Marvel: As Security Guard

"You're the guy Pepper asked me to pick up?" Colonel Rhodes, clad in full military combat gear, stared at the man in front of him with clear dissatisfaction. To him, Shane looked like someone on vacation rather than a man prepared for the harsh realities of Afghanistan.

"You must be Colonel Rhodes, eh? Nice to meet you. I'm Shane Hunter." Shane put on his most professional smile and extended his right hand in greeting.

Rhodes, however, didn't return the gesture. Instead, he narrowed his eyes and said bluntly, "I don't know how you managed to fool Pepper or what exactly you're planning, but let me remind you—this is Afghanistan."

Seeing that Rhodes had no intention of shaking hands, Shane casually withdrew his hand and replied coldly, "Just take me to where Tony Stark was ambushed. The rest isn't your concern."

Shane already had a natural dislike for Rhodes' tough-guy attitude, and the way he was acting only made Shane even less interested in wasting words on him.

On the other hand, Rhodes was irritated by how his warning was completely ignored. He wanted to send Shane right back where he came from, but since Pepper had pleaded with him multiple times over the phone, he had no choice but to agree.

"Fine. I'll take you there, but you better be responsible for your own safety. The military doesn't have time to babysit someone like you."

Shane didn't respond. He simply got into the military vehicle without another word. When they arrived at the ambush site, he stepped out of the truck and didn't so much as glance back at Rhodes.

Rhodes remained in the driver's seat, watching Shane stand motionless at the scene. He was convinced now, and that was, this guy was a complete fraud. He had no idea how Shane had earned Pepper's trust, but he was certain that the guy wouldn't last long.

So, feeling generous, Rhodes decided to leave the vehicle parked there for a while. He figured it wouldn't take long before Shane dropped the act and begged for a ride back.

Rhodes was still in the truck, convinced that Shane was wasting time, trying to play detective when the military had already combed the area.

"Hey! The army already searched this place. You're not gonna find anything. Let me take you back so you can scam someone else!" Rhodes shouted, getting impatient.

No response.

A few minutes passed, and Shane had disappeared from view.

Rhodes finally had enough. Slamming the car door open, he stormed toward the spot where he had last seen Shane, ready to drag him back himself. He had real work to do—like overseeing Tony's rescue efforts.

"Hey! You little—"

But Rhodes stopped mid-sentence.

The area behind the rock was empty. Just sand and dust.

His face twisted into confusion. The heck?

"Hey! This isn't a damn game! You hear me? Get your ass back here right now!" Rhodes shouted, thinking Shane was hiding just to mess with him. But after searching the surroundings, he found no trace of him.

"What the actual f—?"

---

Meanwhile, Shane stood at the peak of a nearby mountain range. Eyes closed, he let the sun's warmth wash over him while his ears picked up on a symphony of sounds—whispers in the wind, the shifting of sand, distant echoes of movement.

His face remained calm as his mind filtered through the noise, isolating the one sound he was looking for. Just as he was about to move, something felt off.

He turned his head and saw something strangely familiar. Three meters behind him, tiny sparks flickered in midair. They spiraled outward, growing larger and larger until they formed a circular portal.

From the glowing gateway stepped a bald woman, clad in a flowing yellow robe. Her feet hovered just above the ground, golden runes swirling beneath her as if holding her aloft.

The mountain wind howled, whipping her robes around her, yet her expression remained as steady as the earth itself.

Shane eyed the bald woman in front of him. He had seen plenty of bald men in his life, but a bald woman? That was a first. Did she really lose her hair to get stronger?

A gentle voice, soft as a spring breeze, reached his ears effortlessly, untouched by the howling winds around them.

"Mr. Shane Hunter, correct?"

Shane immediately understood who she was. He smirked slightly and responded in her native tongue, his pronunciation flawless.

"You can speak freely. I can understand."

The Ancient One's lips curved into a small smile, entirely unfazed.

"Very well."

She stepped forward, her feet never touching the ground as she moved through the air with practiced grace. Stopping beside Shane on the mountain's peak, she looked at him and said, "The man you wish to save… have you considered the consequences?"

Shane raised a brow, unsure of her meaning.

"I know that with your abilities, saving him would be effortless," the Ancient One continued. "But by saving him now, you will change the future. Just like the scenery before us—it was meant to follow its natural course. And yet…"

She raised a hand, golden runes forming in her palm. Suddenly, an unnatural gust of wind howled through the mountain, reshaping everything. Clouds scattered, valleys shifted—the entire landscape was no longer as it was before.

Shane remained unaffected by the wind. He glanced at the dramatically altered scenery, then shrugged.

"I get what you're saying but so what? Even if things change, it doesn't really affect me."

The Ancient One did not seem angered by his dismissive attitude. Instead, she calmly replied, "Perhaps not for you. But for the clouds, for the valleys, for everything else caught in the storm—it makes all the difference."

Hearing the Ancient One's words, Shane was just about to retort, but she didn't give him the chance.

"You are… unique," she continued, her eyes fixed on him. "If you were meant to exist in this universe, then from the moment of your birth, I should have foreseen this very meeting. Yet, the truth is, until today, until the moment you made your decision, I never sensed the change in the future. I searched up and down the river of time, and only then did I find you."

After saying this, she turned back to Shane with a smile, the kind one might give to a mischievous child.

"So?" Shane curled his lips. "You saw my future?"

Instead of answering directly, the Ancient One simply said, "What the future holds is not what matters. What matters is—"

She trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished.

Shane scowled.

Typical mystics—always cryptic, always withholding information.

And he knew better than to push. If they didn't want to tell you something, no amount of force would make them talk.

"Aren't you supposed to be the one protecting all this?" Shane asked, crossing his arms. "Even if I change something, even if it causes problems, wouldn't you just step in and fix it? Don't tell me you can't."

While talking, Shane noticed something odd. Despite clearly perceiving him as an anomaly, the Ancient One didn't seem hostile. She wasn't treating him like a threat that needed to be eliminated. That made Shane more casual in his approach.

Hearing his suggestion that she should clean up his mess, the Ancient One chuckled softly, a hint of helplessness in her expression.

"I am not as powerful as you think."

Shane raised an eyebrow. "Then why are you here?"