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”Still-” he inhaled and groaned trying to push himself out of the car that was wrapped around him he struggled until the ice behind him helped under the guidance of his own will, ”cool” even if it was trying to kill him and even if it was a mutant. Mammoth’s were always on his ‘too bad I can’t see it’ list.

The mammoth trumpeted and got closer swinging it’s tusks and trunk around upping another car closer by before getting to him. The mammoth however stopped short as the two clones fought back giving Sam the time he needed to break himself free. The clone on it’s back started to dig into the fur and pull the hairs while the other one leapt for the mammoth’s face.

Among the commotion Sam heard someone yelling in protest, “You shall not claim these souls tonight! My god is a consuming fire!” he didn’t know who shouted it but suddenly felt the need to make sure Rex was alright. He just got this new sponsor if he had to start all over again... ”Need a drink.” he moaned and moved away from the car.

The light from the flames illuminated their surroundings killing his motivation for thermal sense but giving his eye some things to focus on. ‘Ice age’ was gone fighting the flames. He saw the man leap around causing snow and ice to form trying to snuff the flames. Sam ignored him for the time, there was... more pressing matters like a car being flung at him.

Ducking and dodging the appendages with the help of his clones the neanderthal took to the air leaping from point to point until he stopped moving. Overlooking the chaos. He was up to something but Sam couldn’t see it, or feel it. Everything it seemed was working against him and his ability to get an understanding of his situation. ‘No killing’ rang out in his mind in the voice of a few women. All the promises he made over the years to people who were far more blessed than he.

”You were warned.” the icemancer finally said exhaling one last time but in doing so brought the frigid air under his control. ‘Ice age’ was so nice to give Sam all this ice and snow to work with. It meant he could focus on controlling instead of creating.

The clones on the mammoth got bigger and heavier as he used the two as focal points for the cold. His element. They grew bigger and slower as they continued to climb up the large beast until they were able to wrap their arms around the beast. They continued to grow until all the weight started to slow the mammoth. It’s legs now covered in ice, while it moved it broke but quickly reformed. Sam was literally turning the mammoth into a giant ice cube. All except for the tip of the trunk, that he left exposed because he wasn’t trying to kill the beast.

There was a roar, a weak one but the final plea as it tried to free it’s massive hairy self from the ice. Sam didn’t stop but kept adding the ice to thicken, strengthen and weigh down the beast of burden. He was making so the only way free was an icemancer. It was a move to distract but also alert the one who wanted this. An ice age.

Sam’s target was down, they were separated. Enough for them to be handled separately. The trunk whipped overhead of Sam and a clone reached out to grab the icemancer by the arm he ducked the initial attack and latched on to his clone and held on for life as the trunk flung from one side to the other.

When it was close enough to the ground Sam let go of the ice clone and landed on his feet with a slight slide on the ice. ”Easy now! You don’t have to fight anymore, big hairy guy is off your back and you can go back to what you were doing before he came a long.” Sam said hoping the creature was smart enough to know how things were going to end. He was on the news enough, and in the papers. If it wasn’t Sam stopping them there was his team members who were all more than capable of handling the pair.

The air was knocked out of the caveman with the kick and then he recovered it after the fall landing on his back and rolling to the side as Megafauna started thrashing about. A clone of ice appeared under Sam’s will and tried to land on the other icemancer but only managed to get a spear through the chest. The clone reached out then started to fall apart now that he was in the immediate reach of the cave man and his own ice powers.

”Looks like you ran out of time.” Sam said getting to his feet and walking over to the caveman who was busy picking apart his clone who still tried to reach out and grab at him to slow him down. It was so cold, his thermal vision gave him more to see than he cared to. Along with a sudden rush of heat, almost a wave of red, orange and yellow washed over the cold and he smirked.

”I don’t know who you pissed off but someone isn’t too happy.” he chuckled reforming another clone and sending it to the mammoth. ”There will be no ice age today, last warning.”

