A spin off of Superman Returns with a guest appearance of @dracolavenore

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A small robin alighted on the branch near the window. Its tiny head jerked back and forth before letting out a soft twitter. The breeze ran its fingers through the budding leaves. Lazy clouds drifted by promising a warm, relaxing day. Spring was in the air.

"Jason White!" the harsh voice bellowed.

Jason snapped to attention causing his school books to drop to the floor. The loud clatter was slightly muffled by the laughter of his classmates.

"'Crash' White does it again," mocked a bully.

"Jason White!" the teacher, Miss Wingdon, huffed again. "Are you paying attention or do you have your head in the clouds again?"

Jason wished he had his head in the clouds; the day was beautiful and he felt the sun calling to him. But he couldn't tell Miss Wingdon that. He brushed his brown hair away from his blue eyes and stammered as he tried to think of a plausible answer; that tuff of hair that curls was the most annoying. His panic at not being able to come up with an excuse made his chest feel tighter, and he wanted to make a move for this inhaler. Thankfully, Miss Wingdon sighed and returned to her lecture.

"As I was saying," she started, "in two days the school will be present for the retirement ceremony for Superman. After years of protecting the Earth, Superman is finally retiring. Supposedly, there is also some secret announcement regarding who he'll be passing the torch too. Many speculations exist including..."

Jason let Miss Wingdon's lecture fade into the background as the asthmatic feeling in his chest passed. About ten years ago, Jason met the Man of Steel when he rescued Jason and his mother from the criminal mastermind, Lex Luthor.

At the time, Jason wondered if something happened to him. He could have sworn he'd thrown that piano at one of the kidnappers. And the strange green stone, kryptonite, had made him feel sick. But his mother, Lois, told him that the yacht had simply shifted and it just seemed like he'd been the force behind the piano's sudden attack. Even Jason's asthma seemed to return shortly after.

Finally, the class ended and Jason retreated to his locker. As he deposited his history books and retrieved the books he'd need to take home, his mind wondered back to the events on the yacht, as it often did. Jason often found himself wondering if what he thought happened had happened and that he and Superman had some kind of connection. But that was ridiculous. Richard White was his father. Also, Superman didn't have asthma or acne or braces and he most certainly didn't wear glasses.

Jason sighed as he made his way to the bus. It was as his mother kept saying: it was all the result of an overactive imagination. But, at times, Jason felt like someone was...watching over him. And his parents acted weird at times. There was the time that he found his mother's keys just by looking around the room. They'd also dismissed him when he recounted the events with the hearing test at school; he scored very high. The tester even said, "How could you possible hear that tone?"

While Jason's head was filled with thoughts, he often found that his mind easily wandered and seemed to be constantly in overdrive, Billy snuck up behind him. With a swift motion from Billy, Jason found himself kissing the concrete; his glasses slid a short distance away. Billy's laugh filled Jason's ears as the bully's big feet approached the glasses. A second later, crunch.

Jason's head now filled with anger. Those glasses were not cheap; his high prescription and astigmatism came with a hefty price; and while not poor, his family was not rich either. Jason's sight seemed to focus in on Billy as the red-hot anger flowed towards his eyes.

"Ahem," a voice said. The bullies fled as a man in a suit helped Jason stand. "That's why I always carry a spare." The man placed a set of glasses in Jason's hand. Once the black-rim glasses where on Jason's face, the man became clearer.

"Mr. Kent," Jason said.

"Lois, ahem, your mom asked me to pick you up today."

"Chasing another lead I suppose."

"Always," said Clark Kent. "But, there's also something I need to talk to you about. And since your sixteenth birthday is in two days, I figured now would be a good time."

"Oh-kay..."

***

Clark closed the driver seat door and sighed as Jason fiddled with his seatbelt. Why must everything be a struggle? Jason thought.

"This, uh, is going to be, uh, whew, uh..." said Clark. "I mean, I suppose I should just get it out there. Man, why is this hard?"

Jason finally got the seatbelt in place. "What's wrong?"

Jason could see Clark swallow deeply. He then removed his glasses. Jason's eyes widened; it was amazing how much Mr. Kent looked like Superman. Clark took a deep breath. "I'm Superman...and your father."

"Whaaaaat??!" Is probably what Jason could have said, but all he could muster was just staring at Clark like a deer in the headlights.

And it got better.

"Jason, I'd like you to take my place."

Now, Jason could finally react. By laughing.

"You're saying that I'm an alien and I have powers beyond those of mortal men? And I'm supposed to take over for you?" Jason said between laughs.

"Technically, you're half alien. And yes, when you're old enough." Jason stopped laughing just as suddenly as he started. "Your mother and I decided it would be best to hide your powers till you were older. There are many out there that would want to harm you to get to me. The only reason you have your asthma, acne, and the rest is because you believe yourself to be completely human."

