Original Science Fiction - Makeshift Stories

During a deadly heat wave, unwilling to abandon his aging collie or give up his independence, 80-year-old Ryker refuses to leave his subsidized apartment. He soon becomes delirious from dehydration and heat, hallucinating that he is alone on a doomed alien world with a loyal robot. But when he collapses, the old collie must save him.

Aurora attends a remote conference to research fringe beliefs in aliens and UAPs for an article she is writing. She meets a provocative neuroscientist, Doctor Tracey Bukowski, whose theories link universal consciousness to unexplained phenomena. Aurora finds Bukowski’s ideas crazy, but after a few too many cocktails, lets Bukowski convince her to attend a midnight session beneath the stars. There, Aurora witnesses something unexplainable and must decide whether she was manipulated, hallucinating, or if something actually happened.

Renata’s trail leads Matteo to an automated distribution centre, where he uncovers proof that a false insurance claim is a cover for a larger fraud involving relabelled memory modules and corrupted AI hardware. Matteo finds Renata alive but ends up trapped, forced to choose between escape and stopping the lie from being buried.

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makeshiftstories@gmail.com

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CREDITS

Written by Vern Hume (AKA Alan V Hare).

Read by Stephen Peterson.

Opening and closing were composed and created by Matthew Erdmann.

Produced by Vecada Studios.

Makeshift Stories is released under a creative commons non-commercial attribution, no derivative license.

With an early snow threatening to destroy her first good crop in years, Harper’s combine breaks down. When the dealer can’t fix it in a timely manner, she is forced to take matters into her own hands and get her neighbour to repair a broken belt. But when a software update detects the unauthorized repair, the machine turns on her, locks the cab, and drives toward a cliff. Harper barely escapes the crash, only to learn the manufacturer is out to make an example of her.

CONNECT WITH US

makeshiftstories@gmail.com

SHARE THE PODCAST

If you liked this episode, tell your friends to listen wherever they get their audio.

CREDITS

Written by Vern Hume (AKA Alan V Hare).

Read by Kathleen Connelly.

Opening and closing were composed and created by Matthew Erdmann.

Produced by Vecada Studios.

Makeshift Stories is released under a creative commons non-commercial attribution, no derivative license.

Matteo works as a consultant for wealthy collectors, authenticating their purchases to ensure they are not AI-manufactured fakes, until his sister Renata vanishes after sending him a cryptic message concerning a fake insurance claim. After the authorities refuse to investigate, he is forced into the city’s slums to find her, where she has been working as a meat runner for an insurance AI. Matteo quickly uncovers a fraud built on tiny, deliberate distortions.

CONNECT WITH US

makeshiftstories@gmail.com

SHARE THE PODCAST

If you liked this episode, tell your friends to head over to Apple Podcasts and subscribe.

CREDITS

Written by Vern Hume (AKA Alan V Hare).

Read by Stephen Peterson.

Opening and closing were composed and created by Matthew Erdmann.

Produced by Vecada Studios.

Makeshift Stories is released under a creative commons non-commercial attribution, no derivative license.