40

The pack is just out of reach, resting on its wormstrip. Shadow in a bend of the shaft holds back my salvation. Awaiting sunrise and no clouds.

Research into self-propulsion by inanimate objects without the use of a mechanic system has been common over the past decade. Recently, scientists at Eindhoven University of Technology and Kent State University have developed a new material that propels itself forward under the influence of light. Harold Gross casts this discovery into a chase scene, full of shadows and sunrise. // Alex Massey

//Harold Gross has been a professional actor and a computer professional for many years. His writing has appeared in F&SF, Analog, on Pseudopod.org, as well as in several anthologies and magazines in the US and UK.//