On the day of the awards ceremony, Tony and Rhodey stood side by side at one end of the stage, waiting for the presentation to begin.
At the center of the stage, Senator Stern, his hair gray and his expression stern, stood behind the podium, delivering a speech in that standard politician's tone.
"There is no doubt that he is a national treasure."
When Senator Stern said those words, his expression remained flawless. His smile was appropriate, his tone sincere, as though he truly agreed with that assessment from the bottom of his heart.
But only he knew how much fury he was holding back. At the hearing, he had intended to take the full technology behind the Iron Man armor from that irritating bastard.
But what happened?
That bastard hacked the system and played failure footage of Hammer Industries and other imitators, turning the hearing into his personal show and making a complete fool of him, a senator.
And now, he had to personally present an award to that asshole.
When Stern called Tony a national treasure, Rhodey and Tony exchanged a glance. Then, as if nothing had happened, they faced forward again with flawless control over their expressions.
This was exactly the effect Tony wanted. That feeling was something money could not buy.
Senator Stern finally finished reading that long, stinking speech. He picked up the first medal from the tray and walked toward Rhodey.
Rhodey stood ramrod straight and accepted the medal in a proper, orderly manner.
Senator Stern's attitude toward Rhodey was fairly normal. Rhodey was an active-duty serviceman, and as a senator, Stern had plenty of ways to keep him in check. Besides, the two had never had any particular conflict. They only needed to complete the required procedure.
Then Senator Stern picked up the