The next day, 9 a.m.
Washington, Capitol Building.
Military Committee hearing.
"Stark, do you possess a special weapon?" Senator Steen looked down at Iron Man and asked.
"No, of course not."Iron Man denied without hesitation.
"Iron Man itself is a weapon." Senator Steen insisted stubbornly.
"My invention is definitely not a weapon."
"Then what is it?"
"It is what it is, Senator. Actually... it's a high-tech prosthetic."Iron Man said seriously, though it sounded utterly ridiculous.
Laughter erupted in the room immediately. Only Iron Man could joke around like this at a military hearing.
"No, it's a weapon!" Senator Steen emphasized heavily.
"If you think the people's welfare comes first..."
"No, my priority is to hand this weapon called Iron Man over to the American people..."
"Think again! I am Iron Man. I and my armor are one. Handing over Iron Man means handing over myself, and that would be slavery or worse..."
"Hahaha!"
Laughter broke out again in the room. Iron Man single-handedly turned a serious military committee into a stand-up comedy show.
Senator Steen's face darkened, utterly defeated by Iron Man's sharp retorts.
Then, he called in Colonel Rhodes and Justin Hammer from Hammer Industries, using every possible method to force Iron Man to comply — but Iron Man defused every attempt with ease.
Not only that, but he also humiliated Senator Steen.
"Iron Man is very useful. I can prevent nuclear war deterrence! We are safe, America is safe, and that's enough!"
"As for you wanting to use my product to kill people, forget it! But I did do you a big favor!"
Saying that, Iron Man stood up, turned to face all the audience members attending the military committee, proud and confident, and declared,
"I alone can maintain world peace!"
Applause, applause!
The room exploded with enthusiastic applause.
"Now what else do you want me to do? I tried cooperating with those clowns!"Iron Man pointed at Senator Steen. "But do they deserve it?"
Then Iron Man stylishly put on his sunglasses and, surrounded by admirers, walked out.
Along the way, people kept greeting him, shaking hands — the military hearing felt like Iron Man's press conference.
"Stark, fuck you!" Senator Steen angrily cursed at Iron Man.
Making a senator swear in such a setting — yep, that's classic Iron Man.
Everything at the military committee was broadcast live on TV. All of America got to enjoy the spectacle.
What no one knew was...
In a rundown, slum-like room...
A burly man with long hair watched the confident Iron Man on TV, his face twisted with hatred.
"Stark, you shameful thief from a family of thieves!"
"All this should have been mine. You stole what belongs to me!"
The man gnawed on a toothpick viciously, as if it were Iron Man himself, venting his rage.
This man was none other than Ivan Vanko, a figure deeply connected with Iron Man.
Ivan Vanko might seem ordinary, but his father, Anton Vanko, was once Howard Stark's partner — the two developed the Arc Reactor together.
However, their philosophies clashed. Anton Vanko wanted to profit from the Arc Reactor, so Howard Stark schemed and exiled him to Siberia.
Since then, Howard became America's top man, while Anton lived a bitter, cold exile.
The hatred for Howard Stark was obvious.
And that hatred was passed down to his son, Ivan Vanko.
Like a rat, Ivan spent years hiding in this dark, sunless room, working to build a deadly weapon.
A weapon strong enough to drag Iron Man off his pedestal and restore honor to the Vanko family.
And now, that weapon was complete!
Ivan Vanko did a quick check and strapped on a metallic exoskeleton.
At first glance, it looked crude, even ugly.
But attached to its arms were two long metal whips, also unremarkable.
Once powered up, the whips crackled with dazzling electric arcs.
They had become two electric whips!
Smack!
Ivan cracked one whip against the TV on the wall, slicing it clean in half.
A cold, proud smile spread across his face.
...
At the same moment,
In a secret S.H.I.E.L.D. base in New York,
In a room like a hospital ward, a man with short blond hair lay on a bed. His physique was absolutely perfect.
Especially those developed chest muscles — enough to make many women envious.
"Another fly ball! It's a high-scoring out!"
"That evens the Dodgers' score at 4-4."
An old radio on the bedside table broadcasted a sports report.
The sounds drifted into the ears of the man in bed, who slowly opened his eyes, sat up, and looked around, a trace of confusion on his face.
Am I not already dead?
Where am I?
This man was none other than Steve Rogers, Captain America, rescued from the Arctic by Nick Fury and his team.
Creak!
The door opened, and a stunning blonde woman walked in politely.
"Good morning — or should I say... good afternoon!"
"Where am I?" Captain America asked cautiously.
"You're in a recovery room in New York." The blonde woman replied with a polite smile.
"Where exactly am I?" The tone of Captain America's voice grew more intense.
The woman sensed the tension and grew nervous.
"I'm not sure what you mean."
"This game is from May 1941. I was there." Captain America stood up and took slow steps toward the woman. "I'll ask you one last time — where am I?"
The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew extremely tense.
(End of chapter)