Shiller and Peter had dinner together in the small clinic in Hell's Kitchen. It wasn't until it was entirely dark, that they both boarded the shuttle.
Peter was still frowning, contemplating on how to resolve George's issue. Shiller tried to give him some psychological counselling, but it wasn't very effective.
Spider-Man's moral bottom line was unshakeable. Rather than look for problems in others, he would rather struggle with them himself.
Peter got off at his stop in Queens District. Shiller waved goodbye from the shuttle and watched as Peter's figure disappeared into the city lights.
Good people are destined to face more troubles at every stage of growth, but Spider-Man always manages to solve his problems himself. After all, he is one of the few superheroes in New York who not only has a moral line, but is also mentally healthy.
Thinking about this, Shiller returned to Arkham Sanatorium, only to find another visitor waiting for him. It was Eddie Brock, and he had brought a lot of manuscripts and documents.
The two of them sat down in the high-ceiling reception area on the second floor. Eddie got straight to the point and said, "ABC wants to make a documentary about the Solar System Development Plan. They contacted Tony Stark, who then referred them to me."
Eddie pushed the manuscript in front of him and said, "This is a draft plan you can take a look."
Shiller picked up the manuscript and saw the project name at the top of the page, "The Sun Chasers."
Whilst Eddie was rummaging through his briefcase, he said, "They want to focus on key figures in the Solar System Development Plan. They want to shed light on the reality of the human spirit, tracing back their growth journey, to show everyone their journey and eventual embrace of the sun."
Eddie handed over a list, pointing at it he told Shiller, "This is the project team. The team's personnel and technology are mature. The director, Errol Morris, has won many awards for his documentaries. His interview style and factual materials are well-suited to this kind of subject."
"Who will they focus on?" Shiller asked.
Eddie took a sigh and said, "As you know, they can't make this into an epic truth tale; nobody would watch that. It needs to be slightly entertaining, thus controversial figures are an obvious choice."
"Tony Stark?"
"He's the target." Eddie nodding, he continued, "Captain America is also on the list, including Peter Parker, the young star of the research community. His background and growth experience are very much in the tune of the American Dream, the president wants him."
"Who else?"
"Matt." Eddie pushed his glasses up and took a sip of his coffee, "The disabled lawyer is similar to Peter Parker, and there needs to be an African American."
"Don't tell me it's Nick."
"Of course not. The vampire hunter Eric is African American. His life story is intriguing, and having a vampire, a mysterious creature, adds to the topic. He also has a pleasant personality and a good sense of humor, which can lighten up otherwise serious atmospheres."
"How about women?" Tasked Shiller.
"First, we eliminate Natasha as the main candidate as she is former Soviet, and her espionage profession is not suitable for TV."
Eddie placed both hands on the table, intertwined his fingers and said, "There are a few choices: Dr. Dora from Life Foundation, Jessica who is gaining popularity among superheroes, Jean Grey the teacher at Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, etc."
"The characters in the documentary need to have a storytelling quality. This can be an extraordinary origin, a turning point in growth, a specific ideology, or ongoing dilemmas."
"All these candidates are good choices." Shiller commented, but Eddie knew there was more to come, so he quietly listened.
"Including the male heroes mentioned before, but I believe that the essence of a documentary is to reveal to the public some stories or figures unfamiliar to them, not to follow the trend and re-shoot the stories that have been repeated a million times in newspaper headlines."
Eddie sighed and said, "What director entering the profession doesn't harbor such dreams? It's just like every news journalist when they first start out, don't they all want to reveal the truth to the public?"
"When the film is made, it has to be topical, because only topics and traffic can bring economic benefits. Only juicy news can boost stock growth. Even if I haven't subscribed to this economic benefit a thousand times, I can understand that people choose it to put food on the table."
"Then we can slightly change the investment style of this documentary." Shiller gently waved his fingers and glanced down at the draft on the table, "The aim of this project is quite good. We have so much to announce to the public, but it needs to be done gradually and subtly."
"Instead of making a biographical film about an individual, why not focus on groups? Classify the heroes into different factions and show their stories from different perspectives. For instance, The Avengers led by Captain America and Iron Man, Matt and his students, Spider Legion which has many Spider-Men, the Brotherhood and Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters of mutants, to the Sanctum and Kamar-Taj, or even Asgard."
Eddie's eyes widened slightly, he said, "Do you know how big of an investment that's going to require?"
"That's why we can't let a television station do this, but we have to do it ourselves." Shiller got up and walked behind Eddie, standing next to the railing at the elevated spot. Extending one hand on Eddie's shoulder, he said, "Don't you have a dream to be a director?"
