Author : Al Vazquez The retro-rockets jolted the ship as it began its decent into the thin, cold atmosphere. Excitement welled-up inside his belly. He felt a slight shaking in his leg, but his hand was steady on the controls. He was known for that; cool as a cucumber when ...

Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer Senator Reginald Wadsworth lay in his hospital bed; his biphasic artificial respirator hissed rhythmically as it expanded and contracted every six seconds. Dozens of electrical biosensors monitored his vital signs, while a miniature ...

Author : William Tracy, Featured Writer The royal palace was mostly quiet. It was late afternoon, and the heat from the desert sun drove all but a few guards to seek shade. Even construction on Pharaoh's great pyramid on the far side of the Nile had halted for the day. A ...

Author : Charles Spohrer I totaled my motorcycle. Of course, I had no medical insurance. I figured if I ever did have an accident, it would be final. I never expected just a couple of broken bones. The ambulance dumped me off at County. The drivers wheeled me inside and ...

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Hans lay face down on the surgical table, completely immobilized and wide awake. His father's rubber shoes moved in and out of his field of vision as the older man busied himself in preparation, his voice a constant hum of information in ...

Author : James Marshall Foray wondered why he didn't just sit down and die. He was naked but for a pair of underpants, and his skin was stained red with the blood from hundreds of cuts and scratches. He was gaunt, and his hair and beard were long and itchy. The vines and ...