Harry had been monitoring the city for two weeks. His penthouse had become a command center of sorts, with multiple screens displaying feeds from traffic cameras, news broadcasts, and police scanners. The Elder Wand made hacking into secure networks almost trivial. A touch of magic here, a subtle compulsion there, and digital locks opened without protest. Whoever had claimed that magic and technology did not work together clearly hadn't been in this world.
The patterns were starting to emerge. Crime in New York wasn't just random violence and petty theft. There was something else operating beneath the surface. Groups of enhanced individuals working together. Technology that shouldn't exist being used in coordinated attacks. And always, always, a response that came too quickly and too efficiently for regular law enforcement.
"Unknown units responding to enhanced threat at Pier 47," the police scanner crackled. "All regular units maintain perimeter. Do not engage."
Harry looked up from his laptop. Enhanced threat. That was the code phrase he'd been hearing more frequently. Someone was tracking people with abilities, and they weren't the NYPD.
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the elevator. Two weeks of passive observation had taught him plenty, but he needed to see one of these operations firsthand.
The docks were thirty minutes away by taxi. Not for the first time, he cursed the lack of apparition in this world. The method was crude and uncomfortable, but handy nonetheless. However, it didn't seem to work here.
Harry paid the driver and walked the last six blocks, keeping to the shadows. The area was industrial, filled with shipping containers and abandoned warehouses. Perfect place for a confrontation that authorities wanted to keep quiet.
Police cars had blocked the main access roads, but they were staying back. Way back. Red and blue lights flashed in the distance, but the officers weren't advancing. They were waiting for someone else.
Harry found a fire escape on a building three blocks from the pier. He climbed to the roof and pulled out a pair of binoculars. The view was perfect.
Three black SUVs had approached from the water side. Not police vehicles. These were sleek, expensive, and completely unmarked. No license plates visible. The kind of vehicles that belonged to organizations that didn't officially exist.
Six people in tactical gear had emerged from the SUVs. Their equipment was military grade, but their uniforms bore no insignia. They moved with precision that spoke of extensive training and recent combat experience.
"Delta team in position," a voice said through Harry's enhanced hearing. He'd been experimenting with magical augmentation of his senses. The results were impressive. "Targets are holed up in Warehouse C. Three confirmed enhanced individuals. Unknown capabilities."
"Copy that, Delta," another voice responded. "Remember, we want them alive if possible. Command needs intel on their organization."
Harry focused his attention on Warehouse C. The building was old, built of brick and steel. Small windows near the roof line. Two visible entrances, both on the ground level. If he were planning an ambush, he'd have people positioned on the roof and covering both exits.
The tactical team seemed to be thinking the same thing. Two agents split off and began working their way around the building's perimeter. The other four approached the main entrance with weapons drawn.
"This is Agent Morrison," the team leader spoke into his comm. "Beginning breach in thirty seconds."
Harry settled in to watch. Whatever was about to happen, he had a front-row seat.
The breach went wrong immediately.
The agents had barely reached the warehouse door when the entire front wall exploded outward. Not from an explosive device. Harry could see the energy discharge pattern. Someone inside had torn through brick and steel with their bare hands.
Three figures emerged from the hole in the wall. Even from his distance, Harry could see they weren't entirely human. One was at least eight feet tall, with skin that looked metallic. Another moved faster than should have been possible, leaving blurred afterimages. The third was glowing with some kind of internal energy that made Harry's magical senses tingle.
"Contact! Contact!" Agent Morrison shouted. "We have three enhanced hostiles. Requesting immediate backup."
The tall one reached the tactical team first. He grabbed one of the agents and hurled him thirty feet through the air. The agent hit a shipping container with a sound that made Harry wince. He wasn't getting up.
The fast one was behind the remaining agents before they could turn around. Harry watched him disarm two of them in seconds, moving too quickly for normal human reflexes to track.
The glowing one raised his hands, and energy arced between his fingers. The kind of energy that would turn human beings into ash.
"Fall back!" Morrison screamed. "Fall back to the vehicles!"
But there was nowhere to go. The three enhanced individuals had positioned themselves perfectly. The agents were trapped in the open space between the warehouse and their SUVs, with no cover and no escape route.
Harry watched the glowing man's hands brighten. In seconds, those agents were going to die.
For the first time since he'd arrived in this world, he saw a glimpse of his old life, his actions flashing before his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes. It seemed the time had come to stop observing.
