[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/wJtcA1x.png?1[/img][/center]
[b]The Franklin Storm Institute, New York[/b]

[color=#ffffff]Three months ago the Baxter Building’s auditorium had been the scene of Ben Grimm’s brutal assault on Guy Gardner whilst under Hector Hammond’s control. Since then, the Baxter Building had been demolished and a new one had been erected in its place. The Franklin Storm Institute had been opened by Reed Richards shortly after SHIELD announced his successful return from space. It had sat relatively unused since then, but today it was a hive of activity – and its auditorium, built in the exact same spot as the old one, was the most alive of all.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Five teenagers sat in spacious seats that were designed to optimise their learning. There were no desks, nor were the seats pointed towards a board, instead the auditorium was built like an interactive lecture hall. The initial awkwardness of being seated in a room full of other teenagers had abated after a few minutes once it had become clear that whoever it was that they were waiting on was running late.[/color]

[color=#ff00ff]“My name is Jean Loring. You probably know of my family – if you’ve been to Ivy Town, you’ll have stayed at a property owned by my father Gil Loring. Our property portfolio is one of the largest in the northeast.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Loring was seventeen and stood a touch under five foot eleven. Her father Gil was more than just a property magnate – he was one of the richest men in America. When Loring heard that Reed Richards was starting a new school he had made sure his daughter Jean’s credentials found their way onto the super scientist's desk. If Jean wasn’t such a brilliant physicist, Richards would have been minded to turn her down due to her father’s interference alone – but he couldn’t hold Jean’s upbringing against her anymore than he could hold Holt’s past against him.[/color]

[color=#a64d79]“Ivy Town? Like, poison ivy?”[/color]

Jean rolled her eyes at the ignorance of the fifteen-year-old sat in the seat next to hers. [color=#ff00ff]“What did you say your name was again?”[/color]

[color=#a64d79]“Kamala,”[/color][color=#ffffff] she responded eagerly with a smile so broad that it would have hurt a normal person's cheeks to maintain.[/color][color=#a64d79] “Kamala Khan.”[/color]

[color=#ff00ff]“Khan? No, no, I don’t think I’ve heard of the Khans.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]If Kamala was hurt by the comment, she did a good job of pretending otherwise. [/color][color=#a64d79]“Yeah, well, my family don’t have a ‘property portfolio’ or anything like that and I’m not super smart like the rest of you, so I’m not [i]really [/i]sure why I’m here … but I do have some pretty awesome pow-”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]When Khan turned back to Loring she noticed that the older girl had long since stopped listening. For a fraction of a second her cheerful demeanour took a knock but one glance at the ‘Franklin Storm Institute’ sign on the wall put a smile back on her face. Opposite her a boy no older than fourteen was trying clumsily to initiate conversation with what appeared to be a holographic projection of code – with a silver head.[/color]

[color=#f1c232]“Hey man,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Amadeus Cho said as he offered the hologram his hand. He suddenly realised his mistake and awkwardly retracted it.[/color][color=#f1c232] “You're going for that whole binary aesthetic, I see. Yeah, that's a pretty brave choice. Let me guess, your Instagram page must be popping off, right?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The hologram turned its head to observe the young man. Its eyes were like empty white pits carved into its metallic head. Cho couldn’t tell whether the hologram had heard him or whether he was even really in the room, but that didn’t alleviate his sense of awkwardness at all. And yet there was something [i]clearly [/i]young about it. The silver piping along the back of its head almost looked like braids if you squinted.[/color]

[center]>>>#QUERY: WHAT IS ... INSTAGRAM#<<<[/center]
[color=#ffffff]The voice which came out of the hologram’s facsimile of a mouth sounded like a dialling code – or several dozen dialling codes all playing at once. Cho didn’t seem at all taken aback by it. Instead the expression on the child prodigy’s face twisted into faux-shock.[/color]

[color=#f1c232]“Oh, come on. You’re [i]seriously[/i] trying to tell me that you don’t know what Instagram is? But what do you do when you’re pooping? Or when you need to have your self-esteem crushed?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The hologram stared unblinkingly in Cho’s direction as he considered the question. The dark green ones and zeroes that ran along his body seemed to hastened as if the hologram were running a thousand searches at once. Finally, having discovered an answer that the hologram deemed Cho would consider acceptable, its mouth opened to release the dialling code voice for a second time.[/color]

