R.L. Meza
Clarkesworld
2023
ShortStory
Science Fiction
1,910 words
details
"Metal parts that survived fire and shrapnel are no match for the saltwater rushing through the gaps in my armor, spilling between gears and wires, tainting my battered shell with the inexorable creep of rust. Corrosion is a ruthless god. The waves surge...
AI FictionAI PersonhoodIntertextual
Content warnings 2
deathwar
R.L. Meza
Clarkesworld
2025
ShortStory
Science Fiction
2,930 words
details
"Itsy bitsy,” whispers the girl in the glass tank beside mine. Not a girl anymore, not really, but it’s better for my sanity to pretend she’s still human. That we both are. We had names once—and skin, soft to the touch. In the sterile, blinding white...
BiopunkRevengeUnreliable Narrator
Content warnings 3
body-horrorgoreviolence
R.L. Meza
Clarkesworld
2026
details
The afterlife on Mars is different from the afterlife on Earth. I was the first ghost to experience both worlds: a pioneer like Neil Armstrong stepping on the Moon, minus […]
Psychological HorrorGuiltDread
Content warnings 3
body-horrordeathviolence
R.L. Meza
Clarkesworld
2026
details
The other animals in my territory keep disappearing; it’s perfect. The yard is safer without the cats, so I’m free to search the bushes for unwanted guests while I consider […]