Suddenly, he looked up at Shiller and said, "You did it on purpose. You deliberately exposed your contact and lured us here. You've planned this internal conflict from the start..."
Shiller stood up again, walking to one side of his room. He tapped the top of the TV there. The two men watched his every move, seemingly worried about any sudden moves he might make. But Shiller merely bent down behind the TV and switched it on.
A scene suddenly unfolded before their eyes. A man was nailed to the wall, blood smeared all over it. Steve exclaimed wide-eyed, "Bucky! What have you done to him?!"
"Why ask when you already know the answer?" Shiller turned to look at the TV, "It's obvious. I kidnapped him and used numerous wedges with a diameter of 6 cm to nail him to the wall."
Steve pounded in rage, "You madman!!! What on earth are you trying to do?!"
At that moment, Shiller calmly returned to his desk, opened a drawer and pulled out a handgun.
Steve immediately picked up his shield, Stark activated his gauntlet, but Shiller merely lowered his head; a "click" sounded, ejecting the magazine. He pulled a bullet from the side, loaded it into the magazine, then pushed it back up.
Then he placed the gun flatly on the table, gently pushing it forward. The gun spun and slid in front of Steve. Shiller lifted his head, looking into his eyes, "Pick it up, then shoot me. Eliminate the Hydra you loathe the most."
His attitude was defiant, as if betting Steve would not dare. Provoked, Steve picked up the gun, chambered a round, and aimed at Shiller's forehead, "Do you think I'm going to spare you?!"
"I know you won't, because I am a Hydra. But what about Shiller? Isn't he your friend?"
"He is a doctor and a good man. He has saved many people, perhaps including you, and many other superheroes."
"As for me, I'm just a product of Hydra's brainwashing, devoid of emotions. It was never Shiller's intent, merely an accident."
Shiller walked out from behind the table. Steve kept his gun trained on him. Shiller approached Steve until the barrel rested on his forehead.
Shiller locked his gaze with Steve's and asked, "If you intend to shoot me, why can't Stark kill your best friend Bucky?"
Steve's arm began to shake uncontrollably. Stark stepped forward, "Enough, Shiller. Don't do this. There might be a misunderstanding..."
Steve's breathing grew more ragged. Seeing past Shiller, he noticed the screen not displaying a picture, but a live feed. Bucky no longer held his cold expression; agony was etched across his face.
Steve's finger barely pressed against the trigger. The trigger slack had already been squeezed out, press any further and the bullet would go off. But Shiller showed no signs of evasion. He kept the muzzle pressed against his forehead, his eyes locked onto Steve's.
After a few seconds, Steve lowered his arm. He gripped the gun handle tightly with his pinky and ring finger, but the trigger finger relented. He curled up in pain, shaking his head as though trying to shake off an illusion.
Stark stopped watching. He stepped forward, intending to help Steve. But the moment he tried to touch Steve's arm, he was brushed off. Steve's unimaginable strength sent Iron Man in his armor staggered back a few steps.
Steve struggled to stand straight. He looked at Shiller and asked, "What do we have to do for you to let Bucky go?"
"The Winter Soldier and I are both created by Hydra's brainwashing. We're nothing more than guns for killing."
"If you kill me, it means you refute your own defense for Bucky. Dr. Shiller you knew was innocent too, yet you killed him."
"That would mean, just like you, Stark also has every right to kill Bucky in the name of his father's revenge. Anyone is justified to do so."
"Steve, you didn't shoot not because you empathize with the innocent Dr. Shiller within me. No, you fear. Fear that if you pull the trigger, Stark might pull his on Bucky. That a beacon of justice will take his life."
"Just now, you wanted to pull the trigger, right? Did you consider this in that split second?" Shiller asked, looking into Steve's eyes.
"Bucky is your friend. Isn't Shiller?"
"Two men in the same situation, why are your responses so different?"
"Is it really because you have a stronger bond with Bucky?"
"Are you really concerned about Bucky? Or the era he represents?
"The era that carries all your past, memories, all the glory and honor of... wartime?"
Steve stood there, his hands holding the gun but not lifting it. He listened to Schiller's questions quietly. His bloodshot eyes, so blue they were, trembled a bit.
You're right," he managed, his voice shaky, "I've always been living in the past. The war brought me nothing but nightmares, yet if given the choice, I'd still choose the past..."