Shiller distinctly felt Eddie's muscles stiffen on his shoulder. He turned around and continued, "The Stark Group, S.H.I.E.L.D., and even the entire solar system development plan will be there to support you, you won't have any financial troubles. Even the main characters of these stories will cooperate with you as much as possible to recreate their stories."
"We have so many stories that can be filmed, so thrilling, so tumultuous. The eyewitnesses to these stories are the best interviewees. They can recount their legendary lives through your lens."
"How did Iron Man go from a playboy to the head of the solar system development plan? How did Captain America find his place after experiencing two major societal changes? What is bothering genius researcher Peter Parker recently? How has Asgard, which used to only exist in mythological kingdoms, been troubled by family issues?"
Shiller could feel Eddie's heartbeat and breathing speed up. He took his hand back, sat back down across from Eddie, and looked at him, saying, "I can ensure that during your filming process, the doors to any office, laboratory or event space will be open for you."
"You will have access to the best filming equipment, the most perfect filming location, and the finest photographers - the Spider-Men. You can show your talent to your heart's content."
"Of course, I believe that no excellent documentary director would refuse to participate in such a documentary. The production team is destined to go down in history."
Eddie left in a hurry without finishing half of the water in the cup. It was clear that he was very excited. During their conversation, not once did Venom come out to cause trouble. It must be because Eddie's brain has released enough dopamine to appease it.
When it came time to sleep at night, Shiller came to the Dreamland School through the base of the Radiant Alliance's Dreamland. The school had expanded further, with more students and teachers. As he walked towards his office, students kept greeting him.
Shiller nodded an acknowledgement to them. He moved to the bookshelf in his office and began to browse. After a while, he said in confusion, "I remember leaving a few of Kamar-Taj mage's notebooks here, did a student borrow them last time?"
Shiller shook his head and sighed, then left his office to head upstairs. He arrived at Dean Strange's office, but didn't see him there, only two students were arranging the bookshelf.
"Where is Dean Strange?" Shiller asked the two students.
One of the students seemed quite surprised. He said, "Didn't the dean inform you? He's taken a leave of absence. He probably won't be here for the next month."
Shiller appeared rather surprised because he genuinely wasn't aware of this matter. Consequently, he could only leave Dreamland and get a good night's sleep until dawn, then head to the Sanctum to look for Strange.
He had thought that maybe some crucial tasks at the Sanctum had kept Strange away, making him unavailable to teach in Dreamland. However, to his surprise, the receptionist at the Sanctum informed him that Strange wasn't there either.
Subsequently, Shiller made a trip to Asgard to search but didn't find Strange. He did, however, find Loki. The two sat down in the guest area of the Fairy Palace. Loki ordered a servant to pour Shiller a glass of wine, it seemed like they were in for a long discussion.
"Steven has been having a rough time recently." As soon as Loki started speaking, Shiller frowned. After sipping his wine, he said, "The problem lies within his family, there's been some disagreement between him and his brother."
"Given Steven's accomplishments, he naturally wants his brother to enjoy a better life in New York. However, his brother doesn't seem to acclimate and constantly wants to return to their old family farm. The two ended up parting on unfriendly terms."
"Recently, his brother was involved in a car accident. After being sent to the hospital, they found a problem with his liver during the examination, suspecting it to be hereditary. Their small hometown can't treat such a disease, so the obvious choice for Strange is to let his brother stay and receive the medical facilities available in New York."
Shiller sighed. Without Loki continuing, he already had a sense of what would come next. Strange had been obsessing over this matter. He felt that his father's illness worsened due to the delay in treatment while living in a small town, it shouldn't have reached that extent.
However, both Strange's father and brother Victor were farmers and hadn't received any higher education. Farmers around the world all have the same perspective, they prioritize the harvest of their crops over everything. They feel at ease only by overlooking their own farm. They are willing to bear the pain if they fall ill, if they can't endure it, painkillers are the solution.
Strange, a top-notch surgeon and genius, has been smooth sailing since his debut. Unlike general practitioners or internists, never had he encountered so many peculiar patients. To him, seeking medical treatment when sick seems natural for humans, but who would have thought that there would be such medical ignorance within his own family. One can imagine how angry he must be.
"You have to console him." Loki looked at Shiller and said, "As you already know, Steven's personality is a bit extreme. He doesn't rest until he attains his goal. Besides, unlike us, he sometimes doesn't weigh losses and gains, aiming only for straightforwardness. When he gets crazy, he is crazier than anyone else."
"I thought he was busy that's why he was absent. Who knew he was actually taking care of his family. This is my negligence." Shiller stood up and asked, "Do you know where he is?"
"Intensive Care, Room 103, at the Elder Council Hospital. Send him my regards."