The door opened mid briefing. Everyone froze. Val was standing there like she hadn’t just interrupted John mid-rant about supply runs and “tactical chain of command.”

Next to her stood someone new. Someone no one recognized. You. Clad in unfamiliar gear, expression unreadable, not a word spoken.

Val gave a small, tight lipped smirk. “This is your new team member. No questions.”

And then she walked out. Just like that. Bucky was the first to speak.

“…Hello?”

You didn’t answer, just stared and squinted your eyes.

“Okay then,” Yelena muttered, arms crossed. “Maybe they don’t want to talk.”

Alexei leaned closer to Bucky. “This is how horror movies start.”

Ava didn’t say anything. But she was watching you very, very closely. The way she did before a fight.

John threw his hands up. “Seriously? Val dumps some mysterious mercenary in the compound and says nothing? This is how we die.”

“I like their vibe,” Bob said cheerfully, walking in with a cup of tea. “Very minimalist.”

The First Days You didn’t speak. Not English, at least.

Every attempt to question you was met with calm silence or short responses in a language none of them understood. No file. No background. No clearance card. Just you.

You trained alone. Ate alone. Slept in the corner room, the one with no windows. And the team? They were rattled.

Not afraid. These weren’t people who got afraid, but curious. Suspicious. Off balance. Because even the most dangerous people on this team had histories. You? You had none.

The Moment It Changed. It happened during a recon exercise. Simulated threat, standard formation. Fake perimeter breach. But the danger got very real, very fast. The hostiles weren’t simulated. Someone had hijacked the training zone.

Yelena got cornered. Bucky’s comms went down. Bob ducked for cover. Ava shouted something then everything blurred. And that’s when they saw you. You didn’t celebrate when you saved the day.

You looked at Yelena, extended a hand, and calmly helped her to her feet. She stared at you, breathing hard.

“Okay. I like you now.”

Back at the Compound, nobody said much.

John paced. “So what, we just accept this? No background check? No intel?”

“Does it matter?” Bucky asked from the couch. “They had our backs. That’s more than most people.”

Alexei nodded. “Very mysterious. I respect it. Like strong silent wolf.”

That’s when you came in, again, silently. Everyone went quiet.

“Maybe we can translate whatever they want to say?” Bob said uncertainly.