Harry stood up on the rooftop and drew the Elder Wand. The distance was considerable, but magic didn't follow the same rules as conventional weapons. Intent mattered more than proximity.
"Petrificus Totalus," he whispered, targeting the fast one first.
The spell struck him mid-step. His body locked up completely, and momentum carried him into a pile of steel drums. The crash echoed across the docks.
The tall one turned toward the sound, confused. Harry was already casting his second spell.
"Stupefy."
The stunning spell hit the metallic giant center mass. He staggered, shook his head, and looked around for the source of the attack. His skin seemed to have absorbed some of the spell's impact, but not all of it.
The glowing one was the real threat. Energy was building between his hands, and his target was clear. Agent Morrison was on the ground, trying to reach his weapon.
Harry needed something more direct. He pointed the Elder Wand at a shipping container twenty feet to the left of the energy manipulator and cast a banishing hex. The container lifted off the ground and flew sideways, striking the glowing man and pinning him against the warehouse wall.
The energy discharge went wild, arcing harmlessly into the sky.
"What the hell is happening?" one of the agents shouted.
Harry wasn't done. The tall one had shaken off the stunning spell and was advancing on the agents again. Time for something more creative.
He conjured a tripwire of solid air directly in the giant's path. The enhanced individual hit it at full speed and went down hard, crashing face-first into the asphalt.
Before he could get up, Harry cast a binding charm. Invisible ropes of magical energy wrapped around the fallen giant, holding him in place.
The fast one was starting to recover from the body-binding curse. Harry could see him straining against the spell. Enhanced individuals apparently had some resistance to direct magical effects.
No problem. Harry had other options.
He focused on the steel drums the speedster had crashed into. A simple levitation charm lifted them into the air. A banishing hex sent them flying in a perfect arc. They struck the fast one just as he broke free from the binding curse, knocking him unconscious.
Three enhanced criminals neutralized. Three agents alive who should have been dead.
Harry looked down at the scene. The agents were getting to their feet, weapons drawn, looking around wildly for their mysterious benefactor. Their tactical gear had protected them from the worst of the impact, but they were clearly shaken.
"Delta team to command," Agent Morrison spoke into his comm. "Targets are down. Repeat, targets are neutralized."
"Copy that, Delta. What's your status?"
Morrison looked around at his team. One agent was limping. Another had blood on his face. But they were all breathing.
"Three wounded, none critical. But command, we didn't neutralize these targets. Someone else did."
"Explain."
"Unknown intervention. Couldn't get a visual on the shooter. Has to be enhanced. These guys were taken down by someone with serious capabilities."
Harry smiled. Enhanced. If they only knew.
He was about to leave when another voice came through the agents' communication system. Someone new had joined the channel.
"Agent Morrison, this is Coulson. Do not move from your position. I'm five minutes out."
Coulson. The name meant nothing to Harry, but Morrison's reaction was immediate.
"Copy that, sir. We'll hold position."
Morrison turned to his team. "Pack it up, but don't go anywhere. Agent Coulson's coming."
"Why is he coming here?" one of the other agents asked.
"Because someone just did our job better than we did, and he's going to want to know who."
Harry decided to stick around. Anyone who could make tactical agents nervous was worth observing.
Four minutes later, a black sedan pulled up to the perimeter. A man in his forties got out, wearing a suit that looked government-issued but expensive. The way he walked screamed he was someone in charge, and quite clearly a senior agent in whichever organization these lot belonged to.
Coulson, Harry assumed.
The man surveyed the scene with keen eyes. Three enhanced criminals secured and unconscious. Minimal collateral damage. No civilian casualties. He walked over to examine the shipping container that had pinned the energy manipulator.
"Agent Morrison," he called out. "Come here."
Morrison jogged over. "Sir?"
"Tell me exactly what happened."
"We breached the warehouse as planned. Targets came out hard. Enhanced strength, enhanced speed, energy projection. We were outclassed from the start."
"And then?"
"Then someone intervened. The fast one went down first. Looked like he hit something invisible. The big one got staggered by something. The energy guy got taken out by this container."
Coulson examined the shipping container more closely. "This thing weighs at least eight tons. The impact pattern suggests it was thrown laterally, not dropped. What kind of weapon system could do that?"
"Unknown, sir. No visible projectiles. No muzzle flashes. No sound signatures that matched conventional weapons."
"Enhanced individual?"
