Six (Optima System)

Life is perfect on corporate-owned planet Victoria-if you don't mind the ubiquitous drones, cameras, and sensors. Social engineer Mia Julian claims she doesn't, but thirty-six years of concealing a valuable ability from the seamless surveillance system has resulted in shallow friendships, unsatisfying one-night stands, and an overdependence on recreational drugs.

When she's unjustly fired and blacklisted by her boss, Mia's carefully constructed life begins to crumble. Desperate for credits, she takes a menial position at a sketchy security firm-and discovers she isn't the only one with a secret. The motley team of Earth ex-pats shouldn't have made it through Victoria's rigorous screening process, and their anxious clients shouldn't need protection in a place that promises zero crime.

A dark side of her peaceful world is soon revealed-one she's been taught doesn't exist. As facades fall away, Mia must race to uncover the truth about her city and herself if she wants to survive a planet and society that seem to want her dead.

M. Luke McDonell is a San Francisco-based science fiction writer and visual designer. Her five-minutes-into-the-future fiction explores the effects of emerging technology on individuals and society. Her work has appeared in publications including Shoreline of Infinity, The Overcast, The Arcanist, Perihelion, and New Reader Magazine. In addition to writing, she is the creative director at Soma FM, an award-winning, commercial-free internet radio station.