Original Science Fiction – Makeshift Stories Alan V Hare

Leopold clings to the remnants of a bygone era where things could be fixed. His latest find, an old slide projector, holds more than nostalgic value—it harbors a dark secret. As Leopold restores the vintage device, he unknowingly unleashes a trapped soul from the past, bound by a sinister deal. Caught between the realms of the living and the trapped, Leopold begins to realize some things should never be repaired.

Beau, a drifter and private investigator, finds himself stranded in the middle of nowhere. To make enough money to leave, he must solve a mysterious series of power thefts at a struggling wind farm. As he delves into the heart of Wind Ridge Ranch, he unearths a truth the owner does not want to face; however, revealing it might prove more of a threat to the wind farm’s survival than the thefts.

While searching for her missing dog bot, Loki, Mary discovers fugitive geneticist Ethan camping in a restricted toxic reclamation area. After admitting to disabling Loki, he reveals he has a cure for Alzheimer's and is fleeing a corporation determined to prevent him from giving it away for free. Mary, the lone custodian of the reclamation site for 30 years, faces a choice: hand Ethan over for a reward or help him escape.

After discovering his tenant unconscious and his rental unit in disarray, Ralph starts piecing together an unbelievable story. While recovering in the hospital, his tenant Harper—a programmer and entrepreneur—reveals her obsession with Ada Lovelace and a surprising connection to Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein. Harper has uncovered a set of previously unknown notes by Lovelace, detailing the mathematical modeling of human emotions. Determined to finish Ada’s work, Harper inadvertently creates something that shouldn’t exist, unleashing it onto the web.

After recovering from severe injuries, Mateo is recruited to captain a mission to find and protect a rare, supposedly extinct arthropod discovered on the Caribbean sea floor in an area slated for commercial development. Aggressive ocean mining companies push Mateo and his crew to navigate through a treacherous hurricane. Amidst the chaos, Mateo’s sense of reality is challenged, revealing deeper mysteries and the mission's unexpected, true, high-stakes nature.

To reignite interest in an interstellar flight to TRAPPIST 1, mission control has ordered its Captain to host a monthly live public question-and-answer show. As the questions progress, it becomes apparent that the ship is headed to a world with life. Despite uncertainties about the planet's delicate flora and fauna, the crew is determined to explore and potentially colonize the new world. However, the Captain and mission appear to be hiding a critical fact.