In the deep autumn of New York, a brisk chill wind weaves through the streets, prompting pedestrians to wrap their scarves tighter and gulp down their last mouthful of hot coffee for that burst of heat and energy needed to march towards their destination.
When the door to Shiller's office is opened, the cold still clings to Eddie. He holds two cups of hot coffee in his hand, one of them already half-empty.
"Shiller, have a look at the new draft plan I wrote last night, I think it'll surely meet what you're looking for… Shiller? Shiller? Strange, where is he?"
Eddie looks around the empty office. He stops a nurse outside, but she shakes her head, indicating she doesn't know where Shiller is either.
Eddie has no choice but to call Nick and ask, "Director Fury, did Shiller mention anything about going on a vacation? I can't find him in his office."
"What? He didn't notify anyone? He must be busy with something else then… Never mind, I'll look for him tonight."
Not long after Eddie leaves, Stark, clad in his Mecha suit, flies in through the window, yelling as he flies, "Shiller, we need to talk. You can't keep this up, I am going insane!"
Looking around at the empty office, Stark is startled. He flies out of the window and around the entire Arkham Sanatorium, but the scan system indicates that Shiller is not there.
Thus, Stark has no choice but to fly to the small clinic in Hell's Kitchen. As he pushes open the door, he spots a figure standing behind the refrigerator door, seemingly taking something out.
"Shiller, you… Peter? Why are you here?"
Stark, surprised, looked at Peter standing behind the fridge. Peter steps back and pops his head out, saying, "I came to find Dr. Shiller, but I discovered he's not here, so I decided to make breakfast and wait for him to return."
"You're also looking for Dr. Shiller? Mr. Stark, it might be due to a traffic jam on the way from the sanatorium, he should be here shortly."
"I just came from the sanatorium." Stark looks around, approaches the stairs leading to the second floor. He looks up but cannot spot the familiar figure in the narrow stairway.
Peter, who was preparing the ingredients, freezes. He glanced at the clock nearby and says, "Today is Monday. Dr. Shiller would usually come around this time to sort things out in the clinic."
As Peter speaks, he takes out his phone and dials a number. He places the phone to his ear and waits for a while, then he frowns and dials again, and realizing there is still no answer, he looks at Stark with concern, "Dr. Shiller is not answering his phone."
"Call Nick," Stark nods his head to indicate.
Peter dials Nick, obtaining the information from Nick that Shiller has not filed for any leave of absence. Moreover, if he had plans to be away for some time, he would surely inform Nick in advance.
"You guys should come over." Nick's serious tone comes across the phone. Peter and Stark share a glance, understanding the gravity of the situation, they immediately head for the S.H.I.E.L.D. Base.
When they arrive at Nick's office inside the S.H.I.E.L.D base, they find that many others have already arrived, including Nick, Natasha and Eddie, as well as Captain America Steve, Daredevil Matt, Professor X Charles, and Loki.
Almost the entire Luminous Alliance is present, Nick looks around and asks, "So, none of you have seen Shiller?"
Everyone shakes their head. Peter is the first to speak, "Every Monday morning, Dr. Shiller would usually be at the Hell's Kitchen clinic to sort things out, so I was waiting there for him. Turns out, he didn't show up."
"He's not at the Arkham Sanatorium either," Stark frowns and crosses his arms.
"Neither at the Avengers' Base nor on the Sky Carrier," Natasha leans against the wall and speaks.
All eyes turn to Professor X, who slightly furrows his brow and says, "But can you call this a missing case? After all, it hasn't been half an hour since we last saw him."
"If Shiller had to leave for any matter in the past, he would let me know a few days in advance," Nick walks back behind his desk to sit down and adds, "Have you forgotten? He's a loner who won't easily change his daily routine unless there's an emergency."
Stark snorts at this and says, "Emergency? I think it's far more likely that he's up to something again."
As everyone turns their attention to him, Stark rubs his chin and continues, "Every time Shiller schemes something, he sets up an alibi. He would appear in front of us occasionally, leading us to believe he's simply a quiet psychologist, but in reality, he was always pulling strings from behind the scene."
"And this time, he didn't even bother to set up an alibi and simply disappeared..." At this point, Stark suddenly turns sober, he looks at Nick and says, "What huge thing is he planning then?"
Peter suddenly raises his hand and asks, "Could it be that Dr. Shiller has had an accident or was kidnapped by someone? Could he be in danger right now, waiting for us to rescue him?"
The other people present all sigh collectively, even Steve seems a little disheartened. He walks over to Peter, placing an arm around him and says, "Peter, firstly, nothing happens without Shiller anticipating it. Secondly, his disappearance does not equate to him being in danger. Lastly, the reason his plans always succeed is that there's always someone like you, who wants to save him every time."