The Rejects Volume 7: Freaks (Complete)

Cardiac

Tobias is walking down a street in the morning. His phone vibrates and he answers it.
Tobias: Yeah?
Jess: So, are you getting that present?
Tobias: I'm heading to the store to buy her something, I just don't know what yet.
Jess: She'll love whatever you get her because it's from you.
Tobias: *sigh* I don't know. I'm kinda having-
Then a man who looks homeless falls in front of Tobias and starts moaning in pain.
Tobias: Gotta call you later, bye.
Tobias hangs up and kneels and grabs the dude and turns him over.
Tobias: Are you- Oh my god.
The dude had medium length brown hair and brown eyes.
Tobias: Darian?!
Darian: Toby? NO GET AWAY!!!!
Darian pushes Tobias away and gets up and tries to stumble away.
Tobias: Darian stop, you need help.
Darian: You need to get away from me. I'm not safe to be around.
Tobias: Darian wait, I can help.
Tobias grabs Darian's shoulder but Darian struggles out of the jacket and turns around to reveal his chest is glowing red underneath his shirt.
Tobias: Darian, what happend to you?
Tobias then sees Darian's brown eyes turn red.
Darian: I'm sorry.
Tobias: What do you-
Tobias then feels his body seize up and he falls to the ground and starts shaking uncontrollably. He feels his heart starts shutting down.
Tobias: D-D-Darian?
Darian: I'm sorry.
Darian grabs his jacket and starts running off and as he passes pedestrians, they start falling. But when Darian is far away from Tobias, Tobias's body returns to normal. Tobias pulls out his phone and calls Jess.
Tobias: We have a problem.

(At the base)

Mike, Jess, Crystal, Isaiah, and Taylor are in the computer room.
Mike: So Darian just turned off Tobias's nervous system and almost put his heart into cardiac arrest?
Isaiah: Hey Cardiac. Thay should be his codename.
Everyone stares at Isaiah.
Isaiah: What? Is it something I said?
Jess: The problem is that Tobias is lucky. Everyone else whose been "infected" haven't reverted back to normal.
Crystal: Maybe it's because he's a Gifted?
Mike: That wouldn't make sense. I mean if it was me then yes, absolutely nothing should really have affected me but Tobias's powers are to turn his skin metallic blue, super strength, super durability, and intelligence.
Taylor: Maybe his durability kicked in?
Tobias(comms): What should I do to stop him?
Jess: I don't-
Mike: How about he turns metal?
Jess: Then maybe he'll get a chance to save Darian.
Mike: And I'll head into the city and try to help.
Jess: Go.
Mike runs off to the garage.
Jess: Toby, try to get to Darian now in your metal state.
Tobias(comms): Got it boss.
Tobias hangs up.
Jess: Alright people, get ready. If it gets to bad we'll need to be out there.

(In the city)

Darian stands in the center of the street as some cars have crashed into buildings and people have fallen and are shaking on the street. Darian has his jacket and shirt off and the red glow is brighter.
Tobias: DARIAN!!!!
Darian turns around sees Tobias and that hsi skin is metallic blue. Tobias sees that a round red light is on Darian's chest.
Darian: You need to leave. Not even that can save you.
Tobias walks slowly and then he feels pain in his heart and body but not as badly as before.
Tobias: *mutters* Good job Mike. *normal tone* I'm here to help.
Darian: You can't help me.
Tobias: What's that thing on your chest?
Darian: It's like Tony Stark's arc reactor. It's what's keeping me alive.
Tobias: What happend to you?!
Darian: A lab explosion at Rook Inc. Me and my colleagues were trying to recreate Gifted and sell them to the military but there was an accident and I almost died if they didn't put this piece of shit in my heart.
Tobias is almost right next to Darian and Tobias's heart and body are hurting him like hell.
Tobias: You have to let me try to help you!
Darian: You got to kill me.
Tobias: NO!! NEVER AGAIN!!!
Darian: Again?
Mike pulls up on his motorcycle and hears the conversation.
Tobias: I'm not the same Toby you know. I'm from an alternate timeline where I was basically a soldier in a militia and I had to kill you so that you couldn't betray the militia. And I've been living with that regret for a long time now, so please let me help you.
Darian stares at Tobias for a long time and then Darian steps foward towards Tobias and falls to the ground. Tobias runs towards Darian and checks his pulse. Mike runs up to Tobias.
Mike: Is he ok?
Tobias: He's alive. But we need to head back to base.
Mike: Here, I'll help carry him.
The two carry Darian onto Mike's motorcycle and the three ride back to base.

(At the base)

Tobias is in the medic room and is looking at a clipboard while Darian is laying on a bed. Jess watches through a one way window and Mike walks in.
Mike: How is he?
Jess: He's doing fine. He's kinda worried about Darian and he blames himself.
Mike: I actually meant Darian.
Jess: Oh.
Mike: I wasn't going for that cliche.
Jess: Darian's in a coma. Toby doesn't know when he'll wake up.
Mike: Poor guy. Both of them.
Jess: It's just odd.
Mike: What do you mean?
Jess: Jayden's right. The past few days, our villian attacks have been the result of Rook Inc.
Mike: I don't like it.
Jess: Me neither Mike. Whatever Rook Inc has planned, I don't think it's good.