Upon hearing that name, Dr. Beast furrowed his brow slightly, shook his head, and said, "That's not a good choice. I admit that Essex has some talent, but his lack of basic respect for life makes him a source of disaster."
"Besides, I don't think he would sincerely help Captain America. If he pulls something, we're in trouble."
"He really wouldn't earnestly help anyone in The Avengers, but we do have more than just The Avengers here," Shiller said with a smile.
Stark, who was working on the machine wiring, seemed to catch Shiller's insinuation. He walked over, nudged Shiller with his elbow, and said, "Don't mess things up. If Essex is an evil scientist, Hydra won't fare any better with him either."
"We should listen to what normal scientists have to say first," Captain America said. "When will Connors and the others arrive?"
"Connors has a very important experiment in his hands. It'll take at least 2 to 3 days to hand over. Dr. Pym had an experiment accident a few months ago and is still not fully recovered. Doctor Doom said he has no research on the X-gene and to contact him if we need to use magic..." Peter put down the phone and said.
"So, it's not just Reed who is coming?" Stark said with a big roll of his eyes. "That guy is really annoying."
"Reed's personality is indeed somewhat odd, but his professional competence is beyond doubt," Steve said, patting Stark's shoulder. "Though I think he is far behind you in mechanical engineering, his medical and biological knowledge is quite remarkable."
Stark's expression became weird as well. Steve was complimenting him, which should have made him happy, but the thought of having to deal with Reed Richards was disheartening.
The Avengers' prejudice against Reed wasn't influenced by Shiller, nor was it because he had actually caused any mess that was beyond fixing; rather, he was just incredibly difficult to get along with, with a temperament that was at the extreme end of eccentricity.
Originally, everyone thought Strange was the synonym for quirky and reclusive, but there was someone even more extreme. Even Peter, the most tolerant among them, sometimes wanted to hit Reed, so one can imagine how nasty his temper was.
However, as Steve said, temperament aside, Reed's professional ability wasn't up for question. That he was willing to help this time was unexpected to everyone; after all, the members of The Avengers didn't get along with him before and they weren't exactly friends. Given that scientists like him were busy all year round, the fact that he was making time was a welcome surprise.
Stark also knew that this time they had to appreciate Reed's favor. The man was here to help, so even if he was frustratingly eloquent, you had to bear with it. The thought of possibly being driven up the wall by Reed to the point of smoking without being able to retort made Stark feel utterly hopeless.
What was equally surprising to everyone was that Reed didn't come alone; he was followed by a beautiful lady. Shiller recognized her—it was the Invisible Woman, Susan.
However, since in this universe the Fantastic Four had not been involved in cosmic work, she had not become part of the Fantastic Four and was just a regular female scientist. Although she had been involved in the Solar System development plan, her academic standing was still quite far from Reed Richards.
So, it would be unlikely for them to meet, and Shiller didn't know if they had known each other before. Could this be the reignition of an old flame?
Reed arrived and immediately started making significant eye contact with Shiller. After observing the interaction between him and Susan, Shiller understood. This guy was so proactive because he was here to flirt.
It seemed the two hadn't established a formal relationship yet, and Reed was still pursuing Susan. Susan's attitude towards him wasn't one of dislike; otherwise, she wouldn't have agreed to come on vacation with him. But she seemed to have some reservations about Reed, which Shiller couldn't yet discern.
But it didn't matter, whether they ended up together or not, Franklin would still be born. Because in all universes, Franklin's binding was to mother Susan, and in the Prime Universe alone, his father was Mr. Fantastic, Reed.
In other words, as long as Susan chose to have a child, Franklin would inevitably be born, regardless of who the father was.
But Reed also had the advantage of proximity, which likely gave him the upper hand. Susan's presence here with him suggested there was hope. Shiller wasn't sure whether he wanted to facilitate their coming together; after all, he had reservations about Reed too. The guy's talents and abilities were indisputable, but his personality was just too strange.
Reed stepped forward, clearly wanting to show off his good people skills. Spotting his goal, Shiller walked up and hugged him first, then said, "How have you been, Dr. Richards? Any new breakthroughs in your research on Earth?"
"Oh, of course. I've had new thoughts on the Earth's shielding layer, part of the Magical Defense Network combined with Karmathagic Magic. The Mutants helped me find an Earth-like planet for experimentation. Magneto Erik just called me to say that it's best to help Captain America, so here I am."
"Oh my God," Stark roared internally. "This guy is actually speaking human now. Is this the power of love?!"
Steve was also very pleased. With such a strong scientist's help, the child would certainly be safer. He went up to Reed, shook his hand, and said with a smile while glancing at Susan, "Everyone here should envy you for spending your vacation with such a beautiful and outstanding lady."
Reed's expression visibly brightened. He gripped Captain America's hand firmly and said, "I should thank you for giving me this opportunity. But you're right, this will definitely be an unforgettable vacation."
