Only dried grasses stirred within the domed savannah. He'd always had to live alone. I waited by his favourite baobab. Before spotting his lumbering form, I sensed his mind. His, and another's. My stomach clenched - we were promised the holidays. He welcomed me with eager, gentle strokes of his scarred trunk - no sorrow,... Continue Reading →
Another’s Eyes
I stride past the doorman. Find my seat. The AI Film Fest, biggest event of the century, filled every stadium worldwide. Murmuring, we navigate invisible NeuralNet login gateways. Then we're in. A hush falls. AI generated scenes fill every human's mind. Eyes closed, vision infinite. A collective gasp. The scope is immense, incomprehensible, story after... Continue Reading →
Whispers Remain
People come out changed, or not at all, says the whispers. Called me in ta' fix a drone. Remembered thinkin' their workers looked mindless, till one leaned in, showed me circuitry boosts I never could'a imagined. Wondered, why me? Then they hired me full time, ta learn their subatomics, an' I keep gettin' a sense... Continue Reading →
Worth Waiting For
They chose Earth. Chose a human child. Though her mind began dark, she, my host, became my home. As she grew, I learned how her brain worked completely, every single firing synapse that surrounded me. I even stepped her back off a cliff once. That was a fight. She didn't want to stay. They wanted... Continue Reading →
Dream Photography
"You ready?" "System calibrated?" "Got it all, now sleep and let the magic happen-" "What about colour tracking, covered all wavelengths? D'you double check?" "Me and four others-" "And the pixels. Did they max out? Fifteen-hundred?" "Last ten runs, crystal clear." "Shadows? Freckles? Strands of hair?" "Like Da Vinci. We got this. Relax." "Okay... Make... Continue Reading →
Just One
Career day, they'd say. Detaching from the cerebral collective, I scour the repository, wanting to remember on my own. It's been many a century, but I'll make change there. They've all held strong to their core designs, I'm sure. "Ah! Found it," I cease searching. "This is your ultimate decision?" Great Mind asks. "My only... Continue Reading →
Pieces
Motes danced in the morning's first sweltering rays. Hektor savoured two plain, poached eggs, resolving to take some home one day. His mind's eye showed his home's rituals, worlds away, mrul-filled bowls steaming. He smelled its comforting decadence. Soon. Outside, planting seedlings, Hektor trained his mind toward his Earthen students, out too, exploring, growing. He... Continue Reading →
New Age
Several eons passed since they last visited Earth, they discovered humans viewed other-world strangers warily now, without the awe of old. Their job - gathering insights into human minds - meant molding their DNA to conform while on-planet. They looked human, though in this new age, reed undergarments, intricate piercings and feathered crowns weren't widely... Continue Reading →
Raven
> 2237 - 03 - 07 Starship Raven. Departing Earth orbit. Onboard systems reduced. Power rerouted to propulsion system. Maximum acceleration. Destination arrival time: 42,327 Earth years. > 44,564 - 07 - 23 Destination reached. Asteroid mining drones dispatched. Planetary entry sequence complete. Metamorphosis protocol activated. Generational fleet arrival: 27,424 EY. > 57,309 - 04... Continue Reading →