"He swore, pissed off, trying to keep the past in the past instead of stinking up the present."

"The future was not what it used to be."

"He felt a trickle of cold fear in the depths of his belly, a dread that he was going to get his wish."

"You going somewhere with this, Spider, or can we just take it as read that you’re a bit cranky today?"

"It was hard to just sit and relax. Everyone he saw somehow looked suspicious, especially all those people who appeare…"

"The coffee, when he tried it, was strong almost to the point of being unbearable, but not quite. In short, it was div…"

"To change the subject, he said, “I’ve been thinking a lot.” “What about?” “Free will.” “Free will?” “Yeah,” he said, …"

"You up for it, or am I going in again? Please note, by the way, there is only one correct answer to this question."

"It was a hard thing to contemplate, even harder to accept, the inevitable tide of technological progress, which even …"

"Maybe he was crazy, he thought. It would explain everything. Insanity was good that way."