Jason remained motionless as he tried to process all of this. Finally, he said, "I-I-I got to go. I-I-this-this..." He hurriedly left the car, forgetting that he was still strapped in. The belt snapped free but Jason never realized it. He swung his backpack and started walking away quickly.

Clark glanced at the broken belt, thinking back to how he reacted when his adoptive parents told him of his alien linage. "Chip off the old block..." he said with a sigh.

Jason kept walking faster and faster; his only thought was to get away as fast as he could. It's not possible. I'm nobody. There's no way that I could be...his son. Jason stopped and realized he'd just speed walked about 16 city blocks in the course of a few seconds. The stunned teen didn't hear the man setting up a stand behind him.

"Get your RPM-11 here," he said. The surprise sound made Jason jump, not as tall as a building—about the height of a car, but his decent is what shocked Jason. It was slow, and he barely had to bend his knees. The merchant must have taken Jason's stone still stance as interest in his product. "Hey, Kid, RPM-11 is a wonderful product. It is confidence, charisma, and popularity in a bottle. Taken from the chemicals of some of the most famous celebrities. It's a supplement that'll make you just as popular as them." Jason dismissed him with a wave. "Eh, your loss."

The man continued on to the next person while Jason's mind began looking at all the evidence. All the times his mother dismissed his claims of unusual things happening to him; the feeling of being watched over; the feeling that he was different. Not to mention how he'd gotten here so quickly. There was no overlooking it: he was Superman's son.

"HEY!" cried the merchant. "Let go!"

Jason turned to witness the struggle between the merchant and a man in a fedora and pinstriped jacket. The fedora man suddenly smacked the merchant across the face; the merchant stumbled and fell into the nearby rack of postcards causing an exclamation from the souvenir seller. A passerby, not paying attention because they had their nose in their phone, slipped on the spilled cards and went airborne. The slip and breeze caused a postcard to blow towards an oncoming vehicle.

Time slowed for Jason. Everything almost looked frozen. He could practically see the mathematical angles and figures. He knew the postcard would hit the vehicle's windshield. He also knew that there was a 96 percent chance the driver would overreact causing the vehicle to hit the nearby pedestrians. His eyes focused on the falling phone fanatic. The force of their flailing form would break their arm and possibly their back. Then there was the problem of the pilfering perpetrator.

Jason's super-charged brain even had a moment to wonder where his sudden skill for alliteration had come from.

In a single step, Jason snagged the free-falling form and carefully cradled them. After setting down the stunned citizen, Jason sprang forth to snatch the preposterously priced postcard. In a fast, fluid fashion he flung a bottle of RMP-11 at the would-be thief. With a small bonk, the thief spun before falling.

As time returned to normal and the world carried on, Jason caught his breath and hoped the alliteration attack would abate.

"Thanks kid," said the merchant upon returning with the stolen money. "That'll be $9.99 for the broken bottle of RPM-11."

With a frustrated sigh, Jason paid the man and turned to leave.

"If you're gonna be a superhero, you've got to watch what you break," said the merchant.

Jason stopped. "Huh?" He turned back but the merchant was gone.

***

Jason stood by the stand scratching his head as a young woman watched from a parked limo. "So, Father was right," she said. "Jason is Big Blue's bouncing boy. And it looks like he takes after his father." She smiled, slightly showing some teeth. "Excellent. Odie, prepare a special meal; we're having a friend over for dinner."

"Yes, Miss Luthor."

***

Once home, Jason sat his backpack on his bed. Wishing for anything normal, even homework, he opened the bag. But instead of trigonometry, he found a red cape. It was folded, along with a set of blue spandex, red boots, and a yellow belt. Ironically, Jason had just earned his yellow belt (his mother wanted him to learn karate, which at the time seemed odd but now made much more sense).

When did he slip this in? Jason wondered. Oh right, super-speed.

"Is that what I think it is?" came his mother's voice. Jason turned, not realizing he was holding the packed suit carefully or at all. "You should try it on."

Jason glanced down. It seemed ridiculous, but something pulled at him like this suit was part of him.

"I'll give you a moment," said Lois before closing the door.

A few minutes later, Jason stood before the bathroom mirror. The suit...was too big for his smaller frame. He was nowhere near as muscular as Superman...uh, his dad. He was about to take it off when he realized the suit was tightening. The suit began to form to his body. The cloth rippled like waves and finally settled; it now fit perfectly. No wonder Superman's suit always seemed to fit. But he still looked silly with his glasses and having to wear red underwear on the outside didn't help.

Jason knew his mother would want to see him in the suit, so he headed downstairs to the kitchen. Once he got there, he saw Lois staring into space.

"Mom?" he said.

Suddenly, the home digital assistant, Lexi, crackled. A female voice came over it. "Greetings Jason White. No, you're not hearing things; I'm actually speaking to you through the digital assistant. I could have used an ultrasonic frequency, but let's just say I didn't want anyone else listening in. You're probably wondering what happened to your mother. Simple, mind control. It's taken some time but the beta testing is done. In a matter of hours, I will activate the subliminal messaging that I've been pumping in through every Lexi system. The city, nay, the world will be under my control. Unless, you come to the abandoned subway station near Siegel and Shuster."

