Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 115: Tony and Rhodes

Tony totally brushed off Alvin's snark, gave him a playful elbow jab, and with his eyes glued to Megan, gave her a smooth nod before whispering, "Dude, where'd you find this hottie? She got a sister or something?"

Alvin gave Tony a once-over, patted his slightly pudgy belly, and laughed, "She's my girl! You, a short, chubby middle-aged dude, don't stand a chance, haha!"

Tony, annoyed, jabbed Alvin back. He was such a jerk sometimes, always loving to mess with people!

Straightening his collar, Tony extended his hand to Megan and said, trying to be all suave, "Hey there, gorgeous, I'm Tony. Nice to meet you!"

Megan glanced at Alvin, smiled, and barely touched Tony's fingertips, saying, "I'm Megan. Hi, Mr. Stark. I see you on TV all the time!"

Tony shot Alvin a smug look and laughed, "See, beautiful women know quality when they see it!"

Just as Alvin was about to sock Tony, Megan, grinning like a Tony fan, asked, "Mr. Stark, when are you gonna hit the entertainment biz? You'd kill it on talk shows!"

Tony's face twisted with annoyance; that was a sore spot for him. He glared at Alvin and Megan like they were plotting against him.

Alvin winked at Megan, loving how she was playing along.

Nearby, Ginny impatiently punched Tony's leg, pouting. Can't you see I'm starving?

Tony, always the showman, looked down and saw Ginny. His face lit up as he picked her up, made a goofy face, and said, "Who made our princess mad? I'll teach them a lesson. I'm super powerful now!"

Ginny took off Tony's fake glasses and put them on her own face, pointing to the empty booth, saying, "Eat!"

Tony happily called over the waiter and declared that this meal was on him, inviting everyone to join. The two ladies he came with were left in the dust!

At the table, Alvin took a sip of soda and asked Tony, "Bro, what brings you to Washington? Got a meeting at the White House or something?"

Tony, frustrated, scratched his head and said, "It's those damn politicians. They want me to attend some stupid hearing to decide if I should hand over the Iron Man suit's secrets to the Department of Defense!"

Alvin frowned and said, "Sounds like you're in deep, man. Just being stubborn won't cut it!

You gotta make people see that this tech is super dangerous. If those Defense clowns get their hands on it, they'll just screw it up!"

Tony nodded seriously and said, "Yeah, just look at that big monster last time. I've got some plans. No way I'm letting these guys win!"

Alvin shrugged with a smile. He had total faith in Tony on this; otherwise, the Stark Group would've been toast long ago!

Sitting next to Tony, Colonel Rhodes chimed in, "Tony, not everyone in the military is an idiot. You could lift the procurement restrictions and sell some of your Iron Man suits to the military. That way, this whole mess would be sorted.

And you'd make a ton of cash, right?"

Alvin figured this Colonel Rhodes was probably a military lobbyist. He didn't butt in; it was Tony's call. As a friend, he just needed to back him up when needed!

Besides, this Colonel Rhodes was also Tony's buddy, even if his stance was sometimes annoying!

Tony glanced at Colonel Rhodes, clearly annoyed, and said, "I promised to shut down the Stark Group's weapons division for good. I'm not breaking that promise!"

Tony shot a flirty wink at Jessica, earning a massive eye roll from her.

Then he turned to Colonel Rhodes with a grin and said, "And seriously, I don't think the Department of Defense can even afford it, man. How much of your budget is left after all your expenses?"

Tony's snarky attitude about the Defense Department's lack of funds made everyone want to punch him.

Colonel Rhodes, looking desperate, made one last attempt and said, "Maybe you could at least name a price, so I can take it back to my bosses. You gotta understand my position here, buddy!"

Tony waved him off with a smile and said, "Buddy, that's a no-go. The Iron Man suit is never going on sale. It's got over 500 advanced scientific patents. If I sold it, the Stark Group would be sued into oblivion. It's just my personal toy; no one's taking it from me!

And let me be clear, the Stark Group's arms business is done for good!"

Colonel Rhodes, a bit ticked off, glanced at Alvin and said, "Then what about that mech suit Alvin had the other day?"

Tony shrugged, winked at Alvin, and said, "That was a gift to celebrate the birth of Mark I. It doesn't even have a weapon system; it's just a toy for a buddy!

Think of it as a mobility aid for the disabled. Does that make you feel better?"

Colonel Rhodes knew Tony too well. He shook his head with a bitter smile and said, "This 'mobility aid' decapitated a monster in downtown New York a few days ago.

Tony, what do you expect the military to think?

You used to be our biggest supplier. The military had your back. When you shut down the weapons division, it was like you drew a line in the sand with us.

Tony, think about it. The military won't let an uncontrollable force fly over the United States!"

Tony shook his head, looking both annoyed and proud, and said, "First, you gotta be able to stop me. There's no law saying a citizen can't fly in American airspace.

Maybe I should buy an airline. I could approve my own flight routes. What do you think, Colonel Rhodes?"

When it came to verbal sparring, Colonel Rhodes was no match for Tony. He couldn't sway Tony with words. Threats and bribes were useless against someone like Tony.

In Alvin's view, trying to persuade Tony without the right approach was a pipe dream!

In the movies, Tony compromised a bit, but he only gave Colonel Rhodes one Iron Man suit, and Rhodes eventually joined the Avengers as a military rep.

In this life, Alvin guessed Tony might still compromise, but the terms would be different.

Alvin didn't believe the military wouldn't develop or commission other companies to make Iron Man suits. They'd just be drooling over Tony's new tech because of the performance differences.

In America, the shadow of capital is everywhere. Alvin believed that if Tony handed over the Iron Man suit's tech today, a defense contractor would repackage and produce such weapons tomorrow!

In reality, Alvin thought the military didn't even need such things. For them, the Iron Man suit was overkill. At this stage, who do they need to fight with Iron Man suits? And even if Tony lifted the procurement restrictions, how many could they buy? When has the U.S. military budget ever been enough?

Colonel Rhodes, getting angry, raised his voice and said, "Tony, when will you put away your arrogance!"

Tony shrugged and said provocatively, "For a genius with an IQ over 180, a bit of arrogance is normal!

Don't you think?"