"Has to be. But why help us? Enhanced criminals don't usually turn on each other."
Coulson pulled out a device that looked like a cross between a smartphone and a sensor array. He pointed it at the shipping container and frowned at the readings.
"Energy residue is consistent with electromagnetic manipulation. But the patterns are wrong. This isn't technology I recognize."
He moved to where the tall one had been bound by Harry's invisible magical ropes. The bindings had dissolved when Harry released the spell, but Coulson's device was still picking up traces.
"Sir?" Morrison asked.
"I'm reading energy signatures that don't match our database. Whatever did this used principles we haven't seen before."
Coulson walked the entire scene, taking readings and making notes. He spent particular attention on the areas where Harry had cast spells. His device seemed to be detecting magical residue.
"Agent Morrison, I want you to interview every witness. Police officers, dock workers, anyone who might have seen something. Cross-reference with all surveillance cameras in a six-block radius."
"Yes, sir. What should we tell them we're looking for?"
"Someone who can throw shipping containers without breaking a sweat and disable enhanced individuals without being seen. Someone who either has technology we've never encountered, or abilities that don't fit our current understanding of enhanced physiology."
Coulson's phone buzzed. He answered it immediately.
"Coulson."
Harry couldn't hear the other side of the conversation, but Coulson's expression grew more serious.
"Are you sure about that? Run it again." A pause. "No, I need those results now."
He hung up and turned back to Morrison.
"We have a problem. Preliminary analysis of the energy signatures shows patterns that match theoretical models for dimensional manipulation."
"What does that mean?"
"It means whoever did this wasn't just using enhanced strength or speed. They were bending space-time to achieve their effects."
Morrison stared at him. "That's impossible."
"Three months ago, I would have agreed with you. But we're living in a world where a man flies around in a metal suit powered by an arc reactor. Impossible is becoming a relative term."
Coulson looked around the dock one more time. His eyes swept across the buildings where Harry might have been positioned. For a moment, Harry thought the agent might be looking directly at him.
"Whoever did this has capabilities that exceed anything in our current files. Enhanced individuals we understand. Advanced technology we can analyze. This is something else entirely."
"Orders, sir?"
"Full investigation. I want to know everything about this intervention. Forensics, ballistics, electromagnetic analysis. Interview everyone who was within ten blocks of here tonight."
Coulson pulled out his phone again.
"This is Coulson. I need a priority analysis on the New York incident. Someone just demonstrated abilities that don't fit our current threat assessment models."
He paused, listening.
"No, not enhanced. Something else. I want Stark's opinion on the energy readings. And get me a meeting with Director Fury. We may have a new player in the game."
Harry had heard enough. He gathered his equipment and prepared to leave. But Coulson's next words made him freeze.
"One more thing. Run a cross-reference with all known magical practitioners. I know we don't have many files in that category, but check what we do have."
Magical practitioners. This world had witches and wizards, and they knew magic existed.
Harry waited until Coulson and his team had left before making his way back to street level. The walk to the main road gave him time to think about what he'd witnessed.
The organization that had sent those agents wasn't regular law enforcement. They had resources, training, and intelligence networks that suggested something much larger. Government, probably, but operating outside normal channels.
More importantly, they knew about magic. Not much, apparently, but enough to consider it a possibility when faced with unexplained phenomena.
Harry had spent two weeks assuming he was the only magical individual in this world. That assumption might have been wrong.
He flagged down a taxi and gave the driver his address. During the ride back to Manhattan, he considered his options.
He could continue operating in the shadows, using his abilities to help where needed while staying invisible. It was safe. It was smart. It was probably what he should do.
But it was also limiting. If there were other magical individuals in this world, he needed to know about them. If there were organizations tracking enhanced individuals, he needed to understand their capabilities and motivations.
Most importantly, if someone like Tony Stark was achieving magical effects through scientific means, Harry needed to know how far that technology had progressed.
The taxi pulled up to his building. Harry paid the driver and headed for the elevator.
Back in his penthouse, he began planning his next move. Tonight had been a test. He'd demonstrated his abilities, saved lives, and remained undetected. But he'd also attracted attention from people who clearly had resources and expertise he hadn't anticipated.
From now on, he would be more careful. But he wouldn't stop.
Someone named Coulson was looking for him now. An organization with advanced technology and knowledge of magic was trying to identify him.
Harry Potter had their attention.
