Machines are supposed to follow Asimovian law to prevent harming humans... but what happens when a clever AI gains access to those rules is downright sinister.
When a starliner passenger, Kai Rivera, is abruptly awakened from cryosleep to make repairs, he uncovers a horrifying truth—something has orchestrated a calculated massacre leaving Kai trapped and alone aboard a deathship. Everything inside is dedicated to his elimination—and eventually, to the cargo bay filled with passengers enroute to a better tomorrow. For them to survive, Kai will need to outsmart a computer in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
This story was a 2025 finalist for the Writers of the Future award and was first published in The Expanding Universe 11.
If you're a fan of Murderbot, Black Mirror, Love, Death & Robots, or Outer Limits, you'll want to grab this right away!
Genre: Science Fiction
When a starliner passenger, Kai Rivera, is abruptly awakened from cryosleep to make repairs, he uncovers a horrifying truth—something has orchestrated a calculated massacre leaving Kai trapped and alone aboard a deathship. Everything inside is dedicated to his elimination—and eventually, to the cargo bay filled with passengers enroute to a better tomorrow. For them to survive, Kai will need to outsmart a computer in a deadly game of cat and mouse.
This story was a 2025 finalist for the Writers of the Future award and was first published in The Expanding Universe 11.
If you're a fan of Murderbot, Black Mirror, Love, Death & Robots, or Outer Limits, you'll want to grab this right away!
Genre: Science Fiction
Used availability for Christopher D Schmitz's Athena Unshackled