Author: Hari Navarro, Staff Writer Once upon a moonstruck hour, a newborn baby was stolen. Snatched from the cold place upon which she lay swaddled and still and stashed with leather hands beneath the wet warmth of an old man’s beading oilskin poncho. Pools of shed ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The approach panel flashes green and shows the Public Credentials of the impending caller. I call to Julie as I head for the door. “They’re here.” “Thank goodness.” The relief in her voice is more than her Mental Balance counsellor ...

Author: CB Droege Something brushes past Jonaton's leg under the opaque waters. He slaps the water with his hands, creating as much noise and turbulence as he can. The noise and motion of the water only reflects off the close walls and comes back amplified. He closes his ...

Author: Majoki “A solution to our problem requires a certain amount of ordered chaos,” Hsiang explained to his cellmate as they used the guard’s severed head to gain entry into DeadPan’s nerve center. “To find a workable answer we need to invite a wide range of possible ...

Author: Hillary Lyon “It happened right here,” I breathlessly exclaim to my friend. She grins and looks towards the old office building. I point to a corner window on the topmost floor. The gaggle of tourists behind us gasp and raise their cameras to take snaps of the old ...

Author: Steven French “Oh that’s wonderful!” Ruth clapped her hands in delight and turned to the avatar of the ship’s AI next to her. “Where did you get the idea from?” Alfred lowered its head modestly and said, “Thank you Captain. I overheard Miriam reading to her ...

Author: Andrew Dunn DJ Grim was on the strip of grass separating the track from the high school football field, dolled up like the Reaper itself, and pumping up the crowd with beats while the cheerleaders worked their stuff on the track. I was watching them, and fondling ...

Author: Rick Tobin Great, a clear connection, finally. Now I can understand your thoughts unmistakably through my brain mush. The AI translator is integrating. It was a muddled mess when techs first hooked me into their software. All I sensed were whispers and groans from ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer There’s a queue of hopefuls outside. I didn’t allow for them. Do I tag on or what? Barely started and I hit a stumbling block. “Ambassador Meselkis! I didn’t think you’d be able to join us!” A glittering, immaculate form swoops down on ...

Author: Robert Beech Outtake number 334400, uploaded today. I talked to the kids today. Not in person, just on the computer, but still, it’s good to keep in touch. During the conversation one of them reminded me (again, or so they said) about the outtakes files. ...

Author: Evan MacKay It was cold. I knew it was cold even if I couldn’t feel it. I knew because my brain told me it was cold. They’d stuck me in the freezer after all. But I couldn’t feel. Oh Lord, I couldn’t feel. But the pain was gone. When they’d fried my nervous system ...

Author: Jenna Hanan Moore Jane Rutledge invented a method for sending messages through time. It was the best she could do without more funding. The Scientific Grant Agency refused to fund Jane’s efforts to invent a time machine without proof that time travel couldn’t ...

Author: Bill Cox He walks into town just as everyone who could is walking out. Running seems pointless to him, but he can’t blame them for trying. People pass in ramshackle jalopies, their worldly goods piled precariously up, held steady by blank-faced children. Others ...

Author: John Atkinson A solid line splits my vision. The ‘now’ - a drab grey room with two humans sitting opposite me - fills the lower half. The ‘past’ - a perfect rendition of prior events recorded by my internal camera - fills the upper half. “You see it?” Asks one ...

Author: Mikki Aronoff "But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,/If your Snark be a Boojum! For then/ You will softly and suddenly vanish away,/And never be met with again!" (Lewis Carroll, The Hunting of the Snark) "If aliens visit us, the outcome would be ...