"Because you are too filled with sympathy."
"Shouldn't a doctor have sympathy?"
Shiller shook his head and said, "In a sense, sympathy is the fundamental driving force of becoming a doctor. It is precisely because of the sympathy for the patients that they learn that complex and profound knowledge to treat them."
"But in fact, if you go all the way down this path, you will find that identifying too much with the patients' situations and empathizing with them will only destroy you."
"Not to mention..." Shiller raised his head to look into Stark's eyes, saying, "You are still trying to treat me, Tony, and that is very dangerous."
The look in his eyes made Stark want to back off, as if he were the patient sitting in the chair being treated.
Stark realized that some of the theoretical knowledge taught in books is quite difficult to apply in practice. For instance, a condescending attitude does not strengthen his confidence as a doctor. And the "patient" sitting in the chair receiving treatment seems more like a doctor than he is.
Just as Stark was about to say something, his phone rang. The screen showed Steve's incoming call. He hesitated, then turned around and walked out of the office, answering Steve's call.
"Hello, I'm with Bucky, you better come over."
"Why should I? To disturb you and your best old friend's reunion?"
"I'm not kidding, Tony. Bucky told me about how Shiller's other personality kidnapped him then... I can only say, he's more dangerous than I thought, you better not rush to treat him."
Stark hung up the call. He glanced through the window above his office door, looking at Shiller sitting quietly in there. He put his phone away and then marched down the hallway.
By the time he arrived at the ward where Steve and Bucky were, Stark paused before opening the door. At that moment, Steve's solemn voice was heard from inside the ward. "Bucky, do you remember what's happened lately?"
"Yes, I remember." Another hoarse voice said, "My memories are fragmented and chaotic, but some snippets keep spinning around in my head..."
"Do you remember... Howard Stark?"
Just then, Steve heard the door being opened. Stark walked into the ward, appearing like he had just arrived. Steve immediately stopped the conversation. He stood up and said to Stark, "You'd better listen to what Shiller's done to him."
Stark stood still, glanced at Bucky, then at Steve and said, "Are you sure he is lucid now? I don't want him to suddenly rise and attack any of us."
His tone was very unfriendly, but Steve didn't mind. He said, "I was about to say that. Do you want to know how he broke the brainwashing?"
Stark looked up at Steve, waiting for his next sentence. Steve looked back at Bucky and said, "Not only did Shiller kidnap Bucky, he tortured him for six hours, and then..."
Steve swallowed, his Adam's apple shaking uncontrollably, as if recalling something horrifying.
"In those six hours, he completely ripped apart the personality that Hydra brainwashed into him."
"He hammered wedges into Bucky's body..." Steve made gestures with his hands, trying hard to explain the process, but then Bucky's low, hoarse voice came through, "The word 'some' isn't accurate, he used over forty wedges."
"If I hadn't undergone special alterations, I would be dead now, most likely from the pain."
Steve put his hand to his forehead, lowered his head, and sighed deeply. He said, "Anyway, Shiller's other personality is indeed too dangerous."
"The word 'dangerous' is also not quite accurate." Bucky's dry voice came again, "He's a madman."
"At first, he woke me up I thought he wanted me to suppress the brainwashed personality on my own. But then, I found out that he only wanted me to witness everything. He was looking for an audience for his performance."
"He tortured that personality to insanity in front of me, and I don't know how many pieces it shattered into, but finally, it disappeared completely."
Bucky's voice seemed a bit numb, as if he was talking about something that had nothing to do with him. Yet, it made Stark feel a chill run down his spine.
Bucky was lying flat on the bed. He moved his gaze from the ceiling, looked at Stark, and said, "I remember Howard Stark. I remember I was ordered to set up a car accident, killing him and his wife."
"No, Bucky, don't talk about this." Steve turned around, reaching out his hand to stop Bucky from continuing. But Stark stepped forward and blocked Steve. He looked into Bucky's eyes and said, "Do you know who I am?"
"I know. You look a lot like him." Bucky closed his eyes and said, "The reason I brought this up is because, after that madman did all of this, he told me that if I see someone who looks like Howard, I should tell him everything."
"The personality that Hydra brainwashed died in extreme pain, and even being just a bystander made me terrified."
"That was his reason for waking me up before doing all this..." Bucky's hand clenched the guardrail tightly. "That personality has paid the price. Now it's my turn."