The standoff stretched long enough for the city noises to creep back in—the hum of traffic, the distant siren, the thrum of neon lights.
Aurora's hands stayed raised, but her eyes locked on Ghost, who still hovered like a phantom at her flank. The mimicry burned in her muscles, her body unconsciously echoing Ghost's tense readiness.
"See?" Yelena said dryly, tilting her head. "Not hostile. Just… weird."
"Or hiding something," U.S. Agent countered, lowering his shield only slightly. "People don't drop out of nowhere and say 'we're from another world' without an angle."
Peter stepped in, his voice steady. "They're telling the truth. I've seen what they can do, and trust me—if they wanted to cause chaos, they'd have done it already."
That earned a flicker of attention from Bucky. He studied Aurora, Silvanna, and Miles with a soldier's eye—measuring posture, intent, the tremor of nerves under the surface. Finally, he muttered, "They're not trained liars. Not all of them, anyway."
Aurora lowered her hands slowly, her voice soft but firm. "We didn't choose to come here. A machine—something powerful—pulled us into this world. We just want to find the one we're looking for and go home."
"And who exactly are you looking for?" Ghost's voice was sharp, echoing slightly as she flickered in and out.
"Spider-Man," Silvanna answered plainly. "But not your Spider-Man. Ours. He went missing years ago, and we tracked his trail through worlds."
That made the Thunderbolts exchange glances. Red Guardian let out a deep laugh, shaking his head. "Ah! Of course it is about spider. Always about spider."
Yelena smirked but then looked serious again. "Okay. Say we believe you. That still leaves the question—what are you now? Strays? Visitors? Or a threat?"
Miles stepped forward, speaking for the first time with conviction. "We don't know. But we're here now. And if something worse is coming—something connected to that portal—we'll help. That's all we can offer."
There was silence again before Bucky finally gave a slight nod. "We bring them in. Carefully. If they're lying, we'll know soon enough."
"Carefully," U.S. Agent repeated, his eyes narrowing.
Ghost phased back to ground level, still glaring at Aurora as if she was staring at her own reflection.
Aurora exhaled, her chest loosening just a little. Silvanna leaned toward her and whispered, "First step, kid. Don't blow it."
The Thunderbolts didn't smile, didn't relax fully—but for the first time, the guns weren't pointed at them.
They had a foot in the door. An uneasy truce had begun.