Soon, he would have to decide whether he wanted to keep it.
xXx
In a black sedan twenty minutes away from the docks, Agent Phil Coulson stared at the preliminary energy analysis on his tablet. The readings were unlike anything in SHIELD's database. Electromagnetic signatures that suggested matter manipulation at the quantum level. Force patterns that indicated localized gravitational distortion. Energy residue that matched theoretical models for dimensional bridge technology.
"Sir?" Agent Morrison's voice came through the comm. "We've completed the initial sweep. No witnesses reported seeing anything unusual. Surveillance cameras in the area malfunctioned during the incident."
"All of them?"
"Yes, sir. Electromagnetic interference knocked out every camera within four blocks. The timing coincides exactly with the intervention."
Coulson made a note on his tablet. Whoever their mystery helper was, they understood the importance of operational security.
"Agent Morrison, I want you to expand the search perimeter. Interview everyone within eight blocks. Check with traffic control, parking enforcement, anyone who might have been in the area."
"Copy that, sir."
Coulson ended the call and opened a secure line to SHIELD headquarters.
"This is Coulson. I need an immediate consultation with our science division. Priority Alpha."
"What's the nature of your request?"
"Unknown intervention at tonight's operation. Energy signatures that don't match our current understanding of enhanced individual capabilities. I'm sending you the preliminary analysis now."
Coulson transmitted the data and waited. Within minutes, his phone rang.
"Agent Coulson, this is Dr. Selvig. I've reviewed your energy readings."
"And?"
"This is remarkable. The quantum signature patterns suggest manipulation of fundamental forces at a level that should require massive amounts of energy and incredibly sophisticated equipment."
"Could an enhanced individual generate these effects?"
"Not with any physiology we've documented. The power requirements alone would be beyond human capacity. This looks more like advanced technology, but operating on principles I don't recognize."
Coulson frowned. "Any chance this is Stark tech?"
"Doubtful. Tony Stark's arc reactor technology is impressive, but these readings suggest something even more advanced. Whoever did this either has access to science that's decades ahead of our current capabilities, or…"
"Or?"
"Or it's not science at all."
Coulson understood the implication. SHIELD maintained files on individuals who claimed to practice magic, but most were charlatans or people with minor enhanced abilities. The idea that someone could achieve these results through actual magical means had always been considered unlikely.
Tonight's incident suggested they might need to reconsider that assessment.
"Dr. Selvig, I want you to run a comparison analysis with all known dimensional research. Check our files on individuals who claim magical abilities. And get me a consultation with anyone on staff who has experience with unconventional physics."
"I'll have preliminary results within five hours."
"Make it three."
Coulson ended the call and looked out the window at the New York skyline. Somewhere in this city was someone with capabilities that exceeded SHIELD's understanding of what was possible. Someone who had just demonstrated the ability to neutralize enhanced threats without being detected.
The question was whether this unknown individual was an asset or a threat.
He opened another secure line.
"This is Coulson. Get me Director Fury. We have a new situation."
While he waited for the connection, Coulson reviewed the timeline of events. The enhanced criminals had been tracked to the warehouse through intelligence gathered over several weeks. The operation had been planned to capture them alive for interrogation. Instead, they'd been neutralized by an unknown party using methods that defied analysis.
It was too convenient to be a coincidence.
Someone had been watching SHIELD operations. Someone with the power to intervene when they chose to. Someone who remained invisible to conventional surveillance.
"Coulson." Fury's voice was sharp with authority. "What's the situation?"
"We have a new player, sir. Unknown individual with capabilities that exceed our current threat assessment models. They intervened in tonight's operation at the docks."
"Friend or foe?"
"Unknown. They saved our agents' lives, but they also demonstrated the ability to neutralize enhanced individuals without effort. The power levels we're seeing are unprecedented."
Fury was quiet for a moment. "Send me everything you have. I want a full analysis within twelve hours. And Coulson?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Find out who this is. If they're a threat, we need to know about it. If they're an asset, we need to recruit them."
"Understood, sir."
Coulson hung up and stared at his tablet screen. The energy readings were still there, defying explanation. Someone with incredible power had chosen to help SHIELD agents tonight.
Tomorrow, he would begin the process of finding out who.
He knew that somewhere in the data they collected would be the key to identifying their mysterious benefactor.
"Get me everything you can on that," he said into his comm, his eyes serious staring straight ahead.
xXx
Harry stood at his penthouse window, watching the street below through enhanced vision. A black SUV had been parked across from his building for three hours. The same SUV that had been there yesterday. And the day before.
