Dr Holt walked into Jason's room, carrying a ridiculously thick stack of papers under his arm. Jason looked up from The Daily Planet at him as he placed it on the table with a thud.

'The collect works of William Shakespeare?' Jason asked, pointing at the large stack of papers. 'Thanks, but I'm not really into poetry.'

Dr Holt laughed like someone had just told him to appreciate humour. 'Not exactly. These are the results of the tests we ran.'

Jason closed the newspaper and dropped it carelessly on his bed.

'All of that?' he asked.

'I thought I should leave this here, in case you wanted some light reading.' Dr Holt said.

Jason stared at him before laughing sharply. 'Doc, you made a joke. It could be that I'm getting to you after all.'

'Yes, well, after this detailed analysis,' Holt tapped the pages, 'we are ready to begin experimenting.'

Jason sat up very straight. 'What? Right now?'

'Whenever you're ready.'

Jason glanced down at the newspaper he had been reading, the article about the last heroic rescue, Superman's face plastered over the front page.

'I'm ready.'


An hour later, Jason was strapped into the same dentist-like chair, staring up at the machine.

'What's happening this time?' Jason asked.

Dr Holt flicked some switches and typed something onto his laptop. 'We've been studying the nearby star, Mu Cephei, for the past few weeks, collating data on its frequency output, energy, even down to ultrasonic waves.'

'Mu Cephei, that's…' Jason almost shrank back into himself. 'That's a Red Supergiant.'

Dr Holt looked surprised. 'Yes, that's correct. How did you know that?'

Jason threw him a sour look. 'Always with underestimating me. I'm not dumb, alright? What? You think I'd find out I'm half alien and not do something about it? Try to fix it? I researched Red Suns, tried to see if there was a way to, to make me normal.' Jason craned his neck around and stared him in the face. 'You're going to blast me with rays from a star like the one Krypton used to orbit? Are you crazy?'

'Is there a problem?' Dr Holt asked evenly.

'My father was exposed to a red sun, alright?' Jason said through tight lips. 'Some time before I was born. He told me himself, and he almost got killed for it. Him and half the population of Metropolis.'

'Well, the process wasn't permanent was it?' Dr Holt said. 'Trust me, Mr White; we have the situation completely under control. If anything happens, all I have to do is hit this button,' he gestured to one on the controls, 'and the machine will automatically produce yellow sun rays and put you back to normal. It's a failsafe.'

Jason wasn't listening. 'I don't want to do this experiment. Do anything else, just not this one.'

'Relax Mr White, nothing will go wrong.' Dr Holt was unnervingly calm. 'Just let the machine do its work.'

Before Jason could answer, Dr Holt flicked a switch and the machine hummed to life.

Jason expected a white hot flash of pain, that the Red Sun rays would make him arch off the chair. Instead, the dim red light made a glow around him, concentrating on his chest. A few moments later, the humming stopped and the light cut off, and Jason knew what it was like to be alone.

It was like someone had hurled him into space, but given him enough oxygen to survive. He was cold, the Red Sun's light was inside every cell, and it was much colder than what he was used to. Jason squeezed his eyes shut to try and block the sensations out, but it just made it worse.

He was finally normal, only now, he wished for anything other than what he was feeling. He would rather crawl back to his father and beg for forgiveness than live like this. Sounds were suddenly so much duller, distant. All he could feel was the numb cold of being alone.

'Turn it off, please. Put me back to normal.' Jason begged, his voice suddenly so small to his own ears.

Dr Holt obeyed, hitting the panic button and the machine hummed to life again, the familiar yellow light surrounding him. Jason rolled his head back and let the familiar heat of the sun force its way into his body.

As soon as the chilling feel of the Red Sun faded and he felt recharged, he snapped the small restraints on his wrists and flew straight upwards out of the chair.

'I don't want to go through that again.' Jason said darkly, looking down at Dr Holt before he punched through the heavy steel door and flew down the corridor.


'Why did you react the way you did?' Sasha asked.

This time, they were not in the cold and empty interrogation room, but Sasha's own office. Jason had scanned the complex, looking and listening for the heartbeat that had begun to grow familiar to him. He had opened the door without knocking and looked at her weakly, asking if she had time to talk.

'It's not right.' Jason answered. 'It's not right to be that alone, powerless. It's like…'

'Like your own personal hell.' Sasha finished. 'It looks like we've just discovered your kryptonite.'

Jason cocked an eyebrow and Sasha stumbled over her mistake.

'Weakness, I meant weakness.' Sasha covered lamely. 'I was just, you know, speaking metaphorically.'

'Oh, yeah.' Jason said sarcastically. He looked down at his hand again. He was playing with a small lump of metal, probably a door knob, rolling it around in his hand. He was alternating between moulding, melting and freezing it. He would pinch bits of metal and roll them around into a snake, as if it was just a piece of moulding clay.

'I'll speak to Dr Holt.' Sasha assured him. 'It won't happen again.'

Jason had rolled the piece of metal into a ball and stared at it intently. Sasha was just about to say something when she noticed a red flicker around his eyes. A concentrated beam of heat was focused on the ball, and within moments, the metal melted in the palm of his hand. With a puff of cooled air, the melted doorknob froze into a flat puddle, and Jason began moulding it again.

Somehow, Jason's personality seemed to have been changed by the encounter with the red sun rays. It made sense, the light rays were his life source, and they powered him. When foreign energy was introduced into his system, he changed.

'You seem tense.' Sasha noted, watching the superhero's equivalent of a stress ball.

The metal was once again shaped like a doorknob and he placed it on the edge of her desk.

'I've got all this power and no one will let me release it.' He said.

'There's a gym downstairs if-'

'That won't do anything.' Jason fidgeted. 'I need to bench press a semi-trailer or something.'

'I'm sorry, I can't help you there.' Sasha said.

'That's fine.' Jason stood up and walked towards the door.

'Wait, don't you want the, uh, stress ball?' Sasha asked, holding it out to him.

Jason smiled at her. 'Tell you what. You hold onto that.'

He walked outside and left the door open, so Sasha could see him taking off and flying down the hallway.

The doorknob was missing from her office door.


The next time Dr Holt came to him with an experimental proposition, Jason stood cautiously to the side.

'You're going to tell me what you're doing this time, aren't you, Doc?' Jason asked. 'Or I might have half a mind to read that Shakespeare length report someone had to write.'

'We're trying something new.' Dr Holt said. 'And you can feel free to check the computer for the details.'

Jason walked over and bent to read the screen, flicking through the files at a superhuman speed that even the upgraded computer was having trouble trying to keep up.

They were planning to blast him with harnessed light rays again, only this time; they weren't going to use the sun's rays, or even the Red Sun Mu Cephei, but another star, Sirius, a white dwarf star.

Jason snapped backwards and frowned.

'What's that going to do?' he asked.

'We don't know.' Holt said simply. 'We're hopeful that the white star's energy, combined with the yellow that is already in your system, will form some unexpected powers and abilities.'

'Is it dangerous?' Jason asked.

'The yellow sun's rays keep you invincible no matter what. The worst that could happen is that you feel a little woozy.' Holt explained. 'Not unlike a short exposure to Kryptonite. If anything goes wrong, I hit the panic button, and you go back to normal.'

Jason frowned, unsure. 'I don't really trust you.'

'If we're right,' Dr Holt said slowly, 'this could very well give you the advantage over Superman that you were looking for.'

The thought was tempting. Jason always knew there was no way he could beat his father without help, and this was the perfect opportunity.

The results would be worth the risk.

'Do it.'

The white sun's rays weren't energising or even a warm feeling. It spread through him like an itch, like it was piercing his body. It crawled under his skin and made its way up to his mind. His stomach was churning, he felt the urge to be sick, but part of him was laughing.

It was working.

The itch turned into a tingle, and the tingle turned into an ache. The machine turned off as it reached the end of its supply, but Jason wasn't finished.

The ache turned into a burn and he knew this feeling before, any time he got too close to the sun and didn't discharge. He was overloading with energy and needed to expel it.

Jason threw his head back and opened his eyes. Twin beams of heat shot out and carved a hole in the ceiling. Plaster and concrete collapsed on top of him and cracked. He was shaking enough to snap the restraints again.

'I'm hitting the panic button.' Dr Holt yelled in warning.

'No!' Jason roared. His tremors were slowing and most of the energy was out. 'I'm good, I'm good.' He rasped. He wiped sweat from his face and sat up. 'We need to do that again. I need more white, so I know what I can do.'


Sasha sighed and looked Jason up and down. He looked like he'd just ran a marathon, his hair was messy and his face was worn. She wondered if this was another side-effect of the unknown light in his body. He usually looked rejuvenated, healthy at least; now, he looked like any other stressed, work obsessed human. His personality had changed too. The white light in his system made him snap more often, like his powers weren't the only thing out of control.

'You don't look so good.' She observed.

'I feel great.' Jason replied. 'I know most of the white light was only in my system for a short time, but I can feel how much good it's going to do.'

'Good?' Sasha repeated, incredulous.

'I know.' Jason said sadly. 'And it kind of scares me. This must be like what drugs feel like. I'm on a high, but I know I've got my head together.'

'So what's your plan from here?' Sasha asked, steering the conversation.

'Train myself up.' Jason answered. 'Figure out what those white rays can do to me, and then take that evil sucker down.'

Sasha sighed in frustration and brushed a hand through her hair. 'I still don't understand the blind hate you have against him.'

'He completely ruined my life.' Jason stressed. 'He destroyed everything I thought I knew just by existing.'

'But he's still your father.' Sasha said.

'I have a father, a good father who never let me down.' Jason said darkly. 'Richard White.'

'I understand, but, Jason,' Sasha said, 'you have had a good life, you've never had to worry or fear for yourself or your family. Your powers could be hidden and you could still live life.' Sasha took a deep breath and paused for a moment as Jason looked at her heavily. 'We do have other people, special people in this facility and I am psychiatrist to a few of them. Just today, I talked with an eight year old girl who threw her abusive father off a balcony without even touching him. I met a teenage boy who had to live on the street after accidently electrocuting a teacher when he touched him. Their powers are small fry compared to yours, but they were alienated because of them.' Sasha looked him in the eye as she spoke. 'Jason, you had a home and a family, and parents who loved you very much. I'm sure they would take you back, if you asked them.'

'I don't want to go back.' Jason said. 'I want to do this.'

Sasha clipped the lid on her pen and tossed it to the table. She sat on the edge of her chair and leaned in.

'Do you know why I decided to be a mind doctor, Jason?' she asked slowly.

Jason shrugged casually.

Sasha paused for a moment then spoke. 'I love understanding people.'

Jason watched her mouth move and the words that came out, but her voice was doubling up, he could hear her twice, one through his ears and the other… in his mind.

'I'm just so good at getting into people's heads.'

Jason stood sharply, the chair clattering to the floor. He breathed deeply and stared at her.

'You can hear me?' he thought hard.

Sasha looked taken aback.

'I've got to go.' She muttered, another thought pushing itself into Jason's mind.

'Come to my office when you can.'


I have no excuse for not updating this story. I'm terribly sorry. Thanks so much to DarkDefender89 who brought this back to my attention! Please review, I love to know what people think!