Ch.47 Off-site Technical Guidance

席勒和斯塔克一起站在一辆受损的马克2号车前.

 

斯塔克说:"听着.现在的问题是这里的制动系统完全损坏了.在我们进行任何修改之前,我们需要先修复它.

 

说完,他拿起一把扳手向前走去,开始摆弄盔甲.

 

席勒站在他身后,对脑海中的共生体说:"不,不,你不能吃他的大脑.

 

"但是它看起来很好吃,真的很好吃,闻起来很香."

 

"可是..."

 

席勒站着,双手放在腰上,一只手捂着额头.他重新整理了自己的话,"你不能吃人的大脑,因为..."

 

席勒停顿了一会儿.他想,好吧,尽管这个种族看起来很奇特,但他们的口味却惊人地相似.

 

"我们可以在吃掉他的大脑后自己做,"共生体建议道.

 

"不!"

 

"嗯..."

 

斯塔克仍然视而不见.他捣鼓了一会儿,然后用扳手敲了敲旁边的栏杆,换了个姿势,继续捣鼓,同时说:"魔法盔甲?这听起来很有趣.我认为这是一种特殊的原子能.您认为它最好的申请表是什么?振动?还是极度压缩?

 

席勒在心里问道:"...您认为它最好的申请表是什么?振动还是极度压缩?

 

"这是拆卸和重建,"共生体说.

 

"这是拆卸和重建,"席勒重复道.

 

说完,他直接用手按在了未修复的部分上,那里的一大块部件闪烁了一会儿,然后又恢复了原来的状态,看起来焕然一新.

 

斯塔克站了起来.他瞪大了眼睛,双臂交叉,道:"你说的这个所谓的魔法,似乎比你的失重要强得多.

 

"I'm amazing, I'm amazing, I'm amazing, I'm amazing..." the symbiote starts squealing in Schiller's mind again.

 

Schiller temporizes, "Okay, okay, you're amazing."

 

He has to admit, the symbiote is a bit more useful than magic. His current magical abilities are only low-level and can be used to bluff people. When it really comes down to it, he still relies on the symbiote.

 

"Shrinking the armor can make it very small," the symbiote says in Schiller's mind.

 

"Shrinking the armor," Schiller repeats.

 

"I have definitely considered that. My Mark 5, in subsequent versions, was originally intended to be compressed into a suitcase. However, it has not been fully developed yet, so I can't carry it around casually."

 

"I think the suitcase plan is a bit conservative."

 

"Can it be even smaller?"

 

"Of course."

 

"How small do you think it can be compressed to?"

 

Schiller asks the symbiote in his mind, "How small do you think it can compress?"

 

"A bottle of fear venom," the symbiote replies.

 

"Can it compress to the size of a small bottle of fear venom?" Schiller asks.

 

"I want to drink it," the symbiote requires.

 

Schiller rolls his eyes, annoyed by the symbiote's bargaining.

 

After happily finishing a bottle of alcohol, the symbiote says, "A cigarette.It can be compressed to the size of a cigarette."

 

Schiller, upon telling Stark, sees him pacing excitedly in the room. Stark whines, "This is indeed atomic-level structure and recombination. If that's the case, maybe it can be even smaller, perhaps even nano-level..."

 

"Can it be smaller than a cigarette?" Schiller asks in his mind.

 

"It can, but it will explode when expanded," the symbiote replies.

 

So Schiller tells Stark, "It can actually be smaller, but I cannot guarantee the safety of the expansion process."

 

Stark yells, "Anyway, let's start it. Create a groundbreaking technology, and then I'll hand over all those outdated versions to the military.Let them to deal with the junk. I'll even save some electronic waste management fees. Pepper will be happy."

 

"There are so many benefits to being able to arm at any time!" Stark clenches his fist with one hand and pounds the palm of his other hand, "And I can even fit a complete Jarvis into a cellphone. Can you believe it, a cellphone with such a powerful smart butler?"

 

Schiller prays, "...God bless Jarvis."

 

 

After a while, Stark takes down the somewhat worn Mark 2 from the shelf. Before he can even see clearly, a burst of mist flashes, and the Mark 2 disappears.

 

Then Schiller reappears, holding a metallic cigarette in his hand and hands it to Stark. Stark asks, "Is it done?"

 

"What else do you need?"

 

"There shouldn't be any magic spell... I mean, like some kind of ritual, or a wand..." Stark guesses.

 

"Not needed, that's too low-end," Schiller denies.

 

Stark blinks and suddenly has infinite expectations for magic.

 

 

But later on, these expectations drive Strange crazy. He is just a magician, how can Iron Man treat him like the omnipotence God? No matter what, Iron Man always has a look of "let's leave it to the almighty magic!"

 

When he hears that the Sorcerer Supreme needs preparation, Stark calls Strange a "low-end magician,".Strange almost breaks his wand in anger.

