The joint operation by S.H.I.E.L.D., the FBI, and the NYPD was massive. More than a hundred vehicles took different routes and converged on the perimeter of a manor-like mansion somewhere on Long Island, sealing the place off completely.
In terms of organizational rank and authority, S.H.I.E.L.D., which answered to the United Nations Security Council, held the highest authority at the scene. Its duties had always involved handling supernatural affairs, and when it came to dealing with Vampires and Werewolves, it outranked the FBI as well.
However, ninety percent of the personnel on site were from the NYPD. So although the police commissioner who had arrived, George Stacy, did not have much formal authority, his words carried considerable weight.
Neither the director of the FBI's New York office nor the director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Division could ignore the commissioner's opinion. Even the convoy routes had been arranged by police personnel. Otherwise, if more than a hundred vehicles had all taken the same road, they would have blocked themselves before getting anywhere. They could not possibly have reached their destination so smoothly.
But police were still police. Having more people did not automatically turn them into an army, and there was no established organizational structure to manage them. The command issues for dozens of tactical teams all fell on George Stacy alone. Coordinating everyone required far more effort.
Nick Fury, the one-eyed director of the S.H.I.E.L.D. New York Division, had come from a career as a senior military officer and had experience commanding troops. Even so, he chose to respect George Stacy's orders rather than seize command from him outright.
It could not be helped. Ever since S.H.I.E.L.D. had been reorganized into an affiliate of the Security Council, a barrier had emerged between it and domestic United States law enforcement