Speculative Fiction

The moving truck rumbled away, leaving Mira Chen alone on her new driveway. She surveyed the quiet cul-de-sac, identical houses lining the curved street like a row of pastel-colored teeth. Only the numbers differentiated one from the next. 1420 Sycamore Lane - her new address. Mira’s gaze drifted down to the sidewalk. Something about the cracks in the concrete caught her eye. They formed an intricate lattice, almost like a circuit board or the veins of a leaf. She shook her head, chalking it up to an overactive imagination after a long day of unpacking. ...

Lira stared out the car window, watching the lush green landscape blur past. Her sister Mira’s excited chatter faded into background noise as Lira silently willed the car to turn around and head back home. She’d much rather be curled up with a good book than embarking on this ill-advised camping trip. “Come on, sis, at least try to look a little excited,” Mira said, nudging Lira’s arm. “This is going to be amazing! Fresh air, starry skies, just us and nature.” ...

The sun beat down mercilessly on the cracked pavement, shimmering waves of heat rising from the abandoned streets. Aria wiped the sweat from her brow and adjusted the straps of her scavenging pack, scanning the desolate urban landscape for any sign of movement. The ruins of the once-thriving metropolis stretched out before her, a concrete jungle slowly being reclaimed by nature. She’d been out since dawn, methodically combing through the remnants of office buildings and apartments, searching for anything of value. Water was the most precious commodity, of course, but food, medicine, and functional tech were also worth their weight in gold these days. So far, her pack held only a few cans of preserved vegetables and a handful of corroded batteries. Not exactly a jackpot, but it would have to do. ...

Zara Voss squinted against the biting wind as she guided her battered Jeep along the narrow mountain road. Jagged peaks loomed on all sides, their snow-capped summits disappearing into roiling gray clouds. She’d been driving for hours, the radio long since faded to static, leaving only the rumble of tires on gravel and the occasional ping of sleet against metal. This was what she’d wanted, wasn’t it? Isolation. Anonymity. A chance to lose herself in the vastness of the Rockies and maybe, just maybe, outrun the memories that hounded her day and night. Zara’s knuckles whitened on the steering wheel as a particularly vivid flash hit her—alarms blaring, her copilot’s panicked voice, the sickening lurch as their plane plummeted from the sky… ...

Dr. Lena Kouri squinted through her helmet’s faceplate at the jagged, sulfur-streaked landscape before her. Jupiter’s swirling mass dominated the sky, its bands of stormy clouds a constant reminder of their precarious position on its volcanic moon. She took a deep breath, savoring the moment as her boots touched down on Io’s surface for the first time. “We’re really here,” Jai whispered beside her, his voice filled with awe. “It’s more beautiful than I imagined.” ...

Mira Johnson stared out her bedroom window, watching the neighborhood kids play kickball in the street. Her fingers absently traced the raised scar on her forearm - a permanent reminder of why she kept her distance. At thirteen, she was old enough to join them, but young enough that the isolation still stung. A commotion drew her attention. Ethan, the scrawny boy from two houses down, was backing away from Tyler and his crew. Even from her second-story vantage point, Mira could see the fear in Ethan’s eyes. ...

Lady Amelia Blackwood stood at the window of her bedchamber, gazing out at the misty grounds of Ravenswood Manor. The early morning fog clung to the ancient oaks and rolling lawns, shrouding the estate in an ethereal veil. She absently fingered the ornate silver locket that hung from a delicate chain around her neck, its weight both comforting and burdensome. The locket had belonged to her late mother, the Countess of Ravenswood. It was said to contain a secret that could alter the fate of the entire Blackwood lineage. Amelia had worn it every day since her mother’s passing three years ago, though she had never managed to unlock its mysteries. ...

Nira Sato’s fingers flew across the keyboard, her eyes darting between multiple screens as lines of code scrolled past. Outside her window, the neon-drenched skyline of New Tokyo glittered against the night sky. But Nira’s mind was half a world away, probing the digital defenses of a small Middle Eastern nation most people couldn’t find on a map. “Come on, you bastards,” she muttered. “Show me your secrets.” For weeks, she’d been trying to crack the firewalls protecting Khazan’s government networks. It wasn’t about money or glory - Nira had long since lost interest in both. This was about uncovering the truth behind the whispers that had been circulating through underground channels. Rumors of an AI system unlike anything the world had seen before. A system that could predict human behavior with terrifying accuracy. ...

Zara’s reflection flickered in the polished chrome of Dr. Thorne’s lab, her gaunt face bathed in the sickly glow of blinking monitors. She traced a finger along the edge of the neural interface helmet, its tangle of wires reminding her of the tumor’s tendrils woven through her brain. “It’s not exactly how I pictured spending my thirtieth birthday,” she said, managing a wry smile. Dr. Thorne’s weathered hands paused over the control panel. “We can still wait, if you’re having second thoughts. The procedure is—” ...

Dr. Amelia Winters stared at the holographic display, her eyes burning from hours of unblinking focus. The swirling strands of DNA rotated slowly, taunting her with their complexity. She rubbed her temples, willing the pounding headache to subside. “Computer, run simulation alpha-seven again,” she commanded, her voice hoarse from disuse. “Simulation alpha-seven initiating,” the AI responded in its crisp, emotionless tone. Amelia held her breath as she watched the familiar sequence play out. Microscopic nanobots swarmed through a simulated bloodstream, latching onto infected cells and injecting their payload. For a moment, it seemed to be working. Then, just as before, the infected cells began to multiply exponentially, overwhelming the nanobots in a matter of seconds. ...