The Edge | Peter Parker

Chapter Two

Somehow, Peter had managed to be late on his first day. Peter was almost always late to any function he attended, and the people he knew became accustomed to that. Meredith included, but this time she wasn't going easy on him. He had to be taught that things like this have consequences, and she's not going to give him special treatment.

Peter grabbed his car keys and rushed out of his apartment and into the parking garage. He jumped into his car and didn't worry about turning on the radio as he whipped his car out of the parking spot and out of the concrete building. He continued to glance at the clock on his radio screen as he sped quickly to work. The kicker was that Stark Industries is only a couple of minutes away from his apartment, conveniently enough. Meredith obviously did that strategically. It didn't matter, though, because he was still late and traffic wasn't helping with that in the least. He wondered if he should've just walked... or swung. He knew he wasn't going to be allowed to swing to work, Meredith would kill him if she saw him. Though, he was good at not letting people see him. That's why no one knew Spider-Man's identity.

When he finally arrived, he didn't even remember to lock the doors on his car as he ran up the steps and to the large, glass double-doors. He pushed one open and hurried inside. People all around him were giving him weird looks. This was exactly what he needed on his first day. "I'm glad you finally decided to show up."

He turned and looked to see Meredith standing next to the reception desk. He breathed out a sigh as he made his way over to her. He checked his expensive watch on his wrist and saw that he was twenty minutes late. "Sorry, there was lots of traffic, and—"

"No excuses, Pete— Mr. Parker." She pointed her manicured finger at him. He nodded slowly and readjusted his composure to remain confident no matter what. She gave him a look, which he could tell she was trying to figure out what to do with him. She glanced behind him. "Oh, great. Here, meet Mr. Modell. He's going to be watching over you for the next week, making sure you're doing well and not doing things you're not supposed to. He will be working with you in the Science Department, you'll be sharing a lab."

Peter turned to look behind him, and he expected someone much older with gray hair and a mean expression. Instead, it was a guy with red hair, glasses, and he was pretty built. He was wearing a smile, so he looked more enjoyable to be around than he initially expected. "Max Modell."

Peter glanced down at his hand which was extended towards him. He cleared his throat and finally shook her hand. "Peter Parker."

"Mr. Modell has been working here a long time and is very well educated in science, chemistry, and biology. You can learn a lot from him if you pay attention." She told him. Peter nodded. "You'll be spending a lot of time together, so make good use of it."

"Well, I feel bad for him." He commented jokingly. 

"Nonsense! I'm excited to mentor you. You seem like you're full of dedication and heart. That's what makes a person good at what they do." He slapped Peter's back, knocking the wind out of him. This guy seemed like quite the character.

"Max, if you don't care, would you take Mr. Parker to get his ID, his facial recognition, and fingerprint scan?" Meredith asked, and he nodded quickly.

"Of course. Right this way." He gestured, and Peter gave Meredith one last look as he followed him. He rushed to catch up with him.

"So, uh, Mr. Modell—" He began, but he cut him off.

"You can just call me Max." He told him, and he nodded.

"Max," He began again, and he was silent to let him go on. "How long have you worked here?"