In Hell's Kitchen, New York.
On the bed at the Schiller's Clinic, Daredevil Matt emits a scream of pain. Schiller removes the tweezers holding an alcohol-soaked cotton ball and says, "Since no one comes to this street, I can't remove the bullet if you keep tensing your muscles like this."
He throws the cotton ball into the trash can, wipes the tweezers with an alcohol swab, and opens the wound on Daredevil's shoulder a bit more, saying, "I need to make a small cut in the wound."
Matt responds, "You have to give me some anesthesia; or, I will definitely go into shock."
Schiller remarks, "A superhero who fears pain. I don't know whether to laugh at you or admire you."
"There are not many who can injure me like this; this time Kingpin has found a formidable person," Matt replies.
Schiller looks at Matt's pale face and nearly bloodless lips. Everyone has a different tolerance for pain, and Daredevil Matt is apparently more sensitive.
As Schiller says, it's laughable yet admirable that someone like this becomes a superhero.
Schiller thinks to himself that superheroes also get injured and bleed,and no drugs can completely prevent pain. Maybe Batman also abandons superficial thoughts of revenge amidst painful experiences, finding himself a greater purpose.
"Justice," only the grand ideal, can make these superheroes get through the endless night they lick their wounds alone.
Schiller puts down the tweezers and says, "You're lucky, Matt, I have some good drugs here."
He takes out a small white bottle and hands it to Matt. Matt feels the packaging and smells the scent, saying, "Damn, how do you also have these painkillers? You junkie!"
"It's good stuff. Different from the rubbish on the market; the concentration is the highest you can find. If you won't take it, give it back; this is expensive," Schiller tells him.
Schiller has just taken out painkillers he filched while stealing fear gas from Jonathan. Jonathan needs painkillers for his experiments, and he refines them himself, much better than the ones available for purchase.
Still, Matt takes a pill, saying, "God bless me to get better quickly and then to turn around and punch you."
"Don't take repaying kindness with grudges for granted. Carrying a few pills in Hell's Kitchen is normal; it's not a crime," Schiller states.
Feeling the pain subside, Matt has to admit Schiller has a point. In Hell's Kitchen, taking drugs is almost the most harmless habit.
And Schiller thinks if someone in Gotham has only a habit of taking drugs, they are almost kind like angel.
Watching Matt's look change gradually, Schiller performs a simple surgery while asking, "How did you sink yourself?"
Matt, lips pursed, says, "Kingpin's person is not simple; I was prepared. But the group who call themselves 'ninjas' can lower their heart rate; I can't hear them... Oh! Damn..."
Schiller handles the freshly removed bullet with tweezers, turning it over, saying, "These ninjas you speak of must have nothing better to do, carving cherry blossom designs on their bullets."
Matt appears exhausted. Schiller calls, "Pikachu! Bring me the bandages from the cabinet!"
Matt hears a small creature jump onto the table. It complains, "I told you not to treat him in the bedroom. Do you think the smell of blood is nice? Hey, tough luck, here's your bandage..."
Schiller catches the bandage Pikachu throws and wraps it around Matt. Matt says, "You better be quick; I must leave here soon."
"And die right outside my door?" Schiller inquires.
"They are after me; the ninjas have unique tracking skills. If they come here, we won't escape," Matt states.
Matt is a good man, not wanting to bring trouble to Schiller. Although to him, Schiller does not seem like a good man, he still saves him. Matt is not verbally soft but doesn't want to repay kindness with hostility.
As Schiller cleans the bloodstained tools, he says, "They don't need special tracking skills. You ran here from the next street, loaded with a strong smell of blood. If they haven't noticed that..."
Suddenly, Matt hears an intense whoosh and yells, "Darts! Avoid fast!!"
Anxiously, Matt realizes from Schiller's footsteps that he is an untrained civilian. Against the ninja assassins, Schiller has almost no chance of survival.
Quickly, Matt hears a 'thud'; the projectile seems to hit something. Schiller holds up an umbrella,he thinks, an umbrella serves well as a defensive weapon, especially against small projectiles like darts, greatly reducing their impact.
Across from them there is only one person, because Schiller's telepathy works in range. Apart from Matt, he senses only one person's emotions.
"This lady, if you hesitated for three minutes before acting, why not sit down for a coffee?" Schiller suggests.
