Suckheads
Author : George R. Shirer “Y’know,” said Jared, “I’ve seen a lot of crap ideas since the Singularity, but this . . . ” He nodded at the pale waif on the bed. “This just takes the cake.” Isaac shrugged and injected a few million more scrappers into the kid. “You think…
read moreHangar
Author : Adam The boy had been rummaging through the Pit for hours before he hit the jackpot. A slim silver watch covered in a day’s worth of grit and stench. The boy held it up in his hands, gently brushing off the dirt with barely cleaner hands, and admiring how it…
read moreBringing The Past To Life
Author : Waldo van der Waal The Boeing 747-400 sat glittering on the tarmac, resplendent in the blue-and-white colours of the Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij. The bold letters of KLM seemed almost too crisp against the rest of the pure white fuselage. From high…
read moreA Rose By Any Other Name
Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer They all died. All the animals. All the humans. Farewell to the flesh. Genetically engineered disease took the meat, leaving only the insects and the plants. Leaving us. We’re humanoid in appearance. We are born in giant stalks…
read moreHeading Home
Author : George R. Shirer “When I was a kid, we didn’t have to slog all day to get places,” said Grandpa Whiteman. Johnny adjusted his pack and kept his eyes on the road. The blacktop was cracked and broken, and if you didn’t watch where you stepped you could trip and…
read moreHave I got a Deal for You
Author : Clint Wilson Chestofferoff had never dealt with a Steely before; hadn’t even actually seen one in person until now. He knew they were supposed to be big, but this guy blocked out the suns! Never mind, he pushed his nervousness aside, slicked back his greasy…
read moreScruple & Price
Author : Rob Burton More useful for sound deadening than reference, the books lining the office’s walls also symbolised the traditional values of the head of the firm. The junior partner privately referred to him as ‘Old Man’ Price. ‘You play computer games, don’t…
read moreReal
Author : Thomas Keene “Plip-plip!” beeped the lenses. Blue jumped up and ran to the bathroom to dry his hair, then stepped back into the living room and pressed his lenses to the bridge of his nose. Glowing green letters reading, “CONNECTING…” seemed to hover in the…
read moreLove Is The Word, The Word Is Love
Author : Glenn Blakeslee Two people sat in the observation room, side by side, their fingers intertwined. From behind a two-way mirror my associate Maria and I watched the man and the woman. We were sociologists and, recently, biological partners intent on parenting a…
read moreTime Crossing
Author : Adena Brons The sign at the border assured them that the wait would be “no time at all.” Literal, but misleading. Garam looked at the lines of chronocars in front of them. They were so far back; he couldn’t even see the gate. With a word to Sarah, he stepped…
read moreSay Hello to My Little Friend
Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer “Cledus, why is the porch door open?” bellowed a heavy set woman wielding a flour covered rolling pin. “You’re lettin’ the flies in.” “Relax, Thelma. I just put Duke out, and I didn’t want to git up to let’m back in. Now,…
read moreReturn to Sender
Author : Dennis Gray “Where’s that gurney? Get it in here now!” ”Alright, hook her up, quickly! Forget the hand unit; let the gurney scanners do the work. Got the spinal lock in place? Good, seal it up and let’s move.” The doctor kept shouting orders all the way to…
read moreFast Forward
Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer We failed at time travel. We created an engine that would theoretically propel the automated craft forward in time. It started properly when we turned it on but instead of snapping the craft forward in time, it folded four years…
read moreBodies Like Long Glances
Author : John Eric Vona She opens the car door and superheated air rushes out like blood from an open wound. Across the dying lawn, he stands just inside the house, watching her go. The doorway frames him poorly, a picture shoved off-center in too large a frame. He…
read moreSunset Photographer
Author : Sean Monaghan Tony Willits scrambled up the scree slope looking for the Leica on hands and knees. The sun, tapping the horizon, glistened through airborne particles. Deimos in the sky as some heavy terraforming dust-devils lurched along the far canyon edge….
read moreMorning Stars
Author : Steven Holland The front door security alarm deactivates. This unit reactivates and runs start-up diagnostics. Left motivator reports lubricant coverage below optimal levels. Observation noted. This will not interfere with this unit’s operation until…
read moreRebirth
Author : Jacqueline Rochow We assumed that they were aliens. I mean, when something nonhuman approaches you from space and opens communication, it’s a freakin’ alien, right? Stands to reason. They set up a station on the moon and opened communications. They were…
read moreAnd That's When The Screaming Started
Author : Steven Odhner “I’m sorry, Dave. The effects are likely permanent.” Roger looks properly sympathetic as he gives me the news, clutching my chart like a shield and wrinkling his forehead. I’m distracted, not by the bad news but by a green stain on his lab coat…
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