The Birthday Present
Author : Hillary Lyon “Just think of all the work you will complete, Connie, now that you have an extra month here.” Conrad ignored Tandie, the on-board computer that ran everything. Including sche…
Create the resume that recruiters dream of.Absolution
Author : Rick Tobin Ventilation fan rumblings echoed over huddled mourners chilled in multi-colored, insulated, puffy arctic suits. Their drifting breath mists bellowed over a gaunt figure, attired…
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative WorksFive Bottles
Author: Phillip E Temples I know he’s at work right now. I called his office number earlier from a burner phone and he answered. I slip quietly into the hallway of the apartment complex, looking in…
Every House, a Home By Evan Dicken “I guess nobody wants haunted houses, anymore.” Derek checked his reflection in one of the Cape Cod’s filmy windows, teasing his hair back to mussy perfection. He glanced back at me. “That was a joke, Natalie.” I gave him my best approximation of a smile. He bDon’t hit Uluru.
Author: Michael Mieher Friday, December 18th, 2043 Day 503 of the 3rd Mars Pilgrimage joint SpaceX/OneSpace mission. “I’m sorry Captain Shu.”, First Officer Griffin Musk said, try…
Ten Things I Didn’t Do By Maria Haskins I didn’t die. I promised you I wouldn’t, so I didn’t. I know you said the words in jest when you dropped me off at school, “Don’t die, honey!”, with that hoarse laugh and sideways wink you do, but I rolled my eyes and said “OK, mom, …No Greater Sorrow
Author: James Lawrence Rhodes “There is no greater sorrow than to recall happiness in times of misery.” – Dante Alighieri The tender and sun-reddened skin had begun to peel, large…
Appetite
Author: Rick Tobin Ranson picked at a sharp raspberry seed wedged tightly between canine and incisor, stubbornly poking a nerve in his aging gums, distracting attention from a therapist’s droning. …
She’s Gonna Cut Us Down
Author: Jae Miles, Staff Writer I encounter God at midnight in a convenience store. She’s chatting with the bloke behind the counter while making herself a caramel latte on the new coffee machine. …
Deep Fake
Author: Hari Navarro, Staff Writer The Detective lays in the warming twist of the hot-tub, an outrigger cocoon that juts, one of many, from this recreation floor high above the 2211th Precinct. The…
Visions in Nanometers
Author: William Gray “I’m scared,” Leanna said, staring into the kaleidoscope, eyes wide, turning the aperture. “Scared of what? It’s just colors,” I responded. She put the kaleidoscope down on the…
Terms of Service
Author: John McLaughlin Toru Sato was negotiating for a new body. “And they’re rad-resistant too?” The blonde sales rep smoothly reclined, a wide smile ratcheting onto her face as…
Hearth
Author: Morrow Brady It had all become so complicated. The way we worked. The way we interacted. The expectations heaped upon us by our forebears. We needed to look back at where we had come from. …
Look into the Screen
Author: Jae Miles, Staff Writer “That’s it. Let the colours soothe you. So easy. Relax. It’s all here. Anything you need to be concerned over, everything you must have. There’s nothing you need to …
Save the Last One
Author: Tori Morrow Like the other adults in our neighborhood, mom and dad blew their brains out the night the pods arrived. I always thought that was too harsh for you to know, but in the year I’v…
I Could Never Forget Those Mice
Author: Michael Michailidis I could never forget those mice. It was the way they looked at me behind their glass tank on that first day when I administered the new substance. Their eyes, as black a…
He Seemed Familiar
Author: Roger Ley He was enjoying his day off, after a hectic week starting a new job in a new city. The taxi drew up next to him as he was walking downtown. An old, pale looking man leaned out, he…
The Death of Pi
Author: David Henson I was getting ready for school when suddenly there was a bright flash. I looked out the window and was surprised to see a clear, blue sky. Before I could think much about it, I…
Technical Debt
Author: Philip Berry “So, you’re saying it was nothing to do with you?” Malkex put his face an inch from Programmer Nik Billin’s sweaty brow. “Yet by your own account, you knew the code better than…
An Undertaker’s Funeral
Author: Matt Cowan It is not unheard of for a subject in Our care to die: We look after so many, and the rigours of interstellar travel affect each species differently. When it happens, We always t…
Reapacking
Author: John McLaughlin Dr. Jan Gorlick retrieved a new Synthetic from the docking bay, guiding the naked man by the hand as they ambled slowly to the center of the lab. There, he tapped two keys i…
Donation
Author: Martin Berka Alma sobbed over the bed, oscillating between wails and shrieks until the exasperated surgeon ushered her to his small office at the back of the ICU. He offered her a seat, eas…
One Century Deep
Author: Lisa Jade It always takes a few moments to remember where I am. As I wake from a fitful sleep, my eyes fixed on the inside of the tank, it comes back to me. What this place is. What I agree…
A Light in the Black
Author: Jae Miles, Staff Writer There’s a dark atmosphere here on the hill, which is a sad achievement: with modern lighting and the city sparkling below, the Governor’s place is usually the bright…
The Other Side of Madness
Author: Mina No corporeal mind could comprehend the Cloud in their base form. Looking directly at them was like looking at the Milky Way but from a vantage point many light years closer to the cent…
A Limited Imagination
Author: Palmer Caine. “Have you heard about Lauren?” the fat thing asked, “Apparently your old partner, as wonderful as she is, has upset everyone, dealing to all sides…apparently.” Grottman …
The Red Plateau
Author: Alzo David-West Wind blew over the plateau. The sky was a desolate faded blue. A woman with tangled black hair rode a slow-moving horse, a travois with a bundled load drawn after it. She wo…
Thought Criminals
Author: Alicia Cerra Waters My mother came home from work that night with the corners of her mouth turned towards her chin. She took off her yellow fluorescent vest and hardhat, which was scarred w…
Coin will eat it itself
Author: Philip Berry Brandon wiped pale grey dust off the sign. It dropped in a thin wafer that crumbled over the toe cap of his left boot. – Heat exchange: no unauthorised entry – The door s…
Paddywhack
Author: David Henson When I finally got my M-plant, I couldn’t wait to try it out. I went to a local cafe, approached a woman wearing a TP earring and touched my TechPath lapel pin. She immediately…
Scratches in the Wall
Author: Hari Navarro Large Hadron Space-Time Shunt, Saint-Genis-Pouilly/Global Broadcast in …3…2…1 – Transmitting: “I’m no speaker. My life a desert of beautiful…
She Found Hope in a Pool of Rainwater
Author: Katelyn Goule Traveling along a lesser known path, she found Hope idling at the side of the road. He was dressed in all blue and white, and the reflection of the sun smoldered in his glossy…