illustration A ship's engines near full power, sitting high in the planet Tholl's orbit, rolling around a thousand kilometers away or so from its home port. Decorated in the royal colors of black and red,

I was serving in Tower One of the first Avro high-rise in downtown Oklahoma City, and was currently having a good time. On this day we were having a three shift rotation and we had just finished with the

Hey, I think I've almost got it. I called over my shoulder to Lucius. Really? He asked. I could tell by his voice that he was more than a little skeptical. I was in a very small, dimly lit room. The walls

'Are we there yet? We froze in our wheezing, which was caused by our bulky exoskeleton breathing apparatus failing to keep up with our rate of air intake. The vast majority of my platoon was suffering

It's hard to believe that it's been four months, ever since I went through that strange ritual in the forest clearing. A ritual that is still murky in my mind. I've been on four interviews with doctors

My back ached as I sat in my standard issue government-issue plastic tube chair, shoving in my standard issue government-issued tray. I'd been on this routine for a couple weeks now. Corporate meetings,

I don't know how I manage to continually relive the same, horrible month of October, over and over again. October is my favorite month, as well as the month I was born in. However, October is also the

I'm gonna spare you the part where I spent a couple years hiding how I was able to do things other people couldn't. The truth is that after the first few times someone figured it out and I had to move,

The sky was clear, but the strange sensation of being observed permeated the air as Alden Ash framed his gaze upon a little farmhouse nestled atop a single hill in the town of Summit. It was simply a place

I'm a murderer. Just not yet, I guess. I like to know I can look at myself in the mirror and flaunt what I look like without a care. I do that at least once every day. I can't get enough of how I look.

One night as I drove home from work, I suddenly noticed a bright star in the sky. I kept looking at it for about an hour, it seemed closer and then slowly disappeared. When I got home and turned on the

The world is filled with ruins and devastation, nothing seems to be solid nor real. The ash filled sky is a beautiful yet hellish landscape. The air is so filled with ash that our breath forms clouds that

What am I supposed to say to people I only know from my unusual magic? I don't know where to start. My name is Belle Bowman. I came here from my home on Earth because I was afraid of the government snooping

Space was always a bleak, lonely place for me. Even the sight of Earth's blue moon from space could not calm me like it did everyone else. I sat in one of Earth's finest restaurants, going over the battle

“Be careful down there,” shouts Rob Givens, the mission leader in his deep, bass voice. As I step onto the rocky soil beneath the Martian surface, I do not doubt his warnings. I have already become accustomed

The sun squinted above all of them and they still stung. The fools. If they had only done what was necessary to survive with their limited resources and not just ridden the waves for several months it

"But ma'am, what if they land here? All we have is this pathetic little colony. It's just a couple thousand people. They'll smash us to pieces" David Broderick pleaded. The woman he was addressing

It seems like such a long time since I last saw sunlight. Its pale light streams in through the glass, bathes my skin in a dusty yellow glow. I pull my knees up to my chest, rest my head against them and

clouds flew fast, carrying a voracious load of dark grey rain. Dropping onto the ground while several hundred meters away, they quickly spread out in all directions. The ground quickly filled with water,

I awoke from my slumber as the alarm clock rang. The procedure must not have worked. My polymer skin was smooth and supple to the touch. I could already feel the excess swelling going down my neck and