"Hey, Raiden."
"Uh, morning, Tony."
Faced with Tony overly enthusiastic greeting, Raiden was momentarily stunned.
Embracing Tony, Raiden could only cast a puzzled glance at Pepper standing behind Tony, who nodded in response.
Oh, well, pillow talk is indeed the most formidable. It seems the misunderstanding between Tony and me has been resolved. The only imperfection is that Raiden still doesn't know what the misunderstanding was about.
"Where's Yinsen?" Tony asked, releasing Raiden.
"He and Rhodey went off somewhere, maybe they'll be here soon. Oh, here they come." As Raiden spoke, Rhodey and Yinsen walked in through the door.
"Hey, Raiden, morning. Pepper, oh, Tony, you finally decided to help clean up the mess you left behind," Rhodey said, punching Tony lightly in the chest.
Tony shrugged innocently.
"Alright, Tony, you stay here and get ready. I need to go out and deal with the reporters. This is the umpteenth press conference in the past two weeks. I hope you can finally settle this today. Just read from this script" Rhodey said, handing Tony a speech draft before turning to leave.
Tony took the script, glanced at it, and nodded thoughtfully. Watching Tony serious demeanor as he looked at the script, Raiden had only one thought 'I don't believe for a second you'll actually read from that script'. If you do, I'll eat a table.
"Yinsen, what were you up to earlier?" Raiden, unable to stand it any longer, struck up a conversation with Yinsen.
"I went around for a bit. I think maybe I should find a job, like going into politics. Maybe I could even run for a council seat or something" Yinsen said, pretending to straighten his tie and coughing twice.
"Is it because May doesn't want to marry an unemployed man?" Raiden teased.
"OMG! How did you know? Nothing gets past you, Raiden" Yinsen said, genuinely shocked.
But it was true—Yinsen wanted to be with May, but without a job... that wouldn't work. A normal family needs a job.
Nearby, Tony was discussing the upcoming speech with Pepper when he suddenly overheard Yinsen words. Tony body tensed up instantly, and he turned sharply to look at Raiden, who happened to meet his gaze.
The two exchanged glances for a few seconds before Tony shook his head and continued discussing the speech with Pepper.
"Oh, I was on my yacht, and I stayed on Glass Island all night. But I'm curious, who are these fifty witnesses testifying for me?" Tony muttered to himself.
"Who they are doesn't matter. Just read the script as it is" Pepper said, adjusting Tony collar.
Tony shook his head, put down the script, and picked up a newspaper.
"Look, Iron Man—what a great name. I like it."
"No matter how much you like it, just read the script" Pepper said, shaking her head.
"Oh, alright" Tony responded softly, his voice lacking conviction.
"But maybe we can change the testimonies of those fifty people to say that I was with you the whole night. How about that?"
"Of course! If you're willing, then that's the truth" another voice chimed in as Coulson walked into the room.
Tony nodded thoughtfully and continued flipping through his speech draft.
"Why isn't Obadiah mentioned in here?"
"Stane has been missing for two weeks, and all his assets have been transferred to you according to his will. Now we just need to wait for his death certificate. Small planes always have their risks, don't they?" Coulson replied.
"Then how do I explain that? My bodyguard? A robot bodyguard? Don't you think that sounds far-fetched?" Tony brought up his armor.
"Mr. Stark, trust me, I have experience handling these kinds of situations. Just stick to the script. Time will smooth out the flaws. A month from now, no one will remember... You have ninety seconds to prepare" Coulson said before turning to leave—or rather, he walked toward Raiden, who was standing outside the door.
As Coulson was about to exit, Pepper approached him and said.
"Agent Coulson, I want to thank you. You've been a huge help."
Coulson smiled and replied, "It's not that big of a deal. It's just our job. We'll be in touch."
"It's that national strategy... something" Pepper struggled to say the name.
"Just call us S.H.I.E.L.D. It's simpler" Coulson said before leaving the room.
"Alright," Pepper said with a mysterious smile, then turned to Tony. "We should get going."
"Actually, this isn't so bad. Even if I don't think I'm Iron Man..." Tony started to say something.
Pepper cut him off. "Right, you're not Iron Man."
"I am."
