A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find…

Posted in Science Fiction on Jul 14, 2023

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✍️ 38 stories

“Pivotal Signals” by Gregg Voss

Submitted to Contest #207

Scott Danner stood exactly five-foot-ten, with a thatch of wavy chestnut hair, feminine lips and a prominent chin, like a boxer, though his wiry frame suggested he had once been a soccer player. He entered the conference room wearing a white t-shirt, navy sport coat, a pair of expensive designer jeans and black brushed-leather Prada Oxfords. His phone was nowhere to be seen, which indicated to Ellen that this meeting would be much different than his recent Senate s...

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“A Jovian Introduction” by Andrew Thomas

Submitted to Contest #207

Recently, the U.S. Government has been under immense pressure to reveal what they know about alien lifeforms. The demands have been there for decades but things changed after the events of August 10th, 2025. On that night, unidentified otherworldly craft were seen over most major US cities. At 7:45pm EDT, minutes before sunset, an object was seen off the Atlantic coast, moving inexplicably fast toward the city of Boston. Many hundreds of beachgoers in the area witnessed the phenomenon and the best smartphone videos went viral within mi...

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“Garbage In, Garbage Out” by Luca King Greek

Submitted to Contest #207

The Director of National Intelligence draws a thick black circle around a satellite photo of a harbor front factory using a permanent marker of the kind favored by POTUS. “Project GIGO” reads the headline, and “TOP SECRET” is stamped alongside in bright red ink. The Director leans forward on the plush sofa in the Oval Office, and solemnly hands the document to the President, who snatches it unaware of the sidelong glances and barely concealed smiles of the National Security Council members hastily gathered in his office for their f...

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“The Upgrade” by Jed Cope

Submitted to Contest #207

“You’ve gotta move with the times,” he says this brightly. He feels the need to be cheery and inject some life into this place. It’s getting to him already and he’s only just been collected from the sanitised reception area. His efforts fall flat. The scientist in the pristine white lab coat smiles a cold and imbalanced smile, “yes, quite.” The scientist’s name is Bolton. That’s what it says on his security card. Jonny doubts he’s ever been to Bolton and he isn’t sure why the doc, as he has an inclination to call him, needs the car...

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“The lab, within the lab” by M B

Submitted to Contest #207

"You're only showing me what I want to see!" Amber said, rolling her eyes as she looked around the lab. "You haven't even put away the mops and buckets!" The young meerkat pointed at the janitor rat desperately pulling the mop and bucket away. The bear general addressed the tiny female with disdain while her boss elbowed her in the ribs. "Do you even know what strings we had to pull for this?" Amber ignored her mole boss, but she sat tight while the vixen ‘tour guide’ continued. Amber knew she was a colonel of some kind at this labor...

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“What Lies Beneath” by Nirly Brillant

Submitted to Contest #207

What makes a story worth reading? The title? The author? The cover of the book? The answer is none of them, it’s the hook. You get them drugged by your words and leave them starving for more, getting them addicted. Once you get them wrapped around your hand, they wouldn’t be able to resist, ‘just one more chapter’ they’ll say but in reality, they’ll end up devouring the book within hours. And today I have the chance to do just that. Hope Michaels you are this year's lucky winner! A private tour of the lunar island. Your tour date is June 11...

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“Opportunity Of A Lifetime” by Breanna Dawn

Submitted to Contest #207

Sometimes it is hard to realize when you are experiencing a life changing moment. But when I walked into the interview that day, I somehow knew my life would never be the same. It had been an agonizing two weeks of waiting for the editors to select a journalist. The assignment being an exclusive interview with Dr. Howard, world renowned experimental epidemiologist. This interview was easily one of the biggest breakthrough stories of the decade. Almost guaranteeing a spot in every respectable scientific magazines ...

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“Deus Ex Machina” by Umair Razali

Submitted to Contest #207

DISCLAIMER: CONTAINS GORE AND MILD LANGUAGEThis is a first. I usually know which terminal to head to, especially at the Philadelphia International Airport. This time however, I’m supposed to sit on the third bench from the left, between Concourse B and Concourse C, until ‘prompted’. Not ambiguous at all. I sit on the bench and crossed my legs. As soon as I do, the same question that’s been haunting me for two weeks resurfaced. What am I supposed to write? As always, I don’t have an answer. I wait silently, for anything out of...

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“Alaskan hidden laboratory” by Jessica Bains

Submitted to Contest #207

Gripping the armrest tight, I could not contain my excitement as the specks came into focus as the pilot prepared to land. Anchorage looked even more beautiful than we had imagined as I admired my partner watching in awe. I felt a knot in my stomach as we approached the gate. I had waited years for this chance, and it was finally here. Years of grunt work investigating antibiotic discoveries, biological warfare, and the hidden side of pharmaceutical companies has finally given me my moment. While collecting our luggage, a slender man with fa...

