Other Sage's Writings

[Sagey]

Can you imagine it?
A child standing
at the mouth
of the underworld

pleading
for a time-out,
trying to reason
with whatever’s
in charge:

No, no! I never
meant to stay dead.
I simply wanted
a sweeter life.

-Rachel McKibbens, from Blud; “the first time”​

​

The sky above had darkened over the last several days, casting nothing but darkness on the land for as far as the eye could see. He could see where they came from, the glowing circle in the forest below as he wobbled slowly at the edge. Markings decorated the circle and a smaller one inside, glowing a fire orange and red remained lit. Every once in a while something would crawl out and he could only imagine what it looked like when it first opened.

The sound of cheers and laughter and chatter echoed on and off from below, near what was to be assumed the summoning circle but not in a place he could see properly. If he looked close enough, there may have been a roof amongst the trees, but it was too dark to make it out well.

"They're witches." Came a soft voice, almost a whisper that cracked, a sign she was still in tears. He didn't bother to look back at her, on the verge of tears himself. Barely an hour before they had been with a group; including both of their parents. He could only grab his sister's wrist the moment those monstrous creatures pounced on the adults with them. Unable to allow himself to look back, he dragged her away as fast as he could, pulling and tugging so as to make sure she didn't look back at herself. But those screams echoed for miles. He just wanted to get them away from the screaming, the howling and the raking of elongated nails ripping at flesh.

It was his sister's voice and hard tug at her own arm that pulled him back to reality. She was screaming at him, her face covered in mud and tears, long blonde locks a rat's nest now atop of her head. He couldn't hear her, all that screaming and pushing she was doing and he couldn't hear her. No, the only thing he was still hearing was the sound of his parents' screams and the growls of those beasts that ripped them to shreds.

Once again her tugging brought him back to the present. She pulled him away from the edge of the cliff, arms wrapping around him as she hugged him close. Her smaller frame was easy to wrap his own arms around, resting his chin atop of her head. "Doesn't matter what they are." He whispered to her, "We just need to find a way to get out. Go as far away as we can." He felt his sister nod but she added nothing further.

It felt like years had passed, but it could only be hours. They had been on their way home from his softball game, which he didn't even win. Realizing he was still in his gear, because they never did make it home, he gave a heavy sigh and started tugging for his sister to follow. These last two years had seen his family fall further and further from the spotlight he had seen them in. The day he turned eleven, his father lost his job. Shortly after turning twelve, his mother lost hers and his father was barely keeping one still. More and more life grew more difficult; at times there'd be no food in the house, others their parents would be zoned out or passed out because they developed a drinking problem.

He couldn't understand how drinking helped relieve stress, all it did was add more to him.

Come this way...

He could feel a tug at his right arm, another at his left. All he could do was shake his head, "No, we're going this way. Find some clothes and water and leave." Another tug at his arm saw him pull his sister closer to him. Her mouth was open, she was talking to him, but his mind was too far in itself to hear what she was saying to him.

There is water here...

"Where?" He looked about before settling on his sister. She tugged at his arm to go west and he followed suit, unsure why he was following. How would she know? Maybe she had seen some when they were running away.

And so he followed quietly, allowing this small girl to guide him through the twisted, dark forest. Her one arm that she wasn't using seemed to have more dirt on it than he remembered. Smirking, he gave a shake of his head and reached over to dust off the dirt from her shoulder. Little by little the dust rolled down her arm, followed by a black, thick substance. "Hey..."

Just a little further...

Flashes of memories erupted in his mind. Stopping in his track he forcefully pulled his arm away, hands coming to his head as a loud screech pierced his mind. The forest rang with his yells, bouncing off every tree as he fell to his knees, tears streaming down his face.

You're here...

Before him lay his sister. No, she sat there, smiling. Laying there, covered in dirt and insects and decaying. Sitting there, smiling, holding her hand up. Her favorite pink frilly dress now covered in dirt, the soft pink threading gone and the trimming frayed.

"You wanted a sweeter life, brother."

He could finally hear her but all he could do was shake his head. "But I don't want to be dead for it."

You won't find a better life while you still live...