[center]>>>#STATEMENT: THINKER DOES NOT POOP#<<<[/center]
[color=#ffffff]Cho’s face dropped as he realised he was uniquely unqualified to respond to the revelation. Perhaps it was the weight of the Thinker’s lifeless gaze that forced a titter from Cho’s lips. Within seconds the titter turned into a giggle, which turned into a laugh, until eventually Amadeus was wiping tears from the corners of his eyes.[/color]

[color=#f1c232]“Well, that explains how you stay so svelte. You know, it was [i]really [/i]hard to eat healthily while Kirby and I were on the road. You win one soap box competition and the next thing you know you’re being chased across America by the gun-toting employees of a billion dollar corporation.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Upon hearing its name, a furry head burst through the neck of Cho’s jacket. It stared up at its owner, who smiled down at it proudly, and then let out a whimper upon laying eyes on the Thinker in the seat next to Amadeus. Cho whispered softly to the puppy, lifted it out of his coat, and held it towards the Thinker a little. The hologram and the puppy exchanged puzzled looks as if trying to work each other out. A lick from the puppy’s mouth passed through the Thinker’s head which caused Cho to laugh again.[/color]

[color=#ff00ff]“Is that thing a dog?”[/color] [color=#ffffff]Jean called out in shock from across the room as she eyed the puppy with disgust. [/color][color=#ff00ff]“You brought a dog in here?!”[/color]

[color=#f1c232]“Firstly, that [i]thing[/i] is a coyote, not a dog,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Cho said as he raised a scholarly finger into the air.[/color][color=#f1c232] “And secondly, his[i] [/i]name is Kirby. Well, it’s actually ‘Kerberos’ if you want to be exact but that’s a little wordy so Kirby’s fine by the both of us.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Loring’s pretty features became somewhat less than pretty as her brow furrowed into an entitled frown.[/color]

[color=#ff00ff]“I don’t care what it’s name is. I’m [i]allergic[/i] to dogs, you idiot. You need to get that mangy thing out of here before I go into anaphylactic shock.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Cho waited a few moments for Loring to deliver the punchline. It took several seconds for him to realise that she was being serious and he looked to Khan for support. The young girl shrugged her shoulders. Cho looked up at the athletically built black guy sat at the back of the room but he didn’t return his gaze. Finally, the Thinker broke the deadlock by standing up from his seat as if to make an announcement.[/color]

[center]>>>#STATEMENT: THINKER IS WELL-VERSED IN FIRST AID#<<<[/center]
[color=#ffffff]This time Cho didn’t laugh but he couldn’t help but smile when the Thinker turned its head too look to him for approval. [/color][color=#f1c232]“See? You’ll be fine. The second your eyes start swelling shut, my old buddy Think here will magic up some epinephrine for you and you’ll be as good as new.”[/color]

[color=#ff00ff]“Are you hard of hearing or something, runt?"[/color][color=#ffffff] Loring growled angrily at Cho. [/color][color=#ff00ff]"So long as I am in close proximity to that horrible mutt you have tucked into your ratty little jacket, I am at risk of imminent death. You need to get that thing out of here and you need to get it out of here fast.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Kirby returned Jean’s growl in kind and eyed her distrustfully from across the room. Shaken by the raised voices, Kamala made her way across the auditorium. She gestured towards Cho to let her hold Kirby and he hesitated for a moment. Kirby’s tail wagging excitedly convinced him to trust the cheerful girl and so he handed the puppy to Khan. Kamala pressed Kirby against her face and let out a laugh.[/color]

[color=#a64d79]“Awh, come on, Jennie, Kirby's only a puppy! And he’s [i]so [/i]cute. What’s Cho meant to do? Leave him out on the sidewalk?”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Loring and Cho both started speaking. Neither gave way to the other and the volume of their voices increased with every word. Soon they were shouting and Kamala was caught between them, half cupping Kirby’s ear from the noise and half trying to get them to stop. The Thinker stood in silence watching the hubbub. His empty white eyes gave no sign of judgement. There was no way of knowing what he was thinking.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]From behind Kamala, Cho, and Loring came a whistle that was so piercing that it brought an immediate end to the arguing. The older boy that had been sat at the back of the auditorium in silence had risen to his feet and it was clear from the look on his face that he was unimpressed by what he had seen from the others.[/color]

