Red Letter Day
Bernard held the letter loosely in his hands. He sat down on his bed, staring at the blank taupe walls of the Renewal center and didn’t look at the letter. Bernard’s Renewalist, Maureen, had suggested he try and read the letter again today. He’d been trying for three hours.
Slowly, ...
In the Garden
Dust filled the air as a sand blast landed on the flames coming from the cathedral of St. Liz. Brother Kyle’s red mechanical eye, the Snipers Lover, adjusted to the lower light as he ran towards the Archbishops secretary.
“Brother Alexander! Who is in the garden?â€
“What?†Alexander ...
Like A Stone
"Hey, neighbor!" Chawly called down from across the way. He had a pint glass of something that looked like red wine in each fist. I knew it couldn't be--not in Topside--but Chawly had his ways. Chawly yanked the line-suspended basket that served as dumbwaiter between his window and mine over ...
Dropping a Pebble in a Dry Well
Hello. My name is Demetri Thornwick. I'm a graduate student in physics at Hawking University, but in your century you probably know it as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. I just left Professor Mendalin's Temporal Physics class, where I just received a D- on my term paper. The paper ...
Real Estate
The couple broke fast in the mountain retreat, dining on fresh red melons and purple berries. Marta, their robotic guide, served them with diamond plates on the giant stone balcony overlooking the forest. In between delicate bites, Rae remarked that the whole residence was rather ostentatious. ...
The Final Voyage Of Captain Shakespeare
The crash was magnificent, heard three systems away and felt by half the galaxy. The other half were immediately informed via telepathy, televisapathy and tele-empathy, and felt as if they had felt it. Such was the impact.
The grand old captain himself, however, newly cloned and fresh from ...
The Surprising Events of Springtime in Rodchester
Tycho Villiare never asked why his employers had chosen to duel.
Gentlemen seldom fight duels themselves. One gentleman may challenge another to a duel, but since duels end in death, a state most gentleman find inconvenient, Men of Arms are employed to fight duels for them.
Men of Arms do ...
Home Defense
Marla just didn't understand. Bernie couldn't give up his collection. He tried to explain it to her, but it was futile, he knew it.
"They're not just collectables, Marla. They’re history. I would think you would understand that. You buy for a museum, you should be able to recognize ...
Tear the Wall
On the surface, everything is smooth. On the edges, the shiny plastic cracks, dirt comes out of nowhere, and doorknobs pinch the skin. Tear at the wall a little, underneath is not solid, it is a metal matrix, mostly air. We live in a kind of illusion, frayed at the edges.
In the middle, ...
Mirror, Mirror
Stevie glanced over his shoulder, tiptoeing barefoot through the deepest corridors of the Barnum. The ship was huge, as ponderous and lumbering as a garbage barge, but Stevie had lived here all his life. He knew the corridors like the back of his hand—even the ones where he wasn't allowed.
...
Replica
After four months of backed up deadlines, CD came to the hard conclusion he already knew was coming. He needed one more of himself.
CD had to present his application in person, which he felt was a ridiculous waste of time. He wondered why the psychologist couldn’t just see him on video over ...
Trimming Back The Growth
“I see you’ve done some pruning,†Margaret’s therapist said. “I like what you’ve done with the branches around your sternum.â€
“Thank you,†Margaret choked out. It had been a trial learning how to talk with roots entwined around her larnyx, but she had muddled through. “I ...
The Education of Legs McGee
"Swimming's easy," Aaron said as he tightened the foam ring beneath her shoulders. "There's only one rule: keep breathing. If you can't find a way to breathe, that's when you're in trouble."
Leah nodded as her brother gathered her into his arms, lifted her from the chair, and placed her ...
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE AWESOME
Chuck surveyed the landing pad with a nod, his proprietary self-satisfied grin encompassing all he could see. It felt good, he reflected, to be a champion of the most powerful force in the universe: awesome.
Chuck was a Space Ranger and proud of it. They weren't universally liked, but then, ...
A Misunderstanding
Marshall Weisman didn't bother perusing the files. He'd been tracking this maniac down for years now. The poor looking gent in the outer rings had no excuse, no recourse. It was clear to him and any other officer of the Outer Planetary Patrol. Weisman barged into the room watching the humble ...
My Angel Gabriel
"I don't understand." wrote Becky. Why did you ban Gabriel?" Becky had been on the forum for almost a year, and she was one of the most frequent posters. Rachel thought Becky was a bit like her when she was thirteen, nattering on about internet stars and how she had found the meaning of life ...
A Lighthouse Through Time
No one knew how long Catherine Malone had been missing. Her absence was reported to the police after three weeks of unpaid rent, but neighbors admitted they hadn't known that the apartment was occupied. "She kept to herself," said the landlord.
The universe does not think in hours, ...
The Wall Street Cathedral
To Martin J. Weaver:
Dear Spiritual Investor,
This letter is a gift in the form of advanced notice concerning the change in management of your Temple in Manchester. Our organization, the American Church of God, has taken notice of the success of your Temple's missionary programs, and after ...
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