The jet sliced back through the clouds, carrying its mismatched crew in silence. The scent of smoke and scorched steel still clung to their suits, the hum of the engines the only sound breaking the air.
Juggernaut sat with his massive arms crossed, eyes closed, as if the fight hadn't even registered. Vanessa leaned against the bulkhead, golden hair catching the cabin lights, her calm expression hiding the storm that brewed in the others' eyes. Silvanna stared out the window, crimson threads of power quietly dancing around her fingertips, a nervous tic she didn't seem to notice.
Aurora and Miles sat apart, whispering to each other, while the Thunderbolts… simmered.
Yelena broke the silence first, her voice sharp.
"Do you realize how close you came to exposing us? Juggernaut smashed through half a fortress like he was doing demolition work. Subtlety is not in your vocabulary, is it?"
Juggernaut cracked one eye open, his voice like gravel.
"Subtlety doesn't win wars. Fear does."
U.S. Agent leaned forward, his fists tightening.
"No—discipline wins wars. And what you three did out there wasn't discipline—it was chaos. Silvanna, you hijacked men's blood. Vanessa, you turned their weapons against themselves. And Aurora—" he jabbed a finger at her "—you copied our team mid-fight. If you can use our strengths, then what's to stop you from using them against us?"
Aurora flinched. For once, she had no clever answer.
"Enough," Bucky said firmly, his tone the one that cut through battlefield noise. Everyone stilled, even Juggernaut.
"We knew bringing them along would be a risk. But I also know this: without them, half of us wouldn't be here right now. That HYDRA outpost wasn't just a random strike—it was testing grounds for tech none of us have ever seen. They shut it down."
Ghost, who had been silent until now, finally spoke from the shadows.
"He's right. Their powers are… unsettling. But they work. We've survived by using tools the world doesn't understand. Maybe that hasn't changed."
Silvanna turned from the window, eyes narrowing.
"You speak of us like we're weapons. We're not. We're people. And right now, we want the same thing you do: to find the missing Spider-Man and stop whatever's tearing holes between our worlds."
Yelena crossed her arms, unimpressed. "And when that's done? What then? You go back to wherever you came from, or do we wake up one day with you standing against us?"
Vanessa stepped forward, her voice calm but carrying a quiet intensity.
"I don't break. I don't fall. But I don't fight for evil, either. My powers are not a threat to you unless you make them one. The only thing I care about is protecting my family."
Her gaze flicked briefly to Silvanna and Juggernaut.
For the first time, Bucky allowed himself the smallest of smirks.
"Family. Hm. That, I understand."
The jet descended into the Thunderbolts' hidden base. As the ramp lowered, the uneasy alliance lingered in the air. The Thunderbolts didn't trust them, not fully—but neither could they deny the truth.
Sometimes, the strongest allies are the ones you can't afford to turn into enemies.