Following the sweeping crackdown on crime in New York, Shiller had given up completely.
Feeling like there was nothing left for him to cure, he began to drink heavily.
Even though the sky-train station at the rehabilitation center was already completed, he did not move back there and instead holed up in his small clinic, drinking away.
Now, Shiller was slouched on the sofa in the middle of his clinic's living room, his once meticulous white robe was fully unbuttoned, with a streak of alcohol on one side and two holes burned by cigarette ash on the other. There was also a trace of blood from an unknown source.
Shiller seemed to have just woken up from a hangover, unconsciously reaching for the liquor bottle next to him only to find it empty, he dropped his arm powerlessly, pursed his lips, and leaning against the arm of the sofa, fell asleep again.
In the following days, Shiller found that all tobacco, alcohol, and drugs had completely disappeared from Hell's Kitchen, and even from the Brooklyn Area strung along the Hudson River.
They were physically gone, regardless of the amount of money he offered or where he went, he couldn't purchase any.
Shiller could use flash to travel freely in Hell's Kitchen, but the continuous flashing had a distance limit.
Stark and Strange, who knew Shiller very well, cast a large net of defense and eliminated all addictive substances within Shiller's range of action.
This wasn't a situation where abandoning his moral bottom line could yield something, these substances were physically gone. No matter if he tried to scam or ambush, they could not be conjured.
Just as Matt said, the world's most talented scientist and the world's most powerful magician working together, there wasn't anything they couldn't seal off. Even the sewers around Hell's Kitchen were combed through; all the empty bottles of liquor and drugs were retrieved, not a trace left behind.
Now, Shiller was in a completely empty space; no tobacco, no alcohol, no drugs.
Even though he could buy if he went a bit farther, the emptiness and helplessness in Shiller's heart prevented him from wanting to be far from his familiar place, all he wanted was to return quickly to his clinic where he could find a fraction of security.
Yet, after returning to the clinic, Shiller felt idle and gradually he didn't even want to stay in the clinic. He started to wander the streets, preferring to squat in front of a shop window in the middle of the night than to go home.
Watching the scene of a shivering Shiller squatting at the street corner on the monitor, Stark, Strange, and Steve all sighed simultaneously.
"He must be feeling very sad right now." With his hand covering his mouth, Steve emphasized:
"I feel, he doesn't even understand why we suddenly started ignoring him!"
Steve shook his head vigorously, put down his shield, and said, "It feels like we are those bad students who isolate others in school...I really can't do this. If you guys can't come up with a better treatment plan, I'm going to find him right now."
Having said that, he turned to leave but was stopped by Stark: "Don't be like this, Steve. Rest assured, we have consulted the world's most renowned psychologists, including both Shiller's teachers and professors."
"In addition to authorities in psychology and psychiatric disorders, there were also specialists focusing on addiction to substances and psychological issues."
"The unanimous consensus they reached was that there would be a period of forced withdrawal at the beginning of the treatment. To kick any drug or addiction in this world, the body and the brain have to first adapt to a low-feedback state, a process that is inevitably painful and prolonged."
"And after the body progressively adapts, psychological issues can begin to be addressed..."
Stark unusually, patiently explained a lot, Steve holding his shield, knocked the edge of the table saying: "I really can't accept watching a friend in such pain without helping."
He took a deep breath and said, "Thank heavens, you guys sent Peter away first, otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to stop him.
"Now, everyone here is a relatively rational adult." Strange said: "We all know that Shiller cannot continue like this, whether it's symptoms of his loneliness, the stress reactions caused by psychological trauma, or his psychological disorder of excessively seeking emotional stimulation, it must be resolved one day."
"Would you prefer us to join forces now, pool our resources, and begin steady treatment, or to scramble to save him on the day something really happens to Shiller?"
Steve remained silent, lowered his head, and Tony sighed gently, "I know, it's hard on all of us, but this day had to come inevitably…"
Steve paused, put down his shield, crossed his chest, and solemnly prayed. His quiet prayer echoed in the room, and outside the window, the first snowflakes had just started falling.
"Lord, if our friend is destined to suffer this disaster, please do not alleviate any of my inner sorrow and pain, let me bear the same punishment with him."
"May I not feel any joy or happiness on the day of your birth to compensate for the cold he feels… Amen."