death before, when she had lived on the streets. But that had been long ago, almost a different life. The suddenness of this man’s death had caught her off…
read moreSpot
Author : Debbie Mac Rory The thing shrieked like a badly tuned violin. “It’s been making those sounds for days nowâ€, the woman said. The white-robed man nodded absentmindedly; he was unable to tear his eyes away from the creature on the examining table. A lumpy…
read moreThe Star Prince
Author : J.R.Blackwell, Staff Writer Lucias XI, the Star Prince, son of Byron II, the Merchant King, threw open the double doors to the marble war room. His demeanor was fierce, his face chiseled, displaying no emotion. His wiry body was tense, coiled. He pointed as…
read moreJust Like Everyday
Author : Steven Holland You awake; the familiar smell of synthetic, processed food greets you. The pneumatic tube has delivered three packages of food. They contain artificial eggs, sausage, and pancakes today, just like every day. You, Stackhouse, and Sergeant…
read moreAn Android's Story
Author : Tim Brown The wind blew fiercely from behind him, ruffling his long chestnut colored hair and brushing it over his eyes. Absentmindedly he took his slender fingers and pushed the shoulder-length strands aside, hardly putting thought to the bellowing gales…
read moreSun Surfing
Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer The red vinyl of the gearshifter was warm from conducting the engine heat. I readjusted my grip on the softening plastic and aimed for the sun. This was gravity surfing at its finest. The cab of my surfship was alive with luck…
read moreFreedom Pets
Author : Grady Hendrix Tom Rush (D-Massachusetts) squatted and hugged his Labrador-Beagle mix at the perfect angle for the camera to see just how much he loved his dog. “Mashudu is the luckiest dog in the world and I am so proud to play a part in what has been one…
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