62 A Pleasant Hearing

Washington D.C., Weapons Suit Defense Plan Hearing

"Hello everyone, I'm Christie, reporting live from the Senate Military Committee hearing on next-generation personal defense suit technology. In short, the question is whether Iron Man should be required to surrender his Iron Man suit?"

A blonde reporter is broadcasting live outside the hearing room.

"The hearing has been underway for some time now, and according to our sources inside, Tony Stark himself is present."

She continues, "As you may know, the Stark Industries Expo, which will last a whole year, just kicked off in New York yesterday. And Tony Stark, as Iron Man, made a spectacular appearance at the opening ceremony."

"To have just launched his biggest exhibition, and the very next day, he's summoned to Washington for this hearing... I'm sure Tony Stark is not enjoying this much right now."

While the reporter continues her live broadcast, a silver-haired young woman walks by.

"Quick! Catch her! She's from Rhodes Island Industries!"

A director nearby shouts, "Hurry! Do a quick interview with her."

The young woman, wearing formal attire and holding a stack of documents, walks towards the hearing room, preparing to attend as a representative of Rhodes Island Industries.

"Miss Kagura! Miss Kagura!"

Christie calls out, stopping the young woman.

"Hi, I'm Christie. Could I do a quick interview with you?"

Kagura blinks her beautiful golden eyes.

"Sure, but please make it quick. I'm running out of time."

"Alright, just a few questions." Christie signals for the cameraman to get ready.

"I heard that Rhodes Island Industries' president, Mr. Bruce Wayne, refused to attend the hearing. Is that true?"

"No." Kagura smiles and shakes her head.

"Mr. Wayne has some unavoidable reasons preventing him from attending in person, so he entrusted me to represent Rhodes Island Industries here."

"Regarding whether Iron Man should surrender his suit, what is Rhodes Island Industries' stance?"

Christie continues asking.

Kagura pauses for a moment, keeping her smile, then answers, "In short, we believe Iron Man and his suit are safe and friendly."

"If the U.S. military feels unsafe, they're welcome to discuss it with Rhodes Island Industries. We'll provide the best weaponry and equipment services."

"Thank you for your response, Miss Kagura."

"You're welcome. Now, I must go persuade a senator," Kagura says with a cute smile. "Have a nice day."

"Okay." Christie watches as Kagura walks away.

"Wow..."

After Kagura leaves, Christie's cameraman exclaims, "She's really beautiful..."

"What did you say?" Christie asks.

"Uh, nothing... nothing at all..."

After identity verification, the doors to the hearing room are opened.

The room is packed with reporters, officials, and staff.

The crowd fills the room to its limits.

Tony Stark is seated at the center, arguing with the senator on the podium, while Colonel Rhodey sits beside him, looking frustrated as he sifts through a thick pile of reports.

"Senator, as Rhodey just mentioned, a single report fragment doesn't prove anything."

Tony Stark speaks up.

"I am Iron Man. The Iron Man suit and I are one. If you want me to hand over the suit, that's like asking me to hand myself over. That's practically human trafficking."

The room erupts in applause.

"Oh, and just to take it further, if your sexual preferences are a bit more flexible, it might even be considered slavery, depending on which state you're in."

Another round of applause fills the room.

Tony turns back and flashes a "V" sign toward the cheering reporters.

"Mr. Stark, please stay focused on the issue of the Iron Man suit posing a national security threat."

The senator is clearly not backing down.

"In fact, according to the intelligence we have, your technology has already sparked competition. Soon, there will be many 'Iron Men' around the world. Can you handle that?"

"Your intel might be wrong, Senator."

Tony Stark responds, "At least, I don't expect similar technology to emerge for another ten or fifteen years. Iron Man is unique."

"On that note, we've invited a representative from Rhodes Island Industries to present the current landscape of global arms development."

"Miss Kagura, you can go ahead now."

A staff member directs Kagura.

Kagura adjusts her uniform and walks down the steps, heading to the front row.

"Wow."

Tony Stark looks surprised when he sees Kagura.

"Looks like Mr. Wayne really likes to follow other people's advice."

Kagura gives a subtle nod and flashes a meaningful smile at him.

Tony immediately understands the smile's meaning.

Ah, so she's on our side.

He then gives the senator, who is feeling rather smug on stage, a pitying look.

"Hello everyone, I'm Kagura Hitomi, currently the Chief Administrative Assistant at Rhodes Island Industries. Today, I'll present Rhodes Island Industries' stance on whether Iron Man's suit technology should be handed over to us."

Kagura sits down, places her documents beside her, and opens a video on her phone.

"Here's some relevant intelligence we've gathered, which shows the current state of research at various global arms development agencies."

The video starts playing on the big screen in the hearing room.

The footage shows a range of disastrous humanoid mecha prototypes.

Some fall apart from losing balance, others have mobility issues due to power shortages, some malfunction and fire uncontrollably, and others suffer catastrophic failures due to immature control systems, breaking their pilots' bones...

The appalling "Iron Man suit" development footage causes the audience to gasp in disbelief.

"So, you've all seen the video. Now, let me read out Mr. Bruce Wayne's official statement on this matter." Kagura glances at the senator's expression.

Oh dear, he looks like he's regretting his life choices right now.

Kagura opens a report and continues, "Rhodes Island Industries believes that, at present, the only entity with next-generation personal defense suit technology is our friend, Iron Man Tony Stark."

"Any other weapon development is unlikely to be practical for at least ten years, and Hammer Industries—well, the company that broke a pilot's bones—might need twenty."

"Given this, Rhodes Island Industries, as the largest military weapon supplier, believes that rushing into this suit technology is both unnecessary and unwise."

"If the military has any equipment needs or concerns about safety, we welcome them to reach out to Rhodes Island Industries. We'll continue to be a strong shield protecting freedom."

The room bursts into applause and cheers, and Kagura's speech effectively ends the hearing.

"See that? Any questions? Anyone got a problem?" Tony Stark stands up, striking a victorious pose.

"I am Iron Man. If you want peace, come to me. Need weapons? Rhodes Island Industries has you covered! But if you want the Iron Man suit tech? Not a chance!"

"Fxxk you, Stark! Fxxk you!"

The furious senator explodes, swearing on the spot.

Well, well, Tony Stark is truly the textbook definition of arrogance.

Kagura watches quietly...

Hehe, once this is all over, I'll just slip away, leaving all the credit for myself!