1 Called to the Principal's Office

When he was called to the office to visit the principal, Peter couldn't help but feel worried. He had been late and even missed a lot of class the last few weeks, but the Sinister Six didn't usually wait until after class hours to unleash their fiendish plans. If anything, Peter has begun to suspect that the villains discovered that Spider-Man was in high school so they staged their heists during the day, hoping that if he took the time to stop him, it was guaranteed to land the web-slinger in detention. At least his identity was safe for the time being, Peter thought to himself, because the last thing he needed right now was people gunning for his Aunt May. She was a wonderful person that took him in when he was left by his parents, so he didn't want to disappoint her. When Peter finally arrived to the office, the secretary pointed to the door behind her.

"They're waiting for you, Mr. Parker." She quietly informed him.

"They?" Peter repeated, "Who else is in there?"

"Just go inside and find out." The secretary answered, not in the mood to talk.

Peter nervously strolled into the office, afraid of who he'd find. The last time someone unexpectedly showed up it was the director of Shield, Nick Fury. As he walked in, there were no eye patches so he took a deep sigh and with that the principal noticed he was there.

"Parker!" the principal called out, "Come in, have a seat!"

"I'm sorry Mr. Smith," Peter started, "Am I in trouble for being late? I swear it won't happen again."

"You're not in trouble, Mr. Parker." The Principal assured him, "This meeting is strictly on the down low. Someone made inquires with the school board for the purpose of meeting with you. We respect him a great deal, and I think you should speak with him."

"Am I being shrinked?" Peter asked, worried that the school was going to force him to speak with a professional head doctor.

"No, though it wouldn't surprise me if he was qualified for that too." The principal honestly answered. "This is a great opportunity for you, Peter. I hope you'll at least hear him out."

"Hear who out?" Peter asked, "There's no one else in here."

"Excuse me," the Principal said as he stood up and walked out.

Peter sat there for what seemed like hours but was only a few minutes waiting for the Mr. Smith to enter the room. He never did.

Moments later, the door opened and a man who was not the principal walked in. Peter didn't recognize the man, but he was a little older than May, with brown hair that had a little silver on the sides, and he was lean man. He strolled in and took a seat where the principal was sitting. Peter didn't know what to think of this.

"Ahhh, hello?" he started.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Parker." The man said as he picked up a piece of paper, "I see you've been late and sometimes even non-existent for some of your classes lately. Care to explain why you're not interested in educating your young mind?"

"Things happen, I try my best." Peter replied, "But to be perfectly honest, I already know this stuff. You'd be surprised the education you can provide yourself with just a five dollar library card."

"Indeed," the man said with a smile on his face, "According to your library records, you're currently reading the works of Dr. Hawking. How are you finding his theories?"

Peter looked confused, "You watch our library records?"

"To be honest," the man replied, "You'd be surprised to know that our government watches us far more than they should. I may not agree with their methods but so far the results are hard to dispute."

"Do you work for Shield?" Peter then asked.

"No Mr. Parker," the man replied, "Fury wouldn't be happy if he knew I was meeting with you or if he knew that I was aware of your identity."

Peter sat there in stunned silence. Whoever this man was, he knew that Peter was Spider-Man and has approached him at school behind Shield's back. Rather than play along, Peter decided to play dumb.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He calmly replied.

"Let's not beat around the bush," The man said as he stood up, "I know why you're late for class, and I'm here to offer you a chance to make life easier and maybe raise the bar of your education to a level that fits your needs and might even challenge you a bit more."

"I'm sorry," Peter said, as he suddenly became aware of something, "But who are you?"

"That was rude of me," the man said as he extended a hand out for Peter to shake, "I'm Reed Richards."

Peter didn't move as he was too stunned to even raise his arm. The leader of the Fantastic Four, Reed Richards was standing before him. He had not recognized the man who was by far one of the smartest scientists in the country, if not the world.

"I read the paper you released last July," Peter suddenly blurted out, "I thought it was quite captivating."

"I know you did," Reed confirmed, "And that's why I'm here. Most if the kids here barely read beyond their own science textbooks, but you're reading my papers and even understand what they say. What I see in you is great potential."

"Really?" Peter said, doing his best not blush.

"Let me rephrase that," Reed said as he paced behind the principal's desk, "I see great potential that is being wasted."

"Oh," Peter said, as he sat back and sighed, "What do you think I should do about that?"

"It's easy, Mr. Parker." Reed said as he sat back down, "I'm here to recruit you. I'd like you to become the newest student of the Reed Foundation."

"I had no idea the foundation took in students," Peter replied, "How many students do you have right now?"

"Seven," Reed informed him, "None of them are as brilliant as you."

"So you want me to drop out of school?" Peter asked.

"Not exactly," Reed corrected him, "I'm asking you to take your classes privately within the foundation. You'll still get your diploma, but under my tutelage you'll have your have first university degree by the time you turn eighteen. These classes are beneath you Peter, so it's time to put your education into the passing lane. I have no doubt you'll be smart enough to do it, and still have plenty time to continue your after school activities as Spider-Man."

Peter stood up, "I don't know about this."

"Mr. Parker," Reed said as he also stood back up, "I'm not just offering you a spot with our foundation, I'm recruiting Spider-Man as well. I want him to join the team. Your skills as a superhero are also being wasted, and the Fantastic Four could use someone of your talent and skills."

"Wow, this is deep." Peter said, his mind racing.

