C (69) Ross's Trial [3]

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Tony's lawyer, James Hynes, stood in front of him. "For the record, please state your full name."

"Anthony Edward Stark." He could have made a quip but this wasn't the situation to do it in, not for such a serious matter.

"Can you please explain to the court, in your own words, what happened on Wednesday 22nd June 2016?"

Tony nodded. "It was the day of the signing of the Accords in Vienna. I had already received a threat from the accused and I believed there was a possibility I would be attacked at the signing. I was prepared in advance for this and the Avengers were on alert for it. I was approached by a man named William Ginta Riva. I was shot in the back of the shoulder and there was an explosion at the same time which rendered me unconscious. I woke in a van being held by the Winter Soldier. I attempted to escape and failed and knocked unconscious again. I next awoke in a cold, small room where my arms were bound behind my back where the defendant ordered the Winter Soldier to force me to face him. The defendant told me 'I had ruined him' because I'd gone behind his back on the Accords, involving the President and raising my concerns on the defendant's actions. The defendant proceeded to shoot me in several places, intending on shooting me in the head before ordering the Winter Soldier to kill him and ensure both murders were committed by the Soldier himself. Before he could shoot me in the kidney, Natasha Romanoff and Colonel James Rhodes arrived."

"Can you say for definite Thaddeus Ross acted on his own accord and did not show any signs of psychiatric symptoms?" the lawyer continued.

"I can, yes. The defendant knew what he was doing and had elaborately planned this in advance, going so far as to send me a threatening note a few days before the Accords signing was to take place. It is my absolute certainty that the defendant was well and truly aware of his actions on the day of Wednesday 22nd June 2016," confirmed Tony, standing straight and keeping his story simple and straight and his voice neutral. He avoided eye contact with Ross.

"Would you say that, if it had not been for the swift actions of Natasha Romanoff and Colonel James Rhodes, you would not be here today to present evidence?"

"I would not be." Ross had intended to kill him. That much was clear. To try to wiggle out of it angered Tony, enough so that he was happy to spend weeks here to prove Ross' guilt and sanity.

"Was the Winter Soldier under the defendant's control?"

"Yes." Now they were onto Barnes which Tony had expected.

"He was not aware of his actions?"

Tony hesitated. "I cannot safely state for the record if Barnes was aware of what he was doing; only that he regrets injuring me whilst under the defendant's control." That was the truth. Barnes had told him he remembered but that wasn't the same as being aware.

The only one they could obtain that correct answer from was Barnes himself and he was due to testify in a few days once Tony had been cross-examined by the defence.

"At any point did you feel the defendant was acting out of character?"

Tony shook his head. "No. He was clear and concise and knew what he was doing."

"You confirmed earlier the defendant sent you a note, what were the contents of this message?"

"Mark my words, Stark. I'll get you for this," Tony recited.

"Thank you, Mr. Stark. I have no further questions." His lawyer said and sat down.

The judge called forth the lawyer for Ross who intended to cross-examine Tony. He was a bald man, an elderly fellow with a white beard and a sharp gaze from his ice-blue eyes. He clearly had a lot of experience and would probably know how to trip Tony up.

"Mr. Stark, what evidence do you have that proves my client was responsible for sending the note you received?"

"It is not a coincidence I was attacked a few weeks later during the Accords signing," answered Tony.

"A few weeks? Earlier you said it was a few days. Which is it, Mr. Stark? A few weeks or a few days?"

Tony nearly swore. He should have been more careful with his words. "It was a few weeks. I received it on Monday 6th June 2016."

"Are you sure about that, Mr. Stark?"

"Absolutely." Tony's gaze hardened.

"The writing of the note is not my client's handwriting. It could have been written by anyone. My client simply cannot be responsible for it. The note was not delivered by him. Anyone could have decided to threaten you."

"I get threats on a regular basis but there is a difference between sending a threat and then acting upon it. This threat was carried out within weeks of it being sent. It was targeted at me. Ross admitted it to me when he was peppering me with bullets. He had nothing else left to lose. He knew his career was overdue to his conduct over the Accords and wanted to take me down with him. I will stand by that." Tony had perhaps gone too far in his assertions here.

But Ross couldn't be allowed to simply get away with it. The note had come from him. "Whether he wrote the note or not is immaterial. It was still sent by him to me."

"I believe it is in the firm interests of my client that the note be disregarded as evidence. There is no real proof which suggests he was involved, considering Mr Stark has admitted he receives threats on a regular basis," the defence attorney suggested to the Judge.

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