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2 B R 0 2 B is a science fiction short story by Kurt Vonnegut, originally published in the digest magazine Worlds of If Science Fiction for January 1962, and collected in Vonnegut's Bagombo Snuff Box (1999). The title is pronounced "2 B R naught 2 B" and references the famous phrase "to be, or not to be" from William Shakespeare's Hamlet. In the story, the title refers to the telephone number that one dials to schedule an assisted suicide with the Federal Bureau of Termination.

All The Human had to do was turn over his latest bounty to the local authorities and collect his fee. But when it turns out that no one in the galaxy wants to take possession of the criminal, Adam is left with no choice but to transport him a quarter of the way across the galaxy, from the renegade planet Sinalus to Unidor Security's headquarters on Tactori. The problem . . . it seems everybody and their brother are trying to stop him from completing his mission, both the good guys and the bad guys. What do they know that The Human doesn't?

Since mankind first climbed down from the trees, we have looked out to the stars. We looked outward, wondering what secrets to our existence are out there. Professor John Spanks is about to discover the biggest secret the universe has. John has his world turned upside down when he discovers that all this time, we were looking the wrong way!

Triana Moore, maintenance bot technician on Station Kelly-Kornienko, prefers life in orbit where the air is purified, the commute is short, and nature doesn’t get all over you. But when a minor infraction gets her sent to remedial training dirtside, she doesn’t complain. Who wouldn’t enjoy a few days of sitting in the sunshine, eating gourmet burgers, and drinking too much Jager Hula?

A private detective is hired by a mysterious woman to find a man. The quarry? An obscure author of pulp fiction novels featuring one Osama Bin Laden: vigilante. Our detective pursues his quarry from the backwaters of Asia to the Capitals of Europe, the New World and into a realm of shadows. Here he finds the refugees, ghostly entities haunting reality. Where do they come from? And what do they want?

Private investigator Frank Harken’s worldwide fame has only made him more cynical. And living in a giant mall covering the entire USA only serves to drive him nuts on a daily basis. So, when a femme fatale barges in asking Harken to track down her sister, he knows when he’s heard an offer too good to be true.

Doug wasn’t sure whether he should trust Satan. The red flag was that he said he was Satan. But the deal was good: Listen to Satan’s story in exchange for some donuts. And Doug only half-fulfilled his part of the bargain. But maybe he should have listened better, because during his friend Bryce’s next scheme (theft with light to moderate treason - the usual), Doug and the rest of his friends - Lulu (the fun one) and Charlene (the not fun one) - end up with a powerful artifact, a small metal cube with world-ending power that Lulu decorated with bunnies.

Hal Spacejock’s cargo business is going so well he’s considering getting into passengers...especially the beautiful and mysterious Sonya Polarov. Clunk's certain she's up to something, but as usual Hal won't listen to a word he says.... Meanwhile, Rex Curtis runs the galaxy’s biggest freight company, and he’s sick of independent pilots stealing his cargo jobs. He’s determined to make a statement by destroying the biggest nuisance of them all: Hal Spacejock.

It is 2085, and Truckee Wallace, a factory worker in Crunchtown 407 (formerly Little Rock, Arkansas, before the secessions), has no grand ambitions besides maybe, possibly, losing his virginity someday. But when Truckee is thrust unexpectedly into the spotlight, he is tapped by the president for a sensitive political mission: to deliver a talking goat across the continent. The fate of the world depends upon it. The problem is - Truckee’s not sure it’s worth it.

Would you believe it I am thirty-three and have never been pashed? Let me introduce myself, my name is Alara and I am a librarian in a small country town in South Australia and a local nobody. As my luck would have it, doom coincides with my birthday and the party guests happen to be zombies. But I am an eternal optimist. Will today be the day I finally share my first kiss? Armed only with my wit and books let's hope I don't get a papercut. They hurt more than a zombie bite.

Doug Dawkins lives to debunk conspiracy theories, especially crackpot claims of aliens. So when his dead dad FaceTimes him (giving him crazy money and orders to cover up the truth of extraterrestrial existence), Doug is sure this is a hacker's scam and reports it to the NSA. Then government security servers melt down. NSA agents become convinced Doug and his wife are dangerous spies. But Doug is sure he'd never kill anyone or believe aliens exist. Could he be half right?

When an augmented hard drive meant to dismantle Iran’s nuclear program falls into the wrong hands, the world edges closer to obliteration. Special Agents Steven and Avra are back! Along with Cindy, the spiritual eyeless doll, they’re at the heart of a sting operation to trick the infamous Iranian terrorist, Garf Zeman, into acquiring this tech—designed to let Israel destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities. Chaos erupts, Israel and Russia clash, and aliens show up. Fasten your seatbelts. In a world teetering on annihilation, one man and a doll hold the key to humanity’s salvation.

A year has passed since the disastrous Elysium massacre that left Keiko "Kei" Springs traumatized and hungry for revenge against her former mentor, Snake. However, going after the world's second most powerful man is not as easy as it sounds. Kei must make a series of deadly alliances and navigate the complicated web of politics that will give her a chance to take him down. But will going after him destroy the family she's managed to build?

In a satirical, high-octane future, humanity’s first mission to colonize Mars is sabotaged by the very forces that launched it: corporate greed, political stupidity, rebellious robots, and influencer warfare. What begins as a sleek launch countdown quickly spirals into an interstellar comedy of errors.

Eine Ameise beobachtet unsere Zivilisation, unsere Erfindungen – und unsere Widersprüche. In ihrer Welt sind Organisation, Fleiß und Ordnung selbstverständlich – was also soll das Chaos da draußen? Benjamin Werner bringt diese charmant-satirische Erzählung mit feinem Gespür für Humor und Nachdenklichkeit zum Leben.

The Alliance dangles by its fingertips over the abyss of oblivion as the Zelnads rev up for their grand finale of destruction. Outgunned, outmaneuvered, and probably out of witty comebacks, our heroes embark on a suicide mission to the oh-so-hospitable planet Kigantu. Their goal? Find the secret sauce to glue a fractured galaxy back together. No pressure.

A region of space with different laws of physics. A child’s story about black holes. An interoffice memorandum presaging the end of the world. An alien named Gerald. These are some of the stories you’ll find in There Is No Cat, a collection of short fiction by Gene Doucette. Each story is unique, both in the topic and the telling, as Gene never seems to approach his stories the same way twice. See what our world looks like from the perspective of a newly self-aware nanobot, or the eyes of a precocious child. Read between the lines of corporate-speak for news of an impending apocalypse.

Five months there. Five months back. And seven months waiting for the planets to align. In a tiny ship never meant for deep space. Denali is one hell of a trip. But the leading mind in nanite medicine is stranded there. Captain Sass Collier wants him back, to cure failure to thrive syndrome in her own colony. Each of the crew has a motive to embrace the risk. The lucky ones wish for adventure. Adventure is assured. But Denali holds another prize beyond their wildest dreams. Can Sass hold her fractious crew together, get the goods, and meet her launch window home?

Captain Sass Collier got her crew to Denali. Can she bring them home again? Marooned 35 million miles from their home moon. Not enough fuel to reach orbit again, let alone Mahina. The locals seem friendly. But the planet Denali itself is hostile, from volcanoes to microbes. Thrive has 6 months until their launch window opens–and closes.

Jimmy had it all: wealth, power, and a complete lack of empathy. Then his father—the one man who tolerated his sociopathic tendencies—cut him off, forcing him into the horror of employment. After a string of job failures (some involving homicidal plants), Jimmy reluctantly starts absorbing life lessons as an ivory tower wanderer. Over time, he evolves into something resembling a functional human being.