It was a good landing, smooth and boring. Gordon released the hatch and stepped out, getting his first real view of the surface. Just as advertised, featureless and barren, an unbroken series of low mounds and shallow valleys carved in yellow-brown sand and rock. No buildings, no sign of any human habitation save the fused […]
She was stone, with none of the histrionics, tears or emotion that marked the other fault lines of a crumbling marriage. The earth had split asunder soundlessly, deliberately, and nothing would heal the breach. After making sure their son was safely buckled in Pat turned, wound down the window. “Its taken years but you’ve convinced […]
Errol Hasking held the clear plastic sleeve up to the lighting self-satisfied, feet on desk. A near flawless nineteenth century one-pound note nestled inside its plastic sarcophagus, a token of one more chip in the walls of the black economy from a thankful counterpart. Errol moved to the electrostatic wall and surveyed his team’s brag […]
The tiles, in unmarked uniform antiseptic whiteness covering the floors and walls, added to the cold of the eyes behind the monitor. Alicia Sanz stepped to the floor, rapidly pulling on her dress and blouse partly to ward off the chill, partly to cover threadbare underwear. Hands guided her into a chair opposite those eyes, […]
T – 00:00:05:00 P.A. “Five.” 696e:6f77::616d. 01000111.01001111.01001111.01000100 MisOpSys. “System’s good.” Consul01. 01001111.01001011.01000111.01001111 T – 00:00:04:00 P.A. “Four.” 696e:6f77::616d. 01010111 01001000 01000001 01010100 01010100 01001000 01000101 01000110 01010101 01000011 01001011 01010111 01001000 41 01010100 01010100 01001000 01000101 01000110 55 01000011 01001011 01010111 01001000 A 54 01010100 01001000 01000101 46 U 01000011 01001011 01010111 48 A T […]
Furniture of memory latex and plasteel; ceramics decorating walls and floors; windows of smart glass. A clean, harsh, efficiently depressing air bringing the silence of the tomb to the hospital. Emily and Tasha were with the specialist. The door opened and Dr. Heres motioned James inside, pointing to a solitary chair on the far side […]
Three a.m. and I’m going, stuffing clothes haphazardly in my duffel bag, cash in my back pocket, fear in my heart. A few more hours, a few more miles will buy me some time, just a little. I grab my wrist, re-set my id randomizer. I’m now Konrad Abernnor, MD. It’ll do. * * * […]
