S.H.I.E.L.D., formally known as the Homeland Strategic Defense Attack and Logistic Support Bureau, is an international organization directly subordinate to the United Nations Security Council, specializing in handling supernatural events. It has dual law enforcement power within and outside the United States. Its jurisdiction is very broad, but there is a strict requirement for the events it oversees: they must be supernatural events.
The confirmation of supernatural events requires cooperation from various parties. First, when a case occurs in a certain region, the sequence of investigation under the state law enforcement agency is the local community police, then it's the higher police station, and then the state investigation bureau. If the state law enforcement agency cannot determine the cause, it will continue to request support from an upper-level agency, and the case will then be handed over to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation will collect information widely, communicate with local police officers, and even directly participate in the investigations. If they then believe that the case goes beyond the scope of ordinary criminal behaviour, the case will be handed over to the supernatural event management department.
However, S.H.I.E.L.D is not the only department that manages supernatural events. Nearly every state has a Special Security Administration, abbreviated as Special-Security, to handle many ambiguous supernatural cases within the state.
The reason for such departments is that many supernatural cases are hard to define. A very sophisticated serial killer may use religious elements in his killings that deserve investigation by the Special Security of each state before his capture, as these cases can easily be misunderstood as supernatural events.
After all, Marvel is a universe with superheroes, and there are also quite a few individuals who are not quite superheroes but have special abilities. They mostly work in the Special-Security department. And when these people investigate the incident and find that it is not a supernatural event, the case will be transferred back to the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
If the Federal Bureau of Investigation conducts a project investigation again and still cannot find any trace of human involvement, the case will not be sent to the state department, but directly submitted to S.H.I.E.L.D.
In other words, most of the cases that are submitted to S.H.I.E.L.D are controversial between the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Special-Security department. Even the local police, local people, and law enforcement agencies find it difficult to agree, often dividing into two factions arguing endlessly over whether the case is of human causes or haunted.
At this time, S.H.I.E.L.D needs to conduct a more detailed and professional investigation to determine whether this is a supernatural event.
If you ask how many of the various cases that S.H.I.E.L.D has taken over the years are genuine supernatural events and how many are man-made, it is hard to say.
Most of the cases have both supernatural factors and are hard to separate from human intervention. It is possible that the initial disaster was indeed affected by supernatural factors, but in the end, it was either human beings who exacerbated it or someone took advantage of the chaos to harm their compatriots.
In the end, whether it's a supernatural event or the evil of human nature, there's no way to disclose it to the public. The public tends to believe that S.H.I.E.L.D is deliberately concealing information, and they're always thankless for their efforts. Therefore, S.H.I.E.L.D gradually accepts fewer cases within the country unless they have wide-reaching implications and attract significant public attention.
Today is an exception. On the last day of autumn, a heavy rain fell in the outskirts of New York. The rotor of the helicopter cut through the rain curtain. When it descended, the airflow stirred up the accumulated water under the grass and mud, splashing mud all over the cabin door.
"I don't know how to describe it, it was terrifying."
The thin voice came from inside the door, accompanied by the crackling sounds of the fireplace. Coulson, who had stepped off the helicopter, motioned for the umbrella-holding agent to retreat a bit, and he alone pushed open the door and entered.
An Asian female agent was sitting on the sofa across from a girl, listening intently. Coulson walked in quietly, which startled the girl.
"Don't be scared, he's my superior." The Asian female agent stood up, and Coulson nodded at her. He signaled her to sit back down, and said, "You don't need to feel constrained. May, have you obtained any useful clues?"
"We were just getting to that." May, the Asian female agent, glanced at the notebook in her hand, pressed a button on the recorder in front of her. Across from her, the blonde girl dressed in a floral dress and a knitted shawl looked especially weary. She turned her head and stared at Coulson who had walked up to the table.
"Sir, I have repeated what I saw dozens of times these past few days. No one is willing to believe me. If you don't believe me, don't bother asking me again."
"Please trust us, that's why we're here." Coulson leaned against the bar and said, "We're different from the agents who questioned you before. We're from S.H.I.E.L.D., an organization dedicated to handling supernatural events. Have you heard of us?"
"They mentioned that name to me." The girl in the dress sighed. "I don't care which department you're from, just please stop having those agents harass me."
"I'm sorry, Adela. This is the responsibility of the Federal Bureau of Investigation agents. Please understand."
"I know you are already very weary. As the last witness to this event, you only need to re-tell us what you saw one more time, and I promise no one will bother you after this."
Adela, the girl being addressed, sighed softly.
"Four days ago, at dusk, I left Manhattan by car to Buffalo. I wanted to return to this small house left to me by my grandparents on the US-Canada border."