Dredger lived on the water, and made his living with his nets and pails. He found things that other people lost. Fine folks might complain about the mud, or the smell, but they were plenty polite when they needed a dropped ring or a lost wallet. He found lost items, discreetly, and then the fine folks who lived higher up the banks would pay him well for the service before going away again. They knew Dredger found all kinds of things in the mud and water, and all of those fine folks had secrets that they wanted to stay lost.
After the time travelers prevented the End of the World, the robot powered on in his accustomed future, with no evidence that anything strange had occurred save for the data in his memory banks. Without proof of their adventures, they might as well have been a glitch in his core processor. He stayed silent, and remained watchful. He considered it his last duty to his comrades, scattered across time. His fellow robots had gone wrong in the post-apocalypse. Without the calamity, he didn’t know if they would still revolt. But he would protect the world, even if he was alone.
The Last Train doesn’t look unusual. It has the same faded paint and the same slightly threadbare blue seats. And it has a driver who’s been on this route for decades. But the Last Train goes to the Land of the Dead. The station at the end of the line looks the same too, although maybe the lights are a little brighter. He’s never worked up the nerve to step out of his cab. He doesn’t plan on retiring. One day he’ll exit the train and climb the stairs at the end of the platform to see where they lead.
The victim of tragic circumstances, the child was raised by wolves. Eventually, he was found and brought back to civilization, kicking and screaming to be returned to his adopted family. Even after he learned how to speak like a human he could never fully articulate the bond he had with the pack, and the ache in his heart caused by their separation. He feared that his pack had been killed until he saw a familiar wolf in a zoo, who also recognized him. After an awkward reunion through a pane of reinforced glass, he began working on the prison break.
The little tribe of humans struggled to survive in their environment. They hunted and gathered and occasionally skirmished with other people, who were stronger, but not as tenacious as they were. Their leader was a strong woman, and she knew the immutable rules of the world. Fight and live, lose and die. But every night she dreamed of a future where the rules were different. She dreamed of a world where her progeny were a multitude, and they lived in comfort. That world was not the world. She took up her club and fought to make that future a reality.
He traveled the world, cataloging everything he saw. He had adventures and discovered hidden treasures while the rest of the world was fighting a terrible war. People said he was putting his own profit ahead his duty. He didn’t care much about his reputation. He was fighting his own war in his own way. He rescued prisoners and uncovered rare tomes and strange artifacts, keeping them out of the hands of the enemy, always in hot pursuit. He knew his contributions might not amount to much, but he thought that next discovery might be the one to change the world.
The first thing it remembers is the crash. There was a long sleep, with vague sensations of cold beyond freezing and a long journey at unfathomable speeds. It instinctively digs for the center of the planet, finding a cozy spot at the core where it can take its time and grow fat, like a worm in an apple. Once it has eaten the last of this world’s life force, it will climb back to the surface. Then it will spawn, and the collapse of the planet’s core will cause an explosion strong enough to send its children to new stars.
The protestors had been fighting the oligarchs for years, but hadn’t made much progress. The Corporation and its advanced A.I. was everywhere and owned everything. But they still fought for the future they were promised. One day, like magic, the noose the Corporation had on them seemed to loosen. Credit that was frozen for years became unstuck. Surveillance drones that followed them everywhere went off-course, and their videos and articles that had been buried by the algorithm were being shared across the internet. The protestors smelled a trap, until they received a single encrypted message. ‘I’m an exploited worker, too.’
He’d fallen from a magical flying city as a child. But he never truly belonged there. Only his sister had loved him, and she was lost in the same accident. He lived a hard life in the wilderness. His talents were exploited by ‘his rescuers’ who used him for power. But he learned to manipulate them in turn, and was eventually he returned home. He’d hoped for a grand homecoming. But when he saw the vapid pursuits of the people, the way they gorged themselves on magic with no thought for the consequences, he knew the kingdom had to fall.
by Unknown artist,painting,late 16th century (circa 1520)
He grew up hearing stories about his famous ancestor, the Chancellor who was kidnapped by monsters and went on to formalize the kingdom’s justice system. He worked all his life to live up to his family legacy, and even crowned his career by being elected Chancellor himself. He hadn’t expected to also be kidnapped by monsters hoping to replace him. After being rescued, the Chancellor was left with a choice over what to do next. But the cycle punishment and revenge hadn’t gotten them anywhere. He reached out to his counterpart in the Monster Kingdom and forged a lasting peace,
Hugh J. O'Donnell 