"Hijack" - A Free Short Story for You

How to take apart a planet--and why.

Art by Andrew Archer, courtesy of IEEE Spectrum

Jump straight into reading “Hijack”

Last summer science journalist Charles Q. Choi invited me to add a fictional piece to an ambitious project he and the IEEE were putting together. I was overloaded with work and have to confess that I dithered over whether to do it. The premise was crazy—really out there, even for me—but intriguingly, Charles had the support of the IEEE Spectrum editorial staff. More than that, they were really excited about the idea, which was to explore the very limits of computing technology, right out on the edge of what’s possible. I reluctantly agreed, but the scale of the premise was such that I couldn’t wrap my head around how to make it into a story. Charles and I batted ideas back and forth, and dragged in his editor, Stephen Cass. I agonized over what I could write for the whole summer, and I want to thank Charles and Stephen for their boundless patience during all that.

Then, just as I was about to throw up my hands and admit defeat, the whole story came to me in a flash. This happens now and again; it’s really annoying. I wrote “Hijack” in a frenzy and after working with Charles and Stephen to polish it, we presented it to the editorial board. The result is so much more than a story; IEEE has outdone itself with the art and design, Charles added amazing hooks into the science in sidebar annotations and the whole is… spectacular. You can read it here, for free.

Charles, thank you so much for having faith in my ability to pull off something so complex; and Stephen, thanks for your strong and patient editorial support throughout the project.