3 Minutes to Turnfall: Chapter 2

Sage wakes up to a realization.

Serial Novelette / Sci-Fi
Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 | Chapter 7 | Chapter 8 | Chapter 9

---

CHAPTER 2:
SAGE

---

My human limbs. No. My whole body was asleep. Even my cybernetics wouldn’t budge or squeal out in its tinker-thin sounds. I stirred, waiting for the tingling, the marching critters to crawl up my common thighs. Nothing. And suddenly, a blast of frigidness crushed me.

“TEAGUE!” I shouted.

My eyes flipped open, and I shut them abruptly. Blue orbs slid out of blinding white rings, fluttering behind my eyelids.

Footsteps clapped and rushed to me.

“T?” I croaked. “Little Man? You there?” Deep in the pit of my stomach was a gross churning. I strained to peek out of one eye. A darkened figure fought with harsh fluorescence.

“Sage? Sage, can you hear me?”

“Warren?” I managed to say, recognizing the easy, baritone. “Sir? Where…where’m I?”

“You’re in the infirmary,” said Crew Director Vo.

My gasp came out as a groan.

“Where’s—where’s my brother?” I immediately choked on the last word and began to cough.

The smell of blood and oil hit me.

And then.

PAIN.

Needles tore through every cell in my entire body. I cried out, and tears rained down the corners. The air had been sucked out of the room as if I’d been shot into outer space. And me without a suit. Stuff out of a recurring nightmare.

“I—can’t—can’t—”

A mask dropped down and instantly framed my nose and mouth. My arms unknowingly lashed out.

“Restrain her.” The impassive, mechanical female voice came from the ceiling as a hatch opened.

A MediDoc hovered down. The metal ball body with telescopic, accordion-like metal arms and a sensor camera eye began to track speedily above me. The first time Teague and I saw it, we had given it another name, OctoDoc.

“Sage, please try and calm yourself,” said Warren. “You’re safe now. Sentries picked you up—”

“Muh-my-brother!” I rasped. “Where is he?”

“I’m sorry. Teague—he—” Warren’s smooth voice faltered. “He was not brought in with you.”

“WHAT? NO—OH NO! Please-no—” Tears gushed. My chest gripped inward so hard I felt a sharp rip shake me violently. Through the mask, I gasped for more air.

“I’m sorry—” he repeated gently. Warren’s hands pinned my shoulders firmly down against the MedBed. “Consider yourself lucky.”

I fought his hold, twisting my body under his grip, which now bore his full body weight. I didn’t know where I wanted to go; I just knew I had to get out. I had to get away, away from the suffocating harshness of the lights in the room. Away from Warren. Away from everyone.

Teague!

My legs whirred loudly, and I felt a snap. The stench of oil mixed with blood still made me retch, like when I was a kid. I had stopped struggling.

Warren let go of his tight grip on my shoulders and instead secured his arms fast around me as I sat up.

Teague…

I wailed; my cries echoed around us, bouncing around the painfully bright walls. Warren’s arms never let up.

OctoDoc inched closer to us.

T—baby brother—not again—I-I—

I felt a stab in my arm just before the wiry white rings above me folded into a single line, shutting me down like an antique analog screen.

---

I hope you enjoyed Chapter 2! Stay tuned for the next chapter.

If you missed Chapter 1, Click Here!

Please Like, Restack or share your thoughts about the reading in the comments. And don’t forget to subscribe!

---