Shiller initially intended to spend half an hour eating breakfast to alleviate his hangover-induced headache and ease the discomfort from sleeping in an uncomfortable posture.
More importantly, he planned to take a day off to recharge. Psychological counseling is quite draining. But when Jarvis's call came, Shiller had no time to rest; he drove immediately to Stark Tower.
As he approached Stark's laboratory, he smelled a hint of the familiar aroma of alcohol. Shiller stood at the entrance and coughed twice. Jarvis emitted a "beep" noise and then said, "Apologies, Mr. Shiller. I forgot to activate the air purifier. Please wait a moment…"
Shiller, standing outside, heard the "hum" of the fan from inside the lab. After a while, the smell was replaced by air freshener.
As expected, Stark was sprawled like a drunkard on the lab bench, surrounded by empty beer bottles, mumbling incoherently.
Shiller tried to understand what Stark was saying, but to no avail. He nudged Stark who gave him a vacant look, waved vaguely, and slumped back onto the bench.
A sound of mechanical parts being moved came from behind him. Shiller turned around and saw Jarvis operating a robot body. Shiller decisively left the stuporous Stark to find Jarvis.
Jarvis led Shiller to a nearby room and made him a cup of coffee before pointing to a massage chair and saying, "Sir, if your neck and shoulders are uncomfortable, you can take a massage here. This therapeutic massage chair is the latest product from Stark Group. It will make you feel better."
"Thank you, Jarvis. I need that right now." Shiller gratefully took the coffee and moved to the chair. Jarvis adjusted the backrest for him and swung the mechanical arm. A screen popped up from the projector.
"It may be a while before Mr. Stark wakes up, so you can watch a movie here. If you need anything, just let me know, I'm here to assist." After finishing, Jarvis left the room.
Shiller looked at the projected screen, which was showing the camera feed from Stark's Mech. The timestamp shown in the bottom-left corner indicated the footage was recorded earlier that morning.
Stark appeared at the door of a hospital room, where he hesitated for almost half an hour before knocking on it. A voice that Shiller recognized called from inside. It was Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier.
When Stark walked in, Bucky was reading a comic book. Not rigorous literature but a funny comic from a bygone era.
Bucky was visibly surprised to see Stark but put his comic away, stood up and extended his mechanical arm for a handshake, but Stark ignored him.
Stark glanced at the table beside Bucky's bed, loaded with numerous medications. He gestured towards it with his chin and asked, "Did Steve bring these to you?"
Bucky glanced at the assorted medicines on his table. His expression was still somewhat stiff – he didn't quite reveal his emotions. But he nodded in response and said, "Yes, Steve got me a new prescription. He switched the medication, supposed to be better."
They then fell into a seemingly endless silence. Neither knew what to say. Stark didn't even know why he was there. But after a while, he finally decided to address the main issue and began to ask,
"I want to ask if you remember...how you..." Stark paused, taking a deep breath. Just as he was about to muster the courage to ask the question, Bucky looked him in the eyes and admitted, "Yes, I remember. I remember every single detail. They all remain vivid in my memory."
Bucky then lowered his eyes, speaking softly, "The psychologist shattered the mental shackles Hydra had set upon me. But the memories of all I'd done remained, indelibly imprinted in my mind. I couldn't erase them."
Stark opened his mouth to speak, but realized the only reason he could stand in the same room as his parents' murderer and engage in conversation was because of Steve.
Stark was well aware of the immense pressure Steve had been under, being trapped between his two best friends in a feud of blood. However, he never spoke about it, never mentioned that it technically was none of his business. But in the end, Steve, of all people, was the most tormented.
Howard was not only Stark's friend but also Steve's. One could even say that Stark and Howard had a somewhat strained relationship, while Steve and Howard shared a genuinely close bond and fought side by side.
A friend and comrade killed another, inadvertently harming the son decades later. The tragedy weighed heavily on a single person – the indescribable pressure was imaginable.
Yet Steve never complained, never asked anyone why they didn't understand or empathize with him amidst the ordeal.