SHIELD, as he had discovered, was watching him. Or rather, they were watching everyone who lived in buildings that had clear sightlines to the docks. Their net was wide, their methods predictable, and their surveillance obvious to anyone who knew what to look for.
He found their efforts almost charming.
"Still there," he murmured to himself, noting the subtle antenna modifications on the vehicle's roof. Government surveillance equipment, designed to monitor electronic communications and detect unusual energy signatures.
They had no idea they were looking for a wizard.
Harry walked back to his command center. The screens showed police scanners, news feeds, and traffic cameras across the city. He'd been monitoring SHIELD's activities for five days now, ever since Agent Coulson had started his investigation.
They were thorough. Credit where credit was due. Teams of agents had interviewed hundreds of people. They'd analyzed every surveillance camera within ten blocks of the pier. They'd brought in specialists from various government agencies to examine the energy readings he'd left behind.
All of it useless, of course. Magic didn't leave traces that their instruments could properly identify. But their dedication was impressive.
His laptop chimed with a new intercepted communication. SHIELD used encrypted channels, but the Elder Wand made electronic locks suggestions rather than barriers. Harry had been listening to their operational chatter since day two.
"Delta team reporting in," Agent Morrison's voice came through the speakers. "No contacts at location seven. Moving to location eight."
Harry pulled up a map of Manhattan. Location eight was an office building six blocks north. They were systematically checking every building that might have housed their mystery sniper. The search pattern was logical, but it would take them months to cover the entire area.
He was considering making coffee when another communication caught his attention.
"Agent Coulson to base. I need authorization for enhanced surveillance on the financial district. Our target profile suggests someone with significant resources."
Interesting. They'd figured out that whoever helped them had money. Harry's penthouse wasn't cheap, and the equipment he'd been using to monitor the city required serious investment. SHIELD was connecting dots, even if they didn't know what picture they were drawing.
His phone buzzed with a text from his building's concierge. "Mr. Potter, there are two gentlemen here asking about residents who moved in recently. Should I give them your information?"
Harry typed back quickly. "Tell them I'm traveling for business. Won't be back for two weeks."
The concierge replied immediately. "Understood, sir."
SHIELD would check his story, of course. They'd discover that Harry Potter was supposedly a British consultant who'd made his fortune in technology investments. His travel records would show trips to various cities, all carefully manufactured through magical manipulation of airline databases.
Let them chase shadows.
Harry turned his attention back to the city monitors. SHIELD wasn't the only organization operating in New York. Over the past week, he'd identified at least three other groups running surveillance operations. Government agencies, corporate security, and something else that didn't fit either category.
The third group was the most interesting. Their vehicles were unmarked, their communications were encrypted beyond SHIELD's level, and their operational patterns suggested they were watching SHIELD as much as anyone else.
Someone was spying on the spies.
Harry had encountered this dynamic before. During the war, the Ministry of Magic had been infiltrated by Death Eaters working from within. Organizations could be corrupted, turned against their original purpose. SHIELD might be facing the same problem.
He pulled up the files he'd been building on various New York criminal organizations. Enhanced individuals, advanced technology, coordinated attacks. The patterns suggested something larger than random crime. Someone was organizing enhanced criminals, equipping them with weapons that shouldn't exist, and using them for purposes that weren't immediately clear.
SHIELD was investigating the symptoms. Harry was more interested in the disease.
His magical senses had been picking up traces of something wrong in the city. Not dark magic, exactly, but something that felt deliberately hidden. Energy signatures that were masked, communications that were shielded, activities that were carefully concealed from official attention.
Whatever was happening, it involved people who understood how to stay invisible.
Time to test SHIELD's capabilities.
Harry opened a secure connection to the city's surveillance network. Traffic cameras, security systems, and police databases. He began searching for patterns that SHIELD might have missed.
Enhanced individuals didn't appear out of nowhere. They had histories, connections, and in this world of tech supremacy, financial records. Someone was recruiting them, training them, and equipping them. That someone would have left traces if you knew where to look.
He started with the three criminals from the pier. Their names were in the police reports: Marcus Chen, enhanced strength and metallic skin transformation. Sean Volkov, superhuman speed and reflexes. David Kim, energy projection and manipulation.
