Tag: AI

All Stories, Science Fiction

CF58 by Héctor Hernández

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She was beautiful. Shoulder-length, auburn hair. Almond-shaped, hazel eyes. Full, sensual mouth. And I imagined her skin was a warm, walnut-shell tan underneath that chic, skin-tight, iridescent, body suit—the latest haute couture fashion, designed to dazzle with a spectrum of metallic hues and shades that shimmered like the shell of a scarab beetle. She looked directly into my eyes with such confidence I felt I knew her. There was something familiar about that beautiful, captivating face.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

Asimov in the Operating Room by Barry Yedvobnick

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I love the smell of antiseptic in the O.R. as the cool, dry air penetrates my mask. Even the acrid odor of cauterized flesh is tolerable after thirty years of incisions and excisions. However, this morning the room is foreboding.

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All Stories, Science Fiction

Lost In Thought by Dan Bell

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An urgent knock on the apartment door woke him.  He lay there, waiting for his mind to coalesce around a coherent thought. The knock turned into a thump, which soon became a rapid hammering, accompanied by yelling. Gustald recognized the voice. It was Gerti, a work colleague from Concept Compliance. He only vaguely knew her. Enough to give a polite greeting as they passed each other in the corridor, but certainly not sufficiently well to expect her to be banging on his door in the middle of the night. Why is she hitting the door with her fists at all? he wondered. Is the access sentry inoperative?

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All Stories, General Fiction

AI Husband by Claire Massey

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Madeline tells her virtual assistant to play the invitation again. Did she really hear the antiquated phrase, in-person? Pandora says, “repeating anniversary party details from George and Lydia” and yep, there’s cousin George’s avatar, declaring he’s 40 years married in 2040 (!) and guests can attend the celebration by holographic teleportation or in-person.

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All Stories, General Fiction, Science Fiction

The Likeability Problem by Kirsten Smith

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Three months to Election Day

“Mazie Tanner has a real likability issue to contend with,” said the slick, over-Botoxed TV pundit. “Folks just aren’t that into her. Polls show her earning a paltry thirty-two percent if the election were held today. That’s no bueno in a gubernatorial race against Robert ‘Mr. Charisma’ Sturgill, who’s got well over sixty percent. Now, if the lady tried smiling once in a blue moon—”

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All Stories, Science Fiction

Helix by David Henson

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How do I prove humanity isn’t a computer virus? Xander Neurix wonders. He’s getting desperate. Is desperate.

As his wife rubs his shoulders, he bounces his son on his knee. “You’re so tense,” Astra says.

Xander quiets his leg to concentrate on his wife’s massage. “Things at the Chamber are … complicated.” Xander hates to keep something so important from Astra, but is unsure how to tell her about the alarming situation unfolding.

Zaden kicks his heels against his father’s thighs. “More turbulence.” Xander begins bouncing his leg again.

“I need a break.” Astra shakes her hands. “You’re practically living at the Chamber. I thought Helix was requiring less and less from you and your team? We hardly see you.”

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All Stories, Fantasy

After Dark by Nico Gurdjian

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Ida hates the sunset. She also has a profound dislike for the ocean, Greece, Italian villas, and all 30,000 islands of the Pacific Ocean. But every morning she wakes up to one of them, rotating views out her window: a nightmare cycle of 5 star resort views. Sometimes she thinks she is already dead, stuck in a penitentiary of hell’s ennui where every day is more passive then the last.

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All Stories, Fantasy, Science Fiction

Created Image by Marco Etheridge

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The corpulent man straddles a rolling stool, shifting his bulk along a cheap conference table. The table is dominated by three oversized computer monitors. Lines of code scroll down each screen. The surface of the table is a cluttered mess of keyboards, cables, forgotten junk food, and a large gin and tonic.

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