"At that time, I possessed abilities beyond an ordinary person's. I could accidentally inflict fatal harm on others. I nearly bit a nurse's neck when I lost control,"
"She was just a regular person, and on the older side. Despite immediate medical help, she still lost a fraction of her life, which perhaps affected her lifespan too,"
Robert slightly turned his head to look at Shiller, his eyes seeming to regain some vitality. Evidently, the emotions embodied in Shiller's tone made him concentrate on the story.
Shiller pressed his lips together and said, "My mental state was already unstable, and it got stimulated. That nearly resulted in even larger consequences, but thankfully, it was stopped in time."
"I put on a mask afterward to prevent me from losing control again and biting people. I chose to wear it voluntarily and during that period, I refused anyone to take it off until the injured nurse came to see me after she recovered."
"I thought I would never see her again, but she came back, loaded up with lots of things for me."
"When she was injured, she didn't shed a single tear, but she burst into tears and cried for two hours when she saw me again,"
Robert's arm began to tremble, as he seemed to empathize with the emotions that Shiller had felt at the time. Shiller looked into Robert's eyes and said,
"In this world, there are people who understand you, there are people who will forgive you. The harm you anticipated you brought onto others may have been resolved by their kindness. They don't need or want you to pay a price for it..."
With a creak, the door to the room was pushed open. Steve, who had been listening at the door for a while, walked in. Shiller immediately stood up, intending to offer his seat.
However, Robert on the bed began to tremble all over again.
Shiller turned around and used the Gray Mist to control him. But this time, Robert's loss of control was more severe than ever. He used his ability to crash into the wall at breakneck speed, causing the entire sanatorium building to shudder.
"Grab him!" Shiller shouted.
Instinctively, Steve wanted to throw his Shield, but he hesitated briefly and then rushed toward Robert at top speed. Before Robert could fly out the window, he pinned him to the ground, and Shiller injected him with a tranquilizer. This time, he fell into a deep sleep, making no more sound.
Steve and Shiller lifted Robert back onto the bed. Looking at Robert's young face, Steve said, "It's not his fault at all; he shouldn't have to pay such a heavy price for this."
"How did you get here?" Shiller asked Steve.
"You diagnosed last time that Bucky has some degree of panic disorder, possibly originating from his psychological trauma. During the last review, he took some medication, but it was not very effective. So I thought I'd ask if there was a possibility of changing the prescription," Steve explained with a frown.
"The nurse told me you were here, so I came over. I hadn't expected this kid to end up like this," Steve slowly shook his head.
"What the hell are you guys doing?" Another voice came from outside the door, and Stark swaggered in. Speaking to Shiller, he said, "The SkyTrain station can only be set up behind the sanatorium. It's inevitable there would be noise. Why don't you move your bedroom to another building? That would be much simpler than destroying the overall layout, right?"
As soon as he walked in, he saw Robert lying on the bed. Having studied the reasons for Shiller's plan after his resurrection, Stark naturally knew who the boy was. Looking then at Steve, he understood what was happening.
"It's not his fault, he was controlled. Regardless, he also contributed to the advancement of the Solar System Development Plan. He shouldn't be suffering like this..." Steve's face turned a bit pale as he said to Shiller, "Can I tell him this myself?"
"What on earth is happening now?" Stark asked, frowning, "This little guy killed you, didn't he? Didn't you just say that your post-traumatic stress disorder was triggered by the shock of death?"
Shiller immediately turned to look at Steve. Steve turned his head away and said, "That was before, it's all good now."
Although he was behaving like a typical tough guy, Shiller could still tell that Steve was not in a good state. Shiller shook his head and said, "It seems that my initial plan was a bit too aggressive. But I remember, before your mental state was quite stable, why the sudden..."
Steve rubbed his chin and dropped his gaze, looking down at his feet, "Bucky is not doing well; he's stuck in a cycle of intense agitation, and panic attacks. Ordinary medication barely helps..."
Stark snorted. His tone and demeanor were basically saying, "serves him right." However, Steve looked at Robert on the bed and said, "Like Robert, Bucky was controlled as well. They shouldn't have to pay such a heavy price..."
Just as Stark was about to retort, Steve continued, "I can say these things because I'm still alive. I can stand here and tell him it's not his fault. I don't mind, and I forgive him... but not everyone can."