The day of the hearing had arrived.
Justin Hammer found a seat for Nathan Hawke, and the two sat down to wait for today's main figure to appear.
Tony Stark entered the hearing room in a meticulously tailored black suit and sunglasses, confident and composed. The grand hall was decorated with solemn luxury, radiating authority and seriousness.
As he walked in, the air was filled with a faint tension. The hall was packed with people, each face marked with anticipation and curiosity. Reporters raised their cameras and recorders, ready to capture every moment of this important event.
Tony could feel all eyes on him — some curious, some doubtful, some critical. He knew this was the consequence he had to face. His actions had drawn massive public attention and controversy.
Among those present were military officials, politicians, and business elites.
The atmosphere in the room was tense and heavy as everyone waited for the hearing to begin. On the main dais, a government official sat upright and dignified, watching every detail closely, ready to preside over the hearing.
"Mr. Stark."
"Mr. Stark."
This time, however, things were different — the weapon specialist who was supposed to be Justin Hammer's ally had been replaced by someone Nathan Hawke didn't recognize.
The specialist was stunned by Tony Stark's sarcastic remarks.
"Is this the guy you found?" Nathan frowned and asked Justin Hammer beside him.
"Ha." Justin forced an awkward smile. The moment he'd planned to mock Stark on stage instantly fell apart.
Nathan Hawke immediately saw through it — this was all part of an anti–Tony Stark scheme.
A police officer began questioning Tony, his tone filled with mockery and suspicion.
"Mr. Tony Stark, are you aware that your actions have caused tremendous harm to society? Do you truly believe you can safeguard the world's security?"
A senator stood up and began condemning Tony, claiming that his behavior endangered public safety. Tony smiled slightly, his eyes gleaming with defiance and sarcasm.
"Honorable Senator, you're hilarious. You keep calling me a threat while ignoring your own incompetence and corruption."
The senator's face darkened. "Mr. Stark, you have no right to mock our council! We work for the nation's interest. You should respect our authority!"
Tony laughed, tone dripping with disdain, his eyes fixed on the senator.
"Authority? What gives you that authority? Empty words on paper? I have real technology — real power. I've brought progress to the world, while you just sit here giving speeches and doing nothing."
The room erupted into noise. Some were angered by Tony's taunts; others began to question their own stance.
Tony continued to provoke both the senator and the entire hearing, fearlessly calling out political incompetence and corruption, showing his rebellious yet resolute attitude.
"You want my Iron Man armor? Sorry, I can't help you. It's my personal achievement — a tool to protect humanity and maintain peace. I won't hand it over to politicians like you who'll only use it for selfish ambition."
The senator stood up in anger. "Mr. Stark, your attitude is contempt for this council! You must respect our authority!"
Tony smirked coldly. "Respect? I only respect those who earn it. Think about whether you truly deserve it."
Clearly, the senator was no match for Tony Stark and was forced to move on.
Then Colonel Rhodes (Rhodey) was called to testify — but it was obvious he was quietly siding with Tony.
The senator asked Rhodes to release intelligence about "criminals" allegedly trying to replicate Iron Man's armor.
"According to our investigation," Rhodes said calmly, "these photos show attempts to imitate Mr. Stark's suits. Our allies have confirmed it."
The senator looked at Tony with amusement.
Unexpectedly, while Tony was fidgeting with a small gadget in his hand, a transparent screen lit up, displaying a hidden video.
Nathan Hawke frowned inwardly — Justin Hammer, that clown, actually got the military involved, secretly built knockoff Iron Man suits, and used this blurry footage to frame Tony. He could've just taken Ivan Vanko's designs directly — but no, he made the same mistake.
On the screen, the copied armors malfunctioned, firing wildly — blood, screams, and chaos filled the footage.
"Turn it off!" the senator shouted.
And then—
"Isn't that Hammer?" Tony said aloud. Everyone immediately turned toward Justin Hammer — and noticed Nathan Hawke sitting beside him.
Hammer rushed to the stage, yanking the cables out. The screen went black — the last image being a spinning Iron Man suit and a sharp, dying scream.
"What a clown," Nathan said coldly. "You've clearly been played. The military's backing Tony Stark, not you, Hammer. Unless, of course, you actually had the ability to stand on your own."
"Still, since a soldier died, it's only natural for a useless man like you to be the scapegoat."
As Tony and Rhodes exchanged glances, Nathan noticed the faint smile on Rhodes' face — and Tony noticed Nathan's steady gaze from the back.
"Superhero?" Tony thought to himself. At that moment, he realized — Hawke Group's so-called superheroes weren't as simple as they appeared.
"The driver survived, at least," Justin Hammer stammered into the microphone.
The senator quickly declared the hearing adjourned.
Tony left the hall with a few final, powerful words about his plan to continue privatizing world peace.
As he passed, he glanced briefly at Nathan Hawke, who remained seated.
Tony paused, studying him for a moment before turning and leaving.
"Hmph."
Elsewhere, Ivan Vanko fiddled with data cables connected to his Iron Legion prototypes while watching Tony on the screen.
"Privatizing world peace? Hah. The Stark family — nothing but hypocritical thieves."
"Are you sure you want to use your 'Eisenac' system? What about security protocols?" asked his assistant, Valkyrie Lingma, curiously.
Eisenac — an advanced electromagnetic control technology developed by Ivan Vanko.
It was based on electromagnetic and engineering principles, using specialized devices and electronic systems to generate powerful magnetic fields. Through the Eisenac Gauntlets, users could manipulate and control metal objects with hand gestures and neural commands.
The technology allowed precise and flexible metal manipulation — bending, twisting, stretching, or compressing metal at will, even combining multiple pieces into complex structures or weapons, such as an Iron Legion.
However, it had weaknesses.
The first was power supply — though for Vanko, that was easily solved with his newly built reactor, funded by Justin Hammer's investment.
The second was the server — responsible for linking energy to user control. As Lingma warned, if someone attacked or destroyed the server, the entire Iron Legion would shut down instantly, except for Vanko's own armor.
"So you plan to stay at your base, controlling the Legion from there?" she asked, half-joking.
"I've already chosen a security company," Vanko replied, reorganizing his notes. His tone was calmer now — he'd begun to respect Lingma's intelligence and contribution.
"I'll prepare two fortress-class armors for defense," he added.
"Good. As long as you've thought it through," Lingma said, scanning her documents.
"Oh, and I'll need your help with recruiting security for the outer perimeter," Vanko said suddenly.
"Huh? So you're actually hiring guards for the company now?" Lingma looked surprised.
Vanko nodded. "I've already instructed my secretary to handle it."
Lingma smirked inwardly — Looks like he's been reading management books again.
"Heh, this fool still doesn't know there's already a spy inside the company," she thought.
She simply nodded slightly and waved as she walked away.
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