"Please sit down, Dr. Hugo, I remember, we've never had a face-to-face talk like we're about to today." Shiller walked to the single sofa by the window, gesturing to the seat opposite him, while Dr. Hugo stood cautiously still.
"I'm sorry for inviting you this way, but I have urgent matters. Forget about your prior conspiracy with that delusional patient, I have something much more important to discuss with you."
Dr. Hugo squinted his eyes, saying, "Did you orchestrate my last visit to the Dreamworld? The monster, and the battle... "
"So that's where you were," said Shiller, fetching a book from the shelf behind him. "I thought you might've been kicked out due to an inability to maintain the psychic load. I guess I've found the right person after all."
Dr.Hugo crossed his fingers, paused, and then approached the chair opposite Shiller.
"I believe, you've noticed, we are kindred spirits. Your initial encounter was just a welcome ceremony, a sick Gotham-style joke. You should be used to it by now," Shiller said with a grin.
Dr. Hugo scorned but didn't concede weakness in front of Shiller, preferring not to admit the significant damage he had suffered from Shiller's preceding sick joke.
"You enjoy puppeteering others, finding pleasure in manipulative crimes built on the exposed secrets of their inner worlds. We are alike," said Shiller, looking at Hugo. "But there's one difference: Batman is closer to me, he trusts me. I know he has seen through part of your conspiracy and is formulating a plan against you."
"The only reason I'm warning you is that someday we both will have to face Batman. There's no benefit for me if he eliminates you too soon, because he will inevitably suspect me one day. We are alike."
Dr. Hugo's attitude softened slightly when Shiller assured him that he wasn't a good guy either. He wasn't intending to condemn him as a justice warrior.
Dr. Hugo, an expert in psychology, understood. Just as Shiller said, they were indeed the same kind of people: cold, cruel manipulators, born to control others and take pleasure in their tragedies.
"By now, you've spent a while in Gotham, and you should know that Batman makes an exceptionally interesting case for study. If it were up to you, wouldn't you want to study him?"
"Of course," Dr. Hugo responded, a touch of madness in his eyes. Like all the villains of Gotham, he said, "He is an enigma... an endless and fascinating mystery. I am captivated by his state, wanting to comprehend what created such a person..."
"No psychologist in the world could resist the temptation to explore Batman's psyche. I've done more than you, so I'm the one reminding you now."
"Indeed." Hugo sneered, "You're his college professor. You're very close to him. Maybe he shared his past stories and some inner secrets with you. What he didn't realize was that his teacher, who provided guidance and education, is exactly the kind of natural-born freak he utterly resents..."
As he spoke, Dr. Hugo became more agitated, "I also want to play such a role. It excites me!"
"The Dark Night Hero of justice, the mad villain. I'll hypnotize them, deconstruct them, control them, unleashing a chaotic inferno through a series of dramas in Gotham. This is the fundamental reason for my arrival here...I belong to Gotham!"
Excitement began to grip Dr. Hugo and he began to shake. He spoke truthfully. Those who didn't belong to Gotham would eventually leave. Those who belonged, however, would come to this absurd Lunatic Paradise, matching wits with their own kind.
"If I were to choose a partner in this city, it would certainly be you, Dr. Hugo."
"The other lunatics disgust me. They lack professionalism," Shiller said, and seeing the gleam in Hugo's eyes, he knew he had taken the bait.
"...They are not professional enough, that's the only reason."
Looking across the wall of his meeting room, in the identical room next door, another Shiller said the same words to Dr. Taichi.
"Metropolis? I despise that place! I believe, your stay there has also not been very pleasant. We don't belong there."
"More annoying is that ... what? Superman? Who flies around in the sky like he's a helicopter!" Shiller lit a cigar and squinting his eyes he said with a disdainful tone.
"He has left me with a terrible impression. What did I do wrong? I only used some minor tactics to achieve my goals. I was born possessing these tools, why can't I use them?"
"Dr. Taichi, the reason I chose you is that we are the same."