Alice misted the variegated leaves. A ripple of delight coursed through her body as though it were her sensation rather than the plant’s. Perfect, sighed the plant. Her finger paused on the trigger of the mister. Involuntarily, Alice placed it… Continue Reading
Clink. The sound of my footfall reverberated across the island, swelling to a loud chime before subsiding. It wasn’t the sound I expected. Blood ran down my cheek. I was exhausted from the swim, and the crash into the sea… Continue Reading
The five climbed the gantry in silence to view their work completed. As they walked out in front of the great viewport and were bathed in the light of the universe, their leader, Esil, wiped a tear from the corner… Continue Reading
My car was ugly. Angular, pitted gray, it could barely fly. If it weren’t for Tomiko, I’d feel ashamed picking up my boyfriend Chuanli. He climbed in the passenger seat and kissed my ear as my car’s hologram of Tomiko… Continue Reading
The first thing they taught me was the Trolley Problem. The hypothetical car under my control is heading towards five people; I can change the direction but that will hit one person, what should I do? My neural network played… Continue Reading
It took NASA three months to verify that it was indeed a message and not interstellar scintillation. The communication repeated regularly and was clearly the result of intelligent composition. It took a further four months to isolate which solar system… Continue Reading
Pili sips from her water bottle when the familiar tingling begins. Through the wire cage, she sees Manuel curled up on his bed, looking more like a baby than a sixteen-year-old. He’s come home early from soccer practice because he’s… Continue Reading
Mommy bursts through the door. I jump up from the bottom step. “You got one!” I squeal, spotting the box she’s carrying. She’s panting and shaking. She slams the door shut and slides the bolt across just as something crashes… Continue Reading
I’m the one who killed thirty million people. I spent eight days in the bunker to avoid the radioiodine fallout, and an additional four because I didn’t want to see what had happened to the world above me. When I… Continue Reading
Animal Services # Due to a rising stray population and an associated uptick in dog attacks, LA Animal Services has initiated a prevention program in coordination with the LAPD’s AI Unit. Starting on February 21st, a newly developed stray-dog targeting… Continue Reading