Stories

Author : Duncan Shields, Staff Writer “So why’d you join the off-world diplomacy exchange?” buzzed Zazzy through his translator. His mandibles glistened and his iridescent bright-purple eyestalks w…

Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer Jolla looks toward the setting sun: “A million light years from home and we still instinctively count ‘one’, ‘two’, ‘three’, ‘four, ‘lots’. Our territories are virt…

Author : Steve Smith, Staff Writer Kanárek walked a few paces ahead of the squad, weapon in the low ready position. He talked back to Caufield, the squad leader, as they advanced, glancing back onl…

Author : R.D. Harris Do you want to get away, but don’t have the money? Look no further than your friends at TeleGo! Our state-of-the-art teleporters are cancer-free and stress-free. No muss,…

Author : Christina Dalcher You have to bid right in these things. Too low, you wake early; too high, your money is lost. No refunds, no exchanges, all sales are final. The first decisions are made …

Author : Matthew J. Beckman The Deputy stood in front of the patched screen door, staring down at Danny Willis. Moths flickered around the porch light. “Were you up there three nights back? In the …

Author : Roi R. Czechvala, Staff Writer SSG Ray Mansfield raised his rifle and glassed the valley below with powerful optics. His men, stretched out behind him, were virtually invisible, their cham…

Author : Sean P Chatterton ‘How long has she been dead?’ ‘We don’t know.’ ‘How come?’ ‘Katherine Danderfield was a plugged in person. She had autresponders for her email, bots to update her social …

Author : Hillary Lyon The old woman leaned over the tombstone, and wiped the flat screen embedded in the front. It was grimy from exposure to the elements, but with a few gentle, conscientious stro…

Author : Jae Miles, Staff Writer The sub-tropical jungle steams in the sultry afternoon heat as the sun reappears after the mini-monsoon. Sapping humidity returns. Two figures appear: the leader mo…

Author : C. James Darrow Human? Yes, my friend? I feel. . .different. The old man cleared his throat and looked up from his desk. We’ve been over this, my friend, you are a machine. You do not feel…

Author : Jules Jensen “John. What is that sound?” There was a moment of tension as John’s mother, still wearing her hospital scrubs, sat at the head of the table. John heard the noises. Little high…

Author : Philip Berry Dropping out of purple clouds into a thin brown layer of wind-scour, Gess identified the Pinnacle City, capital of Fenlan Found. Waves of refraction formed pulsatile auras aro…

Author : David K Scholes “Did you hear that K1983441 was beaten at chess by a, ah___,” J3343578 hesitated for just a moment, “by a, ah ___ human being.” Somehow she managed to make the word sound q…

Author : Kent Rosenberger “It’s happening,” announced Saul Quick from two minutes ago. “Is everybody ready? We’re only going to get one pass at this.” “Who cares?” sniped Saul Quick from sixty-six …

Author : Brenna Robinson Something happened back in those days that caused the compound to go into lock-down and never open again. When I started asking myself questions, and I decided that it coul…

Author : J.R.Blackwell, Staff Writer “How is the Krugar adjusting to his second childhood?” The Krugar’s mother motioned to the reporter to sit. “We don’t call him The…

Author : Brad Crawford {BLINK} There it went again. This time he noted the time and severity of the event. For the last two days or so, Dr. Samuel Coughlin, world-renowned physicist had experienced…

Author : Russell Bert Waters Let me be clear: there is reality, even when there is not. What I am writing here exists. It is both linear and classical. It is on paper, and it is not. It’s on paper …

Author : Gray Blix “Why do we have a dog bot in the first place?” Offended, “Robot K91 is my PARTNER, sir, and its very shape deters crime by evoking a primal human fear of wolves…

Author : Jess Cowburn ‘You know what’ll happen as soon as you set foot on that ship? You’ll start changing. You will. I read about it. You won’t notice it but just being there, it’s not natural for…

Author: Jae Miles, Staff Writer I land with a crunch that tells me the remaining organic ribs in my left side need replacing. “I bet that hurt, Shields.” Fast footsteps betray his next move. I bra…

Author : J.D. Rice The worn grandfather clock stood idly in the corner, looking out of place against the stale, concrete wall. Its slow and steady ticking echoed quietly around the room, breaking u…

Author : Michael Holt “This gives a whole new meaning to the term peep show don’t you think?” said, Trayden. “Mr. Rice while we enjoy your humor you really must get your rest, we …

Author : Elijah Goering Justin Perdan sat at communication center of mankind’s first interstellar spaceship. The Earth Ship Endurance was truly massive, containing within it tens of thousands…

Author: Matt Poll “Don’t point at the bird, Larry honey,” Jared hissed, half-slapping his daughter’s finger out of the horizontal. She flashed him a comical tilt-headed glare of hurt, which he resp…

Author : Dan Whitley The natives prostrate me over a disused shipping crate in their temple and begin their ritual. They flog me with ancient braided industrial cables that have hung from the templ…

Author: Rick Tobin Aaron’s dark green Volvo continued in the interstate fast lane, at the legal speed limit, when suddenly a bright red SUV swerved around him, honking, almost striking the front of…

Author : Colin Edley Nobody likes the guy who told you so being right, especially when the three day bender you went on after the girl he said was no good meant you couldn’t drag yourself out…

Author : Alexis Voltaire My fist thumps heavily on the metal door, echoing down the corridor. I’m soaking wet, some of it water, some of it blood. some of it mine. “Sandogan!” I y…