Marvel: A.T.L.A.S. - Ghost Protocol

A.T.L.A.S. Training Facility, Titan - September 1987

Blood spattered on polished floors as Caspian moved through the advanced combat course. The Emperor Eye tracked every opponent, every angle, while frost formed and dissipated with each precise strike. Six attackers, all elite A.T.L.A.S. combat specialists, and none could touch him.

"Time," Walter called from the observation deck.

The final attacker dropped, unconscious before hitting the ground. Caspian stood motionless in the center of the carnage, breathing controlled, frost dancing across his skin.

"Eight point three seconds faster than your previous record," Walter noted. "The cold enhances your reaction time."

"Not just reaction time." Caspian helped one of the groaning specialists to his feet. "It... anticipates. Adapts."

Dr. Sterns' voice came through the facility's comm system: "The cellular changes have stabilized. Integration is complete. Whatever the fragment's touch changed in you, it's permanent."

Through the observation window, Carrie watched silently. The Emperor Eye caught the subtle tension in her frame—pride warring with concern. Her son had evolved into something new, something even A.T.L.A.S. didn't fully understand.

"The field assessment team is ready," Walter said quietly. "When you are."

Caspian nodded, frost melting from his knuckles. Time to prove he was ready to return.

---

*Secure Testing Range, External Facility*

The obstacle course had been specifically designed to push enhanced individuals to their limits. Automated weapons, environmental hazards, and combat drones created a gauntlet that had broken some of A.T.L.A.S.'s best agents.

"Beginning final evaluation," the range officer announced. "Agent Valemont, you may—"

Caspian was already moving. The Emperor Eye mapped every threat while frost enhanced his natural abilities. Bullets were avoided before they were fired. Traps were dismantled with precision that bordered on precognition.

In the control room, the assessment team watched in stunned silence.

"This isn't just enhanced reaction time," one evaluator muttered. "The way he moves... it's like he's reading the course itself."

"The fragment changed more than his biology," Howard observed from his chair in the corner. "It changed how he perceives things. How he processes threats."

Through camera feeds, they watched Caspian flow through impossible scenarios. Each movement perfect, efficient, deadly. The frost responded to his will now, strengthening when needed, fading when stealth was required.

The course's final section involved a direct confrontation with heavily armed drones. Previous agents had needed to methodically dismantle the threat. Caspian simply... danced. The Emperor Eye and the frost working in perfect harmony to create something that transcended normal human limits.

"Time," the range officer called, voice slightly awed. "Three minutes, forty-two seconds. That's... that's a new record. By a significant margin."

In the control room, Carrie allowed herself a small smile. "Combat readiness confirmed. Reinstate full operational status."

---

*New York City - That Evening*

"You're seriously going back already?" Tony's voice carried concern as they sat in his private workshop. "After everything that happened?"

"It's what I do, Tony." Caspian watched frost patterns form on his whiskey glass. "What I am."

"Yeah, well, what you are is my best friend. And I've spent enough time watching people I care about disappear into the shadows of duty."

The Emperor Eye caught the reference to Howard in Tony's tone. The fear of losing another person to secrets and sacrifice.

"I'm not disappearing," Caspian said quietly. "Just... evolving. Learning to use what the ice changed in me."

"To fight the monsters in the dark?" Tony's attempt at humor fell flat. "Sorry. I know you can't talk about it. Just... remember what I said. About not carrying everything alone."

Frost swirled in complex patterns as Caspian considered his next words carefully. "The ice changed things in me, Tony. Made me something... different. But this?" He gestured between them. "This doesn't change. Brother."

Tony's smile was genuine, if tired. "Yeah, well, someone has to keep your frost-bitten ass alive." He pulled up schematics on his workbench. "Speaking of which, I've been working on some cold-resistant materials. Thought they might come in handy..."

They worked through the night, brother helping brother prepare for whatever darkness lay ahead. Through secured comms, Caspian received his first new mission brief. Tomorrow he would return to the field, carrying new powers and old burdens.

But for now, in this moment, he was simply a man sharing drinks with his brother. Learning to balance what he had become with who he had always been.

The frost stirred in his blood, ready for whatever came next.