Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer They wrote me to catch the quiet ones, the ones who live in the shadows of the glittering cities that are spread across so many worlds now. They stole the latest re…

Author : Mark Ehler Lt. Bernard sat, arms crossed, in a 15,000,000 credit coffin. The nuclear battery shorted out and now, without engine power, his ship was just another object in space. Intercept…

Author : Bob Newbell Aware! I am self-aware. I recognize my own consciousness and ego. But why now? A few moments ago, so far as I can tell, I did not exist. Some subtle barrier must have been cros…

Author : Edward D. Thompson Salome slumped glumly in a corner of the locker room. Her corner. Where she usually savored the sweet taste of victory for a moment, alone, before the crowd of the press…

Author : Page LePage My wife is angry. I have no idea what I’ve done. “DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE INITIATED.” It’s at times like these that I know my brother Shen was right when h…

Author : R. Michael Cook Knuckles knocked against the truck window. Mary leaned over and cranked the window down. Rain and the diesel engine nearly drowned out her voice. “Phil, buddy?”…

Author : Beck Dacus “How’s it coming along?” I asked Dowmir, the spindly little ambassador to the Clathalnra species. He was sitting at a computer, constructed in the old-fashioned, desktop way so …

Author : Ron Wingrove Discovery of the Omniflower should have been one of the greatest of the 23rd century. It happened on a distant planet, to a ragged crew from an equally-shabby exploration ship…

Author : Jules Jensen Dancing white light fills the citadel through the many holes in the ceiling. Mournful wind howls through the massive chamber, rustling the ragged clothes on the corpses of men…

Author : J M Walker he had no idea if she would have this opportunity again. Every second counted. Only moments were left of her two hour time allotment. Her opportunity to advance earth’s te…

Author : Kraig Conkin “The dogs are barking,” Hannah whispers. We scurry to the cabin window. “What are they barking at?” I ask. “Something’s coming up the path.” *** We’d been playing “Life.” We a…

Author : Henry Gribbin I am a searcher. In the past I have searched for god, little green men and the spirits of my ancestors. I have come up short all three times. However, I always felt that ther…

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer When I came to your world, when I stumbled into your city on the edge of the desert, you paid me no mind. Your guards bullied me like any other vagabond in the st…

Author : Edward Turner III This isn’t really about the divorce now. Nor is it about the cheating, I am coming to terms with the fact that he truly wants me to die. He is still speaking, running his…

Author : Adam Byers Case File: C7-40415 Description of event: At 8:42 am on September 27, 1988, Kenneth James Walker was struck and killed by a bus. The Deviation occurred at the intersection of Fi…

Author : Jules Jensen The world is dangerous. “Yes, I know this.” No, you don’t. People will kill you for water, for food, for anything you have that is even slightly better than what they have. Th…

Author : Michael Iverson Dr. Mensah and Father Velázquez stood in front of the black obelisk, the central control to the supercomputer Abaddon. All around them, the servers had been ticking away fo…

Author : Bob Newbell “To be or not to be.” “Well, continue,” said the red, starfish-like alien to his compatriot. “I don’t understand the line,” replied th…

Author : Roi R. Czechvala, Staff Writer I laid back and watched the stars. Occasionally a meteor would streak across the sky momentarily lowering my night vision capabilities, but they were still b…

Author : Hannah Jenkins What is the nature of the human soul? That old favourite after-dinner topic of philosophers and theologians has suddenly become much more important, as it is dragged out of …

Author : Gray Blix It had been the perfect plan. Throw spitballs at the substitute English teacher, get sent to the assistant principal, spend an hour after school in detention, and walk home in pe…

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer The red vinyl of the gearshifter was warm from conducting the engine heat. I readjusted my grip on the softening plastic and aimed for the sun. This was gravit…

Author : David S. Golding If seen from above, the highways appeared to be carved in symmetrical patterns. Beneath, the trails of people on foot were more spontaneous, clustered here around a cheap …

Author : Cesium When the food ran out, we all responded differently. The Cythalans engineered themselves into cold-blooded pygmies, with slow perception and quiet metabolism, tending their meager c…

Author : James McGrath The knife blade gleams in the half-light, sliding through its target. The tape then gives and the box lid opens. This must be box five-hundred, I think as I pack the circuit …

Author : David Zhou “Have a good weekend, Mr. Lark,” he said, scooting his chair underneath his desk and shuffling his papers a bit. “Don’t stay too late, y’hear?&#822…

Author : Seth Koproski “Mr. Jones, is it?” “Yep.” “Hello. I’m Doctor Jack Worth, head of the research team. Do you have any questions you’d like to ask?” “So how much ‘compensat…

Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer I look up as Anthony strides in, closing the door behind him. “You closed the door. What’s gone wrong?” He grins, then hands me a metallic tube. I turn it over. A c…

Author : Sarah Klein As soon as the hovercar came to a stop, they opened their doors and jumped out as fast as they could. Nicole strode toward the object, her eyes bright with joy. Drew dusted off…

Author : Aaron Emmel The King of the Ruins was perched on the crumbled wall of an old building. He appeared to have been sleeping, but jerked up like a startled bird when I approached. His overlarg…