"Steve... Steve? Steve?!"
Shiller's shout snapped Steve's attention back. He shook his head and said, "Sorry, I got a little distracted."
"Thinking about Little Tommy?" Shiller marked something on the psychological assessment form and then said, "What did the Professor say?"
"Actually, I didn't quite understand." Steve seemed to grasp at a lifeline and told Shiller, "Charles and Erik only did the simplest check, but since Little Tommy hasn't used his mutant ability, they don't really know what it is. They also didn't dare to provoke him, fearing it would trigger an early outburst of his powers."
"Did Franklin mention what Thomas Rogers' codename is?"
"'Windman'." Steve seemed visibly puzzled and said, "Franklin emphasized that Little Rogers' ability is very powerful. But from this codename, it doesn't seem that strong. That's the most confusing part. Doctor, have you heard of this codename before?"
Shiller did indeed carefully search his memory. The only superpower users related to wind he could recall, apart from various storms, were the Whizzer.
However, the Whizzer and Steve are from the same era, and in some comic versions, he is Wanda and Quicksilver's biological father. But in their universe, it's not so—their universe has Wanda and Quicksilver as Magneto's biological children, with no other father involved.
Moreover, as far as Shiller knew, Steve's children in other universes were not mutants and naturally had no codenames. Some did inherit the title of Captain America, but it definitely had nothing to do with wind.
However, Shiller's understanding of superpower users and mutants was indeed more comprehensive than others. He could roughly deduce one's ability from their codename. Since the codename is "Windman," the ability must be related to wind.
On the surface, the ability to control wind seems a bit mediocre. Even if one can turn the wind into a storm, it doesn't carry much destructive power, incomparable to mutants like Wanda.
But if it warranted Franklin to make a special mention, then it must not be just that. Even if it's not an Omega-Level mutant, it at least has to be an Alpha-level. That suggests either the codename is wrong, or there's something deeper at play.
Shiller once heard Stark say something along the lines of "there's no wind in the world, only moving air." From a scientific standpoint, wind is just moving air. There is even a specific discipline called aerodynamics dedicated to studying how air flows.
Unfortunately, despite humanity now being able to research star ships, there's still much to be discovered in aerodynamics. This is essentially an interdisciplinary field, studying everything except air itself.
"Could it be related to air?" Shiller looked at Steve and said, "Wind is just an expression of air. If it's simply controlling air flow, that's not very strong. But what if he can control air itself?"
Steve's eyes slowly widened, and he said, "Control air? How does one control air?"
"I don't know." Shiller shook his head and said, "I suspect he might be able to create air."
"Create air?"
"Yes, if that's the case, then he's like Iceman, a perfect Omega-Level mutant. Because they can directly control the increase of cosmic entropy, creating matter out of nothing. This alone is enough for Franklin to rate him as very strong."
"But what use is this ability?" Steve was still puzzled. He indeed lacked knowledge in this area and couldn't figure out what use creating air could serve.
"Sorry, but I also don't know what practical significance it might have. If he can create air with the same composition as Earth's, the only application I can think of is creating a human-friendly environment on a planet. But for other applications, you'll have to ask Tony."
Steve sighed. He glanced at his phone and saw a message from Charles, which was quite long. He read it carefully. The views from Beast relayed by Charles were astonishingly similar to Shiller's views—they both thought that Little Rogers' ability might involve controlling air.
Charles also noted that Steve was really lucky, because Little Rogers' ability held significant potential for extraterrestrial expansion. Even if he could only create a small oxygenated space for human survival, it would also be very important for human space endeavors. The benefits from the interstellar exploration era seemed guaranteed.
Steve noticeably relaxed. If his son indeed had such abilities, he could fully inherit his mantle... Then it suddenly dawned on Steve: his son having an independent codename meant he didn't become Captain America. So, did that mean he was still working then?
"Take it easy." Shiller said, "By that time, the human interstellar colonization would be in full swing. Not just you, but any superpower user who can breathe, no matter how many centuries old, would have to engage in the great labor. No one can escape."
"Maybe I'll have other kids," Steve said. "Recently, I'm discussing this with Carter. He thinks the two kids should be close in age so they can support each other. Although I'm a bit concerned about his health, if he's determined, I wouldn't oppose."
"That's indeed the case," Shiller nodded and said, "Siblings being close in age, although there might be some conflicts in childhood, would have a deeper bond as they grow older. If they are too far apart, in the absence of frequent interaction, the bond might not be as strong. But the key still lies in the parents' education."
