3 Minutes to Turnfall - Chapter 2: Sage

Sage wakes up to a realization.

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

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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.

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

If you missed Chapter 1, Click Here!

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