Though his thoughts swirled, mere seconds had passed in the real world. Stark and Strange saw Shiller stare blankly for a few moments. They simply chalked it up to his mental illness causing his thoughts to drift away.
Mental patients often exhibit such behavior. Especially Stark, well-versed in psychology, understood that these brief periods of blank stares were telltale signs of a mental episode.
So, when Shiller suddenly suggested that he wanted to visit the Mercury Base, Stark and Strange, who argued relentlessly, unanimously and firmly rejected his request.
"Forget it, Shiller, it's impossible! There's no scenery on Mercury, and being nearer to the Sun won't improve your condition. Although I don't want to confine you to the hospital, you must have a guardian with you at all times... except for Nick!"
"On this point, I have to agree with Tony." Strange glanced at Stark and grumbled, "Overly focusing on the progress of a single task might worsen your mental state. It might amplify your obsessive behaviors. Or you could go recuperate in the Himalayas for another two months. That's close enough to the Sun..."
"What I mean is, I haven't even seen the Mercury Base that I've been planning for so long with my own eyes. I believe I should check it out," Shiller explained, smiling.
"Shiller, we're not trying to exclude you from the project. But sending you to another planet when your brainwaves are still abnormal is simply too risky," said Connors.
Connors calmly pushed his glasses up and continued, "In other words, it would be very dangerous for you on the Sun and Mercury."
Just as Shiller was about to speak, Connors cut him off, saying, "Looking at the data, our Sun and Mercury are doing quite well. We don't need to look for replacements yet."
"I wasn't aware that you had a knack for telling bad jokes," Shiller replied, sounding quite dissatisfied, "even Nick tells better ones."
"Don't mention that damned vampire!" Otto scoffed. As someone who was also involved in the Multiverse project, he said, "He asked me to contact other versions of him across universes to offer them intensive labor with enormous demands and pitiful wages. And they should kiss his ass in gratitude..."
Shiller averted his eyes, opting not to mention that it was his idea to offer this job position.
"Looks like you've stirred up the hornet's nest," Batman's voice echoed in Shiller's mind. "You must've done something to upset your friends. I suggest you lay low for a while and discuss other matters after you are discharged."
"Why are you so talkative?" Shiller replied discontentedly. He grunted internally: "What did I do? I did it all for their good!"
"When you say that, I could only imagine what crazy thing you have done," Batman managed to hit the nail on the head.
As Shiller was about to explain, his phone on the bedside table rang. He reached out to pick it up, but the arm extension from Stark's back moved faster.
"Hello?" Stark picked up and, upon hearing the voice on the other end, roughly furrowed his eyebrows and said firmly, "No, you can't let him return to work. Doesn't S.H.I.E.L.D. allow for sick leave? ... What? Only bereavement leave?"
"How many days can one take for bereavement leave? Natasha took three days? Then I think Shiller should... What? Natasha had to die over 50 times to accumulate three days off?"
"Nick Fury!" Stark called out the name of the person on the other end of the line, clearly not in a friendly tone, "Shiller needs to rest! We all agree on this. Why don't you?"
Stark switched hands holding the phone, took a deep breath, and said, "You guys never sleep when discussing these damned macroeconomic plans. Not to mention, he has to manage the finances of both the Day Ranger Bureau and S.H.I.E.L.D., maintain the psychological health of the agents, and now you even want him to teach classes for the agents. Do you view Shiller as your money-maker?"
"Just because he sees himself as a money-maker, does it mean you can treat him as one? Stop beating around the bush! Nick, I'm warning you. Although Howard is currently in the Andromeda Galaxy, he can create a Beat-up Nick Armor within two hours. So can I!"
Shiller, sprawled across the hospital bed, wore a helpless look on his face. But in his mind, Batman spoke, "I take back what I said before..."
"What? Oh, you mean the part where you said he acted like an idiot? Looks like you've figured out that he doesn't just act like an idiot, he is one."
"On the contrary, he might be the smartest person in the world." Batman once again pinpointed the crux of the matter, "Though he may not have clearly stated this, he obviously recognizes how insane you are."
"He's doing everything he can to salvage your madness. Sharp, sensitive, emotional genius - a man who, in addition to wisdom, has inspiration."
"If the Bruce Wayne of my world had half your talent in psychology, Arrogant wouldn't need to worry about losing her hair every day."
Shiller sighed, then in his heart, said, "I think I'll take a step back. I won't get to visit the Mercury Base for now. They won't let me leave Earth. But there shouldn't be any problem with going to take a look at the Battle Armor that the world's smartest man constructed."