The city of New York hadn't been this electrified since the first time Superman flew across its skyline. Only this time, it wasn't the Man of Steel that had people screaming, it was a newcomer — golden-haired, sharp-jawed, and glowing with emerald light.
Gamma Jack.
His debut was still playing on every television screen, phone, and live feed hours after the battle. The crowd scenes repeated like gospel: the easy way he had lifted a collapsing streetcar with one hand while casually blasting a lizard mutant into unconsciousness with the other. His smile, his drawling southern "Don't worry now, y'all, I've got this." And the ease — *ease!* — with which he handled gamma energy, the kind of destructive force scientists spent decades fearing.
Jacob sat cross-legged in his room back at Titans Tower, his system screen open before his eyes. The neon text hovered in front of him, shining brighter than the New York headlines.
---
Template Acquired: \[Gamma Jack – Calm Hulk]
Rarity: C
Cooldown: 4 Hours
---
He smirked faintly, running a hand through his still-bright hair. Three silver chests had cost him thirty thousand points. Painful, but worth it. Two had spat out junk — items he wouldn't reveal just yet — but the third… oh, the third had been gold disguised in silver.
This template didn't just give him power. It gave him control. Where Hulk raged and Banner begged, Jacob could channel gamma through his fingertips, his voice, his will. He didn't need to smash when a flick of his finger could level a tank or heal a cancer patient. A dangerous power, yes, but one he could keep under check.
And the world had seen it.
The Planet called him "A disciplined powerhouse, a new hope who blends the strength of the Hulk with the restraint of Superman."
The Bugle — well, J. Jonah Jameson practically had foam at his lips as he ranted about "this so-called Superior Superman stealing headlines, a walking Chernobyl in a cape!"
Jacob laughed softly. "Yeah, I'm stealing your spotlight, Spidey."
But laughter died quickly. Because that afternoon, over pizza and soda, Batman ruined everything.
---
The Titans cafeteria buzzed with chatter, Beast Boy shifting between forms to entertain himself while Starfire devoured an entire stack of pepperoni pizzas. Raven sat silently, eyes locked on her book, but Jacob noticed the faint twitch in her lips whenever Beast Boy tried too hard.
He was just about to reach for another slice when Batman's voice cut through the room like a blade.
"You're Gamma Jack."
The words weren't a question.
Jacob froze, half a slice dangling in his hand. "What?"
Raven didn't look up. "I knew."
Jacob cursed under his breath, slamming the slice back on the plate. "Of course you did. You always know."
The rest of the Titans blinked between them. Starfire tilted her head, orange eyes wide. "Friend Jacob… you are the golden one?"
Beast Boy's jaw dropped. "Dude! No way. You're the shampoo-commercial Superman wannabe?!"
Jacob buried his face in his hands. So much for sneaky.
Red Tornado's calm, mechanical tone only deepened the humiliation. "I confirmed the correlation through biometric analysis. His power signature and Gamma Jack's are identical."
"Fantastic," Jacob muttered.
Batman leaned closer, his cowl shadowing his eyes. "You are not going on that interview tonight."
Jacob lifted his head, meeting the Bat's stare with fire of his own. "Gamma Jack is."
The silence after that could've frozen lava.
Batman's scowl deepened, the air between them thick with tension. It wasn't just a stare; it was war.
Tony Stark stepped in before the room could implode. "Alright, alright, calm down, children. Jacob, I get it. You're in your shiny adult form, you've got gamma under control, and you've got foresight." He gestured with his glass. "But interviews? With Jonah Jameson, of all people? Maybe leave that to the grown-ups, huh?"
Jacob rose from his chair, voice steady, defiant. "One. I have foresight, which means I can prepare for what comes. Two. Even in this form, my gamma output may be weaker, but I can defend myself. And three—" he stepped closer, eyes locked on Tony's— "you're not my dad."
The room went dead silent.
"Four? I'm 20 years old."
Jacob let the words hang, then added, "And Five? There's no way you could stop me if you tried. So hurry up and tell Thor to come down from Asgard already. You still haven't verified my 'godly form,' have you?"
Tony's jaw clenched, and for once, he had no quip. Just a grimace.
Jacob smirked. "Didn't think so."
Batman's growl filled the room. "You know more than you let on."
Jacob didn't blink. "I know more because of Prometheus." The lie came smoothly, but it wasn't a total lie. Prometheus had given him foresight. It was just that foresight wasn't the whole truth.
Batman studied him for a long moment, then finally nodded, grunting. "Don't go overboard."
Jacob smiled faintly. "No promises."
---
By evening, the world buzzed louder than ever. The Daily Planet rolled out a shining front page praising "The Superior Superman?" with Gamma Jack's triumphant pose plastered across it. Metropolis debated him in coffee shops. Smallville farmers muttered about new heroes. And in New York, the Daily Bugle sharpened its claws.
Inside the Bugle's studio, cameras clicked and producers shouted as the set lit up. At the center sat J. Jonah Jameson himself, mustache bristling, eyes narrowed like a hawk ready to strike.
Beside him, the guest chair gleamed under studio lights. And into that chair walked Gamma Jack, cape flowing, hair golden, smile practiced yet warm.
The audience buzzed.
Jameson wasted no time. "Gamma Jack. The so-called Superior Superman. Tell me — what kind of hero *are* you? A glowing alien? A mutant experiment? Or just another walking disaster waiting to happen?"
Jacob didn't flinch. He leaned forward, looking not at Jameson but directly into the camera, his green eyes steady, calm.
"I'm the one who holds back," he said softly, his voice carrying weight. "Otherwise… I'd be a risk to those who need heroes."
For the first time that night, Jameson didn't have a ready insult.
And across the world, millions leaned closer to their screens — wondering just who Gamma Jack really was.