A Heated Debate in the Senate
At nine the next morning in Washington, D.C., Tony arrived at the Senate just in time. This hearing had been carefully planned. The short notice had given Tony hardly any time to react. The government and the military hoped to seize the technology outright; otherwise, given Tony Stark's considerable influence, there was no telling how long the wrangling would last. As a result, not a single Congressman attending the hearing was an ally of the Stark Family.
The hearing began just as it had in the movie. The Senate accused Tony Stark of creating an immensely powerful weapon and demanded that he hand over the technology, but Tony effortlessly defused the challenge with humor. Then Justin Hammer was called to testify, followed by James Rhodes, who read a short section from his report.
"Iron Man does not belong to any government agency and therefore poses a threat to national security and interests," Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes said. (He was mistakenly called a colonel earlier, but he was still a lieutenant colonel at this point. I won't go back and change it; let's leave it as it is.)
The change began at that moment, when S.H.I.E.L.D. started to exert its influence. A Congressman nearby interrupted Rhodes and said, "No, Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes, you're wrong about one thing. Iron Man does belong to a government agency. He's a consultant for S.H.I.E.L.D. and a combat operative on its special combat team. Now, let's welcome S.H.I.E.L.D.'s representative. He's a good friend of Tony Stark and a member of S.H.I.E.L.D., so he is well qualified to speak on this matter."
The sudden turn of events caught everyone off guard, so Tony Stark looked surprised when Xia Yu walked in, dressed in a suit and tie.
"You didn't say you were coming last night," Tony whispered as he stepped forward and hugged Xia Yu.
"Yes, Tony. Surprised?" Xia Yu said.
"On behalf of S.H.I.E.L.D., I can confirm that Tony Stark has been with S.H.I.E.L.D. for several months as a consultant and a member of its special combat team. I have S.H.I.E.L.D.'s personnel file, Tony Stark's identification, and his pay slips for the past few months. I believe these are enough to establish the legitimacy of Tony Stark's status as a government employee," Xia Yu said, carrying on without waiting for anyone.
The senator sitting in the middle of the panel was one of Hydra's members. Xia Yu recognized him; he had also appeared in Captain America 2. Caught off guard, the senator was quietly arguing with the Congressman beside him.
Seeing what was happening at the panel, Justin Hammer spoke up first. "Well, ah, Mr. Xia, let's leave the question of whether Tony Stark is a government employee for later. I'm here today to prove that Iron Man is an immensely powerful weapon. As the Department of Defense's current largest weapons supplier, I am absolutely qualified to determine whether something is a weapon."
This was the most unfortunate villain in Iron Man 2, the eternal runner-up in weapons development. His lifelong dream was to surpass Tony Stark. He had finally gotten his chance when Tony shut down his weapons division, making him the Department of Defense's largest weapons supplier, but the sudden emergence of Tony's Iron Man Armor had left him feeling disgraced.
Xia Yu smiled faintly and said, "The Department of Defense's largest weapons supplier—is everything a weapon in your eyes? I'm considering whether I should turn my kitchen knife over to the government."
Xia Yu first gave Justin Hammer a little jab, then continued, addressing everyone. "As Tony Stark's friend and colleague, I've seen the Iron Man Armor and examined it up close. I even know how it fights. That's right, Tony's Iron Man Armor is equipped with a large number of weapons: miniature missiles, incendiary bombs, and so on. Those are the source of Iron Man's fighting power, not the armor itself."
"You're twisting the issue, Mr. Xia. Based on my observations, Tony Stark's Iron Man Armor can fire high-energy-density energy blasts. That is a weapon," Justin Hammer insisted.
"You're the one twisting the issue, Mr. Hammer. That's just a thruster. Let me give you an example: if I put you beneath a rocket launcher—and this is only an example—you'd be roasted like a duck in an instant. You might even be reduced to bones. Sorry, I'm not an expert. But that isn't a weapon; it's a thruster. Take the vehicle you came here in. I could blow up its fuel tank with three shots, but could you call it a bomb? It's obviously called a fuel tank. My weapons expert, if your expertise amounts to calling everything that can harm a human body a weapon, then obviously I can be a weapons expert too. That's why you only became the Department of Defense's largest arms supplier after Tony Stark announced the closure of Stark Industries' weapons division." Xia Yu mocked him without mercy.
"You're twisting the issue. We all know what Iron Man is. He's impervious to blades, he..." Xia Yu had struck a nerve, and Justin Hammer shouted in furious embarrassment.
"My bulletproof car is impervious to blades too. I could even provide you with a suit of steel armor that's impervious to blades, Mr. Hammer. That doesn't make it a weapon. To be precise, Iron Man is equipped with weapons; Iron Man himself is not a weapon. If you think weapons should be handed over, I imagine Tony would be happy to turn over the missile and incendiary bomb technology on the armor. But first, you'll need to send someone to discuss the matter specifically with us at S.H.I.E.L.D., gentlemen," Xia Yu continued.
The Hydra senator had also recovered his bearings. Seeing Justin Hammer driven steadily back, he said, "Thank you for your remarks, Mr. Xia. But seeing is believing. We have a piece of footage from Colonel Rhodes's report here. Let's take a look."
Just as in the movie, Tony Stark switched the footage as soon as it started to a video of Hammer and the military conducting human armor tests. The day's hearing left the Senate and the military defeated and utterly humiliated in front of the media. Tony made no effort to hide his delight, rushing over to Xia Yu and giving him a resounding high five. The Hydra Congressman on the hearing panel was nearly green with rage.
"I can prevent the threat of nuclear war. Iron Man is useful—and I mean Iron Man equipped with weapons. We're safe. America is safe. You want my product, my property? Forget it. But I've done you a huge favor, because I can maintain world peace all by myself." Tony's naturally flamboyant manner still led him to say those words.
The furious senator cursed from the panel, while Tony Stark walked out with his arm around Xia Yu's shoulders. Before leaving, Xia Yu looked back at the senator mysteriously. His gaze, as though he were looking at a dead man, made the senator shudder all over. It was the unconscious pressure brought about by Xia Yu's powerful internal energy.