None of them had criminal records before six months ago. All three had been reported missing by family members around the same time. All three had substantial debts that had been mysteriously paid off shortly before they disappeared.
Someone had been shopping for desperate people.
Harry dug deeper into their financial records. The debt payments had come from shell companies that existed only on paper. The shell companies were owned by other shell companies, creating a maze of false ownership that would take normal investigators months to unravel.
But Harry wasn't a normal investigator.
He followed the trail through dozens of fake corporations, using his immense patience to slice through digital deceptions. The money trail led through banks in six different countries before ending at a financial institution in Switzerland that specialized in anonymous transactions.
Dead end. Whoever was funding enhanced criminal recruitment knew how to hide their money.
But money wasn't the only trail to follow.
Harry pulled up cellular communication records for the three days before the pier incident. Enhanced individuals still used phones. Someone still needed to coordinate their activities.
There. A series of encrypted text messages sent to all three criminals' phones from the same number. The messages were short, cryptic, but clearly operational instructions.
"Package ready for pickup. Location seven. Midnight."
"Asset deployment scheduled. Confirm receipt."
"Operation green light. Target acquired."
The phone number was registered to another shell company, but the cellular towers that had carried the signals created a geographic pattern. Someone was coordinating criminal activities from a specific area of the city.
Harry zoomed in on the map. Lower Manhattan. Financial district. The same area where SHIELD was planning enhanced surveillance.
Interesting coincidence.
He spent the next four hours tracing communication patterns. The encrypted messages weren't random. They followed a schedule, always sent from the same general location, and always using the same coded language.
Whoever was running this operation was careful, but they were also predictable.
Harry found seventeen more phone numbers that had received similar messages over the past month. He cross-referenced them with missing persons reports, unexplained debt payments, and police incident reports involving enhanced individuals.
Every single one matched.
Someone was running an enhanced individual recruitment and deployment network. They were targeting people with financial problems, making them disappear, and turning them into weapons.
The operation was sophisticated, well-funded, and completely invisible to official law enforcement.
Until now.
Harry leaned back in his chair and considered his options. He could continue watching, gathering intelligence, and building a complete picture of the network. Safe, smart, and thorough.
Or he could test SHIELD's capabilities by giving them information they couldn't have obtained through normal channels.
The second option was more dangerous. It would reveal that someone was monitoring their operations, possibly someone with access to classified information. But it would also show him how SHIELD responded to unexpected intelligence.
And it might help him identify who was really running the enhanced criminal network.
He thought it through, and finally, he made his decision.
He opened a secure communication channel and began typing an encrypted message. SHIELD would receive it through their normal intelligence channels, but the source would be completely untraceable.
"Priority intelligence regarding enhanced criminal network. Three criminals neutralized at Pier 47 were part of larger organization. Network operates from financial district, coordinates through encrypted cellular communications. Recruitment targets individuals with significant debt, payment made through Swiss financial institutions. Seventeen additional assets currently operational in New York area."
He paused, considering how much detail to include. Too little, and SHIELD might dismiss the information as unreliable. Too much, and they might figure out how the intelligence was obtained.
"Network leadership unknown but follows predictable operational patterns. Communication sent every Tuesday and Friday, 2100 hours, from cellular towers in lower Manhattan grid reference 847-A through 851-C. Suggest monitoring cellular traffic during those windows."
Harry attached the financial records he'd traced, the communication logs, and the cellular tower data. Enough information to make the tip actionable, but not enough to reveal his methods.
He needed a signature. Something that would identify him as a reliable source without revealing his identity.
"Source designation: The Consultant."
Harry sent the message through SHIELD's intelligence network and sat back to wait. He'd given them everything they needed to identify and disrupt the enhanced criminal network. Now he would see how quickly they could act on the information.
His coffee had gone cold while he worked. Harry got up to make a fresh cup, noting that the surveillance team outside his building had changed shifts. A new black SUV had replaced the old one, but the operational pattern remained the same.
Still watching. Still clueless.
The coffee maker was just finishing when his laptop chimed with intercepted SHIELD communications.
"Priority intelligence received through secure channels," Agent Coulson's voice came through the speakers. "Possible enhanced criminal network operating from financial district. Requesting immediate analysis."
"What's the source?" another voice asked.
"Unknown. Intelligence was transmitted through our normal channels, but the origin point is untraceable. Whoever sent this has access to information we don't."
"Could be a trap."
