Author: James Callan Metallic is in fashion, in women and in men --silver lipstick, bronze eyeshadow, the carapace sheen of loud, scarab hues glinting in the crests of loose-fitting, transparent plastic, artificial fabric. Sometimes you think you see one; a synthetic. Then ...

Author: Deborah Shrimplin Dr. Trieste, a cultural anthropologist, was hovering over her latest data. She and the crew of the spaceship, Daiedales, had completed their findings on five of the six dead planets in the Milky Way. A planet was designated "dead" if it had been ...

Author: Bryant Benson Earth 23979 Ancient Records: Elder’s Account From the deepest reaches of the endless abyss, he emerged. He descended on our world like a shining god, a gift of annihilation from the black heavens. His name was Nim. The oldest of ...

Author: Katherine S Sanger Do you know what it’s like when you’re at a hotel, and you’re already nervous because every hotel you’ve ever stayed at reminds you of The Shining, and then you get in the elevator in the lobby, and you see a man striding towards the elevator ...

Author: Frederick Charles Melancon Only at night could we have the memorial service for Ben. Well, as long as, we kept it far enough out in the desert so that none of the locals could bother us. The vat of still water in the center was a nice touch. Back on our home ...

Author: Majoki “Did you feel that?” Gilly asked. A few steps ahead, Sampson sunk his ice axe into the crusty snow. “No. I didn’t feel anything.” The couple was at nearly 9,000 feet resting on the edge of the glacier that corkscrewed precipitously to the top of Guth ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer We swerve down an alleyway and tuck ourselves up against rubbish bins. Try to catch our breath. What a fiasco. Supposed to be the first demonstration against the British State Act, turned into a series of running battles. Most of us were ...

Author: Jeremy Nathan Marks There was a little boy in Jeanette’s care whom she called “my last hope.” She said he was unique because he would laugh and shower curiosity on the world. He was the only child who ever tried conversing with her. She kept a bird feeder by her ...

Author: Shannon O'Connor The year I lived on Arachnida was the worst year of my life. It was a real dump back then. People say it’s changed, but I haven’t been back in a long time. When I lived there, pawnshops selling all kinds of junk filled the town center. The ...

Author: David Berger “I hate bleeding,” Nora said to her friend Allison out of nowhere. Allison screwed up her face in response. “Don’t look at me that way,” Nora went on. “I don’t mean the tampon stuff! I mean this twice a year shit. They take a pint out, give us a ...

Author: Stephen C. Curro Phobos had just set when I exited Mark’s airlock and stepped into the little antechamber that served as a mud room. I popped my EVA helmet off and kicked the door open into the living room. “Where is it?!” I shouted. I raised my particle gun and ...

Author: Borut Slokan Report private spy translation quick done, planet race dust is, treasures left The artifact, planet race gone whisper wind, one, only one preserved in howling sand, precious digged, found, rigged, bound, could brought to wisdom the universe. The ...

Author: Sarah Klein The Mind is awake, and it's hungry. This is one of its most difficult tasks. Synapses yawned and stretched, crackling. Former individual minds shifted within, sending their desires down the main conduits. Fried chicken. Pizza. Kale salad. The ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer No matter where you go in this universe, no matter how strange the dominants or disgustingly lethal the atmosphere, you'll always find a watering hole serving hot drinks and simple food to a motley, and largely transient, clientele. Last ...

Author: Bill Cox I wake up drowning, fluid choking my lungs. I sit up and vomit, every part of my body heaving, liquid gushing from my mouth onto the floor. I gradually become aware, with each convulsion, of a voice, speaking softly, soothingly, the same words on a ...

Author: Jeremy Nathan Marks At ten minutes to noon on February 7th, 2024, a tremendous roar went up across the city of Chicago. It was a roar that many witnesses described as a “tremendous sucking sound.” People flocked to apartment and high-rise windows and rushed to the ...

Author: Alastair Millar “All of you are now old enough to learn, children. So hear how it was, and is, and will be.” The Elder settled himself into his chair and smiled benignly. He had his audience’s full attention: it was rare for grown-ups to take them seriously, and ...

Author: Phil Temples I was an English Lit postdoc, down on my luck—and money—when I saw an advertisement seeking test subjects for a sleep study at a local university. It paid well; well enough that I glossed over the cautionary warnings describing the potential risks and ...