The Key
Author : KimBoo York Tandoo sat on the steps, turning the key over in his hand. It was a silver stick, long and blank, and heavy. The door behind him stood solid and bright, just as without character as the key. He held the key up and let the sunlight glint off the…
We Are the World
Author : Grady Hendrix Gaunt women in ankle-length gomesi bent over the stagnant pool and filled plastic buckets. “There’s not much of anything in Rorongi. No electricity. No running water,†Walter Bennett said earnestly. “No hope.†Emaciated children, feet…
Remember
Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Martin stood at the edge of the field, struck numb by the expanse of white crosses peppered with red, stretching out to where the earth touched the sky. “Overwhelming, isn’t it?” The voice dry, sandpaper rough. Martin turned to the…
The Latest Model
Author : Jennifer Parsons To any who watch television, the researcher’s setup should be plenty familiar, especially so to an old R&D man like myself. Two rooms, divided by a big sheet of glass; on one side sits a table loaded with datatablets and a control panel of…
Secret Agent World
Author : Grady Hendrix John’s antenna went up, his senses clicked into hyperdrive, adrenaline slammed through his veins: grilled chicken breast! “Really?†he said. “I picked it up at Fairway. You want to eat while we watch ‘So You Think You Can Dance?’ 
The Last Days of an Imaginary Man
Author : Andy Bolt I am in a hole. It is a filthy place in a bad neighborhood in Bucharest, surrounded by government troops who are about to evilly stomp their way in here. They are having some trouble getting past my photon tent. It creates an alternating series of…
Blue Plumes
Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer The new planet’s soupy air made twin blue plumes out of his suit’s exhalations when the carbon dioxide reacted with the unbreathable atmosphere. It turned into blue rust flakes that scattered around him like snow. He walked…
Press Conference at March Field
Author : Viktor Kuprin March Air Force Base, California. “These are the rules,” instructed Major Diehl, the public affairs officer. “Report your observations. Tell them what you saw, but if they ask for your personal opinions about little green men, the press…
Before the Previous Crunch
Author : Patricia Stewart, Staff Writer It was the one thousandth anniversary since Victor Kent first traveled backward in time. Of course, humans had been traveled forward in time for a thousand years before that. But, forward is easy. No paradoxes to deal with….
So Thirsty
Author : Kyle DeBruhl “Oh man…†Jeremy sighed as he stared out the window. “The old man’s at it again.†He pulled himself out of the chair and lumbered to the front door, seizing an rain slicker from the coat rack as he went. Thunder crackled in the…
Insist to Exist
Author : Anthony R. Elmore William rode the Green Line, making the passengers hostage to his presence. Here, they couldn’t walk away, far. They could only avoid his glare, his insistence at existence. The train stops at Parkway Station and a pretty teenage girl with…
The Cult of Personality
Author : J.R.Blackwell, Staff Writer “I was a fat old man way before it got popular.” The fat old man leaned across the old fashioned, wooden bar. “When I chose this body it was before what’s-his-face got on the Feeds about bellies and beards. I decided I wanted to be…
Origami Stars
Author : Sam Clough aka “Hrekka”, Staff Writer “We’ve considered the simple stuff in previous sessions, and now all of you are comfortable with the basics of folding space, correct?” The teacher saw some nods of assent from his class. “Excellent. But this is the…
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,…
Visiting 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…
A 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…
The 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,…
Electric 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…