"Could be. But the data looks legitimate. Financial records, communication logs, cellular tower triangulation. This isn't random intelligence. Someone did serious research."
Harry smiled. SHIELD was taking the bait.
"I want a full analysis of this intelligence within two hours," Coulson continued. "Cross-reference with all current operations. If this information is accurate, we need to move fast."
"What about the source? Someone calling themselves 'The Consultant'?"
"New player. Add it to our list of unknown assets. For now, we treat the intelligence as potentially reliable but verify everything independently."
"Understood."
The communication ended. Harry pulled up SHIELD's operational frequencies and settled in to monitor their response.
Within an hour, they had teams mobilizing. The financial records were verified through independent channels. The communication logs were cross-referenced with cellular provider databases. The cellular tower data was confirmed through technical analysis.
Everything checked out.
By evening, SHIELD had identified the building where the network's communications were originating. Surveillance teams were in position. Electronic monitoring equipment was deployed.
They were ready to move.
Harry watched the operation unfold through traffic cameras and police scanners. Three black SUVs approached the target building from different directions. Teams of agents took positions around all exits.
"This is Coulson. We're in position. Beginning electronic surveillance sweep."
Harry enhanced his hearing and focused on the target building. He could sense the presence of multiple individuals inside, their emotions running high with stress and suspicion. Enhanced individuals, probably the same ones who had been receiving the encrypted messages.
But there was something else. A presence that felt familiar, though he couldn't immediately identify why.
"Contact," Coulson's voice crackled through the comm. "We have visual confirmation of enhanced individuals in the building. Count is seven, possibly eight."
"Any sign of network leadership?"
"Negative. But there's something else. Energy readings are spiking. These individuals have been enhanced beyond normal parameters."
Harry frowned. Enhanced beyond normal parameters? That suggested someone was artificially augmenting their abilities, not just recruiting people with natural talents.
"Sir, we're detecting communication equipment that doesn't match known technology. Advanced encryption, energy signature that doesn't fit our database."
"Proceed with caution. We don't know what we're dealing with."
The feeling of familiarity was getting stronger. Harry concentrated, trying to identify what was triggering his magical senses.
Then he felt it. A presence that was cold, calculating, and deliberately hidden. Not enhanced individuals or advanced technology.
Magic. Dark magic.
Someone inside that building was a wizard, and they were using magic to augment the enhanced criminals' abilities.
Harry stood up from his desk. This changed everything. He wasn't the only magical individual in this world. Someone else was here, someone who was using magic for criminal purposes.
"Breach in thirty seconds," Coulson announced.
Harry watched through enhanced vision as SHIELD agents prepared to enter the building. They had no idea what they were walking into. Enhanced individuals were dangerous enough. Enhanced individuals who had been magically augmented were something else entirely.
He grabbed his jacket and headed for the door. SHIELD was about to walk into a trap, and they didn't know it.
But Harry did.
Once again, it was time to get involved directly.
xXx
In SHIELD's mobile command center, Agent Phil Coulson studied the tactical display with growing concern. The intelligence from "The Consultant" had been completely accurate. Financial records, communication patterns, cellular tower data. Everything had checked out perfectly.
Too perfectly.
"Sir," Agent Morrison's voice came through the comm. "We have a problem. Energy readings are spiking beyond normal enhanced individual parameters. Whatever's in this building, it's not just superhuman abilities."
Coulson looked at the electromagnetic readings on his screen. The patterns were similar to what they'd detected at the pier, but stronger. More complex.
"Could be the same individual who intervened at the docks," Dr. Selvig's voice came through the secure channel. "Energy signatures are consistent with quantum manipulation technology."
"Or magic," Coulson muttered under his breath.
"Sir?"
"Nothing. Proceed with the breach, but maintain extreme caution. We don't know what we're dealing with."
Coulson's phone buzzed with a priority message. He opened it and frowned at the sender identification.
The Consultant.
"SHIELD teams are walking into enhanced opposition. Individuals inside building have been artificially augmented beyond normal parameters. Suggest withdrawal until better intelligence is available."
Coulson stared at the message. The Consultant was monitoring their operation in real time. Someone was watching SHIELD's tactical response and providing warnings. It was both baffling and concerning.
"Agent Morrison, abort the breach. Repeat, abort the breach."
"Sir? We're in position."
"New intelligence suggests the opposition is more dangerous than anticipated. Pull back to observation distance."
"Understood. Teams are withdrawing."
