Iron Man Never Retreats

Peter said as he ate, "Things don't seem very optimistic. When I went to the lab to see Mr. Stark yesterday, Colonel Rhodes seemed to be trying to persuade him the whole time."

Peter said, "I may not understand these things, but I know that if Mr. Stark's armored suits fall into the military's hands, it might not be a good thing."

"As Mr. Stark's friend, Colonel Rhodes may be in a difficult position too. After all, he represents the interests of a whole group of people," Peter said.

"You're smarter than I imagined. I thought you wouldn't be able to make sense of the current situation."

Peter shook his head and said, "Actually, I really can't make sense of it, but I know everyone wants those armored suits because they're really powerful."

"No, it's because they're weapons."

"If they were just cleaning robots, even if they could clean all of New York in an instant, the military wouldn't be this interested."

Peter fell silent for a moment. He said, "I don't think the armored 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 try to persuade him? I can't just do nothing, can I?"

"I think you should deal with your own affairs first. If you can completely master the power of Spider Mutation, perhaps all of this will become trivial to you."

Just as Peter had said, the next day, Schiller's psychiatric clinic received an expected visitor: James Rhodes, also known as Colonel Rhodes.

He bluntly told Schiller, "The military needs Stark's armor technology, but he has always been vague about his position. I only came to ask what exactly he intends to do. Is S.H.I.E.L.D. playing some role in this?"

"You didn't really want to come either," Schiller said. "I can tell."

Rhodey tugged at one corner of his mouth and said, "Looks like there's a reason Tony charges you such an expensive consultation fee."

"Obviously, your superiors know this question can't be asked of Stark, or S.H.I.E.L.D. will get the answer faster than you do. But asking me won't do you much good either."

"The military needs Stark's armor. It could give us an advantage in many places... It could save a lot of lives."

"Didn't you notice that your reluctance has made your wording utterly hollow? Colonel Rhodes, I know you're in a difficult position too. The military keeps pressuring Stark, but he is also your friend."

"So you can only make yourself feel better by deceiving yourself. You know perfectly well what those suits of armor will be used for, but as long as you convince yourself that this might be beneficial, you can ease some of the guilt of forcing your friend."

"Following orders is a soldier's duty," Rhodey said.

"Indeed. But what about Stark? What about your friend? Again and again, you go against his wishes, force him to surrender his own interests, and use your friendship to hold him hostage."

"You have always known how much Tony values you. Stark does not have many friends, but you are certainly one of them... perhaps even the most important one."

"You know he is willing to pay this price for you, willing to do what he hates most—compromise and bow his head."

"You know Stark will agree sooner or later. If your superiors corner you until there is no way out, he will definitely save you."

"Stop it," Rhodey said.

He pressed his lips tightly into a thin line.

Schiller clicked his ballpoint pen, and the crisp sound abruptly jolted Rhodey awake. Schiller said, "Perhaps he is willing to do this because you possess something he lacks. My advice is that perhaps these are what you should protect most. Compared with the military, Stark's friendship is more precious, and not because he is wealthier—"

"Rather, it is because of the qualities that an aloof genius sees in you—qualities even he does not possess—that make him willing to pay this price for you. They are worth your persistence and pride far more than those hollow honors, aren't they?"

Rhodey fell silent.

The next day, when Schiller went to Stark Tower, he happened to run into Rhodey leaving. An adjutant followed behind him, and the adjutant's expression was clearly pleased. They seemed to have gotten something they wanted.

But Rhodey's expression had not improved at all. His face remained tense. He did not look at Schiller and simply walked straight past him.

After going upstairs, Stark was once again standing before his armor, studying his creation closely.

"Looks like you've made your decision. They got what they wanted, didn't they?" Schiller asked.

"All right." Stark turned around. He first tensed the muscles in his shoulders, then suddenly relaxed, letting them slump as he exhaled. He said, "I know I should have followed your earlier advice. You were right."

"But I didn't. I knew it was right. I didn't have to pay any price at all, and I still didn't do it..."

"I knew it wouldn't work," Schiller said. He carried the case file to the desk and began writing in his notebook. Without looking up, he sighed slightly. "Many people are willing to pay an enormous price in pursuit of emotional compensation, especially people like you, who have never lacked material comforts."

"You would rather give up the outcome that maximized your interests than watch Rhodey struggle in the middle. You paid the price and bought back your temporary friendship with him."

"Yes, I know what you want to say. You are friends—that is what you think, and what he thinks as well. But friendship cannot last merely because both sides are willing to see it that way."

"You keep paying for it, and one day there will come a price you cannot afford. When you can no longer pay, perhaps Rhodey will understand you, but the world will not."

Finally, Schiller said, "Once you have fed those people's appetites, the price you must pay for your feelings will be endless."

Stark said, "It's not as if I've never considered that. I know that once I give ground, I will inevitably keep losing."

"They can use Rhodey to persuade me to hand over part of the armor technology. Then one day, they can force him to persuade me to hand over all the armor, or build more War Machines for them."

"Ever since I learned how many civilians my weapons had harmed, I understood that intelligence brings not only wealth, but disaster as well." Stark pressed his fingers against his eye socket and said, "I only recently figured this out. In the end, a genius always reaches a point where there is no retreat."

"When everyone knows you have a mind powerful enough to save the world, they will also develop the ambition to make you destroy it."

After a moment of silence, Schiller stood and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window. Outside Stark Tower, New York was bathed in sunset. Stark followed his gaze. The dazzling light blurred into a hazy wash before his eyes. Schiller said, "When there is no way left to retreat, what will you do?"

Stark said, "This is my home. It is also Pepper's, Jarvis's, and... every Stark's."

"In the end, no one can force me to hand this place over."

"If they want more..."

Those eyes of Stark's, always filled with every kind of emotion, looked directly at Schiller. His expression was not heavy in the slightest. Instead, he calmly said:

"...Iron Man never retreats."

Schiller looked at him and asked:

"Then have you considered overturning this absurd, tedious negotiating table?"

"You're like a devil tempting people into corruption."

"This works far better than praying to God."

"I never pray. I don't rely on gods, and I don't believe in those bizarre tricks or those ridiculous rumors and legends..."

The moment his words fell, Stark saw everything in his laboratory begin to tremble slightly.

Then, everything floated up.

In an instant, as though gravity had vanished, everything floated in midair—cups, notebooks, computers, wrenches...

The sunset outside shone upon places that should never have received sunlight. Schiller stood at the center of it all, and the light behind him cast a long shadow before him.

The shadows of all the objects overlapped into a vast net. Stark stood amid it all and held out his hand. A drop of water falling from a cup landed on his fingertip. Stark looked around, seeing the countless ordinary, mundane objects suspended in the air, along with the familiar ceiling and walls overhead—

He saw a door to a new world.