George Stacy frowned, casting a cold glance at Coulson. He offered no pretense of warmth. "This case occurred within the jurisdiction of the New York Police Department. I don't believe we require the interference of the FBI. Unless, of course, you can provide evidence that this perpetrator's crimes fall within your specific mandate. Furthermore, next time you decide to barge in, have someone announce you first. Bursting in like this is incredibly rude."
Facing George's icy reception, Coulson remained unfazed, maintaining a pleasant smile. "The grasshopper monster in this case is no ordinary criminal, Commissioner. We believe the NYPD requires our assistance."
"You know what this creature is?" George asked, his tone non-committal but tinged with curiosity.
Coulson shook his head. "I can only tell you that this grasshopper-featured monster is not a normal human. Moreover, this is only the first one to appear; there will be others like it soon. This group carries out killing activities with a specific purpose. To protect the citizens of New York, we need to cooperate to confront these monsters whose sole aim is murder."
George narrowed his eyes, speculating internally: Doesn't sound like a Gaia Memory user. Could it really be an accident at some biochemical lab? Have a large number of bio-engineered humans escaped?
Ever since witnessing the dangers of Gaia Memory power, George Stacy had been tracing their distribution and gathering intelligence. While Gaia Memory users caused various kinds of trouble, they rarely committed such indiscriminate, senseless murders. A group-based, purposeful killing spree sounded much like the theory proposed earlier in the briefing—that a batch of bio-engineered "super-soldiers" designed for combat had gone rogue and were now killing aimlessly.
George spoke with firm gravity: "According to you, New York is suddenly facing a group of dangerous bio-engineered killers. This is a massive threat to the safety of our citizens. The NYPD has a right—and a duty—to know the details. Otherwise, I'll have to ask you to leave. The NYPD has the autonomous right to handle all cases within New York City!"
"These monsters possess immense strength; ordinary firearms won't be enough to stop them. Normal officers will likely be unable to stand against them," Coulson tried to persuade him, noticing George's stubborn stance.
"The NYPD has the capability to deal with these dangerous elements," George replied decisively.
The G3 Armor from the Tree of Life Foundation had already been delivered. George had already hand-picked several elite officers to form a special task force. He had originally intended for them to handle Gaia Memory crimes, but it seemed they would encounter the Gurongi's "murder game" first.
Coulson fell silent for a moment, listening to Nick Fury's orders through his earpiece.
"Very well, Commissioner Stacy. I can give you the specifics. However, to prevent leaks and avoid unnecessary panic, for the time being, only you can be privy to this information," Coulson said, glancing at the other high-ranking officials in the room.
"Since this is a matter of such importance, we shall take our leave," one of the more perceptive officials said immediately.
With this much secrecy involved, it likely was a top-secret government experiment gone wrong. Knowing too much would bring no benefits—only trouble if things went south later. Better to stay out of it.
"A resurrected super-ancient civilization? A killing game?" George's face shifted between shades of grimness and doubt after hearing Coulson's explanation of the Gurongi. He looked at Coulson with deep skepticism.
"Commissioner Stacy, I wouldn't joke about something like this," Coulson said with a wry smile. He then showed George the information recovered from the Kuuga ruins and the combat footage of the Spider Gurongi.
Outside, Steve Rogers, dressed in civilian clothes, leaned against his motorcycle. Seeing Coulson emerge, he asked, "Did the NYPD agree?"
Coulson nodded, letting out a slight sigh of admiration. "That Commissioner Stacy is a tough character. While he agreed to cooperate, he only accepted our involvement on an 'as-needed' basis, meaning he calls us when there's an emergency. In this partnership, they will share intelligence with us, but we aren't allowed to intervene directly without his permission."
Steve frowned upon hearing this. "The Gurongi aren't something ordinary police can handle. Normal weapons are useless against them. Even I couldn't handle that Spider Gurongi before I received the power of Kuuga. And based on the visions I saw from the belt—the fragments of the ancient battle—the ones appearing now are only the lowest-tier Gurongi in the game."
"The NYPD isn't entirely without countermeasures," Nick Fury's voice crackled through the communicator in Coulson's hand. "The NYPD recently purchased several G3 Armor Systems from the Tree of Life Foundation. They have some combat capability. During the Stark Expo, Commissioner Stacy himself wore the G3 and destroyed several combat drones controlled by Ivan Vanko."
Coulson had been in New Mexico during the Stark Expo because of Mjölnir's arrival, so he hadn't been present. "G3 Armor?" he asked.
Steve also perked up his ears to listen.
"It's a full-body powered exoskeleton suit developed by the Foundation for combat support," Fury explained.
"Like Tony Stark's?!" Coulson blurted out in surprise. "This Life Foundation can actually build Iron Man suits?!"
He then shook his head. "No, impossible. The core of Tony's suit is the Arc Reactor. Tree of Life couldn't possibly possess that technology."
Fury chuckled. "If they truly could produce suits with the performance of Tony Stark's, the US Military would have partnered with them long ago, and SHIELD would be placing orders. The G3 is a full-body exoskeleton, but it lacks heavy built-in weaponry and flight capabilities. Weapons have to be equipped separately. The armor mostly boosts the wearer's physical attributes and defense. Plus, it takes time to suit up. It's not ideal for military or covert operations, which is why we didn't buy it. However, it's quite suitable for police counter-terrorism in urban environments."
Fury had seen the G3 in action, but he was still observing and hadn't decided whether to purchase them yet. "This is a good opportunity to observe the combat performance of the official G3 units," Fury added meaningfully.
Coulson understood. "Understood."
"Captain, an exoskeleton suit is..." Coulson instinctively began to explain, thinking Steve, who had slept for seventy years, might not understand the concept.
Steve cut him off with a shake of his head. "Exoskeleton armor—Howard's son's Iron Man suit—I know a thing or two about it. Cooperating with the NYPD is fine by me. As long as we stop the Gurongi's killing game, nothing else matters."
Coulson smiled awkwardly.
Though Steve had been asleep for nearly seventy years, he had been catching up on modern technology ever since he woke up. As an experienced soldier, Steve never slackened when it came to potential combat; he was well aware of modern weaponry and high-tech gear. (In the original timeline, Steve even managed to smuggle Hydra/SHIELD energy weapons out of the armory right under Fury's nose.) His struggle to integrate was about the environment and social atmosphere, not a lack of technical understanding.