Before getting a reply from across, Schiller speaks to the air, "You were merciful to your old flame. I've never seen someone shoot a bullet into the least lethal gap in the shoulder blade. Now that you're here, why not show yourself?"
A cold snort comes from the air and the assassin departs.
Confused, Matt asks, "What? Old flame?"
Schiller shakes his head, remarking, "Haven't you noticed? The assassin had the skill to shoot you undetected; why didn't she aim for your heart or head?"
"So the bullet wasn't meant for my heart?" Matt asks.
"Not in the slightest," Schiller replies.
Matt is momentarily puzzled. It turns out the assassin across is Elektra, his former classmate and ex-girlfriend.
Schiller, aware of the story, knows Elektra is torn; she still has feelings for Matt but hesitates to complete her mission; she wants to appear but doesn't want to see her ex-boyfriend. When Schiller hints at her identity, she flees, not ready to let Matt know who she is.
Women's thoughts are mysterious.
Soon, Daredevil Matt falls asleep amidst pain and worry. Schiller closes and locks the clinic's main door and all the windows. Standing by the bed, he looks at New York City's night sky.
A meteor shines brightly through the sky, lovers make wishes, but in actuality, it's Stark's armor.
The people of Hell's Kitchen are too preoccupied to wish upon meteors, but Schiller calls Stark. Once connected, Schiller comments, "Does Ms. Potts know you prefer soaring in your armor than spending time with her?"
Watched by many couples, the meteor plummets.
Later, on the clinic's rooftop, Stark, in his slightly smoking Mark V armor, complains to Schiller, "I should really blacklist you..."
Schiller lights a cigarette for him, noticing, "A middle-aged man driving around at midnight, not keeping his wife company, must be quarreled."
Stark accepts the cigarette from Schiller, sitting on the roof's edge, and admits, "She's pressuring me, I'm honestly unsure..."
"Unsure about what? Whether to marry Pepper?"
Stark chokes, "Marry? You're skipping steps,aren't you?"
"True, there is an indeed important step for your this kind of person," Schiller says.
"Don't say that. Pepper is different," Stark defends.
"I wonder if you're any different to her," Schiller amuses.
Before Stark can answer, Schiller adds, "But I bet you spend less time with her than the security guard."
"...I'll fire that security guard when I return," Stark declares, avoiding certain issues.
Later, Stark touches his cheek, asking, "Can you really read minds?"
"If I say I can, would you believe me? Don't keep asking things you don't believe," Schiller concludes.
"Why not you find a way to make me believe there's mind-reading in this world, and then you can tell me what Pepper really thinks," Stark says.
Iron Man is not the traditional 'Everyman hero ' type; he has a sensitive and emotional heart, and an intuitive mind that doesn't quite match his persona as a technological genius, entangling his emotions into a tangled mess.
Facing Pepper, Stark always struggles to charge ahead, not realizing that this attitude has already said a lot.
Schiller changes the topic, saying, "How's that red-and-blue tight kid doing in New York City lately? I've heard you complain about him."
"Oh, yes, a kid in an unimaginably ugly suit, jumping around the city, swinging back and forth like a flea." Stark sneers, "Jarvis told me the kid's probably underage. I'm planning to catch him and then send him back home."
"I have a bit of a clue here; want to hear it?" Schiller offers.
"I've seen him a few times on the edge of Hell's Kitchen; he didn't dare to come in. I noticed a high school emblem on his sky-blue trousers, from somewhere in Queens..."
"You call this a clue?" Stark scoffs, and Schiller continues, "It's obvious he can't afford a good outfit for himself, so his family situation is probably not good. It's definitely not one of those exorbitantly expensive private schools; he's most likely a student from Midtown High School or Forest Hills ..."
"Forest Hills High School is a boarding school; if a student were out and about like that, they'd probably get their legs broken. Whereas Midtown High is much looser. Judging by his build, he's probably a freshman or a sophomore."
"Just a kid," Stark concludes, "Probably fiddled with a toy that he uses to show off, and he couldn't wait to come out and wander around."
"So, are you planning on giving him a taste of the harsh realities of adulthood?" Schiller asks.
"Of course, more importantly, New York City is not his playground," Stark replies.
Although he too is just recovering, Stark is an adult who has been through a lot. He knows a kid like Spider-Man wandering around will inevitably run into trouble; in fact, some media have already taken notice of him.