Origin 2

Tora stayed with Darren for the rest of the day. They went on a short hike through the desert, hoping to calm Darren after his panic attack. Long, nature walks calmed Darren's heart. His breathing and heartbeat had returned to baseline as they walked.

His coma and new abilities flew out of his mind as he enjoyed the hot sun. The mountains in the distance were different from other mountains. They were red and bare like the desert sand unlike forested mountains with lush, green trees.

Tora, on the other hand, was miserable. She wore shorts and a tank top since it was so hot but she was overheating. She was sweating from every crevice and fold on her body. She drank some water to soothe her dry throat.

Sand and dust-covered her shoes and ankles as the sun-baked her skin. Although a baseball hat shielded her face from the sun, the heat in the air fried the contacts in her eyes.

Tora hated nature. Unlike Darren, she did not enjoy long walks in the wilderness, getting dirty from the nature around her. She especially hated the desert. It reminded her of the harsh environment of her childhood home. She liked staying inside, in a comfortable and controlled environment.

The reason she liked to visit Nathan was because of the night sky. At night, the desert was cool. She would set up a telescope right outside the house and watch the stars. It was the first time she ever went far out into the desert in all the years she's been coming to Nathan's house.

Tora poured the water into her mouth, letting it drip down her chin and neck. "Darren, are you feeling better now?" she asked breathlessly.

"Yeah," Darren replied. He turned back to Tora and smiled.

Tora looked at his face and scoffed. While she perspired furiously to cool off, there was not a bead of sweat anywhere on his body. His skin remained pristine, with no sunburn on his arms or legs. How could he not be sweating in this heat? His lips were plump and pink while hers were chapped and dry. He did not even take a sip from his water bottle.

"Let's head back," she said. She grabbed the water bottle from his hand, downing the rest. "Bend down. You carry me back."

Darren looked at Tora. She looked exhausted and overheated. Her skin had darkened in the short time they were in the sun. She was covered in sweat as she breathed heavily.

"Okay," he replied. He had been insensitive toward her. The only reason she came out was to help him in his panic attack. They had taken precautions with sunscreen and water, but the desert heat was harsh and overwhelming.

He did not feel uncomfortable in the heat, so he just continued to walk, taking in the views. Darren had always had great resistance to heat. Growing up in California before moving to Texas, the sun did not bother him too much.

Even now, his body felt cool, unaffected by the blazing sun that hung in the sky. The sun on his skin was heavenly. Energized, he wanted to stay in the sun for a little longer. But Tora looked like she was about to collapse as her chest heaved up and down as she tried to breathe.

Darren bent down, letting Tora climb on his back. He placed his hand under her thighs, holding her up as she wrapped her arms around his neck. He turned around, walking back in the direction they came.

Darren was surprised. Tora felt as light as a feather as he held her. Tora was tall and he knew her weight was in the mid-70s. She's physically active, which he knew means she had more muscle mass than most women her size. She should feel heavier than a balloon.

"Did you lose weight?"

"Not really. I actually gained weight. I've gained more muscle over the past few months," she replied. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason. You just feel lighter, that's all." Maybe the change was with him. With his body. His senses had become more sensitive, so he could have become stronger due to his new powers.

"Hey, let's have some sandwiches and ice cream when we get back," Tora said in his ears.

"Okay."

They made it back in time for lunch before they returned to the study to continue their conversation about Darren's new powers.

Darren explained his increased strength to Nathan.

Nathan pondered with a hand on his chin. "Hm? It seems like your powers are changing your physiology at an astounding pace. I have a theory about that. In the scientific community, we believe that the Vetus gene is an evolutionary trait to ensure the survival of the species. For example, being left-handed. It's not a dominant trait, yet it persists in the population, giving a small population a type of advantage over the majority."

He pointed at Darren. "The gene is often activated in times of great mental, emotional, and physical stress. When you were hit by lightning, the adrenaline pumping through your blood triggered the fight or flight response. The steroids in your blood attached to your cells, signaling them to start making VTS-HR proteins."

Matthew passed his hand in the air, causing the screen to move. "This is an image of your blood before your accident. Notice the cells. They have no VTS-HR proteins on them. After your accident, your blood is flooded with them." He passed his hand again, and another image appeared on the screen. "They're not only on the surface of your cells but also free-floating in your blood. You can see it by the purple dye I used to make the proteins visible. Over the last six months, your blood has maintained its level of VTS-HR proteins."

Nathan came back in and said, "This is likely the cause of your coma. Your body needed time to adjust to the changes happening, so it induced a regenerative coma. It not only healed the damage to your body but it also made changes to your cells to accommodate your new powers and abilities. Over the last six months, your body has been making new cells to replace the old cells. You'll feel more comfortable and adjusted in another few months."

"Do other people with the Vetus gene go into a coma when they first get their abilities?" Darren asked.

Nathan shook his head. "A few, but not all. Although, people we have studied with the Vetus gene have experienced extreme fatigue. They feel tired and have a lack of energy. They often start to eat more than they used to and start to crave things they might not have before. From what I can tell, you have some regenerative ability, as shown by your sudden muscle growth. Your back was burned by the lightning, but the epidermis completely healed while you were unconscious. There is no scar tissue remaining. The nerves have also regenerated."

Darren's eyes widened as he unconsciously touched his back. He had not had the chance to look at his back in the mirror or even ask about anything since he woke up two days ago. As he thought of the incident again, his back tickled.

"If you have any pain or strange feelings there, it's probably in your head. It will go away over time," Miriam reassured him.

"The most likely reason you went into a coma is because of the stress, not to mention the electricity that was literally frying your brain cells. You're 34, and your Vetus gene was literally shocked to activate. That stress was just too much for your mind to handle. If you had remained conscious, shock from the pain and the electricity in your system would, likely, have killed you," Nathan said.

Darren's jaw dropped as his eyes bulged. His breath shook. He closed his mouth with a loud gulp as he thanked God in his mind. Although he was upset to have been in a coma for six months, he was, now, grateful. Losing six months of his life was a better bargain than losing his whole life.

"In addition to your regenerative abilities," Matt continued, "you emitted red light, and you flew." He paused. "Or hovered, levitated? Whatever." He continued to explain, "I don't think it's just red light. I think you might actually have the ability to manipulate electromagnetic radiation. That means the whole spectrum from radio waves, to visible light, to gamma rays. I discovered this because when I went to my lab to look at your blood, it reacted to the x-ray machine at the security check." Matt brought an image of the electromagnetic spectrum with his projection ability. "Which I have to say, is really cool," Everyone frowned as they looked at Matt. "Or not."

"But this is weird," Miriam said. She turned to Nathan. "People develop abilities they have an affinity for due to their ancestry, personality, environment, and even their innate desires."

Nathan nodded. "Yes. Although we don't know for sure, it is often a mix of several factors."

"Darren's environment is littered with EM radiation from the sun, but so is everyone else on earth. So it can't be due to his environment. It can't be ancestry or personality or desire." Miriam looked at Darren. "I'm sure you haven't wished for the ability to control light."

Darren shook his head. He's always wanted super strength or speed, a cool offensive ability. Bending metal was also on his list, but he's never wished for light.

Nathan took note of where Miriam was leading. "So, where did they come from? Also, his other abilities don't seem to be related to one another."

Silence blanketed the room as everyone pondered while looking at Darren.

"Um, I think I know."

Every eye fell on Tora.