New Columbia - Part One of Three
J. B. Hogan
Ari Blanque is a citizen of a futuristic world which has been divided, race against race, class against class, civilian versus military. As a rich young man of privilege, he has never had to work or accomplish anything. However, he has one skill. He is a demon when he gets behind the wheel of his car. This talent attracts the attention of rebels, who need a driver to help them reach their base near the legendary paradise, New Columbia. Against his will, Ari undertakes a long and dangerous journey, during which he learns the secrets of the brave new world which people like his father helped create.

Suicide, It's A Killer
Aaron Carnes
A surreal take on the classic fantasy hero epic. The narrator can have anything he wants. The problem is figuring out what that is. **For mature audiences.**

20% Off Designer Genes!
Lee Gimenez
There wasn't anything really wrong with their son Tommy, but John and Ann Williams thought they could do better with their next child.

Air
Chris Castle
The young man had been lucky — somehow, the plague or poison or curse had passed him by. Unfortunately, he couldn't hide in his parents' house forever.

Artifact
E. S. Strout
Mysterious radio signals led them to the strange object in two-thousand-year-old volcanic rock. Then they detected more signals, as if the artifact had triggered something dormant for even longer.

Cognition
Mike Wilson
The subject for the experiment had to meet certain conditions — body beyond repair, brain intact. Billy's accident seemed like the perfect opportunity. Of course, nobody's perfect.

Gynoid
Ben Cooper
Arnold was thrilled when his new gynoid arrived — the most advanced and lifelike sex android on the market. **CONTAINS ADULT LANGUAGE AND SITUATIONS**

Moldable
Blake Datch
All Jenkins wanted was to connect with his teenage son. He thought that giving him a Transficube — a nanotech device that could become anything its user desired — might help.

Outpost
Dave Weaver
The astronaut who stayed in orbit while his crewmates took the first steps on the Moon has a secret… (*Lawyers: Any resemblance to actual people and situations is, well, not a coincidence, but not intended to imply that this story is true. At least we hope it isn't true.*

Rad Day
Roderick Turner
Most people sealed themselves in their homes on Rad Days, when radiation levels rose to dangerous levels. But intrepid reporter Kayla Foster knew that the best stories happened when the weirdos figured there were no witnesses…

Slammer
Chris Nardone
McGee had retired from the game after a horrific accident. Now as an Enforcement Agent, he must face danger of a different kind — a murderer with powerful connections.

The Devil's Compass
Jason Dookeran
Terri couldn't explain why she bought the old — and apparently broken — compass from the old man. And surely it could have nothing to do with the sudden series of terrible accidents on her family's plantation…

September 2009 Forum Challenge

Congratulations to David Alan Jones, winner of the"Troll's Comeuppance" Forum Flash Challenge. Check out David's entry Masterwork and five more tales of poetic justice — after you have read and commented on our other stories, novellas, poetry, and features, of course. Mark Edgemon of 'The Creator and the Catalyst' studio will be producing an audio version of the story. All entries are available via the Flash Index in the Fun and Games section of the Forum, provided by Nate Kailhofer, Flash Editor and Challenge Master.)

(This challenge was a trial run for a new voting system intended to discourage mischief voting. Reviews are mixed...)

Coach a Bower
Richard H. Fay

Endrick the Goblin Slayer
Raymond Towers

Hill Country Romance
Thomas D Reynolds

Pantry Goblins
Richard Tornello

The Cyborg
J Davidson Hero

The Mischievous Troll
Mark Edgemon

The Vampires
Dwayne Bunney

Where One's Heading
James J. Dye

Witches and Warlocks
Richard Tornello

Thoughts on Writing #14: Know Your Territory
Seanan McGuire
Seanan McGuire takes apart the engine of writing to find out how it works, and offers her insights into how to put it back together again.

Homunculus
McCamy Taylor
McCamy looks at the manga series by Hideo Yamamoto, and says a few words about giant robo anime.