SF in The City Anthology Read Online Free PDF

matter of fact.” 
                  “Not that I want to discourage your endeavors,” the business man folded his hands on the table, “but you should be careful about the subjects you touch on.”
                  “That sounds like something my father would say,” Ananya forced a laugh as she drank down the last of her almond milk.
                  “It’s not a joke. Central Authority has been passing harsher laws as of late, and I can tell you from personal experience that they are not to be crossed. How you got by with Politicosis still beats me. Dystopia doesn’t really fly with the current establishment.” 
    “See, that’s one more reason I hate Gynerator. Not only does this ‘author’ write science fiction, it also takes a really propagandistic approach. If you even question the CA’s experiments, you are labeled as an ‘anti-science’ nutcase. I was talking to a friend recently about the potential problems of creating human brains from scratch, you know, like Jim Seo has suggested. She said that I didn’t understand science and should quit writing ab out it.”
                  “Well, not everyone has the same opinions about technology,” Ángel said quietly. “From what I’ve gathered, you just want to point out that fact.”
                  “Exactly! Innovation isn’t evil, when it’s not being used to oppress and kill people.”
                  “So you think that a novel that…raised awareness about the problematic technology being produced by Central Authority will sell?”
                  “Science fiction’s greatest works were metaphors for contemporary concerns,” Ananya said proudly. “If I really want to work within the genre, I cannot give in to timidity. I have to say what no one else will, even if it means no one wants to buy my work.”
                  “What would you do if Gynerator had its parameters changed?” Ángel said before putting another piece of lobster in his mouth.
                  “You mean…hack it into producing anti-establishment works?” Ananya cocked an eyebrow.
                  “I know this guy,” Ángel said then swallowed. “His name is Charlisle Bungard. Granted, he’s a relatively unstable character and, part of a gang, but he can hack anything under the sun. Bless his heart.”
                  “And where did you meet this Charlisle character?”
    “In the 37th prefecture,” the entrepreneur picke d up his Yakult and took a sip.
                  “You warn me about questioning Central Authority, yet you have a dangerous friend like that?” Ananya shook her head in mock disappointment.
                  “Well, he can’t be more threatening than an author with misgivings about the system,” the executive teased.
    ***
                  After he had finished with his lunch, Ángel decided to grab some live lobsters from the vending machine just outside the restaurant’s entrance before he took off.
                  “I’ll be right back before you can say ‘Briith’,” Ángel asserted.
                  Only one woman stood in front of Ángel at the machine. She had an Italian Greyhound on a force field leash, which entailed a silver band on her right hand and a receiver on the dog’s collar. By mental command, she could extend or shorten the invisible field holding the canine in her proximity. Ángel had invested in the company that invented this device, and he felt glad seeing someone actually use the system.
                  Rather than wasting time waiting on her to finish up, the entrepreneur decided to see how the horses were doing at Llameante Rayo’s qualifying races. Streaming a mental picture, he could see that he had made over 1,000 ECUs on Titular Character. People called him a cheapskate for betting so little on the