Aurora, Silvanna, and Miles followed Peter across the rooftop until the skyline of the city opened up. Below, a convoy of black armored trucks cut through the night. Soldiers in tactical gear flanked the vehicles, but it wasn't them that made Peter stop short.
"It's them," Peter whispered. "The Thunderbolts."
From the largest truck stepped Yelena Belova, dressed in her dark combat gear, twirling her batons like it was second nature. Beside her towered Red Guardian, grinning proudly in his red armor. Bucky Barnes, the Winter Soldier himself, leaned against the hood, silent and watchful. Near the shadows, Ghost flickered in and out of visibility, her form phasing in a way that made Aurora uneasy. And standing with a commanding stance, U.S. Agent scanned the rooftops, shield strapped to his arm.
Silvanna exhaled sharply, her hand instinctively tightening around her belt. "This… isn't right."
Miles tilted his head. "You recognize them?"
"Some," Silvanna admitted. "But the Thunderbolts I know are nothing like this. Different faces. Different lives. It's like… this world rewrote the team."
Aurora whispered, "Then maybe this is why the X-Men don't exist here. The balance is different."
Before they could plan their next move, U.S. Agent's sharp voice rang out. "You three on the roof—don't move."
In a blur, Ghost phased upward, appearing just a few feet away. Aurora staggered back, copying Ghost's stance instinctively without even realizing. The mimicry was so exact Ghost froze mid-motion.
"What are you?" Ghost hissed.
Aurora raised her hands quickly. "Not your enemy. We're… not from here."
The Thunderbolts shifted into a ready stance. Bucky stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "That's not the kind of answer we like to hear."
Silvanna stepped up, her tone firm but calm. "We're looking for someone. A Spider-Man who went missing. That's it. We don't want a fight."
Yelena twirled her baton and smirked. "If you don't want a fight, you probably shouldn't copy Ghost's moves like a mirror."
Aurora flushed, biting her lip. "It just happens. I can't control it yet."
There was a long pause, tension thick in the air, before Red Guardian chuckled. "They are strange, yes… but not dangerous. Not yet."
Bucky didn't lower his stance. "We'll see."