”My mistake.” Sam retorted after seeing more innocent people get bombarded with shards of ice followed by patches on them. His own spear broke down and whirled around the cosplayed cave man before being sent back at him. He was still in midair meaning he couldn’t do much to get out of the way. However it was ice, his ice. Meaning there was no reason to. The shards of ice collapsed harmlessly onto his body suit of ice.

”No killing.” it was more to himself but being so close to the caveman it might have sounded like he was ordering the pair to follow his orders.

”Megafauna?” Sam questioned as he landed on the back of the mammoth his ice creating traction on the back of the beast so he could turn and battle the man who was trying to bring on the ice age. ”Not Manny? Or tusk?” one of the clones shattered under the weight of a car as the other one ducked then leapt onto the trunk of the behemoth.

”You were warned!” Sam shouted snapping out the back of his fist in a strike meant for surprise and dissertation followed by a front kick aiming to his chest. Sam’s current goal was to separate the two. Both of them must have been mutants. This didn’t reek of magic.

The clone’s body shifted slightly altering it’s fingers for claws to latch onto the beast. Thankfully Sam didn’t have to focus much on the clone, they knew what needed to be done. ‘Protect them.’ was the only command the winter warrior had given.

When they arrived on the scene Sam sighed even louder. ”Got to be ****ing kidding me.” the cold illuminated more than he could see, it was kind of nice because Sam didn’t have to create the cold as well. He just made it work for himself. Rex was the brightest thing nearby as people ran past fleeing from the beast from the ice age.

Sam had mixed feelings about the creature. While he thought they were the coolest version of an elephant he also had to put it into perspective that it was rampaging and... charging towards a group of cars. ”Guess we can talk more after.” Sam said his body already controlling the falling snow to coat his body.

There was already one visible injury as the man was swept up and hit a building, tumbling down to hit the ground. Sam raised his ahnd and shot a beam of blue to where the man was going to fall and landed in a giant hand of ice. ”How’s your first aide?” Sam asked turning quickly to Rex knowing he was a first responder given the man’s training. The snow turned to ice on his face and body giving him his cold blue armor.

”He’s gonna trample those cars!” the ice blades that shout out from the met with another beam of blue this time the blue turned to a thin wall given the distance Sam was from them. ”Help who you can!” Sam didn’t wait for a response and shot himself forward with a pillar of ice from under his feet toward the cars and the beast and the man riding it with a spear.

”You wouldn’t survive it!” he said controlling his fall with a beam of ice under his feet till he slid in front of the cars and the path of the wooly mammoth. The man was using ice. Sam’s element. There was never a more confident stance as Sam readied himself for another ice dagger attack. ”This is your first and only warning! Stand down before anyone else gets hurt!”

Hands trembled in the ice armor as the pair continued on into the camp where the armed guards were waiting. They had orders to let the one known as Odin leave and return with another. They weren’t expecting one of their own vehicle. Some of the men looked actually disappointed when they discovered it wasn’t holding one of their own. Something even Sam could see given what was on his plate.

Sam’s limp was masked, blood formed and froze to his leg. It was a familiar pain one he welcomed, one he knew would keep himself focus and in control. Slate had prepared him for this and with all the other telepaths or ‘puppet masters’ Sam was well versed in what to do while dealing with them. Luckily his armor was the most important factor. As long as he had that up he’d be able to control his actions even if his body wanted to do something else. It was only allowed to move with the armor.

All he could do was watch as Liz exited the vehicle. He was supposed to be under control still so he waited for the dogs to do their thing. Both of them were the best boy’s for handling this situation. For Zorro this was relatively new but for Bruno... that poor dog already went through something like this a few times. Which was why ‘Ninja’ was one of the forbidden words around him. Acting as guide dogs they kept close to Liz and he gave them all a slight nod. One that was for more reassuring than anything.

The door didn’t open fast enough, Sam was still playing the part but knew that he still had some control when he was under the influence of Weltgeist. The armor guided his trembling hand and he pushed the doors open to see the puppet master standing over his maps once again. Now Sam could see a few ‘X’s in red no doubt where they looked or were looking.