Susan gathered her hair and walked up, hugging Captain America and said, "Captain, my brother and I are both your fans. You've got to sign something for me, and if we could take a picture together, that would be even better..."
With that, you could see Reed's face, a face Strange would have to settle for second place in a facial length competition.
Steve, as cordial as ever, patted Susan's shoulder and said, "I thought I was long out of vogue, ma'am. Let me introduce you. This is Sharon Carter, a Level 7 Agent with S.H.I.E.L.D., and my fiancée."
It seemed the tension had taken over, triggering Carter's emergency bodily response. During this period, she surprisingly did not have such severe adverse reactions. At the moment, she stood up, feigned a burst of energy, and shook hands with Susan.
Soon, the ladies gathered together to discuss the baby in Carter's womb.
While looking at Susan, Steve nudged Reed with his elbow and said, "I think there's potential."
Stark, standing to Reed's right, shook his head and said, "I doubt it. She doesn't seem that into you."
Reed stretched out both hands, grabbed their arms, one on each side, and turned to walk back, saying as he went, "I won't hold the past against you, but this time you guys really have to help me."
Just as Stark was about to quibble about what Reed meant by "past issues," Steve cleared his throat and said, "It's tough, really tough. Has she always been hot and cold with you? Sometimes she responds to your advances, but other times she acts as if she doesn't see them. Sometimes she's warm; sometimes she's cold..."
Stark immediately added, "Sometimes she seems to admire your talents and is drawn to your charm, but then she seems like she wants to escape far away. Sometimes it looks like it's about to happen, but at other times it feels hopeless."
Reed glanced left then right in surprise and then nodded vigorously, his face filled with 'can you two read minds or what?'
Stark scoffed inwardly. This is just normal during the ambiguous phase. Both sides are testing each other's feelings, unwilling to give their hearts away too easily. Observing Reed, who appeared decent enough, had surprisingly little romantic experience.
"From my experience, she is probably testing you," Steve said, posing thoughtfully and stroking his chin. "I guess you probably meet most of her criteria for a lover, but there's a little bit that's still uncertain."
"Which part?" Reed asked eagerly.
"That's a long story," Steve sighed. "It's almost lunchtime. Come with us to prepare the barbecue, and in the meantime, tell us how you met her and what you've been up to recently."
Reed nodded and was led away by Steve and Stark.
Others left the room in twos and threes, Beast covered the machine with a cloth, and Shiller locked the door before leaving too.
The sun was still scorching today. Opening the door, the heat wave hit them in the face. Because of Carter's situation earlier, no one had much of an appetite, so they decided to have some snacks for lunch and hold a barbecue party at the beach in the evening.
Western eating habits don't emphasize lunch, and in America, breakfast isn't important either. If there's time, an egg with toast is eaten; if not, milk is drunk. Lunch is even less fussed over, with many famous white meals being eaten then.
Some might think the infamous white food is unappetizing enough, but no matter how unappetizing, it's still food. Many American young people simply have a bag of chips or a small cup of yogurt for lunch. Treating oneself to a hot dog at a street stall is considered a luxury.
For Americans, there is only one real meal a day: dinner. Most major meals are eaten during dinner, and American housewives can spend an entire day preparing for it.
Shiller still couldn't get used to this dining habit. At the clinic, he insisted on three meals a day, which led Pikachu and Peter to develop the habit of eating properly.
Back in the Stone House living room, Stark casually pulled out a bag of corn chips from the bar's cupboard, then grabbed the coconut juice he hadn't finished earlier - this was probably his lunch.
Steve really didn't feel like eating, but to set an example for Carter, he still heated up the breakfast sandwich Shiller had made, cut an orange, and mixed two packets of energy drinks.
Erica had just put Little Jack down for his nap and had also taken a short nap herself. Waking up feeling a bit dizzy, she poured herself a glass of ice and crunched on it - that was her lunch.
Wanda was even more nonchalant: she followed Shiller around and waited for him to finish preparing the food, took a photo, posted it on social media, and considered that her meal.
Only Shiller and Peter busied themselves in the kitchen with genuine emotion.
Shiller wasn't very hungry either, so he sliced the chicken breast, marinated it with chili and lemon juice, then crushed chips to use as breading. He deep-fried chicken legs that had been marinated in Mexican flavors from the fridge, and made oyster sauce lettuce - with that, lunch was done.
Since it was only the two of them plus a mouse eating properly, they didn't bother setting the table and instead leaned against the bar to eat. As they did, Pikachu browsed his phone interface, checking to see if delivery was an option here.
Shiller took his phone back and said, "Don't even think about ordering cake. The nearest cake shop is probably 200 kilometers away."
Pikachu let out a mournful howl, "I haven't had dessert in so long!"
After a moment of thought, Shiller said, "There are some simple ingredients in the fridge; maybe later I can make you a pound cake."