 

[Sagey]

"Nina!" Sage called out, the door to the lab not even opened yet. A mix of women and men looked up at the sound of their boss's voice, watching as he rather excitedly ran into the room and moved to the lab table one of them was working at. She had strawberry blonde hair, pulled back into a neat bun and safety glasses over those beautiful ocean blue eyes. While he preferred men, he couldn't deny she was gorgeous, but the only thing he really loved about her was her mind. The both of them matched in an IQ test when they were children and they had become friends and colleagues ever since the day his father introduced them. "I need help figuring some things out."

He was more than ready to get back to work, to do anything to keep his mind off the loss he suffered recently. The funeral was just two days away and Avarice still wouldn't speak to him. He was sure he still wouldn't even after the funeral. It was a pain he wasn't used to but he knew Avarice needed time to come to terms with the loss of his father, and that Sage had no choice but to make the choice he did that resulted in that loss. "What is it?" Her raspy voice broke his thoughts on the matter and he smiled.

"I know we already have a lot on our plate. We have to get the new cybernetics line out by November since I already announced it and we're working on that task by the government." Sage made a glance at the others in the room, deciding they needed to come over as well. "The rest of you take a moment and come here please." All of them aside himself and Nina had been working at Cedeno Technologies since his father was the CEO. Having only been appointed the new CEO so his father could retire per his wife's wishes, he hoped he was earning the older employee's respect despite his young age.

"Alright, now I'm curious." Nina set her tools down, coming around the table as they all gathered around him. Sage stood before them, even shorter than Nina which always amused him and set his coat down along one of the wheeled chairs nearby.

"This has been a long week, one that really had a major effect on my family." He paused, pushing out the thoughts that would only hurt. Before he continued, however, he remembered he had security camera's recording everything, including what was said. While he had rewritten the coding within the company before he even took over it, he never took chances if someone was attempting to hack his own code. Not that anyone had yet to succeed, but anything could happen. Sage retrieved his phone from his pocket, logging into his security system and pausing the security within the lab and the hallway itself. He knew Bravid would be annoyed if he looked at the camera's, but this was something he wanted very few to hear for now. "Anyway," Sage continued, locking the screen of his phone and holding it close. "The Cutters were the ones who kidnapped Deguass. They were attempting to extract information from him as he was the one that had all of the Cedeno's family secrets."

Sage continued despite how surreal this felt to him, "My first thought was genocide depending on if ProCon was behind it or just the Cutter's deciding to cross my path." Nina was the only one to laugh, but she was the only one in the room who knew Sage well enough to understand his thoughts. The others looked at him curiously, brows raised and shifting slightly. "Don't worry, genocide isn't really something I would do from the get-go. I'm still irate and upset at losing Deguass. However, I was speaking to Bravid who has more experience with the dregs than we do." He glanced at Nina, "You haven't been back there since my father brought you home, right?"

Nina shook her head, pressing her lips. "I never want to. I like where I am, thanks to your family."

"And I do love having you here." He affirmed with a smile. "So we're going to destroy the Cutter's in a different way. I have no doubts it'll end with some bloodshed, not that any of you will be part of that part and I will increase security for all of you once we start on this plan. What I learned is that they basically run the aug's people get in the dregs. Illegal ones and likely faulty, if not on purpose." He took a moment to gauge their interest and once he was satisfied that he had their full attention, he continued on. "Cedeno cybernetics and technology is expensive and we will keep it that way. The other Corpos who look to us to keep themselves up-to-date at all times will shell out anything for the very latest."

"What the dreg's need, is that same technology, but sturdier and at a more reasonable price." Sage wasn't even sure where to start with that, but he would figure that out later with both his father, grandfather and the sales and marketing department afterward. "We can't just hand them the exact same thing we sell to our rich clients, so we need to make sure the coloring is different. The metal and wiring needs to be sturdier as dregs seem to live on the precipice of death at all times, and we need it to provide the same..." He paused, attempting to find the right word.

"Everything. It needs to provide the same safety and security as our more 'expensive' line." Nina interrupted.

Sage smiled, "Yes. We're already so busy with deadlines that need to be met. I also understand if you don't want the undue stress added on and to just continue on what you're already working on. The line is due for November which is seven months away and the weapon prototype I need to have ready by the end of May, which is a month out."

"Will there be compensation for extra hours?" A taller man, dark brown hair curling around his strong features spoke up, adjusting his feet that told Sage he was curious and nervous all at once. Rocky was what he was always called and Sage wouldn't ever admit he never actually knew his real name. Not that he didn't have access to look, but it seemed unnecessary.

"As you're already on salary pay, I can give each of you a bonus. Every month an extra $100 thousand on top of what you make until we are satisfied with what we built and the extra time isn't needed." Sage watched as each of their faces lit up and he smiled. He knew damn well finances hated that he would throw extra money at his employees, but Sage was more than aware that money spoke. No matter what your status in life was, money will always speak.

"Count me in." Rocky smiled, glancing at the others as they each agreed almost in unison.

Sage grinned, looking at Nina who was already smiling. He knew she'd be up for this, she was the one person he knew donated to charities in the dregs to help the children. "Nina and I will work up some plans over the week to get started, any ideas you have feel free to talk to one of us about them and we'll give you a better presentation once we put things together. For now, I want to keep this under wraps." The tone of his voice changed from excitement to business once more and they immediately fell in line. If there was one thing he knew he garnered from them in the last month he has been CEO, they knew when he meant business. "I will speak with my father and my grandfather, however, outside of them, this will remain with us in this lab. It will not go anywhere else. When it is ready to be announced, I will warn you ahead of time. When that time comes," He paused. "I will make sure your security is increased for you and your families."

If there was one thing anyone working at Cedeno Technologies knew, the Cedeno's did not play when it came to providing security. The family was big on loyalty and many who worked here, did so until retirement or until they died. In return for their loyalty, they never had to worry about money or their safety. The Cedeno's may have let the public believe they were another typical corpo family, cold and brutal in how they obtained their wealth, but those who worked for them learned quickly they valued family and loyalty above all.

"Good, you can go back to work. We still have things to do in the meantime. Thank you for listening."

Both Sage and Nina watched the rest of the scientists return to their work, excitement clear in their voices as they chatted about what was just discussed. The two of them moved to another corner of the room to continue talking in private. Sage grabbed out a chocolate bar from a drawer as they leaned against the counter, the last thing he needed right now was a low because of his hypoglycemia when he was worked up and ready to work.

"I've talked to Avarice." Nina spoke quietly, nails idly tapping along the white marbled countertop. "He's still blaming you, but I think it's more out of anger at the loss."

Sage frowned, he knew Avarice was blaming him. "Did he say anything?"

"That he understands you didn't have another choice. He also understands his father would have wanted you to make the choice you did." Nina placed her hand softly on Sage's arm, watching as he dropped his head to hide the pain. "Avarice needs time but he will reach out again. You are his best friend. He's just upset he couldn't go on the trip to the Evergreen's with his father like they had planned."

Sage glanced at her, he had completely forgotten they were due for a vacation soon. It was supposed to be after Deguass spent a week with his wife at her family's in Culture Haven. A name he always thought silly, but it was true to its name. A city that was a mix of cultures, both ancient, old and new that came together for peace and away from the high tech civilization Sage and Nina both grew up in. He smiled weakly, "Just take care of him, yeah? He's always had a crush on you, you know."

Those pale cheeks of hers immediately flushed, "We have been... talking..." Her words drifted off and Sage couldn't help the wide smile on his face. Avarice had been in love with her since they met but his nerves were rarely ever strong enough to let him talk to her about it. "I really like him too, I'm just giving him time to process before we agree to a relationship."

"Understandable." Sage agreed. "I better still be the best man at the wedding."

The two laughed, Nina nodding her head in agreement. "You would make a fitting bridesmaid too."

Sage tapped at her shoulder lightly, grinning. He knew his features were androgynous and he took after his mother far more than his father's side. It was something that came up on and off while he grew up, going to those stupid parties the rich threw. God would he love to visit a party run by dregs, he'd likely have a lot more fun. "I look damn good in a dress." He kept his voice even lower this time. The only person that knew about his little secret in private was Nina. While it wasn't that he was necessarily afraid of people finding out about it, he had a reputation and look to uphold for the Cedeno's.

The Cedeno's men were tall, with strong features and tanned skin, dark hair and eyes. He, however, taking much from his mother, had red hair, pale skin and was both short and physically not very capable. If anything, he had far more to prove than any one of his older brothers taken over. "Alright." Sage interrupted his own thoughts, "How's the new line going anyway?"