”I’ve returned.” was all he said but folded his arms. More so to hide the hands shaking. Weltgeist shouldn’t think anything of it but it was more for Liz than anything. His powers ready to throw a wall up to protect them should anything happen. They were surrounded after all and while he ‘promised’ he wouldn’t' kill anyone... well he might have to break that promise if it meant that Liz and the animals would get home safe.

”This is one of my advisers.” Sam lied, ”You may address her as... Artemis.” he knew that wasn’t the right pantheon but the delivery should have been enough. She was after all someone who advised him regularly. Sam believed it and at the moment he was supposed to be under control.

A chill floated behind the icemancer ready to form another golem to stab him should anything go wrong.

”No, the other Homer story.” he didn’t know if there were sirens in the Iliad and he didn’t need to know it right now. Just that she knew what he was asking. ”Not for me.” Sam said confidently.

”The ice is enough restraint for me. I need you to make it look like I’m doing what I’m told. You got one ear piece in. Maybe take mine? There is a feature that blocks noise on them. And if you can’t hear the command...” he said recalling one of his first fights in New York. The one with Raina’s brother.

”Hard to follow commands if you can’t hear them right?” Sam said continuing forward adjusting his ice so his movement was slowed. While he wasn’t outright defying Weltgeist, Sam was doing his best to figure out how to.

”It’s going to be fine.” Sam said trying to downplay her joke. She was nervous and for good reason. Sam was the fighter. Liz was supposed to be only search and rescue. Not that she couldn’t handle herself on the streets of New York but they were currently in a more intense situation. Fists and feet didn’t help much when there were a dozen guns on you.

”I get into situations like this all the time.” he said playing up his confidence. It would be fine right? His movement slowed again as a small form pulled itself from the ice and snow below his feet. Sam took two steps forward and stopped. The little form of ice reached back and jabbed into Sam’s leg. A spot he had been stabbed hundreds of times when he was at his lowest. When he questioned reality. The form was of his daughter. One who didn’t exist.

Growing up as a trained killer they usually neglected to drill in the ‘consequences’ it was something Sam had to learn for himself over the years which usually led to some ‘disagreements’ with his team. Something he struggled with but was still trying to learn. He adapted and that was what he was best at. Bad decisions or not.

”Well, I’m a teacher at the mansion. Specialize in ‘self-defense’. Given my background and history it made sense to help out the school that took me in. So when I’m not drilling in ‘keep your hands up’ I’m avoiding paperwork.” Sam said raising a hand to cover his blind side while the other lifted the hot coffee to his mouth.

Taking a sip he continued, ”Also help teach control for the kids that don’t... have that much control over their powers. Given the school being so full of kids like that it keeps me pretty busy. All hours which is good. I don’t sleep much anyways.” he didn’t elaborate on his lack of sleep but continued on. ”I live for those, ‘Ah-ha’ moments when the lightbulb goes off and the kids suddenly aren’t afraid of themselves.” he sipped again.

”Volunteer work is something else I get a kick out of, though it’s less soup kitchens and more getting shot at by bank robbers.” Sam reached down into his wallet and flashed a ‘police’ badge for Rex showing it off. ”Always someone that needs to be stopped.” he said elaborating that he liked to stay busy.

”Also adopted a kid recently. She’s... more than a handful.” Sam said hoping Eve wasn’t setting a fire to the mansion chemistry lab or terrorizing his dog with her giant guinea pig. ”and when I’m not dealing with all that I like being out in the woods. Find it relaxing. Away from problems and people.”

Continuing on their walk Sam ignored the green scaled man who rushed past. The wind however did catch his attention as he caught a piece of paper out of the air as it floated in front of him. Most of it was reactionary and he didn’t notice he did it till the paper was in his hand. Frowning he threw it out in the nearest bin as they walked past.

It was way too windy. Something was... off. Using the cold in the air already around them his thermal sense illuminated the streets more than his single eye could. Just in case.