"You're not."
"Fine, whatever... But if I were, then I should have a girlfriend. She'd know my identity, worry about me all the time, but also be proud of me. She'd be... conflicted, but that would only make her more... fascinated by me. Oh, do you remember your answer last night?" Tony said, shaking his head.
"I don't remember," Pepper tilted her head and looked at Tony.
Outside the room, Coulson approached Raiden.
"Mr. Akatosh, you truly are... remarkable" Coulson said, gesturing with his hands, his eyes showing a hint of admiration and longing.
"Yes, actually, I'm a magician, you know? The kind that makes you witness miracles anytime, anywhere" Raiden explained.
"Mr. Akatosh, the reason you haven't been discovered yet is because we've put in a lot of effort. I'd like to have a proper chat with you" Coulson said.
"Chat away, chat away. Hey, Tony, are you guys ready? Coulson, if you want to talk, come along," Raiden said, leading Yinsen and Coulson to follow Tony and Pepper as they walked out.
...
"The incident in Manhattan was caused by a malfunctioning robot. In response, Mr. Tony Stark, Chairman of Stark Industries, has prepared a statement, but he will not be answering any questions. Now, let us welcome Mr. Tony Stark!" Rhodey announced from the podium.
The surrounding reporters erupted in excitement. They had expected this to be yet another government official's defense, but they never imagined Tony Stark would appear. After hiding for two whole weeks, was he finally going to step forward and give an explanation?
At the back of the room, near the corner, Raiden, Yinsen, Pepper, and Coulson stood watching as Tony slowly made his way to the podium. Tony stepped onto the podium and spoke into the microphone.
"It's been a while since I've spoken like this, so I'll just read from the script."
As he said this, he pulled out a speech from his pants pocket, eliciting a wave of laughter from the reporters.
"Some have suspected that I was involved in the incidents on the highway and at the company..."
"Sorry to interrupt, Mr. Stark, but do you really think we'd believe the story about an armored bodyguard falling from the sky? Isn't this just another ploy by the U.S. government to deceive the public over the past two weeks? Not to mention..." The reporter who spoke up was a familiar face—Christine.
"I know it sounds a bit unbelievable. Questioning the official explanation is one thing, but insinuating that I'm a superhero and condemning me is another" Tony said, his tone shifting from firm to soft as if he had thought of something.
"Do you think Tony will stick to the script?" Raiden suddenly asked Pepper and the others.
"How about we make a bet? The loser buys dinner tonight. I bet Tony won't follow the script."
"Although... I have to admit, I think so too" Pepper pondered for a moment before nodding reluctantly.
"Me too" Yinsen quickly chimed in.
Then, the three of them turned their gaze to Coulson, the only one who hadn't spoken yet. Coulson spread his hands and said helplessly.
"Can I just go up there and drag him down now?"
...
Reporter Christine retorted "Mr. Stark, I never said you were a superhero."
"Didn't you?" Tony nodded and said "Well... good, because that idea is strange... and absurd." Tony looked down at his script as he spoke. Then, Tony let out a heavy sigh and looked around at the reporters, speaking in a tone of self-reflection.
"I'm clearly not cut out to be a superhero. I have many flaws, and I've made many public mistakes..."
Shit!
Rhodey cursed inwardly and quickly leaned over to Tony, whispering.
"Please, just stick to the script!"
"Alright," Tony nodded softly in response. Then he picked up the script, held it in front of him, and declared confidently "In fact..."
Tony looked around and saw Pepper, Yinsen, and Raiden standing at the very back.
"I am Iron Man!" Tony declared firmly.
The reporters below instantly erupted, like dropping a mint into a glass of Sprite. Tony Stark had successfully ignited them—and the entire world.
Meanwhile, amidst the sea of excitement, Christine turned and left the stage. She had already anticipated this outcome.
"Coulson, treat us to dinner tonight. We can have a good chat while we're at it" Raiden turned to Coulson and said.
"Of course, Mr. Akatosh, it would be my honor" Coulson replied excitedly.
Raiden glanced back at Tony on the stage. He knew the curtain had risen, and it was time for the characters to make their entrance.
But what Raiden didn't know was that this time, there would be quite a few guest appearances.
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