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

Titan Facility, Specialized Training Chamber - October 1987

The temperature dropped to minus forty as Caspian stood alone in the reinforced chamber. Frost gathered around his hands as the Emperor Eye analyzed energy patterns in the ice. In his previous life, he'd spent countless hours playing Mortal Kombat, studying Sub-Zero's movements, never imagining he'd one day attempt to recreate them.

"Energy readings are stable," Tony's voice came through the chamber's comm. He'd modified the monitoring equipment himself, adding sensors that could track thermal variations at the molecular level. "Whatever you're going to try, the containment field will hold."

Caspian centered himself, remembering Sub-Zero's stance. The Emperor Eye tracked his own muscle movements, ensuring perfect form. The first technique—Ice Blast—had to be mastered before attempting anything more complex.

The frozen projectile that launched from his palm wasn't quite the perfect sphere Sub-Zero could create, but it shattered the training dummy with satisfying force.

"Holy shit," Tony muttered through the comm. "The energy conversion rate on that... it shouldn't be possible at these temperatures."

"Again," Caspian said quietly, adjusting his form. Each attempt brought him closer to the technique he remembered. The Emperor Eye helped him refine the motion, predict energy patterns, perfect the execution.

Through the observation window, Dr. Sterns watched with clinical fascination. "The cellular adaptation is remarkable. He's not just generating cold—he's manipulating existing thermal energy at a quantum level."

The next hour saw steady progression. Ice Blast became more focused, more controlled. The Emperor Eye let him track frozen particles, guide their formation, shape them to his will.

"Ready for the moving targets?" Tony asked.

Combat drones activated, their movements randomized. Caspian flowed between them, combining Ninjak's combat expertise with his new abilities. Ice Blast caught one drone mid-leap. A perfect slide—feet frozen just like he remembered Sub-Zero's technique—took him under another's attack.

"The temperature control is improving," Sterns noted. "More precise. Less energy waste."

Ground Ice came next—freezing the floor in strategic patterns, using the Emperor Eye to predict where targets would step. Just like in the game, opponents couldn't block what attacked their feet.

"You know," Tony's voice held careful neutrality, "this is starting to look less like random mutation and more like... technique. Like you've seen these moves somewhere before."

Caspian caught himself before answering. Even with Tony, some secrets had to be kept. "The fragment left... impressions. Ancient patterns of ice manipulation."

A half-truth. The best kind of cover.

The next technique was trickier. Ice Clone required perfect thermal control, creating a duplicate that could freeze enemies on contact. The Emperor Eye helped him layer the ice crystals correctly, build something that could stand independently.

"Now that's interesting," Tony leaned forward at his monitoring station. "The molecular structure... it's like a computer made of ice. Programmed to respond to specific stimuli."

Three hours in, Caspian had mastered the basics. Ice Blast, Slide, Ground Ice, and a working version of Ice Clone. The Emperor Eye let him combine them smoothly, flowing from one technique to another with deadly grace.

"Ready for the combat simulation?" Walter's voice replaced Tony's on the comm.

"Begin sequence."

Elite A.T.L.A.S. combat drones filled the chamber, armed with live weapons. No holding back. The only way to truly test these abilities.

What followed was a dance of ice and shadow. Each technique deployed with surgical precision. Ice Blast to create openings. Slide for mobility. Ground Ice to control space. Clones to divide attention. The Emperor Eye predicted every angle, every opportunity.

"Jesus," Tony whispered, watching the display. "It's beautiful."

When it ended, the chamber floor was covered in frozen drone parts. Caspian stood unscathed in the center, frost swirling around him like a living thing.

"Phase one techniques mastered," Walter noted professionally. "Shall we proceed to the advanced trials?"

Caspian nodded, already planning the next evolution. Ice Shaker, Frost Hammer, Barrier of Frost—each technique building on the last. Sub-Zero's legacy living again through new blood.

"Your readings are off the charts," Tony said later in his workshop, reviewing data. "The power output alone should be impossible, but you're doing it without any apparent energy cost."

"The fragment changed something fundamental," Caspian replied carefully. "Made ice part of my nature."

"Yeah, well, whatever it did..." Tony's expression grew serious. "Just be careful, brother. Power like this... it changes people."

The Emperor Eye caught Tony's subtle glance at a photo of Howard. The weight of secrets and power had nearly destroyed the older Stark. They both knew it.

"It won't change what matters," Caspian assured him. "Some bonds run deeper than ice."

As if in response, frost gathered around his hands, forming patterns both ancient and new. The fragment had given him power, but his previous life had given him the knowledge to use it. To master it.

To make the cold serve justice.