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“Experiment in Democracy?” by Bob Faszczewski

Submitted to Contest #207

Lisa Mergenthaler was quickly becoming the most highly regarded journalist on issues regarding the intersection of science and politics in the United States. Her daily livestream blog, The Scientific Politicizer,” had become the manual for insights into almost all science-based discussion of national policy for thought leaders across the ideological spectrum. Yet, she still greeted with some surprise the i...

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“Unknown Specimens ” by Ave B

Submitted to Contest #207

POV: Journalist Andrew"You have been authorized to enter The Lab. Please proceed through the sliding glass doors."I carefully walked into the eerie, dimly lit hallway leading to a set of double doors. I peeked through the windows only to see a small room shrouded in darkness. Luckily, I brought a flashlight. The smell of death and mildew infiltrated my nose as I entered The Lab. A small light turned on, making my presence clear. My eyes widened as I discovered what was in front of me. It was people. Malnourished people stuck in small kennels...

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“Exodus” by Beatrice Gomes

Submitted to Contest #207

Jen gets to the office early every day. She’s not an overachiever, quite far from it, in fact, but it’s the only way to make sure she gets the one good desk with the nice chair that doesn’t creak with every breath. All of the aspiring journalists with muddled titles that each boiled down to “associate copywriter” got to battle it out in a 30-way melee each day for the best spot, the most facetime with the senior editors, and the most cutting-edge story assignment. Today, Jen’s riveting story entails listing out the top ten reasons why millen...

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“Dextorite” by Alex Houle

Submitted to Contest #207

“Goodbye and good luck you two,” Ze’noha cheered, giving Marius a loving embrace. Marius chuckled and gave only a lazy one-armed hug in return. “What’s funny?” she asked exasperatedly. “Nothing,” Marius said in a guilty tone, pulling away from her. “It’s just how you hug the exact same way every time.” Ze’noha scoffed at him, but her sister S’maro...

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“It's all fake!” by PerryTheInventor !!!

Submitted to Contest #207

"Wait, it's all fake? Nothing we know is real? It's just a trillion-dollar scam?" "YES!!!! Multi-trillion!" he excitedly whispered. Everyone in the room nodded with sober, serious faces and a silent knowing grin. I'm nervous. I feel the blood drain from my head. Here I stand, three miles underground in a bunker sealed off from civilization at the most secret, top secret, US Government lab, and I just learned all their research is fake. Nothing has been innovated here in decades. Exposing a secret of this magnitude would make my career. O...

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“Final Writings” by Skylar Lloyd

Submitted to Contest #207

SENSITIVE CONTENT WARNING: Mentions of suicide, mental health, substance abuse and mild physical violence19/12/1995THE LONDON TRIBUNEAn abridged version of the final writings extracted from ex-journalist Alexander Hilton, 1994, originally cited to be published to The London Tribune.‘I have searched for the extraordinary all my life. It is a peculiar thing to search for, it isn’t something you can pull up a in dictionary and recite a definition to a foreigner, or some particularly nit-witted travel storeowner to get you a nudge in the right d...

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A journalist has been granted permission to visit the premises of a lab carrying out top-secret work. They could never have anticipated what they’d find…

Submissions are closed

✍️ 38 stories

“Pivotal Signals” by Gregg Voss

“A Jovian Introduction” by Andrew Thomas

“Garbage In, Garbage Out” by Luca King Greek

“The Upgrade” by Jed Cope

“The lab, within the lab” by M B

“What Lies Beneath” by Nirly Brillant

“Opportunity Of A Lifetime” by Breanna Dawn

“Deus Ex Machina” by Umair Razali

“Alaskan hidden laboratory” by Jessica Bains

“Experiment in Democracy?” by Bob Faszczewski

“Unknown Specimens ” by Ave B

“Exodus” by Beatrice Gomes

“Dextorite” by Alex Houle

“It's all fake!” by PerryTheInventor !!!

“Final Writings” by Skylar Lloyd

🌟 Similar prompts

Set your story on a film or TV set, starting with someone calling “Cut!”

Write about a person who constantly has to put on a persona (e.g. at work, in their relationships, etc.) who can finally drop the facade.

Write a story about a magician who never reveals their secrets — until now.

Set your story in the kitchen of a bustling restaurant.

Contest #207

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

234

Contest entries

96

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Explore more writing prompt ideas: