Sage is a recurring character on The Gifted. She is a mutant with superhuman intelligence.
She is also a member of the Mutant Underground.
Early Life
Little is known of Sage's early life, though she was once a homeless refugee until she met Polaris, who brought her to the station and helped Sage clean herself up. She later became a resourceful member of the Mutant Underground by not only monitoring all activity of law enforcement and mutants alike, but by determining which mutants get to stay in their care and which had to leave.
Season 1
Sage welcoming Blink
In eXposed, Sage talked to the new arrival at the Mutant Underground Headquaters, Blink. She learned that Blink's birth name was Clarice. She then asked her if she should contact anyone, perhaps family, to which Clarice said it was complicated. Sage then informed her that she would stay with them at the headquarters until they figured out where they would relocate her.
Later, Sage alerted Marcos and John of a local news story, where the news anchor reported that two mutants, Andy and Lauren Strucker, committed an act of terrorism at a local high school.
In rX, after the new arrival, Clarice, lost control of her abilities and nearly brought down the underground's headquarters, Sage joined Sonia and the others in reestablishing order.
Caitlin, John, Marcos, Shatter, Sage, and Sonia discussing a prion break out
In eXodus, Sage sat alongside Shatter and Sonia as John and Marcos discussed their next course of actions in rescuing Lorna from Sentinel Services' custody. Marcos wanted to act immediately, but John wanted to wait, and assess the situation from a more level-headed perspective given that they would have to face 20ft walls with guards armed with guns. Sonia interjected, agreeing with Marcos in regards to first training Clarice who had almost destroyed the station due to her unstable abilities, and then using her to break Lorna out. Out numbered and under pressure, John caved, deciding then and there to save Lorna the first opportunity they got.
In the monitoring cell, Sage grew concerned after learning that Thunderbird and Eclipse were under attack by the "local mutant welcoming group" after they retrieved the Struckers, who had left the station one day prior despite being advised against it. Fortunately, Sonia managed to devise a plan to save them.
Sage at the relocation center
In eXit strategy, two years ago, Sage, Eclipse, Thunderbird, Pulse, Randall, and Elsa staged a break in of a mutant relocation facility in Georgia. Sage, Eclipse, Randall, and Elsa were tasked with getting to the second fence, and then signalling Thunderbird and Pulse. Unfortunately, the plan went awry, as the facility's defense system of automated guns and infrared trackers were far more advanced than they had expected, resulting in the deaths of Randall, and Elsa. As gunfire rang out through the night, Sage and Eclipse just barely made it back to the first fence with Thunderbird and Pulse. They were concerned that with the massive security presence, they'd never make it out alive. With his ability to disrupt systematical electronics, Pulse volunteered to shut down their system to the automated weapons in order to buy them some time to escape. However, after successfully doing so, Sage, Eclipse, and Thunderbird watched as he was shot down, and supposedly killed.
John and Marcos asking the Underground for help in saving Lorna and Reed
In the present, Sage joined the rest of the Underground as John and Marcos informed them that Lorna and Reed Strucker were being held in a cell at the Sentinel Services regional Headquarters. They would soon be relocated to an ultra secure facility, which the Underground didn't have much insight on beyond the fact that the people who go there, don't come back, thus forcing their hand in attacking the Sentinel Services head on. Unfortunately, many members were reluctant in volunteering to join the break out mission to save Lorna and Reed, including Sage, who reminded John and Marcos that they lost six people the last time they went up against the Sentinel Services directly, which was merely a relocation center with a fence and a few guard towers. This time around it was a prison they were attempting to infiltrate, whose systems had improved. Extrapolating from other attacks, the Underground had an 86.5% chance of failure, Sage determined. But as Marcos explained, if they did nothing, then there's was a 100% chance of never seeing Reed or Lorna again. Furthermore, Sage owed Lorna, who found her in a gutter, and cleaned her up. Despite the history Sage shared with Lorna, she decided against joining in on the mission to rescue her given the likelihood of the plan's failure.
Sage informing John of the raids
In boXed in, after Thunderbird returned from successfully saving Polaris and Reed Strucker from the convoy, she informed him that Sentinel Services was now striking back. They had started raiding every known safehouse and pursuing all known and suspected sympathizers in retaliation, without warrants, she add. Sentinel Services was undoubtedly out for blood. Between a station full of refugees, and all the heat being brought down on them, they had their hands full. While Sage was putting her efforts into manning the scanner and keeping their people off the grid, John instructed her to inform him if anything important showed up.
Sage and John manning the scanners
After a while, it seemed as if Sentinel Services had stopped making moves over the police radios, leaving Sage to conclude that they had given up on the search. So she informed John of the sudden radio silence. Until a few minutes ago, the scanners were going wild with activity in regard to the manhunt, but it suddenly stopped. Over the radio, they could hear a traffic stop being called in, before that, a drunk and disorderly by the freeway. Reed then interjected, explaining to them that the manhunt was still in full effect. He offered to help given he used to work similar manhunts, and therefore knew the protocol. Dispatch called in all units for a petty theft, and so Reed asked for a map, marking on it the last three calls; a burglary in Stratford, lewd conduct at a bar in Hapeville, and a 586 in Glen Haven. They sent multiple units to all of three locations, which meant that they knew the Underground was listening, forcing them to resort to speaking in code. While Sentinel Services searched for Eclipse and Polaris, Atlanta PD was tightening a net, working a grid, looking for the Underground.
Sage, John, and Reed devising a plan to redirect the search
As they continued to listen to the scanner, John contemplated evacuating the station in prepartion for the cop's arrival, though Sage advised him against it. Given their police's response time, she calculated that any identifiable mutants leaving the Underground would be apprehended before they were out of city limits. Reed explained that law enforcement was looking for fugitives, and the only way that they would stop is if they found one, so he volunteered himself to draw them away by getting seen, making it seems as if went in another direction, thus putting them on a false trail. Even if they saw him, John wasn't convinced that they would stop searching. Reed explained that Sentinel Services made an educated guess about the direction they went in, meaning if they were to see him anywhere in the opposite direction, they would assume that he was going to 85 South, toward Alabama, and they would redirect the search that way. But as Sage reminded Reed, if he got caught, they would arrest and interrogate him, thus compromising the station. Maybe there was a way we could avoid that, John stated, as they looked over to Fade.
Sage and Thunderbird monitored the scanners, waiting for the call to come in for Reed, who was to let himself be seen on surveillance cameras to lure Sentinel Services away. Before long, the call came in. They heard over the scanners that he had indeed been made and that police were moving in on him. She and Thunderbird watched as law enforcement redirected their search south. Sage texted Reed to alert him that he had been made, and that he needed to get out of the immediate area. Reed was then picked up by Fade, who cloaked his car and drove off, thus a successfully executed plan.
Underground meeting to discuss the federal building
In got your siX, Sage John, Marcos Reed, Shatter, Lorna, and Sonia gathered around a table, where they looked over the schematics for the Baton Rouge Federal Building and tried to formulate a plan in their attack on Sentinel Services. Reed provided his knowledge of the Federal Building Baton Rouge, where some of his cases were sent and handled by judge James Kresge. How many people you prosecuted disappeared through the building, Shatter asked. It was a rare occurrence, but when it did happen, all Reed was ever told is that some of his cases were being prosecuted under a special federal program, though Marcos was only concerned with getting the files that Sonia saw while digging through Agent Turner's memories. However, they needed Clarice, who had just left Headquarters, to teleport them in. But without Clarice, they were forced into finding another solution. Marcos suggested breaking though the back of the building, but with it being reinforced concrete, it would take far too long. Andy then volunteered to break through the back wall for them, as he could do it faster than anyone else.
The next day, in the monitoring cell, Sage and Shatter learned from John that Headquarters in Alpharetta was hit. They managed to get about half of their people out, who were on their way to the station. However, as Sage explained, given the current influx of refugees, they were already 78% over capacity. John apologized for the inconvenience, but they didn't have any other choice.
Sage and Reed in the monitoring cell
In eXtreme measures, Sage, Marcos, Lorna, Sonia, and Reed convened in the monitoring cell, where John revealed that after talking to another station, he had learned that Sentinel Services was ramping up surveillance across the board, meaning things were going to get much worse before they got better. With the all the new refugees coming in, they were running out of supplies, so Marcos volunteered to head up to Marietta, where he heard there were supplies to be found. As for the hard drives that Marcos, Reed, and Andy recovered from Baton Rouge, Sage and Reed were working on cracking them, but they were encrypted. However, that likely meant there was something worth hiding. If they didn't find out how Sentinel Services were turning mutants against their own, all of their efforts would have been for nothing. John then announced that he was going to track down Clarice because she knew the location of Headquarters. If she were to be captured, it could mean the end of the Underground.
Sage and Reed cracking the hard drives
While they attempted to crack the hard drives from Baton Rouge, Reed noted that the first drive was solely police files on mutants. However, on Sage's file, the encryption ran much deeper. Reed suggested that maybe they were dealing with a shopping list. It seemed as if Sentinel Services was were picking specific mutants to participate in whatever program they were working with, based on their powers. They weren't even pretending as if it was legal.
As Reed took everything there was to take from the files, Sage worked on the second drive, calculating relationships with asymmetrical algorithmic keys. Reed then inquired about her secondary duty of evaluating the mutants that are brought into the station. With so many mutants running from the law, Reed wondered how she determined whether or not to allow someone to stay or leave. There were certain things that they didn't forgive, such as murder, rape. and victimizing other mutants. Other than that, she only asked that everyone tell the truth because the station was built on trust. Should they fail to adhere, then they are forced to leave.
Sage informing Reed and John of Trask Industries
The next day, after cracking most of the hard drives' security, Sage informed John that it mostly contained information in regard to mutants who were sent into Sentinel Services' program, Pulse was one of those mutants. He was one of the first. Unfortunately, all they had were the courthouse's records of who was selected. Sage knew nothing of a location for the program. However, with it being run by the Sentinel Services, there had to be a record given that it was a government program, though Sage wasn't certain that it was a government program. She explained that it was actually run by a private military contractor, Trask Industries, which Reed was familiar with since his father worked there for thirty-five years. However, it supposedly closed down in 2006. John questioned if Reed's father had any involvement with the program, though Reed was unsure.
In threat of eXtinction, Sage typed from the monitoring cell as John instructed Shatter to talk with the station in Gainsville to make sure they're prepared for more refugees.
Sage suggesting that they stop taking in refugees
Upon John, Marcos, and Clarice's return from Perry, where they had picked up survivors from the fallen station, Sage learned that they were attacked by one of Sentinel Services' mutants from the program. The yet to be named woman attacker was locked in a cell. where they described her as being a cross between a spy and a suicide bomber. She had a beacon in her back that she could've activated once they arrived at the station, which would've compromised the entire organization by leading Sentinel Services to them. She had weapons as well, leaving Lorna to conclude that the station in Perry must've been hit by another programmed mutant. With Sentinel Services planting them out into the world, Sage suggested that they stop taking in refugees for the time being. However, as John explained, they wouldn't turn their back on desperate people just because one of them might be dangerous. As John and Reed were headed for Chattanooga to speak with Reed's father about Trask Industries, he left Marcos and Lorna in charge of getting answers from the prisoner.
Sage watching the prisoner
Sage later watched as Lorna and Sonia attempted to get answers from the prisoner by manipulating her memories since she had refused to talk. Although, Sonia agreed to give it a try, she wasn't convinced that it would work. Sonia then exhaled her pink smoke, but the prisoner relied on her super speed to avoid the smoke. Sonia explained that she wasn't equipped to hit moving targets. Furthermore, had the prisoner breathed in the smoke, her metabolism was likely too fast for for any information of use to be gathered from her memories. This forced Lorna to resort to a more violent means of interrogation, as she threatened the prisoner at knife point. Fortunately, before things could get out of hand, Marcos arrived to bring an end to Lorna's savage stile of interrogation.
Sage returning with Chloe's file
After looking through the hard drives from Baton Rogue, Sage returned with the prisoner's identity. Her name was Chloe Tan. She used to live in a trailer park outside of Jasper. Her kid got sick, but the pediatrician wouldn't treat mutants, so Chloe destroyed the doctor's office, and was subsequently apprehended by Sentinel services. Caitlin had drugged Chloe in order to move her to a able for proper treatment. As she woke up, Caitlin attempted to speak to her. They knew she was arrested by the Sentinel Services, but they needed to know what happened to her while she was in their custody. Chloe attempted to communicate, but Caitlin determined that she couldn't speak, and she had not the slightest clue whether it was mental or physical. Caitlin then suggested that they use one of the latest refugees, a telepathic girl named Esme, to read Chloe's mind.
Personality
Sage presents herself as a very blunt individual. She always tells the cold and honest truth of any situation and places high value in honesty among the group. Yet, she cares about all the people in the Underground's care and does what she can to help out her friends.
Physical Appearance
Sage is a young woman with blue eyes, short brown hair, and fair skin. She generally wears dark colored clothing, boarding the line of goth, and can often be seen wearing a choker and/or necklace.
Powers and Abilities
- Superhuman Intelligence - Sage's brain functions similar to a computer giving her higher intelligence and an inhuman level of analysis and computation, often calculating the percentage of a successful outcome to every plan. Her mind also stores data similar to a computer giving her an advanced and thorough memory.
Appearances
Template:Season 1 Appearances
Trivia
- She made her first appearance in the 1980 comic series titled "The X-Men #132".
- Sage's appearance in The Gifted marks her live-action debut.
- In the comics, Sage's is also known as Tessa.
Gallery
