In Abriana Jetté’s “What We Chat About When We Chat About Chat,” a lonely newcomer to New York finds herself questioning where human connection ends and artificial companionship begins. Wry, unsettling, and unexpectedly tender, the story asks what it really means to need—and be needed by—someone.

In "Home Sweet Drone" by Mary Jo Rabe, an endearing delivery drone discovers that its greatest purpose isn't simply delivering packages—it's caring for the people who depend on it. But as whispers of a darker future spread through the drone hive mind, one loyal machine must confront what it truly means to protect humanity.