New Year had passed in quite a joyous fashion. He would turn 18 this year and finally get away from some of stigma around. Especially with Roger. Liam had an one on one battle against Roger. It was actually Liam who had proposed that.

    At first Roger denied as he felt he wouldn''t be able to win against a wizard, that was what Roger considered Liam as. But Liam assured that he would only use his body and no other gimmicks. Roger felt it would be hilarious but Liam forced him to accept.

    It was there that Roger was humbled by Liam. When the brawl was over, Roger said.

    "You are a monster in human skin. Strength wise I might be more powerful but techniques and swift speed makes you better than me in actual combat. And I feel like you have a healing factor."

    Liam only smiled at that. Roger spoke about this to Fury and he wasn''t that surprised because he remembered that Thor once called him an Ancient Human warrior. Fury wanted to delve deep into this mystery of Liam but he never got the time. Now more so than ever.

    Few days later @@@@

    The Senate chamber was packed, the air thick with tension as cameras flashed and murmurs rippled through the audience. Tony Stark sat at the center of it all, flanked by James Rhodes and Liam, his usual smirk playing at the corner of his lips. Across from them, Senator Stern leaned forward, his face a mask of self-righteous indignation.

    "Mr. Stark, let''s not waste time here. The Iron Mage suit is a highly dangerous piece of technology, and we are demanding you turn it over to the United States government for national security reasons."

    "Look, the real threat here isn''t Tony''s suit. It''s the corruption that let this happen inside our institutions. Maybe instead of trying to take away the one thing protecting people, you should focus on cleaning up your own mess." Rhodes interjected, trying to play the middle guy for both parties.

    "Enough! This is a national security hearing, not a conspiracy forum! We are not here to discuss baseless accusations!"

    "Oh, these aren''t baseless. But I get it, you don''t like the truth, especially when it bites. So here''s the deal—no, I''m not handing over my suit. But I am handing over everything we just showed the world. By now, this data is already being analyzed by the right people. So you might want to think carefully about your next move, Senator."

    "Mr. Woodworth, you were seen escaping the Stark Expo crisis with Stark before he returned in the Iron Mage suit. Can you confirm whether or not you piloted it?" Stern wanted to shift the focus now, since it was already getting out of hand. If he could prove that Liam piloted it or even pressure him to spill anything out of line, he could say that Tony was using minors to wage wars.

    "No, Senator. That was Colonel Rhodes. Have you seen how fast that suit of Tony moves? Do you think anyone would believe that one can use that armor without getting a whiplash and barf out whatever they had eaten for lunch with that high speed movement." Liam said.

    "That''s right. I took responsibility for handling the suit at the time. Only a military trained personnel can use it. Even Tony Stark himself avoids using that armor and he considers it a failure. Liam had nothing to do with it." Rhodes.

    "Dude, don''t air my dirty laundry like that." Tony answered. This sent a wave a laughter among the reporters. But it only made Stern more angry. He knew that this hearing had become baseless especially after Tony hijacked it with specific data, and it wouldn''t be possible again to get Tony Stark back for hearing or charge against him with any laws since he had significant government and military contracts.

    Lobbying was still a huge thing in US and thus he wouldn''t be given another chance. After they came out, the trio were met with many reporters and journalists but they avoided all of that and went into the car where they saw Fury waiting.

    Since the Senate hearing was over it was time to start their ''Hydra cleansing'' mission.