Chương 188: Issue #29
Peter sighed as he walked up the stairs with a bag of groceries in his hands and bruises all over his body. He had just gotten done fighting the animal quartet, Rhino, Vulture, Scorpion, and Lizard before MJ texted him to grab a few things on the way home. All of this was after a day of JJ yelling at him.
Peter put his keys into the door and opened it expecting to see his wife and Mayday. And while he saw them, he also saw someone he was not expecting.
"Jack Frost? What's the super famous hero doing here? Did you finally decide to accept that interview I've been asking for?"
Jack and MJ shared a look before laughing at Peter's poor acting.
"Is he really that bad? How does he keep his secret identity?" Jack asked
"I have no idea!" MJ said to Jack before turning to Peter. "Relax, Tiger. He knows you're Spider-Man."
Peter was caught off guard and immediately got into a fighting stance. This completely caught him off guard. Even when he was part of the Avengers, he made sure that he didn't tell Jack about his secret identity.
"How'd you find out?! What do you want?!" Peter asked defensively, ready to battle to the death with Jack if it was necessary.
Although he liked the man and thanked him for saving his daughter, Peter's number one priority was his family. He kept his identity a secret from even other heroes to decrease the chances of someone finding out how to hurt him.
"I came with an offer. I'm putting together a team and an organization. I want you to be a part of both. And before you reject me, just hear me out," Jack hurried to stop Peter from saying anything before he finished his pitch
Peter was about to reject it but MJ held onto Peter's hand to stop him. She had already heard the proposal and thought it was a good idea but she didn't want to force Peter to accept it. Still, she felt it was right for him to hear Jack out.
With his wife's urging, Peter took a seat and nodded toward Jack.
"There has been a bill going around in the House of Representatives. It is called the Superhero Registration Act which I'm sure you've heard parts of since you work at a news agency. The bill is getting closer and closer to getting passed.
The Hulk's rampage in Las Vegas 3 months ago, Namor sinking over 30 ships crossing the Atlantic, Punisher on a random Tuesday. Each of these is causing more and more congressmen and senators to start siding with those wanting the bill.
The Avengers, which are the biggest and most famous team, is a failure in the eyes of the government. And most other hero groups are much worse. The few that would meet the standard that the government is looking for are all either not famous enough or solo heroes that are unable to accomplish as much as a team.
That is where we come in. A team of heroes backed by an independent organization. One that will hold its own members accountable on a very public level.
And for that team, I need heroes that I can trust. Those that I know will help the organization thrive and become the standard that all other heroes will be held to. The standard that the government expects in order to keep them out of our hair."
Peter nodded along with what Jack was saying. He had heard of the SRA and was very afraid of what would happen if it passed. If he registered, that meant that his family would be in danger. But if he didn't register, he could no longer be Spider-Man and he would be failing those that looked up to him as well as those watching over him from above.
"So instead of registering with the government, I should register with you. That would probably be even less secure," Peter stated his biggest worry.
Hearing his concerns, Jack smiled. Peter was already half convinced. He just needed to make the final push.
"That is why I'm hiring Peter Parker and sponsoring Spider-Man. On paper, the heroes will be contracted to us as sponsors. But instead of paying directly, they will get their supplies from us as well as our PR team.
But that is only the half-truth. The civilian identities of you and the other heroes will be a part of the organization as civilian posts. For example, you would be our head photographer since you have been the only one capable of getting such high-quality photos of Spider-Man that no one else could get. Which means you will get a salary and full benefits.
Hiring you this way, also allows you to have a more stable schedule. You will no longer have to balance work and superhero duties since you will be paid without having to worry about the work at all. The best of both worlds."
Peter was truly tempted. Jack was offering him the best position he could get.
"Let's say I am interested. Who are the other members of the team that you plan on bringing on?" Peter asked, already thinking about discussing this with MJ after Jack left.
Jack didn't directly answer but pulled out his phone and opened up an app inside. He then passed it to Peter and allowed the latter to go through it.
What Jack gave Peter was a list of the heroes that he was planning on bringing onto the team. It also showed him some of the information about the organization that he was forming.
Including himself and Jack, Peter read about the other 8 individuals that Jack planned to invite. Each one of them had Spider-Man's personal seal of approval. This was truly a team he would not mind working with.
After reading it all, he passed Jack back the phone.
"This looks good. I need to talk to MJ about this but I also have 2 conditions I need to be fulfilled if she does say yes," Peter wanted to set two terms for himself.
"Fine. What are they?" Jack knew that Peter would not ask for anything excessive so he nodded without thinking much about it
"First condition: I want to bring on Scarlet Spider and Flash Thompson onto the team. If this organization is as large as I think it is, you should be able to help them both with their problems."
Jack could already tell what the problem with both of them was. The Scarlet Spider was one of the many Spider-Man clones that were created by a villain and was the most heroic of them all. He and one other clone were considered the only two 'perfect' clones that did not have any deformities but both were reliant on medication to live.
Flash Thompson was a different story. He was a soldier that had eventually become Agent Venom with a part of the original Venom symbiote. But it had been recently taken away from him. He had also lost his legs so that meant he was unable to walk.
'Hmm. With Sinister's knowledge in my mind, I'm sure I can fix the spider. As for Thomson, I have a few ways to help him so I'm not worried about that.'
"No issue there. What's your second condition?" Jack asked
"I want a large apartment where my family of three here can live and my aunt can visit whenever she wants without it feeling cramped."
"Done," Jack immediately accepted his condition. "I'll let you two discuss this opportunity and you can call me at ***-738-****. Have a nice night."
Jack walked toward the door and MJ escorted him there. When she returned, she saw that Peter was slumped on the couch. The redhead sat next to her husband and smiled at his tired expression.
"Make sure you text him before noon tomorrow, Tiger," MJ said before she heard the cries of May. She planted a kiss on her husband's forehead before walking out the room to take care of their daughter.
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