[color=#999999]“Could all of you just shut the fuck up? Just be quiet for like five minutes, man. None of you have stopped talking since we got here. Well, except for the green dude but I’m not even sure that he’s a real person.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Kamala stared down at Kirby between her hands and passed him back to Cho. Both of them took their seats, cowed by Michael Holt’s intervention. Loring remained standing. She glared at Holt and the two were caught in what felt like a silent battle of wills. Both of them refused to blink, choosing instead to glare at the other until the other sat back down or blinked. After several agonising seconds, Jean blinked and returned to her seat.[/color]

[color=#999999]“Whole room of geniuses and not [i]one [/i]of you motherfuckers know when to shut your mouths,” [/color][color=#ffffff]Holt muttered under his breath as he sat down.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Reed Richards sensed the pregnant silence when he walked into the auditorium. He looked across the room at the faces of his soon-to-be students. The Thinker was as unemotive as ever, Loring was simmering, Khan downtrodden, Cho was cooing into his jacket, and Holt looked like he was still only there to stay out of prison.[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Leaning in every last bit to his new role, Reed played dumb to the tension. [/color][color=#3d85c6]“Well, it looks like I won’t be needing to do any introductions.”[/color]

[color=#a64d79]“It’s … it’s [i]really [/i]you! You’re Reed Richards," [/color][color=#ffffff]Kamala squealed with child-like excitement. [/color][color=#a64d79]"Like, [i]the [/i]Reed Richards. You were on the front cover of TIME magazine when you were twelve years old. You lead Franklin Storm’s expedition into deep space. You're basically my hero!”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Loring let out a loud sigh from beside her but Kamala didn’t seem at all embarrassed by having made such a public proclamation of admiration. For his part, Reed offered the young girl an encouraging smile.[/color]

[color=#3d85c6]“Thank you, Miss Khan.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The super scientist had written a speech to deliver to his students on their first meeting. It was several pages long, full of references he hoped would entertain and amuse them, and though he was slightly ashamed to admit it, he’d rehearsed it several times earlier that morning. This morning was the culmination of months of work. He had wanted every detailed to be right – even down to the introductory speech. But stood there in front of the five teenagers, Reed couldn’t bring himself to trot out a prepared speech. Instead he chose to speak from the heart.[/color]

[color=#3d85c6]“I trust you all know one another – but you don’t know why you’re here. Not too long ago, this site used to be the home of the Baxter Building. It was the name of not only a building, but a special school that Franklin Storm created to help teach the next generation of scientists, thinkers, and leaders how to make the best use of their incredible talents. Well, Franklin is no longer with us and the Baxter Building is no more. In its place stands the Franklin Storm Institute and ... as we have taken to calling this little project: the Future Foundation.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]The five of them represented a new start. Not only for Reed but for this world. [i]‘Teach them’[/i] – Reed could hear the words of this world’s Reed Richards in his head still. Without the Baxter Building, without the timecraft, and without a route home, the Future Foundation had given Reed something to feel passionate about these last few months. It had kept his mind off what he had lost – [i]who[/i] he had lost – and kept it squared on what mattered: the future. And the five teenagers in the auditorium were the future.[/color]

[color=#3d85c6]“You are all here because you have [i]incredible [/i]potential. The five of you have been hand-picked because you possess attributes that mark you out as generational talents – but talent isn’t everything. That’s where the Future Foundation comes in. We are here to help the leaders of tomorrow help answer tomorrow’s questions today. Your learning will be tailored to each of your unique abilities and, as I’m sure you’ll all be very relieved to hear, will not be confined to the classroom.”[/color]

[color=#ffffff]Reed looked out at the inaugural class of the Future Foundation with a broad smile. [/color][color=#3d85c6]“So what say we get started?”[/color]