 

Regardless of how Schiller's behavior now would drive the future Strange in interaction with Iron Man to madness, he is making Stark extremely excited at the moment. He yells cheerfully, "How can I turn it into armor? How do I wear it?"

 

Schiller asks in his mind, "How can he turn it into armor? How does he wear it?"

 

The symbiote burps, "Think about it in your mind."

 

Schiller says, "Think about it in your mind."

 

Stark pauses for a moment, then hesitantly recalls the original armament of the Mark 2 in his mind.

 

Almost instantly, the Mark 2 is worn on his body. This transformation has no process, almost a restructuring at the atomic level.

 

Stark says, "What's the principle behind this?"

 

Schiller asks in his mind, "What's the principle behind this?"

 

The symbiote says, "Mental perturbance."

 

Schiller tells Stark, "Mental perturbance."

 

"Are you talking about brainwaves or something else?"

 

The symbiote in Schiller's mind becomes a bit drunk, seemingly unable to answer further. So Schiller says, "Please don't explain magic with science, it's good ,and it's enough."

 

Stark feels an intense urge to start researching. He nearly mercilessly says to Schiller, "Okay, okay, I understand. Your magical abilities. Just wait, someday I will surpass you using it."

 

Then he drives Schiller out.

 

Schiller is practically kicked out of Stark Tower, but he doesn't take offence. Stark is always like this, once he gets addicted to experiments, ignores everything else.

 

 

He has just returned to the clinic when he sees Steve waiting. Steve greets him and says, "Nick sent me here. He wants to see you, and I think it might be something related to Stark."

 

Schiller then shouts to the air, "How about 10 million dollars per hour, Director Nick?"

 

"You're making quite the exorbitant demand." A voice suddenly comes from the phone hanging at Steve's waist.

 

Shrugging, Schiller hums, "Well, originally, I was thinking of invoicing you for 100 million."

 

There is a moment of silence on the other end, then bargains, "With an additional 50 million in late payment fees..."

 

"Deal," Schiller agrees.

 

Shortly after, Schiller arrives at the international reception center of S.H.I.E.L.D. He shakes hands with Nick, who is wearing an eyepatch, and they sit facing each other. Coulson pours them both a cup of coffee, with Schiller receiving an espresso.

 

Schiller finishes his coffee in one gulp, but Nick slowly sips his. Schiller starts, "Shall we discuss business first or invoice first?"

 

"Let's start with the invoice," Nick says.

 

After a while, Nick asks him, "I know Stark gave his suit to the military , but that's not important. We're not for those armors."

 

"What you want is him, Stark himself."

 

"S.H.I.E.L.D. was created by his father."

 

"If you bring up this matter to him now, he'll never join you in this lifetime."

 

"Furthermore, if you want him to join, talk to him. Don't come to me. It's useless. I'm just his therapist, not his dad."

 

"We're not asking you to persuade Stark. We know he's stubborn. What do you think of our plan? A team comprised of individuals with special abilities?"

 

"Good idea. But it depends on who they'll be working for."

 

"Isn't it for S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

 

"But who does S.H.I.E.L.D. work for?"

 

Nick frowns, decisively bypassing that topic, "Well, we'd like to invite you to join..."

 

"You've said it yourself, it's a team comprised of individuals with special abilities. I'm just a mortal,whose long jump has never exceeded three meters."

 

Nick opens his mouth, feeling like Schiller is treating him like a fool.

 

"Listen, we don't care how you disappear and suddenly reappear hundreds of meters away or where that Canadian-accented blonde rat came from. We can even overlook your accurate and terrifying psychological analysis. But a neurosurgeon told us that you threatened him with a floating ballpoint pen..."

 

In his mind, Schiller says to the symbiote, "From now on, you can't eat other people's minds freely, except for Strange."

 

Schiller asks, "Do you believe in magic in this world?"

 

"The powers of science create these individuals with special abilities. So I also believe that there could be other powers that create other individuals. Are you one of them?"

 

"No, I'm just an ordinary person. But I think I can exchange some information for my freedom."

 

"About what? Magic?"

 

"Yes, I believe you should have the authority to access satellites. Go investigate a missing network in New York and find out where it's connected to."

 

Nick frowns, but Schiller doesn't say anything more.

 

The wireless network in the New York Sanctum should still rely on the modern network system, not some magical network. They simply used magic to conceal the access points to this network.

 

If Nick is willing to investigate, he will surely find some clues.

 

The reason why Schiller doesn't firmly refuse is that he will rely on the Avengers to save the world in various events that follow. He won't go through the trouble of dealing with those enemies himself, like the Lizard or the Red Hulk .

 

At most, he will provide a little assistance for his own safety. So he needs to maintain contact with these superheroes to be an extraordinary... shit-stirrer.