Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999). Illustration: “Silent Man” by Duncan Long I can hear the chainsaws getting closer, rolling through the valley like a thundercloud of angry bees. Soon they will be here, and I will walk among them, sharing the land's pain. I mustered out of the army after the … Continue reading The Silent Man, by Mike Oakwood
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999). Illustration: “Billenium” by Romeo Esparrago I am a writer; its what I do, write. And as the world slides closer to the year 2000, the fears and concerns that surround something as small and simple as a misunderstood date field in a computer get greatly magnified. … Continue reading Y2K, by Christopher Clagg
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999). The ostrich was nervous, and Buck Brannan couldn't blame him. Shoot, he was nervous too. But it was the big bird that had the Mark VI 'Ram-Jets' strapped snug around its feathered body. Still, the rocket pack would put them on an equal footing with the … Continue reading The Ostrich Race, by Tony Chandler
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999). Illustration: “The Derelique” by Romeo Esparrago One month out from Alfred's Star, the Mayflower's alarms sounded, awakening Edman from a nap in his cabin. "Huh!" he shouted, startled from his dream. "What?" For a few seconds he was still running through the surging and receding waters … Continue reading Antiques, by Mark Stanley
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999). Illustration: “Black Bart” by Duncan Long The machine that stamped your name onto a flattened penny cost a dime to operate. It was owned by Tipper Flannagen, a convivial freckle-faced young man with flaming red hair who also owned the gun-fighting Black Bart robot that laughed … Continue reading Arcade, by Alan Kaufman
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999). Trophies of wealth, thought Loretta Capinelli. The butler, a thin, elderly man who looked snobbish even in gray pajamas, led her along the wide, elaborately furnished corridor. Despite the hour, the weather, and the consuming curiosity that had drawn her here, she found herself fascinated by … Continue reading Bitter Reflections, by Ty Drago
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 23 (September 1999). Illustration: “Color Me, Too” by Kalazar When I walk to my job early in the morning, there it is again. No use taking another street to avoid it: the photos are all over the city, for everyone to see. A naked white child, maybe six or … Continue reading Color Me Black, by Fabio Fernandes
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 22 (June 1999). Illustration: “Regards, Hanoi Bob” by Nicola Stratford We had just turned to enter a holo shop when the sidewalk went rubbery, my arm stretched, and with a strange snap in my head, I found myself in an unfamiliar room. Stars crept by. Translucent scrawlings hovered in … Continue reading Remote, by James Heflin
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 22 (June 1999). Illustration: “Big Ben” by Thomas Miller The doctors call me Big Ben. I am not a large man. But I am larger than most clocks. I know the hour, the minute and the second as well as any other timepiece ever made. And I always will. … Continue reading Big Ben, by Kim Burnham
Originally published in Planet Magazine No. 22 (June 1999). Illustration: “Return to Seaholm” by Eric Seaholm You smell Ristro prison before you ever get within two klicks of it. It's the one thing that Phobos is famous for. Some fame. But you didn't argue with god when he gave an order. So, when god said … Continue reading Ristro, by Virginia Chandler
