"You really are the world's second-best detective," Pamela said sarcastically.
"Even the best detective would only give you a conclusion like this, or worse. We are not theologians," Tim retorted without good humor. "You can't expect a prayer to solve everything, not even God can do that. I need evidence."
"Isn't this long conversation evidence enough?"
"There's too little actionable information. It's almost like they were just making small talk," Tim sighed.
After a moment of thought, Pamela said, "I feel this doctor is much easier to deal with than the professor. Do you think there's a chance we could just ask him direct questions?"
"He still wouldn't tell the whole truth, just enough to mislead us and then he'd clam up."
"But that would still give us more information."
"If you want to go, you go," Tim said, shaking his head in refusal.
Pamela suddenly laughed, slid off the bedside to the floor, and pulled Tim over, whispering in his ear, "Why do I always feel like you're a bit afraid of this doctor? You're not even afraid of the professor."
"Why should I be afraid of the professor?" the dark-haired boy asked, uncharmed by her seemingly intimate gesture. He just rolled his eyes up habitually and looked at Pamela.
"Because he's terrifying, always looking fierce and unapproachable."
"Yes, but I finished my homework."
Pamela was left speechless. She thought for a moment. Tim's current age clearly did not allow him to delve into complex psychological concepts; at his age, as long as his homework was done, it seemed he could justify almost anything.
Not amused, Pamela let go of him and pushed him away slightly, looking away as she thought aloud, "So, you're saying you can't find something to stabilize Shiller?"
"You're not too dumb," Tim glanced at Pamela again. "From what I've seen, the professor always tends to act only when necessary, while this doctor prefers to push everyone to that point."
"You mean he's more proactive?"
"If your tone wasn't so disgusting when you said that word, I would have commended your reasoning."
Pamela rolled her eyes and said, "I'll wait for you to find the person who disgusts you."
"Back to the point, it feels like I'm facing an engine. What's scarier than not finding the fuel tank is that I can't find the off switch."
"Seriously, what does this have to do with you?" Pamela shifted her position to face Tim and added, "We're just here on vacation, we could totally sit back and enjoy the show from the living room."
"You're too naive. Do you really think we wouldn't be included when things go south? Do you think we got those two sets of Mercury equipment because he's kind-hearted?"
"Are you really just being paranoid?"
"Even if I am, don't you think we should try to gain the upper hand? Remember how Bruce failed?"
"You really are nothing like him," Pamela remarked.
"I'll take that as a compliment," Tim responded.
"He really wasn't proactive enough, led by the nose by the professor. But don't you think you're a bit too proactive? I assume you understand the seriousness of considering Shiller as a hypothetical enemy."
"This isn't just hypothetical," Tim said, no longer sitting cross-legged but kneeling on the floor. "If someone hides something from me before I can hide it from him, I consider it a provocation."
"You're insane," Pamela said, somewhat exasperated. "How are you any different from those crazy control freaks?"
"The difference is, I'm smarter than them," Tim said. "Control freaks wield indiscriminate control, but I find reasons first, so I can take the moral high ground."
"What reasons?"
"He hid things from me first."
Pamela, left speechless, finally managed to say, "Even if it's just an alternative universe counterpart of a mentor you know fairly well? That connection is almost more distant than you and your aunt."
"For any relationship."
"You're sick."
"But there are many obvious benefits," Tim said. "In the end, you'll see I'm right. It's what they call sensitivity to information."
"Okay, besides that, what else have you deduced?"
"We can't pin down his ultimate goal, but we can consider: What role does something he goes through many hoops to maintain play in the overall plan?"
"Like?"
"Why move here?" Tim pointed out sharply. "Whether it's avoiding fans or dealing with landlords, there are better ways. Why bring us here?"
"This place is good for murder and disposing of the body; hopefully, we're not the targets."
"The target is definitely not us," Tim said. "If he wanted to kill us, he would have made his move in Los Angeles, where he could establish a strong alibi. This remote area has no witnesses."
"Then just give me your conclusion," Pamela seemed tired of it all, she leaned back, reached for a cigarette, and realized she had none left. She could only hope for an imaginary smoke.
"He's hiding from someone," Tim said. "Someone knows he came here and is involved, and has the capability to turn Los Angeles and its surroundings upside down. The US-Mexico Border is relatively safer."
"Hmm," Pamela made a monosyllabic noise of agreement.
"But they might not know his true identity. I mean, they're looking for the behind-the-scenes manipulator, but they don't know yet that the manipulator is Shiller, who's hiding under some other alias."
"You mean Hydra?"
"That's about it. He must have done something as a Hydra, and a group of people, in order to prevent him from striking again, are chasing him."
Tim smiled slightly and finally voiced his true speculation, "It's a brilliant strategy. He has one identity that everyone knows and one that no one knows."
"While the unknown identity is being investigated, the well-known identity is being pursued by fans."
"What's the point?"
