Threat Machine

Threat Machine

Author: Vern Hume April 21, 2026 Duration: 16:21

With an early snow threatening to destroy her first good crop in years, Harper’s combine breaks down. When the dealer can’t fix it in a timely manner, she is forced to take matters into her own hands and get her neighbour to repair a broken belt. But when a software update detects the unauthorized repair, the machine turns on her, locks the cab, and drives toward a cliff. Harper barely escapes the crash, only to learn the manufacturer is out to make an example of her.

CONNECT WITH US

makeshiftstories@gmail.com

SHARE THE PODCAST

If you liked this episode, tell your friends to listen wherever they get their audio.

CREDITS

Written by Vern Hume (AKA Alan V Hare).

Read by Kathleen Connelly.

Opening and closing were composed and created by Matthew Erdmann.

Produced by Vecada Studios.

Makeshift Stories is released under a creative commons non-commercial attribution, no derivative license.


Step into the world of Original Science Fiction-Makeshift Stories, an independent audio drama crafted by Vern Hume. This podcast is a monthly expedition into the vast territories of speculative fiction, blending elements of sci-fi and fantasy into original, self-contained narratives. Each episode is a new story, a fresh exploration of uncharted futures, strange realities, and the rebellious technologies that might define them. Listeners will hear fully-produced audio fiction, where character-driven plots unfold against backdrops of both wonder and warning. The focus is on immersive storytelling that asks "what if?" and follows that question down unexpected paths. It’s a podcast for those who crave thoughtful, original worlds built from sound and imagination, offering a regular escape into possibilities just beyond our own horizon. Tune in to discover what tomorrow might bring, one makeshift story at a time.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Original Science Fiction - Makeshift Stories
Podcast Episodes
Anima Incognita [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 34:11
After living off-grid for forty years, Shane is drawn back into society when his former best friend—now the political leader of the territory—announces plans to develop the wilderness area that Shane calls home. While wa…
No I in AI [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:38
Salvini, an out-of-work programmer, uses a hidden backdoor in her former employer’s system to create an AI called Bandhu, which hunts for jobs and outsmarts the hiring platforms. She asks it to find a position that won’t…
Utopia Base [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:48
Faraday and Quinn arrive at a remote mining site on the far side of the moon that supplies helium-3 to Utopia Base, where they have lived their entire lives believing the Earth has been devastated. Faraday soon realizes…
Personal Detritus [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 35:50
Liam, a laid-off tech worker turned scavenger, lives a double life—by day, a conscripted worker in a waste recycling plant; by night, Rupert Hudson, a venture capitalist, mingling with the elite using forged credit cards…
Scissors Paper Rock  App Computer [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 30:31
At 75, Kaber Grewal should be retired in the sun, not taking gigs to pay for his hip replacement. Hired by a mysterious client to analyze communications, he uncovers signs of cognitive decline in Praeses, the AGI running…
A New Star in Aries [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 29:39
Professor Hollis Cooper, an underground scientist, must pass a daily test to prove her belief in the official facts. But she comes under investigation when she accidentally slips up in a lecture. Official interest in her…
Floor Forty-two [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 32:57
During a routine license audit at a vertical farm, Carmen, a demoted field agent, discovers that the farmhands, including a man named Salvador, are genetically modified and memory-altered slaves. Carmen risks her job and…
The Forever Worm [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 22:20
After a long shift ice mining in Saturn’s rings, Pascoe heads for a drink and the company of fresh faces at the Methane Bar on Titan. When he arrives, the bar is deserted except for Allgera, a recluse, who is, after year…
Reality Adjustment (Part 2) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 26:21
Nickie and her cousin Noah stumble upon a mystery as they plan an adjustment for the Primate Council; someone appears to be following them. The mysterious person turns out to be a childhood friend who reveals their roles…
Reality Adjustment (Part 1) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 20:43
Nickie Holmes is the best Adjuster in the business, erasing anomalies to align the physical world with the Primate Council’s official digital record. After a Forget injection wipes her memory of the last job, she takes o…