***

Within moments, Jason arrived at the subway station.

"Glad you could make it, Jason," said the female Luthor. "And in your Sunday best no less." Jason left in such a hurry he'd forgotten to change out of the super-suit. The redhead Luthor gave his skinny and bespectacled form a onceover. "Puberty wasn't kind to you, was it?"

"What's your game, you diseased manic?" Jason said.

"Wow, we are our father's son, aren't we? No small talk; right to the demands. Name's Lexi Luthor by the way."

"Lexi?"

"Dear old Dad loved to name everything after himself."

"How do I stop the mind control?"

"There is no mass mind control plot...for now. That thing with your mother was a game to get you here."

"Why?"

"To talk. To put away this feud between our families." Odie then arrived and sat plates of food, complete with plate covers, on the table. "Please join me."

"I may not know if I'm going to be like my father, but I do know I want nothing to do with a Luthor."

"So judgy."

"If you really wanted to talk to me, you could have emailed me. You obviously know who I am. There is only one reason you would need to threaten the lives of millions..."

"Billions," she corrected.

Jason nodded towards the still covered food. "And do you think I'm stupid enough not to know why I can't see through those lids? You put kryptonite on my plate."

Lexi shrugged. "Can't blame a girl for trying."

"But the question remains, what is your game?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you're a Luthor then you're smart enough to know I'd x-ray the food and discover the lead-lined covers, indicating kryptonite. It's a pretty obvious trick. You'd also know that I'd figure out that only a Luthor would come up with a plan to use the Lexi digital assistant in some evil plot."

Lexi clapped slowly. "Very good. You do have some smarts after all. So, to answer your question, my game is just that. The Game. A competition is only as good as the players. People want to see a battle between two equal opponents. And I'm going to be the greatest criminal mastermind of our time; therefore, I need the greatest opponent." Lexi pulled her phone from her pocket. "Lexi, play 'Popcorn' by J. Jonnes."

Jason took a step forward. "What did you do?"

"On its way to the docks is a cargo ship filled with popcorn kernels. I've just told the onboard Lexi to create the necessary harmonic frequency to make the popcorn pop. The delicious snack will expand until it rips open the ship's hull and bring about the worst popcorn spill in history."

"Seriously?" Jason almost laughed. "That's your plot?"

"That. And my new buddy." She pointed as a figure wearing a kitsune mask entered. "Meet Drac, my recent unwilling mind control beta tester. Abducted and missing for the last few days. Aw, those missing person posters were so cute. You two play nice now." Lexi laughed as she slid into the shadows.

Drac pulled two swords and charged at Jason. Jason raised an arm to block the blow. The swords shattered upon contact with his alien skin, but Drac's spin-kick to the chest hit perfectly, sending the Teen of Steel into some crates. Jason slowly stood just in time to see Drac vanish in a puff of smoke. Suddenly, Drac was behind him and he pulled Jason's cape over his eyes.

By the time Jason freed his face of his cape, Drac was charging at him again. This time, Drac delivered a blow to Jason's gut that made him double over. This was followed by an upper-cut to his chin that sent him flying.

How is he hurting me? Jason thought as he adjusted the glasses Clark gave him...But Superman doesn't need glasses. They're...fake. How could I see with them? "...because you believe yourself to be completely human," came the memory. I believe myself to be human. But I'm not an alien either. I'm both.

Jason stood straight and removed the glasses; he could see just fine. Jason turned his x-ray vision on Drac in order to spot a weakness; he was surprised to see that the kitsune mask was lead-lined, but he did find the mini-speaker that Lexi was using to control the mysterious figure.

As Drac approached Jason, this time wielding a green-tinted sword, Jason released a fine beam of heat vision at the small speaker. The speaker popped and Drac stood still. The sword dropped to the floor. Jason quickly used a nearby bar as a pool cue to knock the sword away then went to check on Drac.

Drac's head turned left and right as the being in black woke up. The ex-brainwashed victim tilted their head.

Jason rested a hand on Drac's shoulder. "I'll get you home. But first, I have a popcorn spill to stop." With that, Jason floated into the air and then shot through the roof.

Drac watched Jason depart for a moment and then faced the nearby door and slowly shook their head with a sigh.

***

"That was quite the first adventure," said Superman as the mayor continued his speech.

"Yeah," said Jason, in costume. "But Lexi still got away."

"You'll get her, Son. Now are you sure you want to do this?"

Jason scanned the audience, an audience filled with hope waiting to hear Superman's announcement. They were also filled with popcorn. Jason stopped the spill, but not the popcorn popping. Luckily, the owners of the shipment were smart enough to sell it at the rally. Jason nodded.

"Then it's time."

Superman stepped onto the stage with Jason in tow. "Citizens of Metropolis, I'd like to introduce you to my replacement...and my son..."