Much like Sage, Nina was able to instantly transition into business mode. "So far the security and coding is holding up well. The wiring is all set and I'll run more tests later this week to make sure it can be properly implemented into a person's body without any issues. I think November is just a long time since we could really get this out, safely, in a month."

"I had thought about that too, but I like November. I know ProCon will likely put their stuff out soon, they have their public conference tomorrow that I'm sure they'll announce there."

"Are you sure about the ... change of code you intercepted?" The worry in Nina's voice was nearly identical to Bravid's, forcing Sage to pause.

He pressed his lips, swallowing. When he gave them the false code before it was transmitted secretly to ProCon from the moles he caught in his company, he gave no thought to the damage it might do to the public at large. However, until this past weekend, he also didn't understand why anyone would want low-rate cybernetics. It wasn't until Bravid pointed out that money was the main issue. "I'd like to hope she and her scientists would double check, even triple check. I make sure we all check several times before I'm even ready to announce the release date of anything."

"But you can't expect her to have the same standards you do. Even compared to your father and grandfather, you expect higher results and work people far more than they did. Not that you don't compensate for them, but you demand much more."

Leave it to Nina to be direct about things. He canted his head, thinking further on it. No one had ever actually come to him to complain, but perhaps they were to others. "What do I do? Should I hire more people to lessen the load I have everyone on?"

"It would help, yes." Nina started, reaching over to break a piece of the chocolate bar Sage had been idly holding in his hand. "Your father found me by chance, recently orphaned after both of my parents were killed in gang wars when I was four." She started, Sage listening intently. He had remembered hearing that she was orphaned, but it never stuck with him what happened since she rarely ever spoke about what she remembered. "I was a hidden gem, as I remember your father talking to your mother one night. 'She was smart, she knew what to do and what to say and how to get herself out of situations.'" Nina bit into the chocolate, turning to lean similarly to Sage against the counter. "He had watched me for a while because he saw me outsmart two gang members that had me cornered. When he took me in and tested my intelligence against yours, he started calling me a diamond in the rough."

Nina couldn't help the smile, "I hated it at first. I had just lost my parents and my life, as I had known it at that time, was constantly on the edge of death. The point is, look closer at those who live in the dregs. You're going to find the most intelligent people there and for the right offer, they will be loyal to the person who lends a helping hand. If it wasn't for your family, who knows where I would be today."

Finishing that bite of her chocolate, she patted Sage's arm gently and left him to his thoughts. His duo colored eyes watched her return to her lab table, pull down the safety glasses from her hair and get back to work as if they didn't just have such an intense conversation. Perhaps it was intense for him instead of her, but he had too much to think about and too much to do. At the very least, he was content knowing that these few scientists, that he did love working with, were willing to help him destroy the Cutters. If he was lucky, he could take down both the largest gang in the city and his only rival in cybernetics at once.

 

[Sagey]

"Don't leave me."
chains | abandoned building

---

Sentaro held his hands out in an attempt to keep himself from falling face first into the brick wall, of which failed him nonetheless. He fell to the ground, cheek scratching along the brick and twigs and stones and glass digging into his kneecaps. The pain in both his knees and face barely registered in his attempt to catch his breath. Running as hard as he had, his throat was dry, causing him to heave in his desperation for water that wasn’t available. He could hear footfalls in the distance behind him, still running after him and shouting at one another. Sure they managed to lose him, he forced himself up with what was left of the adrenaline still pumping through his body and continued until he could round the wall onto a crowded street.

No one said a word as this bloody and dirt covered man roamed their streets, weaving between people who narrowly avoided him when they finally took a good look. He was fading fast, feeling the adrenaline rapidly decline after taking that brief moment to himself. Sentaro had run so far already, adamant he was finally losing them. When he turned down a side street he took a look at the street signs; 'Park Ave.' Perfect, he was just a few blocks from home and he'd put this entire weekend behind him.

There was one problem keeping him from making it home; he could barely keep himself off the ground. Sentaro fell against a lamppost and slid to the ground. The adrenaline that allowed him to bolt out of his imprisonment was gone and the pain began radiating through his body. Arms wrapped around his stomach as he bent forward, blood and sweat soaked hair sticking to his scratched and bloodied cheeks while tears fell onto his thighs. This was meant to be a weekend with the guys. The first weekend in a year since starting college that they had a moment to see each other. Not once did he think this crazy fool would follow him home, halfway across the country, just because he didn’t like his answer.

