As another red-and-gold Iron Man armor landed, Ultimate Iron Man's expression darkened. His thoughts raced, and he immediately saw that this armor differed from the Mark series he had built before.
The lights on the faceplate flashed twice. Ultimate Iron Man was the first to open his faceplate. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he looked at the person opposite him with glowing white eyes and said, "Who are you? Why are you here?"
"That's what I should be asking you." With a click, the other Iron Man's faceplate opened as well. When the two nearly identical faces faced each other, it was clear that the Iron Man in the red-and-gold armor was younger.
"It was you who took Schiller away, wasn't it?" Stark asked.
In a daze, he recalled everything that had happened after they parted ways in the German valley that day.
Stark stood in the middle of the valley, watching Schiller and Nick board the plane together. He remained silent for a long time, because he had finally realized that Schiller was right. He had always imagined Schiller as a victim with no ability to resist.
But the abilities Schiller had displayed and the past he had revealed showed that he had been capable of resisting, even controlling the situation, from beginning to end. He was not a hero, but he was definitely strong.
Stark knew that Schiller's account of his background might not all have been true, but he could also infer from the current situation that Schiller was indeed extremely familiar with organizations such as Hydra, S.H.I.E.L.D., and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He was skilled at navigating the cracks between them, even at grasping those thin, delicate threads and weaving them into a vast web, manipulating hearts and capturing prey.
But that gave Stark another kind