After that, I had no idea whether Tony was interested in the Super Soldier Serum or if he had some other motive, but through Rhodey's introduction, he seemed to have made contact with General Thaddeus "Thunderbolt" Ross.
Meanwhile, I was buried in work modifying the two super yachts I'd ordered last time, now that they'd finally arrived at the island. With Nano's help, I packed one of them with far-future tech that left Earth's current Marvel-universe science in the dust — an energy shield, FTL navigation, anti-gravity systems, and auto-repair modules built from nanomachines.
The other yacht was meant to serve as the Avengers' mobile base, so I kept its specs roughly in line with Marvel's current tech level: active camouflage panels for stealth, an arc-reactor engine, and plasma thrusters for atmospheric flight, just like Iron Man's. Both ships were equipped with powerful AI cores and a landing pad big enough to hold a full Quinjet.
And because the vessels were massive, I ordered a third, even larger ship just in case some international agency decided to raise objections.
This one was designed as an airborne resort complex — a hotel, theater, and casino all in one — modeled after a Helicarrier, with four massive lift fans and two emergency backup fans to keep it aloft.
Building three ships at once cost a fortune, but considering my current wealth, it barely made a dent. Since I have zero talent for naming things, I let Nano pick. The finished fleet ended up with these names:
The ultra-tech vessel for my personal use: Nautilus
The Avengers' mobile base: Odyssey
The airborne resort ship: Lakshmi
I was so absorbed in constructing the fleet that two years slipped by in a blink. That doesn't mean I stayed locked on the island the whole time. I attended the Stark Expo with Tony, helped him build the Mark 5 armor, and kept funding Kamar-Taj.
SHIELD, after getting thoroughly burned by the Baby Shark virus, hadn't dared trespass on the island again.
It was 2010 now. The start of Iron Man 2 was approaching.
The Nautilus was complete and stored in my inventory. The Odyssey was in final systems checks. The resort ship was nearly finished too. I was on the island running diagnostics on the Odyssey when Tony called.
"Jin, why's it so hard to see your face lately?"
"Oh! Tony, long time. I've been swamped with a new business."
"Right, right. You know the hearing's coming up? I get why they called me, but I have no clue why they want you."
"Yeah, me neither."
I had a pretty good guess, though. My ships had probably shown up on satellite. The Odyssey was one thing, but the resort ship, Lakshmi, was nearly the size of the island — hard to miss. Honestly, I'd left them visible on purpose.
"See you at the hearing, then. Drinks after?"
"Sounds good. See you there."
A few days later, Tony and I met in front of the Capitol Building.
"Long time, Jin."
"Good to see you, Tony. And Miss Potts."
"Hello, Jin."
We shook hands and exchanged greetings.
"What've you been so busy with?"
"Made something for a new venture. That's why."
"Oh? Can I come take a look sometime?"
"Sure. You'll be surprised."
"Really? Now I'm looking forward to it."
I only planned to show them the resort ship anyway, so it wasn't a problem. That's when my secretary tapped her wristwatch — the signal that the hearing was about to start.
"Let's head in."
Tony and I took our seats at the witness table, with Pepper and my secretary sitting behind us. Senators filed in one by one, and the hearing began.
"Technology is advancing rapidly, and weapons that threaten national security are—"
Even with the hearing underway, Tony started critiquing the female reporters nearby, then turned around to ask Pepper where they should eat tonight. Pepper, flustered, gestured for him to face forward, but Tony kept talking. Senator Stern finally had enough and rapped his gavel.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Mr. Stark, please. Could you face forward? Mr. Stark!"
Tony turned back reluctantly. "Yes, ma'am."
Laughter.
Despite it being a formal hearing, people laughed at Tony's quip.
"Please focus."
"Will do."
The direct attack came next.
"You're in possession of a specialized weapon, are you not? The Iron Man, I mean."
"It's not a weapon. It's a state-of-the-art, high-tech prosthetic."
Laughter.
The audience thought it was another joke. Tony wasn't joking this time.
"That's the most accurate analogy."
"Mr. Tony Stark, it is a weapon. Hand over the Iron Man suit to the government."
I knew Senator Stern was a Hydra operative. His attack wasn't about national interest — the suit was an obstacle to their agenda.
"That's not happening. I am Iron Man. The suit and I are one. So you're asking me to turn over my body. If I went around selling my body, I'd be arrested for prostitution. Not happening."
Laughter.
Public opinion had been on Iron Man's side for two years, so Stern wasn't getting traction. He called in reinforcements.
"I'm no expert in this field, so I've invited a weapons specialist. Mr. Justin Hammer supplies weapons to the Department of Defense and is an expert in the field."
Justin Hammer, CEO of Stark Industries' rival Hammer Advanced Weapons Systems, took the stand and launched into a speech.
"Tony Stark built a sword with limitless potential. Yet he calls it a shield and tells us to hide behind it while trusting only him. I want to believe you. I really do. I want to live in a world where I can leave my door unlocked. But neither you nor I can predict the major threats ahead. Thank you."
Senator Stern clapped loudly, prompting a few others to join in.
"Thank you, Mr. Hammer. Now let's hear from Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes."
