Coulson strode into the New York branch of the organization, the massive eagle emblem gleaming silver above him...
As he glanced at the lengthy official na beneath the logo, he couldn't help but wonder if he should suggest to the Director that they adopt sothing shorter and catchier.
'Strategic Holand Intervention, Enforcent and Logistics Division' was quite a mouthful...
"Hey, long ti no see, John." Coulson greeted a middle-aged man with a smile.
"Well, well, if it isn't Phil Coulson. Rare to see you here. It must be sothing serious if Director Fury sent you after yesterday's mutant incident," Senior Agent John Garrett replied with a hearty laugh.
The robust, cowboy-like man was a top-class Level 8 agent, having joined the special organization (approved by the World Security Council) at the sa ti as Coulson. Now, he served as a manager for the New York branch.
"Yeah, Magneto's grand entrance was a bit too dramatic. And with the high-profile world leaders' summit happening, plus the death of a major figure… let's just say the White House isn't happy," Coulson said with a wry smile...
His long-awaited vacation had been ruined. He had planned a trip to Provence with his girlfriend, but now that would have to wait.
"We're already tracking Erik Lehnsherr's movents. That radical mutant leader has always been on our watchlist, but their abilities make surveillance difficult for low-level agents. And as for the Xavier Institute in Westchester? Forget about it. Every agent we've sent in cos back with their mories wiped clean," Garrett said, shaking his head in frustration.
These high-threat mutants were beyond ordinary human capabilities. Unless they were highly trained senior agents, handling them was nearly impossible.
"Did the Director's proposal get approved?" The seemingly rough-mannered agent asked casually.
As a high-ranking officer, Garrett was aware of the dangerous initiative Director Fury had been pushing... a contingency plan specifically targeting the growing number of superpowered individuals...
However, due to resistance from the World Security Council, it had been shelved indefinitely...
Coulson gave his old friend a asured look before replying calmly, "That's above my pay grade. I just hope the mutants quiet down long enough for to take a proper vacation."
He followed Garrett into the archives, where rows of shelves held intelligence reports submitted by low-level agents. The docunts were categorized by clearance level, with anything above B-Class being sent directly to headquarters, no backups left behind.
Coulson had co to retrieve so older files... low-clearance records that hadn't been digitized, stored only in physical form.
"Here's everything we have on Erik Lehnsherr. The guy's been a thorn in the governnt's side for years; organizing attacks, breaking mutants out of custody, forming the Brotherhood, brutal tactics against humans… Director Fury even drafted a capture plan specifically for him. But given his power level, even with Stark Industries' polyr-based weaponry, taking him alive would be a nightmare," Garrett explained as he pulled out several folders.
"...And that's not even counting the other mutants around him. Decapitation strikes or covert assassinations? Nearly impossible."
Coulson nodded in agreent. He knew exactly how troubleso these mutants could be. Director Fury had always relied on Professor Charles Xavier's moderate faction to counterbalance Magneto's Brotherhood.
But after yesterday's incident, tensions had escalated. The White House was now viewing the entire mutant community with suspicion.
On the bright side, Colonel William Stryker, a longti anti-mutant hardliner, had suddenly found himself back in favor. His previously shelved mutant research programs were being greenlit again.
"The White House wants Director Fury to draft a defensive strategy... not just for Magneto and the Brotherhood, but Charles Xavier and his school too. They're all being classified as high-risk threats. Colonel Stryker has already ford a Mutant Defense Task Force. These files are being prepped for his review."
"Hah! Looks like the Colonel finally got his wish," Garrett chuckled. He'd heard plenty about Stryker's notorious hatred for mutants.
Coulson dusted off the aged docunts. Normally, this kind of grunt work would be handled by junior agents or support staff. He was only here to catch up with an old friend.
"The mutants are in for a rough ti," the ever-friendly senior agent remarked with a sigh.
As he packed the files into a box, Coulson suddenly asked, "Any notable figures popping up in New York lately? The mutants are headache enough. We don't need the street-level heroes causing more chaos."
Garrett frowned, thinking it over before answering, "Oddly enough, they've been unusually quiet. There was so friction with a Yakuza group in Hell's Kitchen, but then they just… vanished... The Punisher, Daredevil... no sightings at all. NYPD is probably popping champagne. That lawless district has actually been peaceful for once."
Coulson raised an eyebrow. Having once managed the New York branch himself, he knew all about the city's extraordinary underground figures. Director Fury had long since classified them as surveillance targets, keeping tabs to ensure they didn't escalate into national security threats.
For high-caliber individuals like the Punisher and Daredevil, field agents generally tracked their movents without direct interference, that is, no sudden confrontations that might trigger hostility.
In short, these unrecruitable wildcards were monitored, not engaged.
"We've been following the Director's protocols; categorizing by incident severity, flagging persons of interest. But honestly, your classification system is too ticulous. We're a specialized unit for superhuman or anomalous events... why are we even bothering with gang wars?" Garrett complained.
He still rembered an incident six months back when a high school student had beaten up so local thugs, coinciding with a major blow to their gang. So rookie field agent had actually put the kid (not even twenty) on the watchlist. It took weeks to clear his na.
If word got out, even the FBI would laugh at them. Gang violence was NYPD territory.
"Not every branch operates like this. But it's New York... we have to be thorough," Coulson reassured his friend.
The covert yet imnsely powerful agency maintained an intricate hierarchy, with strict clearance levels ensuring operational secrecy. So matters were beyond even Coulson's access.
And with the rise of superpowered individuals, their job had only grown more complicated. No longer just dealing with international terrorists or private militias, they now faced far more unpredictable threats.
'No wonder the Director is so desperate to push that initiative through…' Coulson thought to himself.
After all, the best way to fight dangerous individuals… was to recruit even more dangerous ones...
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