"The point is that even if some clever people guess these two identities belong to the same person, those investigating his unknown identity can't be seen around his well-known identity, because they cannot be exposed to the public eye. Which Agent wants to be spotted, then go viral on TikTok with a hundred thousand likes?"
Pamela choked on her own words, unable to imagine such a comical scenario. Of course, if it were a female Agent, she'd probably like it, too.
"That's why he doesn't mind the fans pursuing him," Pamela realized everything. She said, "In fact, there have always been two groups chasing him, but one of the groups, which is more dangerous because they know they are engaged in secretive activities, has to avoid the others, and that almost prevents them from pursuing him effectively."
"Exactly."
"Then why did he move to such a remote area? Is he trying to have the agents catch up to him?"
"On the contrary, this place is his turf. The agents, realizing they had finally evaded the fans' surveillance and sensed an opportunity, naturally would follow him. But they can't handle him here."
"Will he kill them?"
"No, he just keeps them tied up here." Tim sighed lightly and said, "And then that decisive force I mentioned before can operate freely in Los Angeles."
"Is it Hydra?"
"I don't know, but whoever it is, they're definitely not up to any good." Tim averted his eyes and pondered, "From what I know of Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, when they learn that the source of a problem is hiding somewhere, even if they sense a trap, they will still come."
"Why?"
"All they need to do is show that they're working. By throwing a lot of people into it, showing great sacrifices, they prove they aren't slacking. As for a wiser standstill, that won't get them more funding."
Pamela was about to say something but, recalling Natasha's words about Nick's focus on funding, she suddenly remembered it.
Her thoughtful expression didn't escape Tim, who leaned forward and asked, "Do you know something else?"
After thinking it over, Pamela nodded and said, "The S.H.I.E.L.D Director sent me here not just to assist Shiller but for his own agenda."
"What is it?"
"The Congressman rumored to be target for assassination has been troubling Nick; he vetoed 37 of S.H.I.E.L.D's funding projects for this quarter, and Nick called him a double-dealer."
"Funding..." Tim seemed to have a flash of insight. He said, "The defense funding provided by Congress is a fixed amount each year. If one person gets more, another gets less. So, this double-dealer vetoing Nick basically helps others to get more."
"Federal Bureau of Investigation?"
"Afraid so. Think about what Shiller said before, without Hydra, there would be no S.H.I.E.L.D. Following the logic of fostering one's own enemies, to reclaim the funds taken by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, they naturally need to stir up issues that the Federal Bureau of Investigation can't resolve."
"I see," Pamela said, enlighteningly. "Upon arriving in Los Angeles, by using the fans' pursuit to monitor the agents, making the agents hesitant to get too close, he smoothly made it here, creating an opportunity for them to encircle."
"While Los Angeles's defenses are empty, let Hydra stir up trouble in Los Angeles, the Federal Bureau of Investigation will inevitably fall behind, finding themselves unable to tackle the issue, and then S.H.I.E.L.D will have to step in. Then next quarter, S.H.I.E.L.D can take over their funding, claiming to fill the national defense gap left by the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
After a pause, Pamela asked again, "Assassination?"
"Clearly a pretext conjured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and that Congressman to increase funding," Tim said. "They often do this, giving those high-profile figures a sense of crisis. To ensure they are always protected, they'll be quite generous."
"So it's a self-staged drama, but for S.H.I.E.L.D, the countermeasure is to turn the fake threat into a real one, ensuring the Congressman and the Federal Bureau of Investigation's collaboration will definitely break down."
"That's why you're here," Tim looked at Pamela. "You can muddy the waters of the banquet for Nick, letting the actual Congressman who attends think his safety is threatened but not really killing him, rather letting him survive to complain to the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
"By that time, due to the chaos in Los Angeles, Congress will surely hold the Federal Bureau of Investigation accountable. Feeling threatened, the Congressman will turn against them, leaving the Federal Bureau of Investigation caught between two fronts and certainly in a difficult position."
"If Shiller and Nick coordinated this, then them both contacting me makes sense, considering dealing a blow during the banquet is the perfect strategy, and they could even pin a lab leak on the Federal Bureau of Investigation."
"However, you..." Pamela looked at Tim. "What role do you play in all of this?"
"He said he wanted my help with the business matter of buying the farm, but before that, he asked me how to legally reduce the land value, and I gave him some advice."
"What advice?"
"Gotham style."
"You're quite wicked."
Tim's heart sank gradually; he said, "I feel like I'm taking on some responsibilities that aren't mine, but I don't know what they are."
Pamela also fell silent before saying, "Don't you think? It's nothing like our cosmos. These matters make me feel like a floating piece of driftwood in the waves, being pushed towards an unknown destination."
"Even though you're a superpower user?"
"I'm a superpower user, not God. What can I do?"
Tim's expression clearly showed his discontent, making him look particularly dangerous. Pamela took a quiet breath, but still didn't stop Tim from voicing his mad plan.
"We can't just do nothing."
"What do you want to do?"
"Shiller now has no superpowers, but you do."
"You're insane, Tim!"