A glistening pool of blood gently wept from the body. Crimson gore sparkled under rapid flash photography as it loosely clung to the wounds. So many wounds. Too many for this to have been an accident. "Bite marks," said the forensics officer. "A lot of bite marks." The detective peered at the ragged corpse. It was barely recognisable as human; just a series of holes where flesh ought to be. "Please tell me a wild animal did this." The forensics officer pointed at a series of incisions…
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The first self-replicating solar panel is the hardest. After that, it's just a race against time. Herein lies the history of our programme and the challenges we now face as an isolated Kardashev Type II civilisation. You will recall that our planet-bound ancestors were not quick to realise the potential of direct solar power. We can only imagine how the development of our civilisation may have been altered if they had bountiful and pollution free energy but, alas, these things take time. Our…
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It took the single green pixel a total of 185 seconds to travel from India's Mars Rover back to Earth. Along its 220 Gigametre journey it passed through an orbital satellite, then the Phobos concatenator, along the Deep Space Network to the Lunar L4 relay, and then to the geostationary conduit which finally beamed it down to Earth. The massive network of radio telescopes in the Complex Oversized Array averaged out the transmission, discarded any data which failed checksum validation, then…
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From the Web-Log of Doctor Nosetacular! 2032-11-28 There's no such thing as superheroes. That's why I've placed my head in a vice and am expanding my nasal cavities with a surgical drill. All my life I wanted to be special. I grew up on a diet of those glossy superhero movies and spent every birthday running in a cheap plastic costume defeating all the bad-guys in my neighbourhood. The older I got, the less I put away childish things. All my electives at college were focussed on one goal -…
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The bomb which ripped Hunter's stomach to shreds was not intended for her. It was wired up to a long-range RFID scanner and strapped inside a plastic recycling bin. The RFID scanner was tuned to the specific frequencies of passport chips and the microcontroller ingested all their data looking for patterns. When each person passed the bin, the bomb checked them out and analysed them against the list of targets. The primary target was a mid-ranking politician who was taking bribes from an…
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My parents had been desperate for a baby boy - a strong male to carry on the family name. My parents' neighbours had wanted a boy so they would have someone to support them in their old age. The family across the street wanted a boy in order to have someone take over the family business. And the family round the corner wanted a boy because they'd seen the way people in this neighbourhood treated the young women. Each of them had made an entirely logical and practical decision for the succession …
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"The CIA's special weapons trainers fed dolphins LSD, gave them hand-jobs, and told them to blow up Russian ships. Would you volunteer for that mission?" Brad thought for a moment, then piped up. "Would I be the trainer or the dolphin, sir? Because getting high and being jerked off already sounds better than basic training." A low growl of irritation came from the Professor of the History of Alternative Warfare and Classified Weapons. "This isn't a joke. I thought you were trying to find real …
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It had been a difficult day at the animal rescue centre and I was looking forward to tucking into a delicious cat-burger. You know when you've been on your feet all day and the only thing keeping you going is the thought of a hot meal? That sesame seed bun, a few slices of salad, a squeeze of secret sauce and a piping hot slab of cat meat - hold the pickles. That's what I needed, and that's what I ordered. "Sorry mate, we're out of cat." "Oh," I said dejectedly. "Got any Fillet-of-Dog?" …
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Humans often ask if it is possible to fall in love with a robot. But no one ever asks the flowers if it is possible for them to fall in love with a robot bee. Flowers, despite their innocent petals, are sexual predators. They pump out intoxicating smells which entice the male bee. As the bee flies closer, he catches sight of an ultraviolet pattern splayed out, it is the perfect replica of a willing and available female bee. His lust drives him to copulate with the flower. Thus spent, he flies…
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You are reading "Tales of the Algorithm". A compendium of near-future sci-fi stories. Each chapter is a stand-alone adventure set a few days from now. Everything you read is possible - there's no magic, just sufficiently advanced technology. Think of them as technological campfire horror stories. Lena The Tattoo'd Lady I spend my life with people ogling my barely-clothed body, but the only time I feel really exposed is when I'm in a hospital gown. If the bored young technician recognised me, …
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Welcome to NaNoWriMo, where I - and thousands of other plucky souls - try to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. You are reading "Tales of the Algorithm". A compendium of near-future sci-fi stories. Each chapter is a stand-alone adventure set a few days from now. Everything you read is possible - there's no magic, just sufficiently advanced technology. Think of them as technological campfire horror stories. Your feedback on each story is very much appreciated. And so, let's crack on…
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Welcome to NaNoWriMo, where I - and thousands of other plucky souls - try to write a 50,000 word novel in a month. You are reading "Tales of the Algorithm". A compendium of near-future sci-fi stories. Each chapter is a stand-alone adventure set a few days from now. Everything you read is possible - there's no magic, just sufficiently advanced technology. Think of them as technological campfire horror stories. Your feedback on each story is very much appreciated. And so, let's crack on…
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