60 Chapter 60: Rhodes and Oaks
"Oh, nice to meet you... If I'm not mistaken, you must be Colonel James Rhodes?"
As Oaks was about to enter the seaside villa in Malibu, he saw a man in military uniform standing at the entrance with a serious expression.
Besides Pepper, the only person who could come to Tony's villa like coming to his own home, is Colonel Rhodes. Even Oaks didn't have that privilege.
"Hmm?"
Rhodes, who was lost in his thoughts, suddenly paused and turned his head to see a redhead youth standing behind him.
Without thinking, he instinctively took a defensive posture - even when he was lost in thought, he was absolutely certain that there was no one around him!
"Dr. Oaks?"
After getting a clear look at the appearance of the redhead youth, Rhodes recognized him.
He had helped Tony investigate Oaks' background, and there weren't many people Tony referred to as friends.
Moreover, through his channels, Oaks' identity as a consultant for SHIELD's environmental division was not a secret.
"Sorry, I was a bit startled... I've heard a lot about you, Dr. Oaks."
Although it was strange how Oaks had appeared, it had only been a day since Tony had an incident, and the fact that Oaks had rushed over from New York was enough to explain many things.
Rhodes relaxed and smiled as he approached Oaks to shake his hand:
"Tony often mentions you to me."
"Just call me Oaks. But it's unfortunate that I've only heard about you, Colonel, in Tony's complaints."
Oaks' sense of humor was clearly to Rhodes' liking, and the latter exaggeratedly pouted.
"It's not easy being friends with that guy, right?"
"It's quite challenging. I'm even visiting his place for the first time."
Oaks grinned.
"If you hadn't come today, I wouldn't have been able to get in. I was prepared to climb through the window."
Rhodes chuckled and shook his head, sighing.
"Even SHIELD is alarmed by Tony's situation? How do you plan to handle it?"
Only a fool would think that SHIELD's environmental consultant was only responsible for environmental issues.
"It's not a big deal. SHIELD hasn't decided on anything yet. They just need me to assess Tony's condition after yesterday's incident. I've read the news, but I have to say that the focus of the senator, the military, and public opinion is all on the Iron Man armor. They're losing sight of the big picture."
"Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Rhodes secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He knew very well that if Oaks had come representing SHIELD to take possession of Tony's armor technology, he would be powerless.
In the military, he could at least have a few words because of his relationship with Tony.
But when it came to SHIELD, not even a few generals could make a difference, let alone a mere colonel.
"What I mean is, they're completely immersed in the frenzy caused by someone who achieved the feat of 'making God bleed'—the event in Monaco caused Tony, the once mighty whale, to bleed. The smell of blood attracted countless sharks, greedily trying to tear fresh flesh from their former guardian."
Rhodes nodded silently, and Oaks pointed towards the villa with his hand:
"But they have forgotten, or rather, they don't want to admit that Iron Man is the product of Tony and the Iron Man armor combined.
Without the armor, Tony can still develop something else to replace it. But without Tony, anyone else who gets the armor won't be Iron Man.
The armor is just a tool; the key lies in the person who controls it. An unmanned drone can never replace a real fighter pilot, don't you agree?"
"..."
Rhodes stood there stunned for a moment before sighing heavily.
"I completely agree with the last statement."
He stepped forward and opened the door to the villa, gesturing for Oaks to enter.
"Oaks, I'm a military man, and I have to follow orders... But I'm also Tony's friend. If I had to choose between him and the armor, I would choose to protect him."
"Only children make choices."
Oaks shrugged, smiled, and took a step forward into the house while Rhodes was momentarily distracted.
"That cunning old fox, Fury... Keeping this from me. Did he really think I wouldn't find out?"
As Oaks entered, he saw Pepper and another well-dressed woman busy making phone calls.
Natasha Romanoff, a level seven agent of SHIELD, currently operating under the alias Natalie and working undercover at Stark Industries as Pepper's personal secretary.
Apart from the title, Pepper had essentially taken over Tony's role as CEO.
"Hey, ladies, is Tony here?"
"Oh, Oaks!"
Pepper stood up with delight, ending her phone call.
"Why did you come... I mean, it's great to have you here."
She knew a bit about Oaks' situation, not to mention that he had saved her life.
So she quickly approached him, welcoming Oaks, and then hesitated.
"Tony... Oaks, can I ask you to check on his physical condition? I just feel that something is off. His recent mental state seems off, even though he's trying to act like nothing's wrong.
But I can sense that he's hiding something from me. Although he used to be arrogant and self-centered, he wouldn't put himself in danger irresponsibly just to step on someone's face.
I tried to find a doctor for him, but he refused."
"Don't worry, I'll do it."
Before Oaks could finish speaking, Colonel Rhodes entered the room as well.
"Oh, Pepper, where's Tony?"
"Did you two plan to come together?"
Pepper realized something when she saw Rhodes in his military uniform.
"We met at the entrance."
Oaks spread his hands, and Natasha walked over, seemingly casually glancing at Oaks, and whispered to Pepper:
"Miss Potts, Mr. Stark instructed not to be disturbed..."
"It's okay, he won't mind these two."
Pepper smiled, nodded at Oaks and Rhodes.
"He's downstairs."
"Thank you."
As they arrived in the downstairs laboratory, Rhodes and Oaks exchanged a glance and approached the door, entering the password to open it.
Walking into the lab, they saw Tony, who was silently staring at the monitor. Rhodes felt anger rising within him.
"Tony, you need to go upstairs and take control of the situation. The military wants to confiscate your armor, and they don't want to play games anymore!"
"You said no one would have this technology for the next twenty years, but yesterday they found out that not only does someone have it, but it's more than just theoretical. Hey, are you even listening to me?"
"Colonel Rhodes, his condition isn't good."
Oaks stopped Colonel Rhodes from getting too close to the somewhat vacant Tony and snapped his fingers. A green energy enveloped Tony, revitalizing him.
"Wow! What is this? Magic?"
Ignoring Rhodes' exclamation, Oaks approached Tony and patted him on the shoulder, who was starting to smile wryly.
"Buddy, it's not good to avoid medical attention. My poor little acorn is almost exhausted from exhaustion. Even Pepper noticed that something's not right with you."
"You both came..."
Feeling a long-lost sense of ease in his body, Tony slowly stood up.
"I think I need to change the battery."
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