"Peter, there are threats out there you have no idea about," Reed explained, "Some so godly that they would make the Sinister Six look like choir boys. If these villains have their way, we're talking about extinction. The end of the world as we know it; in other words global genocide."

"So, what exactly are you telling me?" Peter asked.

"Your days in the minors are over," Reed said with a stern tone, "I'm calling you up to the show."

"Wow," Peter said, starching his head, "No pressure."

"This is also a job offer," Reed continued, "As a member of the team you'd get your own private quarters and the same salary everyone else makes. I'm not kidding around here Peter, the foundation and the world needs your help."

"You're not ready to take no for an answer, are you?" Peter asked, feeling the pressure as it was a very enticing offer.

"Peter, you're a brilliant young man and a talented crime fighter," Reed said, holding nothing back, "but the fact that your solo crusade hasn't gotten you killed is fortunate but no one is that lucky forever. Your recklessness will eventually be your downfall unless you have a team to support you. Joining our ranks not only makes us a better team, but you are no longer burdened to take on the world by yourself. The next time the Sinister Six tries to attack the city you'll have all four of us to back you up."

"Wow," Peter said as he never thought of it that way. "So I'm not losing my independence, but gaining a team?"

"I prefer to think of it as gaining a family," Reed confessed, "That's how we act around one another. We want you to be a part of that and to one day rise to the top of our ranks."

"Say again?" Peter asked.

"Peter," Reed said, in a tone that sounded more sincere. "If I've learned anything from the secret and infinity wars, it's that life is previous and can be cut off at any moment. There's going to come a day when Reed Richards won't be around to solve the world's problems. Who are they going to turn to when that happens? Hank?"

"I don't know who Hank is," Peter replied, "But I kind of see where you going with all this. You just don't want me to join the team. You want to groom me to be your eventual replacement, the next leader of team fantastic."

"It's a thankless job," Reed confessed, "but I don't think there is anyone else out there who might be smart enough to adequately fill those shoes. Yes, Peter, I want to take over the team when I move or pass on. I hope that day doesn't come too soon, but I'm not taking any chances. I want to start making plans for the future fantastic four today."

"But if I join, wouldn't that make us a fantastic five?" Peter asked.

"It would," Reed confirmed, "I bought the copyright to it earlier this week."

"Well then," Peter said as he couldn't believe the words about to leave his mouth, "I guess I accept."

"While I appreciate your enthusiasm," Reed countered, "This is a tad premature because you need to hear the conditions of accepting the job. There are some major stipulations that you'll have to accept in order to join the team."

"Such as?" Peter asked.

"You new living arrangements," Reed replied, "Like I mentioned before, a condo at Reed Tower will be yours, fully furnished with all the amenities the other members enjoy such as a maid and room service."

"I can't live with Aunt May?" Peter said, bummed out.

"You'll going to be like a galactic fire fighter," Reed explained to him, "You're required to live at the firehouse so we can all dispatch quickly when summoned to defend the planet."

"That makes sense," Peter said, "but May will never approve of this."

"I am confident that your Aunt May will understand," Reed said, "Once we explain everything to her."

"Everything?" Peter repeated.

"Everything," Reed confirmed. "I don't think you realize Peter, the sole reason we have the public's trusts us is because we don't hide anything from them. The Reed Foundation is completely transparent to our elected officials as we answer to the government and never wear any masks. We have their trust, and that is a valuable tool to have. When I order the any city in this country to evacuate, they do so without question or hesitation. That kind of trust must be earned, and you can't keep secrets from anyone if you're going to join our ranks. That includes your Aunt May."

"What if she says no?" Peter asked, "She's my legal guardian."

"There are ways around that," Reed answered, "I have a fleet of high priced New York lawyers that could have you emancipated by the end of the week. Your high intelligence and potential contribution to world safety under my guidance would make it a slam dunk in the courts. What this means Peter is that this decision is yours and yours alone. You have to decide what you want to do with your future, and I'm afraid you have to do it right now."

Peter was stunned by this revelation. If he wanted to join the fantastic four, thus making them a five, it was up completely to him. While he was nervous about revealing his identity, the thought of just being Peter and not a masked freak might be what he needed to gain the public trust. Reed's support would make it easier for the people trust him since Reed already the people's undying devotion. They would trust him without hesitation if he vouched for Peter as a valued member. Even J. Jonah wouldn't have the nerve to challenge the creditably of Mr. Fantastic himself. Learning in the best laboratories through the Reed foundation and doing work with Reed would allow Peter to make a real difference in the world. Peter could literally do anything with that kind of guidance and funding, while being groomed to replace him as the leader of future fantastic four. He turned to the man standing before him, smiling at the thought.

"I want to do it," Peter said to him, "I accept your offer."

Reed could tell by the tone in his voice now that Peter really meant it. "I have no doubt that you made the right choice. You could have made a very valuable member of Shield, but with us your potential is limitless. Now all we need to do is break the news to your Aunt. As your only living family member, she deserves to know the truth about what's going on long before we go public with this."

Peter sighed. "I was afraid you were going to say that."

"Try to relax Peter," Reed said, placing a friendly hand on his shoulder. "Your days of facing the world alone are over. You're a member of a team now. I'll be there for support and to chip in relevant information that might need adding."

"That might make this a bit easier," Peter concurred.

"Let's get going," Reed said to him, "As much as you'll miss your friends, it's time to take your education and training to the next level."