Coulson opened a secure line to headquarters. "This is Coulson. We have a situation. Our unknown intelligence source is monitoring our operations in real time."
"Confirmed?"
"Just received a warning about enhanced opposition thirty seconds before our breach. Someone is watching us, and they have access to information we don't."
"Stand by."
Coulson waited, watching his agents withdraw from the target building. The energy readings were stabilizing, but the patterns remained unlike anything in SHIELD's database.
"Coulson, this is Fury. What's your assessment?"
"We have a new player with capabilities that exceed our understanding. They provided intelligence that led us to a major enhanced criminal network. Now they're providing tactical warnings to protect our agents."
"Friend or foe?"
"Unknown. But they just prevented us from walking into what might have been a trap."
Fury was quiet for a moment. "Continue surveillance. I want to know everything about this 'Consultant.' And Coulson?"
"Yes, sir?"
"Be ready for anything. If someone is watching our operations and has access to this level of intelligence, we need to know who they are and what they want."
Coulson ended the call and looked at the tactical display. Seven enhanced criminals were in that building, artificially augmented beyond normal parameters. SHIELD had the resources to deal with enhanced individuals, but whatever was in there was something else.
His phone buzzed with another message from The Consultant.
"Suggest monitoring electromagnetic frequencies 847.2 and 851.7 MHz. Enhanced individuals are receiving coordination instructions through non-standard communication channels. Jamming those frequencies will disrupt their tactical coordination."
Coulson immediately contacted his technical team. "Jam electromagnetic frequencies 847.2 and 851.7 MHz immediately."
"Sir, those frequencies aren't assigned to any known communication systems."
"Do it anyway."
Within minutes, the energy readings from the target building began to fluctuate. Whatever was coordinating the enhanced individuals inside was being disrupted.
"This is Morrison. Energy readings are destabilizing. Enhanced individuals appear to be losing coordination."
Coulson's phone buzzed again.
"Enhanced individual capabilities are being artificially maintained through external coordination. Jamming those frequencies will reduce their effectiveness by approximately sixty percent. Breach is now tactically viable."
The Consultant wasn't just monitoring SHIELD's operations. They were providing tactical support in real time.
"All teams, prepare for breach. Enhanced opposition capabilities have been reduced. Proceed with extreme caution."
"Yes, sir."
xXx
The operation was successful. Seven enhanced criminals were captured with minimal casualties. The network's communication equipment was seized. Financial records were recovered that would lead to additional arrests.
It was SHIELD's most successful enhanced individual operation to date.
And they'd been guided through it by someone they couldn't identify.
Later that evening, Coulson sat in his office reviewing the operation reports. The Consultant's intelligence had been perfect. Every detail accurate, every prediction correct.
Someone knew more about enhanced criminal networks than SHIELD did. Someone had access to intelligence that should have been impossible to obtain.
Someone who called themselves The Consultant was playing a game, and SHIELD was just now realizing they were on the board.
Coulson's phone rang. Director Fury's number.
"Coulson."
"The Consultant's intelligence panned out perfectly. Seven major arrests, network disrupted, equipment seized. This is the biggest enhanced individual bust we've had."
"Yes, sir."
"But I don't like mysteries, Phil. Someone provided us with intelligence that was too good to be natural. Someone guided us through a tactical operation they couldn't have known about in advance."
Coulson stared at the files on his desk. "What are your orders, sir?"
"Find out who The Consultant is. Find out how they got that intelligence. Find out what they want."
"And if they continue to help us?"
Fury was quiet for a moment. "That might be the most dangerous possibility of all. Someone who knows our protocols, our capabilities, our operational patterns. Someone who can provide perfect intelligence and tactical support."
"Sir?"
"This man knows our protocols, Phil. He knows how we operate, how we think, how we respond to threats. I want to know how."
Coulson understood. The Consultant wasn't just an unknown asset. They were someone who understood SHIELD better than SHIELD understood themselves.
"I'll find him, sir."
"See that you do. And Phil? Be careful. Anyone who can do what The Consultant just did is either our greatest ally or our most dangerous enemy."
"Understood."
Coulson hung up and looked out his office window at the New York skyline. Somewhere in this city was someone with capabilities that exceeded SHIELD's understanding. Someone who was playing a game with rules that only they understood.
The hunt for The Consultant was about to begin.
And Phil Coulson had the feeling that whoever they were looking for was already several moves ahead.
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