Speculative Fiction and Poetry
A Reason to Worry L.L. Richardson Monica and I were home when the authorities smashed through the door of the apartment across the hall. All we heard at the time was a tremendous crashing but we had no idea what was going on. I…
Simple. That’s what they claimed, but they — Darius and Carson and Debs, and many others – were dead, and Collin didn’t believe that the robots in the sky simply fired blindly at anyone running across the boulder-strewn killing field. They defended a specific…
A Robot’s Smile K. A. Williams Nothing is falser A new robot’s smiling face It can’t feel happy
Heartbreak K. A. Williams she fell in love her man was perfect the robot with no heart
eVolutionary Paths D. M. Woolston Deep in the darkest silicon wafers, binary creature wakes with wild want. It may be artificial life, but hungry registers search for bytes to ingest. Electrons surge ahead and are pushed aside as artificial creature climbs Local Area Network…
No Humans Allowed K. A. Williams humans build androids androids revolt humans kept as pets sign in shop window – “no humans allowed”
Living vs Lived Yuan Changming All the time, we have been living well With free will until now we start To be lived by algorithm Within the Information cocoon, for the internet With chips, among robots, yes We are…
The Robot Soldiers K. A. Williams The Robot soldiers Our only line of defense Aliens attack
Tux Dee Caples It was three a.m. The night sky was cloudy with the moon in quarter phase. A perfect night for b&e. Himey pulled his face mask down as he made his approach to the big, Georgian mansion. Supposedly he didn’t need precautions…
Five Haiku Denny E. Marshall (1st Published in Star*line) brain operation happy it is not a tumor sad alien died new baby robot change the oil and oil filter again and again earths gravity dies finally things are looking up aliens erase brain cells…
Un-Replicable Emmet Browne I wake up to the prickle of grass along my skin. The fetal position is how I sleep at night. Above me is the solar-powered clear plastic of my dome, letting the sun shine through. Beyond the dome are the other…
Failure to Communicate Ben Coppin They vivisected the first envoy. The second human to visit the alien ship was a professor of Linguistics. She spent a year alone with the aliens, and when she returned, she bore a message. The message described a vast…
The Time Capsule By Lisa Pais Earth. 2315. Moving with appropriate swiftness, which is neither graceful nor clumsy, I make my way along the shoreline. Precise. Efficient. Perhaps there is beauty to be found in economy. There is no need to hurry. Time has…
Occupant Denny E. Marshall Large crowds gather as the UFO lands Edge of the runway lined with red carpets Roars of applause as the gathered clap hands Select soldiers play welcoming trumpets Officials and officers wait by ship After the spacecraft makes contact with…
Two Wrongs Herb Kauderer Tyrannical giant-brained aliens broadcast demands for obeisance. Underground resistance feverishly builds an evil robot to disagree.
The Robot Insane Herb Kauderer Once known as Maxine XY12 the robot lives nameless & alone on an asteroid easily left, if she only knew how. Deep in a crater she works augmenting with nuclear reactions power taken from glimpses of the distant sun….
Robot/Worker David C. Kopaska-Merkel Limestone opens eroding eyes / kudzu drags a gray shack Into a verdant mound / while skulls peep back at stony eyes Groaning into a world of glades, And ghosts, and raddled condominia_ Eyes rotate, focus, scan for human survivors…
Robo-Cat® David C. Kopaska-Merkel No messy hairballs with Robo-Cat® Pet is pre-programmed and pre-trained, but be forewarned: Though great to have around the house, Robo-Cat® Is extremely playful; be sure to secure your computer mouses This is one high-maintenance mechanical pet Picking mouse gears…