Science Fiction

Eliza Chen first noticed it while preparing her morning coffee, a faint vibration that seemed to emanate from everywhere and nowhere at once. She paused, mug suspended halfway to her lips, and cocked her head to listen. But in that moment of focused attention, the sound retreated, blending seamlessly into the background noise of suburban life. Shaking her head, Eliza dismissed the anomaly and took a sip of coffee. She had more pressing concerns this morning, like getting her son Kai out of bed and off to school on time. At thirteen, he was in that delightful stage where his body demanded twelve hours of sleep while his class schedule insisted on seven. ...

Zara squinted against the glare of the twin suns, her weathered hand shielding her eyes as she surveyed the endless expanse of dunes. The desert stretched to the horizon in every direction, broken only by the occasional rocky outcropping or withered scrub brush. She took a swig from her canteen, savoring the precious liquid as it soothed her parched throat. Behind her, the ramshackle collection of domed structures that made up Oasis Settlement 23 huddled against the harsh landscape. Zara could hear the low hum of the atmospheric moisture collectors working overtime, struggling to extract every last droplet from the arid air. It was never enough. ...

The neon sign flickered to life, casting a harsh blue glow across Zara Chen’s face as she gazed up at the towering Nexus Corp headquarters. Twenty-eight stories of gleaming glass and steel stretched toward the smog-choked sky, a monument to human ambition and technological progress. Her ambition. Her progress. Zara took a deep breath, straightened her crisp white lab coat, and strode through the sliding doors into the immaculate lobby. Her heels clicked against polished marble as she made her way to the express elevator, nodding curtly to the security guard who waved her through. ...