Okay, so first off, if you've been keeping up with the madness so far ,aliens dropping in the middle of cities, lightning dudes falling from the sky, and shady dudes in black coats handing out mysterious "contracts" like they're Spotify free trials , you're probably wondering who else could possibly show up.
Well, buckle up, 'cause this is where we meet ATLAS. And no, it's not just some random gym bro with a protein shake addiction. This guy? He's built different. Literally.
[John Johnson – the not-so-average kid]
His real name is John Johnson. Yeah, I know sounds like a fake name you'd give when the police pull you over and you're trying to hide your real one. But nah, it's legit. John's parents were African immigrants came to the U.S. chasing that "American dream" thing, worked their butts off, and boom… John was born and raised in the land of burgers and Marvel movies.
From the outside, he looked like your average high school dude. Went to classes, hung out with friends, watched too much anime, and stayed up way too late on YouTube. But if you were paying attention, you'd notice he wasn't normal. Like, this guy could jump over the entire school building without breaking a sweat. Could bench-press a car for "fun." And don't even get me started on how bullets? Yeah… they didn't even dent him.
[Now you know]
The real story hit him one summer evening when he was sixteen.
He came home sweaty from basketball practice except it wasn't basketball. He'd been leaping across rooftops downtown just to see if he could beat his own record. His mom was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping tea in that "we need to talk" way.
"John," she said, "there's something I've kept from you since the day you were born."
He froze. "...Wait, am I adopted or something?"
She shook her head. "No. But you are… chosen."
And then she told him the wildest thing he'd ever heard.
When she was in labor with him back in the States, she had a vision like, full-on 4K Ultra-HD vision. The Ancient Gods of Africa appeared to her. Not in some dreamlike, fuzzy way , nah, this was vivid. They told her that her son would be blessed with the powers of Asebu Amamfi, an ancient African demi-god of strength. The gods straight-up said, "He will save the world one day."
John blinked. "…So you're telling me I'm basically an anime protagonist?"
His mom rolled her eyes. "I'm telling you, you have a legacy. And it's time you knew who Asebu Amamfi was."
[The Legend of Asebu Amamfi]
Now, the way she told it? Bro, it was like one of those late-night campfire stories where you're not sure if the storyteller is about to summon a ghost or just hype you up so much you start punching the air.
She leaned in.
"They say Asebu Amamfi was stronger than Samson from the Bible. You know Samson could knock down a building with his bare hands? Asebu could punch apart a hill. And if he was in a bad mood? A mountain."
John raised an eyebrow. "Okay, that's… totally realistic."
"I'm serious," she said, deadpan. "His fists? Harder than diamond. His muscles? Tougher than the walls of a fortress. Asebu didn't just fight wars, he ended them before they started. The Portuguese tried to invade the Gold Coast once. Sent ships, cannons, hundreds of soldiers. Asebu didn't even need an army. He swam out into the ocean, flipped one of their ships over with his bare hands, and sent the rest running."
John's eyes widened. "Like… flipped? As in capsized?"
She smirked. "Like a pancake."
"And the Dutch?" she went on. "Same fate. Whole army gone in one afternoon. That's why, for years, no European power dared set foot in the Gold Coast. While other African kingdoms fell to colonizers, Ghana stood untouched. The British? They wanted it badly. But every time they planned an invasion, someone whispered the same warning: 'Asebu Amamfi still lives.'"
John was eating it up now. "No way."
"They say he could run so fast, he outran an arrow in flight. That his leap could clear a river in one bound. That if he planted his feet in the earth and roared, the ground would crack."
John grinned. "Okay, that's officially the coolest thing I've ever heard."
She nodded slowly. "But even the greatest warriors can't fight time. Asebu died a natural death. And within a year, the British finally came. Without him, Ghana fell to colonization."
John leaned back, trying to take it all in. "So… you're saying I have his powers?"
Her gaze locked on him. "Yes. The gods passed his strength to you. But strength alone doesn't make a hero. Your choices will decide that."
[Becoming ATLAS]
From that day, John trained like a man possessed. He tested his limits leaping between skyscrapers, punching concrete blocks until they cracked, sprinting so fast people thought they saw a blur.
But he wasn't just strong. He was smart about it. He studied fighting styles, watched every martial arts anime he could find, even learned parkour. And, because he was John, he had to come up with the dopest hero name possible.
"A.T.L.A.S," he decided one night, sprawled on his bed with a notebook.
Agility. Toughness. Leap. And. Strength.
Short. Punchy. And, yeah, it kinda sounded like "assault," which made him laugh.
[ The Fight He Didn't Join]
Fast forward to the battle in Rock Ville yeah, the one in Chapter 5 where The Man in Black and Watt went toe-to-toe with an alien straight outta nightmares. John was there. Not in the fight, though. He was perched on top of a skyscraper, watching from a distance.
He wanted to jump in. Every instinct screamed at him to move. But before he could, the battle was over. The alien was down. The day was saved.
He sat there for a while, hands clenched, thinking: I need to be part of this. I can't just watch from the sidelines anymore.
[Recruitment]
Two days later, he got his wish.
He was training in an empty warehouse when the temperature seemed to drop. Shadows stretched across the floor.
"John Johnson," a voice said.
He turned. There he was , The Man in Black. Same black coat. Same unreadable face.
"You've been on my radar for a long time," the Professor said, stepping forward. "Satellite surveillance. You're not exactly subtle."
John crossed his arms. "And you are…?"
"I'm offering you a chance to join something bigger. Protocol Zero."
John narrowed his eyes. "What's the catch?"
"No catch. Just a mission to save humanity."
They sat across from each other at a metal table. A single document lay between them.
John stared at it. "You're sure you want me on your team?"
"I'm sure," the Professor said. "In fact… I've never been more sure about anyone."
John smirked, grabbed the pen, and signed. "Guess you just got yourself a heavy hitter."
As John left the room, Dr. Chen walked up beside the Professor.
"Who was that?" she asked.
The Man in Black didn't look away from the door.
"The strongest I've ever met."
He paused.
"Three down. A few more to go. Humanity might be saved after all."
To be continued…
Maybe....