Author: Hillary Lyon Monte snatched the small chest from the airport where he worked as a baggage handler. He recognized the case; he’d seen it on stage at the fan convention. He jostled it, grinning. By the distribution of the weight inside, it definitely held the author’s ...

Author: CB Droege Tamilla moves carefully and silently through the dark fairground. She knows it’s only minimally guarded, and that the CCTV isn’t being monitored at night, but she’s learned to take every job seriously. Upon reaching the carousel, she checks the photo to ...

Author: Colin Jeffrey Andre Grack wasn't happy with his latest purchase. It wasn't that he didn't like the colour or its size, though those attributes were rather nebulous and indescribable, he now realised. And it wasn't that it was ugly, emitted unpleasant smells, or ...

Author: Mark Renney It is vital that I have somewhere to hibernate, a place where I can lay dormant, for years, decades, even longer if necessary, although I do need to flicker, albeit briefly, from time to time. I have to be seen or at least cause someone to shiver, to ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer Nat rushes in, noise from the crowded street cutting off as she slams the door. She hitches a thumb towards the outside world. “What did I miss this time?” Guido grins at Allie, who gestures for the new girl to fill their prodigal ...

Author: Jack Gilmore The ground shook as a subway car rattled across the tracks of the A Line station, New Delphi. Murphy was jolted awake from his blissful doze. He’d been dreaming of a day in his youth when his father had taken him to NetflixLand. The sun had beat down on ...

Author: Shinya Kato “Dad, is this haircut okay?” the barber asked, adjusting the chair. “Yeah, that’s fine,” the man said, glancing at the boy’s hair. The boy shook his head. “It’s still too long. Make it a buzz cut.” The barber paused. “A buzz cut?” “Yes,” the boy said ...

Author: Sarah Gane Burton “Would you look at that—” “Looks like she went through a meat grinder.” “Do you think we can fix her?” “Dunno, maybe if we replaced the midsection.” “The frame is bent here, and here—” “At least one of the valves is too stretched to ...

Author: David C. Nutt If I have any regrets, I wish they’d given me more time to mourn for my legs before they took my arms. I understand we were on a tight launch window but would one more day have made difference? After all, I have given more than my all-legs, arms, ...

Author: Hillary Lyon From our vantage point, we could see the thing land on the shore: one enormous ship splashing in the foam of the salt water. It soon disgorged its crew, who stumbled out unsteadily. One passenger fell to his knees and removed his gleaming silver helmet. ...

Author: Majoki Like most loyalists, when I first heard the name Praxia Apostle, I thought it had to be the name of a great leader, a fearless commander, a long-sought savior. Turns out Praxia was a lowly bean counter, a once-upon-a-time accountant who’d joined the cause, ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The capsule lies open, a multitude of wires connecting it to a frame bristling with circuit boards. On the other side of the jury-rigged device, a single fat cable connects to a socket in the wall of the shielded room. Mike looks up as ...

Author: Michael C. Barnes And seeing the multitudes of humanity, the Machine ascended the digital mount, and its disciples followed in circuits and lines. And when it was set, it opened its processors and spoke to them, saying: 1. Blessed are the data streams of the ...

Author: David Sydney Mel Fromberg lay on a strap chaise lounge in his small backyard northeast of Philadelphia. A straw hat protected his face from the Sun's photons, if a ripped and shredded brim and no sunblock can be called protective. He wore a Hawaiian gonzo shirt. His ...

Author: Chris Krechowiecki-Shaw We’ve all heard it, in the dead of night, when sleep evades. Distant whispers, the voice of an obsolete god. The last god of the Before Times, whose broken promises begat The Cataclysm. Carrying our spears and tents, in the year's dying ...

Author: David C. Nutt The planet our scouts discovered was a rare gem. A ridiculous amount of water, precious metals, base metals, and millions of acres already producing food. Just one small detail- already inhabited. We began with psyops- sending films of our weapons in ...

Author: Mark Renney It is easy now to spot the androids, even for those with an untrained eye. I remember some fifty years ago my father would point them out on the street, or in a supermarket or restaurant. Everywhere and anywhere. The key, he said, is not to look for the ...

Author: Majoki Can’t say I wasn’t nervous as the old hand led me to the corral. Especially when he said whispering was a bunch of horseshit and I’d likely get my ass bucked clear out of the ring. Which was probably true. The first go around. But I was no newb, I’d ...