Resuscitation
The neurosurgical tech Andrew Asher clutched his overcoat tight over his scrubs and tried to concentrate on the National Guardsman eying him across the barricade. Overhead the city’s kilometer-long support pylons reverberated like infernal gongs, torqued by ...
Dock Worker
I am a dock worker. I have an embarrassing case of Stalactiform Blister Rust forming on the backs of my support pistons. I still have the brute strength needed to perform the heavy lifting needed in my job but I am becoming obsolete.
I’ve had a ...
Reanimation
“What the hell happened out there, Corporal?â€
“General… General Dalton, Sir…†The young soldier stammered in surprise and tried to sit up at the same time.
“Easy, son. Lie back down.†Christ, the General thought to ...
Flash! Gordon
Finally starting to become clear. Granted, clarity was a fuzzy concept at best after all this time, but the flash was starting to wear thin. Like the man across the room, pushing his way through the milky white smoke that settled in the air like dust on a ...
Threat
"You're serious?" The Rear Admiral of the Arizona Fleet questions his superior for the first time in twelve years.
First Resident Menos stands with hands clasped behind his back, morosely watching the field of stars passing the windows of the command deck ...
Mega Flare
The ship had left Earth orbit 77 days ago. They just passed the halfway point on their supply mission to the Lowell Colony on Mars when the solar flare warning alarm began its variable whine. “Computer, deactivate the alarm,†instructed the captain. ...
Dig
The Inspirer
As Archimedes lowered himself into his bath, water lapped over the top edge and spilled onto the floor. “Damn it, you fool,†he cursed aloud, “You overfilled the tub again.â€
“Not necessarily, master,†I pointed out. “It’s not too ...
In Memory of Persistence
I’d like to remember her the way most ex-boyfriends remember their exes. That is to say, when I’m drunk and missing her, I want to remember that space right under her ear, her easy smile, and that way that she’d hiccup if she laughed too much. When ...
Decommissioned
I’m sitting
That’s my first thought
I can’t move my hands
That’s the next thought. Then like a lightning bolt, I’m fully conscious. I know where I am and I know why I am here.
“WAIT! I ...
Robbie's Repair
Robbie woke to find himself in a strange room.
A man appeared at his side. "How are you feeling?" he asked, placing a hand on Robbie's metal shoulder.
"Strange," Robbie replied slowly.
"Do you know who I am?"
"No."
"It's ...
The Sounds of Music
On the remote planet of Niere IV, countless minds were constantly being played for a vast audience of listeners. Deep within the planet's crust, the brains were enclosed in immense suprasteel vaults, floating in vast chambers of nutrient liquid. Protected day ...
Homecoming
Daniel fell to the grass so that the air from his lungs exited with a whoosh. He closed his eyes and let the cool of the earth leach the tension from his shoulders. When he opened them again, clouds drifted serenely by, lit by the twin moons and the gentle ...
Hey, Rube!
Quiet
She tapped me on the shoulder as I placed the rubber lid over the last of the macaroni casserole. I didn’t turn around.
“You’re quiet,†she said. She knew. I nodded.
One of the caterers came over to me and took the dishes away from in front of ...
Player Two
I wake up. It’s dark. I’m in chains.
I’m in a prison cell. Like in a castle. Like in the middle ages.
Straw on the floor, mortared brick stonework, metal door, the whole bit. My lenses adjust. Clearly this is a construct. Incongruously, ...
Transformation
He was getting another body. Again.
Always something new, though. Many people got almost the same body again - erase my scars, make me look younger, but I want to keep my fingerprints, they'd say. Smooth out the wrinkles, get rid of my freckles - that ...
Ian Gets Involved
Ian knew he shouldn’t get involved. Still, he set down his drink, tapped on the towering back next to him and said, "Look, why don't you leave her alone? Clearly the lady is not interested."
The hulk turned towards him, which is when Ian noticed ...
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