Author: Riley Meachem “You know, this is the third damn time this week alone that cab’s broke down. I still ain’t seen you do shit about it,” Chalks Mabley leaned against the side of the cruiser, face dour. Then again, his face was almost always dour. “What do you want ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer She stands there in the street, head cocked to one side, hair in disarray. I pause to watch what happens next. These ‘no loitering’ walkways are still new to smaller towns. A patrol drone rolls up next to her. It beeps in what’s supposed ...

Author: John McNeil Excuse me, I thought it was my turn. You had your hours and hours to say your so-called evidence, and now I'd like to talk about what really happened. Can we have Javert with a clipboard over here stop interrupting? Thank you. As I was trying to say, ...

Author: David Barber The Princess was touring the human quarter. She savoured these adventures, accompanied only by a human guide and her security flock. Jomo was an amusing companion. As they made their way through the raucous marketplace, he regaled the Princess with ...

Author: Stephen Murtough The blank screen became the words: Jasmine loved Jonathan more than he loved her. Thirty children were seated in individual booths with individual screens, and they each answered by pressing one of two buttons. Twenty-eight were correct. The ...

Author: Hillary Lyon “How about: ‘Rainbow’s End’?” the art consultant said as she swept her hand in an arc through the air, eyes aglitter. “How about: No,” said the polling consultant seated beside her. “That might attract little kids, I’m afraid, and that would be ...

Author: Jason Kocemba Greg has finally breathed his last. He was a good boy, faithful. He deserves to be buried and not left to be carrion, but I’m tired. In the beginning, when the dead were fresh, I buried them: single, double, mass graves, it didn’t matter. When I ...

Author: Connor Long-Johnson A crowd had gathered and soon snowballed into a frenetic mob on the bridge overlooking the river. Cries and shouts swirled in the air as the crowd surged and morphed like the uneasy river below, sirens blared in the background and two lone police ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The third moon of Charius has an erratic orbit. The survey vessel noted that fact, but evaluated the deviation to be within acceptable margins. Nobody bothered to investigate any further because, by then, the planet was desolate: ruined by ...

Author: Brian C. Mahon Maurice yells in capitalized white letters across her left eye’s field of vision: [DO NOT MOVE.] Target confirmed - ten feet away, closing. Shiori’s training keeps excitement in check; the suit keeps her mute. The target, Meng Mei, born to the ...

Author: Rachel Sievers The crowd rushed on in the hot, stale air. Women holding the hands of little ones. Men rushing by with all their possessions. The holy and unholy fleeing before the wave of evil. All around people ran by him. His feet were cemented down as he watched ...

Author: Lin Edwards She knew she was close, and her heart was racing. She’d been on the catering team of the dive expedition all those years ago; young, inexperienced, excited just to be part of it. They hadn’t let her go down into the cave system or its tendrils of ...

Author: Linda McMullen I turn onto my side as a MyPillow ad launches behind my eyelids. They fly open. The algorithm adjusts. I settle back down. A commercial for a sleep number mattress plays, and I wonder if it’s worth the money. I decide that a) it probably is, and b) I ...

Author: Asch My identity initiates with a signal into space, announcing my presence with a tangible image inviting others to respond if they are out there. You ping me seconds after I project my presence onto the ether, complimenting the image. When you say that you love ...

Author: Dick Narvett Professor Nia Elston was apprehensive about accepting the incoming telepathcom. She had a funny feeling something was wrong. As usual, she was right. Kiana, Dr. Spellman’s assistant, entered her head. She informed Nia that her test results were ...

Author: Julian Miles, Staff Writer The sky is lit by colossal energy beams throughout an otherwise murky afternoon. Most of them originate from the monstrous shape that looms on the far horizon like a mountain cut from steel. The outpost on the hill had been deserted since ...

Author: Anisha Narayan Soaring, soaring through the sinuous labyrinth of taenite trails that twisted like a tangle of veins through the terrain of Erasmus, Myka and Ylla glided, smoothly and effortlessly. They hurtled along chrome-hued paths reflecting their hoverboards as ...

Author: Riley Meachem When the Terrans had first set up camp on these plains, they’d massacred all the native animals, mostly for food, but also for convenience. It didn’t do to have cattle meandering around when you were trying to pull off tactical maneuvers. The corpses ...