Tony Stark's home sat perched on the edge of a cliffside, overlooking the ocean. A sleek, luxurious villa, it was a marvel of architecture and, even more so, of technology.
The sheer number of high-tech features inside was enough to make any guest speechless. It even had a fully functional AI butler.
Of course, with Tony's wealth, none of that was surprising. Many of these technologies, including the AI butler JARVIS, were inventions of his own design.
Once they arrived, Tony sent both Pepper and Happy away. That left just him and Rook Tanner sitting at opposite ends of a table, each with a pile of cheeseburgers and other fast food they had picked up earlier.
"If you've got something to say, just say it," Rook muttered, still chewing on a cheeseburger without looking up.
Tony had clearly cleared the room on purpose. He wasn't one for subtlety when it really mattered.
He didn't beat around the bush.
"I want to hire you."
"Oh?" Rook paused, set down his burger, and swallowed the last bite. He looked at Tony with a half-smile.
Tony shrugged casually and said, "I've seen what you can do. Your power is beyond anything humanity's weapons can handle. If I could have someone like you watching my back, I'd never have to worry about my safety again. Even if something like that ambush happens again, I'd be completely covered."
"But why should I be your bodyguard?" Rook asked. At this point, he had a stable enough identity to move freely. He could find other work if he wanted.
Tony leaned forward slightly. "Let's be real. I vouched for you, yeah, but people are still going to be watching you. You're not completely in the clear yet. Some folks might already suspect the truth about you. You being an alien isn't something that's going to stay a secret forever."
He wasn't wrong. There were still three soldiers who knew about Rook. There was no guarantee they'd stay quiet.
"Working for me gives you a layer of protection. It'll make your life a lot easier. And most importantly, I'll pay you well."
Tony dropped the last part with a grin, knowing full well that money was often the final convincer.
Rook laughed. "So working for you... does that also include letting you run experiments on me? Maybe strap me to a table and dissect my alien biology? Poke around my brain to dig out alien tech?"
He wasn't stupid.
Tony had gone to all this trouble for more than just security. Rook knew he was probably eyeing the possibility of studying advanced alien technology, or even Rook himself.
After all, Tony was a scientist. Having just witnessed undeniable proof of extraterrestrial life, how could he not be curious?
Tony looked a bit awkward. "Well... if you're okay with that."
"Sure," Rook said without hesitation.
Tony blinked in surprise. "You're... seriously agreeing?"
Rook shrugged. Why not? He was new to this world and didn't have a place to settle down yet.
Besides, his sudden appearance had already altered Tony's original storyline. The Iron Man origin arc was off-course now.
But what if he nudged Tony back on track?
He could pretend that some of his powers were based on alien technology and feed Tony just enough inspiration to push him into building the Mark I suit and beyond.
Rook didn't need the armor. But Tony could.
And knowing Tony, he wouldn't shortchange Rook. Let's be honest—he had more money than he could ever spend.
It was a win-win.
From Tony's perspective, this was even better. Keeping Rook close meant he wouldn't be running wild and scaring half the planet.
More importantly, it gave Tony a sense of security. At least now he knew Rook wasn't an enemy.
And having someone this powerful roaming free, unknown and unregulated, was a nightmare scenario.
Just look at Superman. When someone who could punch through planets at will exists on Earth, and no one can control him... that's terrifying.
You never knew when he might snap.
Earth's weapons were useless against people like Superman. Even nukes were meaningless. Especially for Rook, who had absorbed more nuclear energy from the Sun than Earth's arsenal could dream of.
That's why Tony had been thinking non-stop.
In the end, he decided he couldn't let Rook leave.
Hence this conversation. This was his chance to lock Rook down.
He hadn't expected Rook to actually say yes. After all, being a bodyguard felt beneath someone like him.
But Rook replied easily, "Why not? You pay me, feed me, cover my expenses, and I'll keep you safe. I might even drop you a few bits of technology here and there. Sounds like a good deal to me."
Tony's jaw dropped.
Wait, hold up. Pay him, and feed him? Cover all living expenses?
Wasn't this backwards?
"Who's the bodyguard here? Me or you?" he muttered under his breath.
As if to seal the deal, Rook stood up and looked down at the hardwood floor beneath his feet.
Tony watched curiously, unsure what he was doing.
Then Rook asked casually, "By the way... I can drive those nice cars in your garage, right?"
Tony slapped his own forehead.
Had he just invited a wolf into the house?
"Wait a second. How do you know what I have in my garage?" Tony's eyes widened.
Rook didn't even try to hide it. He just shrugged. "Didn't I mention it? I've got X-ray vision. How do you think I saw that minefield earlier?"
Tony instinctively folded his arms across his chest, covering himself with a look of alarm.
Rook couldn't help laughing. "Relax. If I was gonna peek, I'd be looking at Miss Potts. I'm really not interested in you. And just so we're clear, my X-ray vision works more like an actual X-ray. When I look at a person, I see bones and organs, not skin."
Tony let out a breath of relief.
What he didn't know was that Rook had already reached the ceiling of fifth-dimensional existence.
He could alter any ability at will—even bypassing the traditional X-ray vision weakness of lead.
But to be honest, Rook hadn't fully explored the extent of his powers yet.
After all, he had only just woken up that very day.
"Well then, we've got a deal," Tony said, extending his hand across the table. "From now on, you're officially my personal bodyguard."
Rook reached out and shook it. "No problem. Pleasure doing business."
And just like that, Rook Tanner became Tony Stark's full-time bodyguard.
For now.