"What? Rhodey?"
Tony looked genuinely surprised to see Rhodey enter the chamber. Rhodey greeted him and sat at the witness table.
"Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes authored a report on Iron Man as a weapon. Could you read page fifty-seven, line four?"
"You want me to read a specific excerpt? That could distort the meaning…"
"Just read it, Colonel."
"…Understood."
"'Since he is not affiliated with the government, Iron Man could pose a threat to American security and interests.' But if you read the next part, the utility outweighs—"
"Ah, that's enough."
Rhodey tried to defend Tony, but Stern kept cutting him off.
"Now, could we show the supporting images from the report?"
A low-resolution satellite photo appeared on the chamber monitors. Buildings and equipment were barely discernible.
"These assets, captured by reconnaissance satellites, are believed to be foreign attempts to replicate Mr. Stark's suit. According to intelligence analysis, these suits could be operational at any moment."
Tony started tapping on his phone, then said to Rhodey, "There's more material. Mind if I borrow the screen for a sec?"
He hacked the chamber monitors and played a video. Murmurs rippled through the room.
"Everyone, please watch the screen. This is North Korea."
The footage showed a crudely built suit stumbling, falling, and misfiring wildly into the crowd.
"Next, Iran."
Iran's suit spewed black smoke, flew briefly, then crashed and exploded.
"Turn it off!" Stern shouted. Hammer jumped up and fumbled for the power cable. The next clip was Hammer's own suit test.
"Is that… Hammer? You're building suits too?"
Hammer's test footage was gruesome: the lower body stayed still while the torso spun 180 degrees, and screams came from the pilot.
Groans.
The attendees winced and murmured at the carnage. Hammer, unable to find the off button, just yanked the cable. The monitor finally went dark.
"As you can see, there's no serious threat. Other nations are at least ten years away. Hammer's company? Twenty."
Tony stood, triumphant.
"I'm acting as a nuclear deterrent. America is safe, so stop trying to take my property! I've achieved world peace on behalf of the government."
The attendees rose and applauded.
"So what more do you want? Cut this clown show!"
Stern lost his temper. "Screw you, Stark! Ugh… everyone, go eat. We'll reconvene for the afternoon session."
Rhodey, Tony, Pepper, my secretary, and I left for the dining hall.
"Impressive, Tony."
"What can I say? It's easy when you're a genius. Right, Pepper?"
Pepper sighed. "Did you prepare those videos in advance?"
"Nope. Hacked them on the spot."
"What? What would you have done if there weren't any videos?"
"Eh, it would've worked out somehow."
"Typical Tony…"
We reached the dining hall and kept talking over lunch.
"Looks like I'm done. Is it your turn next, Jin? Still don't know why they called you?"
"No, I know. I've got my defense materials ready."
Rhodey's face turned serious. "Tony got off easy. You might not. The evidence is pretty solid."
"What evidence? Jin, what did you do? Get drunk and cause trouble?"
Rhodey gave Tony an exasperated look. "You think Jin's like you?"
"You never know. He's young. He could mess up once or twice."
"Jin's thirty-two. Yeah, real troublemaker."
If only you knew. Counting my time in the bunker — forty-eight years in Konosuba and a few other works — plus twelve more years here, I was actually sixty-one. Cute kids.
"Anyway, I told you I'm building something new. That's probably what got flagged."
"What is it?"
"A giant flying ship."
Rhodey wasn't surprised; he already knew. The others were shocked.
"What? For real? Is that why you've been MIA?"
Tony, being an engineer, was immediately interested.
"Yep. Couldn't contact anyone while building it."
"Got pictures? Let me see."
"Not right now. After the hearing. I'll show you then."
"Got it. I'm coming to visit. You have to give me a tour."
After lunch, we returned to the chamber. Hammer and the senators filed back in. The afternoon session began.
"I hope everyone had a good meal. We'll now begin the afternoon hearing. Please look at the satellite images."
The monitor, reconnected after lunch, displayed my island and the island-sized resort ship Lakshmi.
"Mr. Jin has purchased three ships over the past three years. One is a mega vessel, and two are super yachts. The super yachts are nowhere to be seen, but the mega vessel has been modified and expanded until it's now roughly the size of Mr. Jin's private island."
The screen cycled through monthly satellite shots. The super yachts vanished, and the mega ship gradually grew, adding modules until it swelled in size. Watching it was oddly fun — like those time-lapse videos of plants growing or animals maturing.
"We'll now hear from Agent Phil Coulson of the World Security Council's international security agency."
That agency was SHIELD. I turned and saw Phil Coulson approaching the witness stand with a file. Given how many times SHIELD had clashed with me, I doubted he'd say anything flattering. Coulson set the file on the table.
"Agent Coulson, please read the report on Jin's privately owned island."
"Understood. Mr. Jin's private island is extremely secure. No unauthorized person can approach. Hundreds of armed drones patrol the airspace at all times, and submersible drones cover the waters. No personnel have been observed entering or leaving; only drones transporting massive quantities of materials have been seen. The island's purpose remains unknown. That's all."
"Then let me ask Mr. Jin directly. What exactly are you doing on that island?"
"I'm building a Gundam."