Steve nodded. With his most pressing concern resolved, his curiosity began to stir again. He rubbed his hands and said, "So Bucky and Natasha..."
"Add me back to the group and I'll tell you," Shiller pointed at Steve's phone.
Steve sighed and said, "It's not like I had to kick you out, but you better not do something like that again."
Even as he said this, Steve added him back. Shiller contentedly put away his phone and said, "I know what you're wondering. Theoretically, pain interrupts desire. You should have experienced this yourself."
"Once, Carter and I slipped in the bathroom," Steve didn't hold back, "I was worried she'd hit the bathtub, so I pulled her down, cushioning her fall. My back took the hit instead. As much as I try to be tough, that one really hurt. I sat at the edge of the tub, dazed for a while. Though I recovered quickly, we ended up doing nothing that night and went to bed early."
Steve's words were somewhat vague, but Shiller understood. The two of them had gone to take a shower together, clearly with intentions, but a slip interrupted it. So Steve was truly curious: how could someone manage to carry on when bleeding profusely?
"The way the pain was inflicted was wrong, and the intensity wasn't enough," Shiller said, "For an ordinary person, a slip wouldn't be enough for them to react. But for you, the moment there was movement, you anticipated it. You said you were afraid your partner would get hurt, so you took action that led to your own fall. You had an expectation in your mind, right?"
"That's true. But what's the relevance?"
"It wasn't an unexpected danger for you; it didn't trigger the brain's shutdown mechanism."
"Shutdown mechanism?"
"Because you were transformed before going to the battlefield, you might not have this experience. The majority of people, when experiencing immense pain, don't feel it. The more sudden and severe the pain, the more this happens. This is based on how the brain works, nothing too detailed to explain."
"So, the more serious the injury, the less pain you feel?"
"Just in that moment," Shiller said, "The brain realizes you're seriously hurt, and to keep you alive, it activates too many processes at once, making all your body's organs focus on self-protection, leaving no room to feel pain."
"That's quite amazing," Steve said sincerely.
"The first to act is adrenaline," Shiller said, "This is nothing new. The effects of adrenaline should be well-known. Putting aside pain relief and muscle strength liberation, the most important thing is that it boosts spirit. Adrenaline first stimulates the brain because only with the brain working at full speed can organs and limbs exert maximum strength to save your life."
"I get it," Steve said, "When the pain is too intense, the brain thinks you're going to die, so it administers painkillers and stimulants. Are they both on these?"
"You could say that. If it were ordinary people, I'd say it's unhealthy because the threshold would keep increasing, eventually leading to self-destruction. But the two of them are cyborgs; even with fatal injuries, they'd recover in a few days without any aftereffects, not affecting their lifespan. In this case, it's just personal preference."
Steve was somewhat speechless. Suddenly, he realized something, his expression becoming complex, then he looked into Shiller's eyes and said, "I remember you previously placed a lot of wedges inside Bucky. So..."
Shiller said nothing. Steve also lowered his head and said, "Sorry, I did actually think that..."
"I don't care what you thought. I'm just thankful you didn't say it out loud," Shiller said with a smile.
Steve quickly put those emotions aside. He continued, "If it's like that, then both of them should be... But it seems only Bucky gets injured."
"Because that's how he operates, not Natasha. Natasha is different," Shiller said, "Most normal people only experience an adrenaline surge when facing their own death. But there's a small group of people who also experience it when facing others' deaths. Natasha is clearly one of the latter."
"What's the principle behind this?"
"Simple. In primitive tribes, if your companion got eaten by a lion, would you not run for dear life instead of standing still as an extra meal?" Shiller set the file aside and continued, "Those who fear death are weak, but those who conquer the fear of death are extremely strong. This is an instinct humans evolved to ensure the survival of their tribes. Some people are more easily triggered to this instinct, and Natasha is among them. Neither hunting and chasing nor witnessing bloodshed and death provoke fear in her; they only excite her more. She's a natural warrior."
Steve nodded, barely understanding, and couldn't help but remark, "They're a perfect match. But I'd rather call it shared madness—utterly twisted."
Then he looked at Shiller with curiosity and asked, "What about you? Doctor? Are you the former or the latter?"
Shiller smiled, "Only psychopaths make choices. And me? I choose to have it all."