While eating, Peter says, "The situation seems very grim. Yesterday when I went to the lab to see Mr. Stark, Colonel Rhodes seemed to be constantly persuading him."
Peter continues, "Although I don't understand these things, I know that if Mr. Stark's suits fall into the hands of the military, it may not be a good thing."
"Colonel Rhodes,is Mr. Stark's friend, maybe he is also in a difficult position, after all, he represents the interests of a group of people,".
"You are smarter than I imagined. I thought you might not understand the current situation."
Peter shakes his head , "Actually, I really don't understand. But I know that everyone wants those suits because they are really powerful."
"No, it's because they are weapons."
"If it was just a cleaning robot, even if it could clean up New York in an instant, the military wouldn't be so interested."
Peter falls silent for a moment and speaks, "I don't think the suits should be handed over. But I know Mr. Stark is under a lot of pressure. Do you think I should... should I go comfort him? Or advise him? I can't just do nothing, right?"
"I think you should first focus on solving your own issues. If you can fully control your powers, perhaps these things will be trivial for you," Peter suggests.
As Peter says, the next day, an expected guest arrives at Schiller's clinic. James Rhodes, also known as Colonel Rhodes.
He directly asks Schiller, "The military needs Stark's suit technology, but he seems undecided. I just want to ask you, what are his plans? Has S.H.I.E.L.D. played a role in this?"
"To be honest, you didn't want to come," Schiller says. "I can see that."
Rhodes twitches the corner of his mouth, "It seems Tony's decision to charge you such a high fee for the therapy session is justified."
"Clearly, your superiors know that they can't ask Stark directly, otherwise S.H.I.E.L.D. would get the answers faster than you. But coming to me to ask won't do you any good."
"The military needs Stark's suits. They can give us an advantage in many places... it can save many lives."
"Don't you notice that your unwillingness has made your wording incredibly dry,Colonel Rhodes?I know you are also in a dilemma. The military keeps pressuring Stark, but he is your friend."
"So you can only deceive yourself to feel a little better. Deep down, you know what these war armors will be used for. But if you can convince yourself that doing so might be good, you can alleviate the guilt of pressuring a friend."
"Obeying orders is a soldier's duty," Rhodes claims.
"Indeed, but what about Stark? What about your friend? Again and again, going against a friend's will, forcing him to betray his own interests, using friendship to blackmail him."
"You always know how much Tony values you. Stark doesn't have many friends. You are definitely one of them... maybe even the most important one."
"You know he's willing to pay the price for you, willing to do the things he hates the most - compromise and bow down."
"You know, Stark will eventually be willing to do it. If you're backed into a corner by your superiors, he will definitely save you."
"Stop that," Rhodes interrupts.
He purses his lips tightly into a thin line.
Schiller presses the button on the pen, and the crisp sound startles Rhodes. Schiller says, "Perhaps he's willing to do that because you have something that he doesn't. My advice is that maybe these are the things you should hold on to the most. Stark's friendship is more precious than the military, and it's not because he's wealthier—"
"But because a lonely genius sees those qualities in you, qualities that he himself doesn't possess, making he willing to pay the price for you, qualities that are more worthy for you to hold on to and be proud of than empty honors, isn't that right?"
Rhodes falls silent.
The next day, when Schiller goes to Stark Tower, he happens to run into Rhodes coming out. There is still an officer following behind him, and the officer's expression is obviously joyful. They seem to have obtained something they wanted.
But Rhodes' expression doesn't improve at all; he still has a stern face. Without looking at Schiller, he walks straight past him.
After going upstairs, Stark stands in front of his armor again, carefully examining his creations.
"It seems you have made your decision, and they have received what they wanted, right?" Schiller asks.
"Fine," Stark turns around. He first tenses the muscles in his shoulders, then suddenly relaxes, lowering his shoulders and exhaling. He confesses, "I know, I should have followed your advice before, that's right."
"But I didn't do it. I knew it was right, and I wouldn't have to pay any price, but still, I didn't do it..."
"I knew it wouldn't work." Schiller sits down at his desk with the medical records and begins writing on his notebook. He doesn't look up, just sighs with some regret, "Many people are willing to pay a huge price to chase emotional compensation, especially for someone like you who never short in material conditions."
"You would rather give up maximizing your benefits than see Rhodes caught in a dilemma. You paid a price, to buy back your temporary friendship with him."
"Yes, I know what you want to say. You're friends, and that's how you see it, and he does too. But only when both sides are willing, this kind of friendship can't last."
"You keep paying the price, and there will come a day when you can no longer afford it. When you can't afford it anymore, perhaps Rhodes will understand you, but this world won't."
Finally, Schiller sighs, "When you constantly stretch their appetite, the price you pay for emotions becomes endless."
Stark admits, "I have thought about this issue. I know that once I let go, I will inevitably keep losing."
"They can use Rhodes to persuade me to surrender some of the armor technology. And one day, they will force him to persuade me to hand over all the armors or build more war machines for them."
"Ever since I realized how much damage my weapons have inflicted on civilians, I have known that wisdom not only brings wealth but also calamity." Stark says as he presses his fingers against his temples. "I only recently understood this issue. The final fate of a genius is always with no retreat."
"When everyone knows you have a great brain that can save the world, they will also harbor ambitions to make you destroy the world."
After a moment of silence, Schiller stands up and walks to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside the window of Stark Tower is the sunset of New York. Stark follows his gaze, and the dazzling light causes a blurry haze in his vision. Schiller questions, "What will you do when you have no way to retreat?"
"This is my home, and for Pepper, Jarvis., and... all of Stark's."
"In the end, no one can force me to give it up."
"If they want more..."
Stark looks directly at Schiller with his eyes that always contain various emotions. His expression is not heavy, but calm as he announces, "Iron Man never retreats."
Schiller looks at him and asks, "So, have you thought about overturning this absurd and boring negotiation table?"
"You're like a tempting devil."
"That's much more effective than praying to God."
"I never pray, I don't rely on gods, I don't believe in those strange tricks, those ridiculous rumors and legends..."
As soon as the words are spoken, Stark notices that everything in his lab begins to tremble slightly.
Then, everything starts floating.
In an instant, it is as if gravity has disappeared. All the objects are floating in mid-air, cups, notebooks, computers, wrenches...
The evening sun outside shines on these objects that should not receive sunlight. Schiller stands in the center of everything, with the light behind him casting a long shadow in front of him.
The shadows of all the items intertwine, forming a huge web, and Stark stands in the midst of it all. He reaches out his hand, and a drop of water falls from a cup, landing on his fingertip. He looks up and sees countless ordinary and mundane objects floating in the air, as well as the usual ceiling and walls above him--
He sees, the gateway to a new world.