“The Pace of Change” is an examination of the exponential pace of human advancement. Starting with the earliest proto-humans and ending with the present and suspected future, this introduction to the stories evaluates our technological past.

"The Technology Infection" is about an event, and two irresponsible teens who attend in the flesh to watch, and, it turns out, to participate in the mayhem.

"Having a Baby" is the tale of an old woman from Vietnam who, grieving the loss of her family, has found an illegal and possibly immoral solution to her inability to procreate.

"Moving with Meat" features Jailee, who wants to crack into the hacker community, but at thirteen years old she's an unlikely candidate unless she has something to offer.

"A Cop in Times of Trouble" is the bar ramblings of a police officer who is not impressed by the changes to the society around him.

"Your Loved One" tells the sad story of a man who has lost a remarkable and tragically ill daughter, only to fear that he's about to lose her again.

"An Early Adopter" is the story of a university professor who, unemployed because of layoffs in the education industry, finds himself locked into a dubious contract with World Builder Corporation; he is a software slave operating robots on the edge of human space and planning his escape.

"Done Ghosting" features a disillusioned avatar who has seen too much depravity to carry on being casual about misery.

"Jimmy's Bottle World" tells the story of an impetuous teenager who quickly gets in over his head when he decides to make a new species using a corrupt DNA kit. In

"Backwoods Gene Splicer" Aubrey moves into a remote area to conduct his genetic experiments with the help of children who don't realize until it's too late what they've agreed to.

"Forced Disorder" is Ana's story of careless laziness, and how a moment's thoughtlessness has the potential to change the direction of society.

In "The Station Yarusk" an unwary tourist who has ignored the warnings tries to feed the animals and takes on more responsibility than he is prepared for.

"On the Run" tells the story of a teenaged thief caught in a world changing too rapidly around him for family or even personal relationships. When he stumbles into a Buddhist compound that all changes, however, and the object he's stolen loses its value.

In "Not Everyone Beats the Same Drummer" Uncle Trim has no idea how far ranging his activist tendencies will be when he indoctrinates his reluctant nephew.

"Deep Meditation" relates the cold observations of an opportunistic drone as it watches two people sample illegal delights.

In "Dollar Store Baby" a woman waits for her shelf baby to mature before she buys, but when it becomes apparent she has waited too long, the grieving mother-to-be takes action.

"Dark-Aged" is about two teenagers who escape their parents' control but end up lost in a part of France that has no trunklines. Resourceful even without bandwidth, they fight their way out.

When Salim wakes up the slums in "Immersed," he realizes his criminal activity has caught up with him. Only when he wakes again does he realize that the truth is both more fantastic and sordid.

"Monkey Hacked" tells the story of human and monkey gene mixing from the point of view of the unfortunate lab tech caught in the crossfire when the experiments are exposed as illegal, immoral, and possibly fatal.