"You're telling me you're planning to close Stark's weapon manufacturing division?" Shiller asked.
"But this is something you shouldn't bring to me." Shiller continued.
Stark rubbed his forehead in distress, he said: "Because of the mess you've created, Pepper has received thousands of employee complaints in recent days. She had to reconsider the entire welfare system, which keeps her incredibly busy."
"In fact, that's not the point." Shiller said: "If you'd like to talk, she's always ready to listen."
Stark touched his nose bridge, not responding.
After a while, he said: "I know the repercussions my decision will have on her. I'm aware I'm a damned selfish ghost. I realize that she's already done so much for me. I know I shouldn't do this, but I have no other option."
Opening his notebook on the side, Shiller wrote as he spoke: "Let me think, what you're doing now is pretty much like sentencing a gun to death."
"But my weapons have killed many people."
"Weapons also have no choice." Shiller said.
"You can't seriously expect them all to be like JARVIS, can you? Capable of speaking, protesting against you. Do you honestly think any of them enjoy being in that hellhole Afghanistan? Or do you believe that a bullet as soon as it's manufactured, aspires to be used on the battlefield to kill people?"
Stark sat silently across, saying somewhat fragilely: "I admit, I blamed the weapons for all of these wrongdoings because I know I'm the real culprit, but I can't judge myself."
"But I also understand, Mr. Stark, the reason you can't judge yourself isn't because you want to survive unscathed, but rather because you feel you have the capability to make up for all this. Whenever a crisis arises, only you have the capability to save the world, to stem the tide. It is out of this sense of responsibility that you did all this."
"However, have you considered, trying to find someone or something responsible for an issue and judge them can actually be quite arbitrary and reckless."
"But the root of every issue always exists."
"But this root might not necessarily be right or wrong. You should understand better than I do that this world is not simply black and white. Even if you find what you think should be held accountable, it doesn't make things better. You feel the weapons should be accountable, so you want to shut down the entire weapon manufacturing division, making Pepper lose sleep for nights, causing many employees to lose their jobs, and even those on the battlefield won't thank you."
"Is the pain brought about by getting to the root of it all really worth it?"
Stark looked pained, his entire face was scrunched up. If Spider Man's transformation was like a grand fireworks display, then Stark's transformation might be similar to a terminal star collapsing inward.
The present Stark didn't know what kind of strife his similar question would trigger with Steve, eventually ruining the entire Avengers alliance.
"My brain tells me I can't stop thinking about right or wrong." Stark said.
"Alright, since that's the case, then your brain has to take responsibility for it. If it won't let you go, you should go confront it. Isn't that your persistent theory?"
"Ask your brain if there's a way to achieve what you want without hurting those around you. That's the answer it should give you, because it's the one causing you such torment."
Stark didn't feel any better. He leaned back in his chair saying: "Look at me, this fool, I've hired a devil doctor, a Satan, at the price of one million dollars an hour..."
"Your damn psychotherapy has never brought any positive changes, every time I leave here, I feel worse."
Stark said gritting his teeth.
In a rare occurrence, Shiller didn't tease him. He said: "You can regard me as a catalyst. Later on, you'll understand..."
"Thinking brings about distress, no one can escape this. Giving you a shot in advance, you'll feel much better in the future, and you'll thank me."
Stark crossed himself, he said: "If you continue to be so arrogant, you're nearly going to surpass Howard in my heart."
"This is the first time I've heard you proactively mention your father. But it's quite odd, most people when they're in pain, are prone to call out for their mothers."
Stark pounded the table hard. He didn't want to admit that the reason he mentioned his father was due to his suffering.
He was not some helpless fledgling that needed shelter. The eagle that flew off the cliff and never came back, is not who he should think of in times of despair and pain.
Shiller said: "Perhaps, for this very reason, you've created an armored suit for yourself. Wearing it wherever you go, you feel only it can protect you. Only when you're wearing it, you feel you're the invincible Iron Man."
"But I have to say, if you can't learn to take it off, you can never truly become the Iron Man."
Shiller had thought about this before, there is some similarity between Stark and Batman. Their upbringing, educational backgrounds held uncanny resemblances, and when confronted with a certain type of problem, their chosen solutions were strikingly alike—
Creating for themselves a set of weapons that nobody else could manufacture, then arming themselves with it, feeling extraordinary invincible. Only to find themselves plunged into painful struggles upon realizing that this actually can't solve all problems.