“Sentaro.” A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts, his entire body freezing in the moment. So he was closer than he thought. “Are you done running?” He never got the chance to turn around and look at him, nor did he get a chance to even attempt to move before a sudden rush of pain hit the back of his head and everything went dark.

Time was lost to him now, but not the pain. Every inch of him from head to toe was throbbing, hot tears streaming down over the bridge of his nose without ever realizing he was crying. Sentaro slowly and painfully pushed himself to sit up, hands cut up and aching as he pressed his palms against the ground to steady himself. The clanking of chains moved with him, causing him to finally wipe the tears from his eyes so he could see better.

Both wrists wore metal bands, connected to thick chains that were nailed into the stone wall he sat against. A small makeshift mattress of blankets was beneath him, wrinkled and uneven, indicating he had been moving often. There was a candle where he had been resting his head, the flame the only light he had as the rest of the room was left in creeping darkness. The scent of stale dirt and the cold air made him think he was in a basement. An oddly clear and somewhat clean basement that made this all seem that much worse. Almost like this was planned.

He shook his head, immediately regretting it the moment his head throbbed harder in retaliation. Picking up his hand, Sentaro studied the metal wrapped around his wrists. These would be too easy to get off, proving it to himself as he removed a simple pin from both and the chains fell into his lap

It hurt to think. It hurt to move. It hurt to keep his eyes open.

Yet he couldn’t justify just sitting here while also being sure this was a trap. Anything this man did or said was always some roundabout way, always some form of trap that Sentaro found himself in repeatedly. The thing that was different, however, was how physical he became suddenly.

“Don’t leave me, Sentaro.” His voice was different, colder than Sentaro was used to. Turning to face him, finally exasperated with the aggravation Ryan was given him. The man wasn’t much taller than he was, but he had a lot more muscle and even more anger. He must have recently come from the gym with sweat pouring down him, a white tank hugging his torso and black shorts and sneakers. His brown hair finger combed back and the sweat kept it in place while those black eyes glared down at Sentaro.

Sentaro rolled his eyes, “Dude, you say that like we’re dating. I’m going home to see friends, not like I’m leaving school for good.” He waved his hand in his direction, dismissing this silly conversation.

“Sentaro.” Ryan warned, watching him turn his back and walk away. White hair pulled back in a ponytail, taunting him as it swung back and forth. “Sentaro!” He called out again and he still continued walking.

“Sentaro!” He gasped, panicking as he sat back up and came face-to-face with Ryan. Brown hair hung loosely in its mushroom cut style, black eyes baring down on him as he watched with that stupid grin while Sentaro worked to catch his breath. “Look at you, I was so ready to let you try and escape but you fell asleep again.”

Of course he wanted him to escape, and of course he fell asleep. The headache he had was nearly debilitating while the rest of him was still screaming in a painful ache. He hadn’t gotten much rest, which means he hadn’t been knocked out for very long. Sentaro felt those calloused hands cup his chin, the roughness of his thumb moving across his broken, bottom lip.

“So pretty, even bloodied and dirty. I told you not to leave, Sentaro.”

“It’s a week.” Three words and he could barely get them out. His mouth was beyond dry, barely recognizing his own voice in its raspy, broken state. Even if he could speak further, he wasn’t sure what he’d say. He owed this lunatic nothing, they weren’t friends, they weren’t dating. He didn’t even know what was happening.

He could hear that smirk just before he felt a hand grab his arm and pull him to his feet. Sentaro stumbled, half on the ground as he fell into Ryan while he was dragged up the stairs into what looked like an abandoned house. It was humid and hot, the only true shelter from the rain pouring down was the roof overhead. There were no windows that he could see and the floorboards for this extremely worn down cabin were molded and half gone.

Ryan dropped him on the floor beside the open doorway, rain droplets bouncing off the rotting wood onto his visage and hands as he tried to push himself to his knees. “We’re going to have some fun.” Sentaro scoffed, knowing full well their ‘fun’ were very different things.