The Siberian wind screamed across the snow-swept plains as the Thunderbolts' jet descended, its landing thrusters kicking up a storm of ice. Ahead, nestled in a canyon of jagged rock, the HYDRA outpost loomed like a scar—rusted metal walls, searchlights cutting across the darkness, and convoys lined with experimental weapon crates.
Bucky's voice cut through the comms.
"Remember: clean, precise, no trail. Let's keep this off the books."
The hatch opened with a hiss. Yelena and Ghost sprinted out first, blades and phase-shifts cutting through HYDRA patrols with surgical precision. Red Guardian roared his way into the fray, shield smashing soldiers into the snow. U.S. Agent followed, shield spinning from his arm like a bullet.
Then came the outsiders.
Juggernaut stomped down the ramp, his steps shaking the frozen ground. The moment HYDRA opened fire, the bullets pinged harmlessly off his armor. With a grunt, he lowered his head and charged. The metal gates of the outpost didn't just bend—they exploded, twisted like paper as his momentum carried him straight through. Soldiers scattered, screaming.
"Holy hell…" Red Guardian muttered, momentarily forgetting his fight.
Meanwhile, Vanessa stayed close to the flank. A missile streaked toward her position, but she raised her hand. The explosion blossomed—only the flames didn't touch her. Instead, the damage seemed to ripple across her skin, then vanish, as if erased. The shockwave reversed course, slamming into the HYDRA trooper who fired the rocket. His body crumpled under the redirected force.
"Did she just—?" Ghost blinked in disbelief.
"Redirected the blast," Yelena said flatly, knife in hand. "Noted."
Vanessa pushed forward, her golden hair glowing faintly in the firelight. "I don't get hurt the way you think. Every wound you give me… goes right back to you."
On the other side of the yard, Silvanna lifted her hands. Red rivulets of liquid shimmered in the snow—HYDRA soldiers froze mid-charge as the very blood in their veins locked them in place. With a flick of her fingers, their rifles turned against each other, clattering to the ground as they collapsed, groaning.
"Blood manipulation?" Bucky's voice was tight over comms. "That's not… that's not natural."
"Neither is being brainwashed for seventy years," Silvanna shot back coldly, her eyes never leaving her prey. "We all carry sins."
Amid the chaos, Aurora darted through the melee. She focused on Yelena—her movements suddenly became faster, sharper, daggers whipping from her hands with uncanny precision. A heartbeat later, she shifted her focus toward Ghost, her body flickering in and out of phase as HYDRA bullets passed harmlessly through her.
"Wait—she's copying us," Ghost hissed, eyes wide.
Bucky caught sight of Aurora ducking under a HYDRA strike, then redirecting it with his exact same disarming technique. His jaw clenched. "So she wasn't lying about her power…"
The battle turned swiftly. Juggernaut crushed tanks underfoot like tin cans. Vanessa dismantled squads without taking a scratch, every strike against her only feeding their own downfall. Silvanna spread her influence like a crimson tide, shutting down entire platoons with a single wave of her hand. Aurora mirrored her allies' strengths, becoming a whirlwind of unpredictable combat styles.
Minutes later, the yard fell silent, the snow littered with broken weapons and groaning HYDRA soldiers.
Bucky lowered his rifle slowly, surveying the destruction. His team—lethal, efficient—had just witnessed something far beyond their usual reality.
U.S. Agent growled under his breath. "Tell me again why we're supposed to trust people like them."
"Because without them," Bucky said grimly, watching Juggernaut peel open a steel bunker door like it was cardboard, "this mission would've gone very differently."
For the first time, the Thunderbolts understood the weight of the strangers who had joined them.
And whether they liked it or not, the line between ally and threat was starting to blur.