NOVEL NEXT Chapter 218: The Hearing
As Tony finished speaking, laughter once again rippled through the hearing room. Sitting to the side, Smith leaned back in his chair. He knew Tony's style of handling these situations all too well, but in his heart, he was curious about what kind of tricks his own hearing might face.
Tony ignored the laughter and continued,
"That's the best word I can think of."
The Hydra-aligned senator shot back,
"It's a weapon. It is a weapon."
Tony replied,
"If your priority is the welfare of the people, then it's a prosthesis."
"No, my priority is to put the Iron Man weapon into the hands of the American people."
At that, Tony flatly refused.
"Impossible. I am Iron Man — the armor and I are one."
"Handing over Iron Man is handing over myself. That's either slavery or… well, depending on the state law, something else entirely."
"I can't give it to you."
His words set off another round of laughter.
The senator spoke again,
"Listen, I'm not an expert—"
Tony immediately mocked him,
"Of course you're not an expert in that field. Come on, you're a senator."
He slapped the table and flashed a victory sign toward the people behind him, making the room erupt in louder laughter.
The senator quickly clarified,
"I'm not a weapons expert, but we have invited one."
"I call Justin Hammer, currently the main defense contractor for the Department of Defense."
Tony turned to look as Justin Hammer entered the room.
"I see Justin Hammer walking in, but I don't see a weapons expert," Tony said.
Hammer stepped to the audience section with a smile.
"Haha, that's right. I'm not the expert — you are, Tony. You're a genius!"
"Senator, please allow me to speak."
"Maybe I'm not the expert, but you know who really was? Your father, Howard Stark!"
"He wasn't just our patriarch — he was the father of the military-industrial complex."
"And let's be clear, he wasn't a hippie; he was a lion."
"We all know why we're here. Over the last six months, Tony Stark has forged a sharp sword, but he insists it's just a shield."
"He wants us to trust him, to hide behind him."
"I wish I could feel safe — I really do. I wish I could leave my front door unlocked. But this isn't Canada; we live in a dangerous world."
"And Mr. Stark might not see the danger coming."
"Thank you, everyone. God bless Iron Man, and God bless America."
"My statement is finished."
As Hammer ended, the senator began clapping.
"Well said, Mr. Hammer."
"Now we invite Colonel James Rhodes to take the stand."
At that, Tony turned in surprise.
"Rhodey, what?"
Colonel Rhodes walked in under the eyes of the audience. Smith also glanced back at the man — a Black officer, and in the future, one who would be replaced.
Tony stepped forward and shook his hand.
"Didn't expect to see you here, brother."
"It's me. I'm here — deal with it. Continue."
Rhodey then took a seat on the far right of the audience.
The senator continued,
"This is the full report on the Iron Man weapon collected by Colonel Rhodes."
"Colonel, please read paragraph four on page fifty-seven."
Rhodey leaned toward the microphone, a bit surprised.
"You want me to read a specific paragraph?"
"Yes."
Rhodey glanced at Tony, then said,
"I thought I was here to give a full and detailed report."
The senator smiled,
"I understand, but there are many variables today."
Rhodey's expression tightened.
"If you've read it, then you should know reading that paragraph alone doesn't represent the full scope of my report."
The senator dismissed the concern,
"I know. Please read it, Colonel. Thank you."
Rhodey took a deep breath.
"Fine."
He flipped to the specified page and began reading.
"Iron Man is not affiliated with any government agency, and therefore poses a potential threat to national security and interests."
"But my conclusion is that the benefits of Iron Man far outweigh the drawbacks—"
Before he could finish, the senator cut in,
"That's enough."
Rhodey ignored him and continued,
"That's why we're interested in bringing Mr. Stark into the military command structure."
The senator interrupted again,
"That's enough!"
Tony interjected,
"I'm not big on joining any system, but I could consider being Secretary of Defense. Less work hours, maybe."
Laughter filled the room once more. Rhodey took a sip of water to hide his embarrassment.
The senator went on,
"I'd like to play the footage from your report."
Rhodey objected,
"I don't think now is the time to release that footage to the public."
The senator brushed it aside,
"I understand, Colonel. But if you could walk us through the footage, we'd appreciate it."
Rhodey sighed.
"Bring it up."
The nearby screen lit up.
"Intelligence shows that the devices in these videos are actually knockoffs of Mr. Stark's Iron Man armor," the senator narrated.
"This has been confirmed by our allies and ground intelligence units."
"These armors may very well be operational."
As the footage played, Tony pulled out his phone and tapped away.
"Hold on, let me see that," he said.
Pointing his phone at the big screen, a stream of code appeared. Data began rapidly updating.
"I've just taken over your screen. I need transparency here."
"Let's see what's really going on."
The senator frowned.
"What is he doing?"
Tony, still tapping, replied,
"Look at the screen. I'm pretty sure that's North Korea."
The footage shifted to show a clunky suit being tested. It couldn't even walk properly — when it fell, it suddenly fired its weapons, injuring several testing personnel.
(End of Chapter)
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