IN HIS PRIME • by K.C. Ball
He remembers going to bed, tired after a long day of training, and he remembers noises in the night, the rush of cool air over his bared body, but he doesn’t recall how he got here; wherever here may be.… Continue Reading
Science Fiction
DOUBLE VIRGINITY • by Kevin Shamel
The first time I lost my virginity was awful. I won’t go into it other than to say that I was more than happy to do it over. The second time was decidedly more toe-curling. It’s not as great as… Continue Reading
MY DAY OFF FROM THE SETI PROJECT • by Deven D Atkinson
All those endless days spent analyzing and listening and fretting over every radio signal captured by Arecibo had broken my enthusiasm. The drone of static rising and fading; the computer graphics spiking and falling; the unrelenting sameness of it all… Continue Reading
MAIL • by Kevin Shamel
The mailman is stealing my mail. I know he is. I can see it on his face when he hands me a pile of catalogues and fliers for oil-changes and pet supplies. Or a stack of bills. I used to… Continue Reading
IF TAKERS, REBOOT — ELSE, CLOSE. • by Avis Hickman-Gibb
Open — look around, any takers? No. Close. Days passed. Open — maybe now? No. Close. Weeks passed. Open — c’mon read my sign, read my sign! Any takers? No. Close. Months passed. Open — any takers, now? No. Close.… Continue Reading
THE BREACH • by Gay Degani
The sudden hammering on the door jolts him awake. He doesn’t know for sure if it’s dawn or dusk. His upended sofa, his queen-sized mattress and box spring, his mother’s hutch block the loft’s only row of windows. “Dan! It’s… Continue Reading
EMERGENCY REVIVAL • by Kevin Shamel
My eyeballs still had a layer of ice on them when my lids snapped open to shrill, beating light. My body was hit with wake-up juice and jabs of electricity from the bed. I couldn’t scream because my throat wouldn’t… Continue Reading
ONE SNAPSHOT FROM THE SINGULARITY • by Ramon Rozas III
John Ramos tapped his fingers on the steering wheel, staring at the line of red taillights ahead. He was stopped on U.S. 219, headed south through McHenry, a long line of traffic before him. John thought he could make out… Continue Reading
CRUSH • by Alexander Burns
He peered into baby blue eyes. Scott analyzed them first, because if something didn’t check out there he could skip the rest of the inspection. Eyes were too important. The engineers had a love-hate relationship with the eyes–darker eyes hid… Continue Reading
HOW MY SISTER LOST THE GAME • by K.C. Shaw
Its real name is Jackenpacks, after the inventor, but everyone calls it the Game. Everyone on my world is crazy about it, even though most people can’t play — you have to have the right mind talents. My sister Gwen… Continue Reading