The one where it begins
Wanda was grateful. For the past four years, Hydra had been taking care of her family and she couldn’t be more relieved. Before Hydra took them in, Wanda, her twin brother Pietro, and their little brother Peter were orphans living off of scraps. They had no living relatives, and while the community offered help when they could, most of Sakovia struggled to put dinner on their own plates, let alone three more.
The people of Sokovia know about the Hydra base, how could they not? The building looms just outside the city and to keep peace, they occasionally supply food and clothing for those who need it. Of course they also pay off any law enforcement too.
Four years ago, the Maximoffs were offered a permanent place to stay, warmth, food, and most importantly, medicine. However this came with a price. The scientists at the base wanted to run experiments with the twins using some sort of gem they had come across. Wanda and Pietro initially refused, not wanting to leave Peter completely alone should something go wrong. However, they changed their minds after Peter had fallen deeply ill, and they desperately needed medicine. Her and Pietro had made Strucker promise that Peter wouldn’t be involved in the gem experiments, and it worked out for a while.
Peter is an incredibly smart boy, something Wanda is incredibly proud of. At the age of eleven, when they first moved into the base, Peter proved that he was more than capable of observing and sometimes even helping in the labs. Over the years, the scientists have grown quite fond of him.
Everything had been going well, until a spider that Peter had been helping with escaped and bit him. The scientists had frantically tried to get the venom out, to no avail. Peter had fallen so ill that Wanda and Pietro were told to say their good-byes. Miraculously though, he pulled through and emerged with spider-enhanced powers. That was two years, and things had finally resettled for their little family. As resettled as they could get.
Wanda finished brushing her hair with a soft sigh, looking around her room. Their rooms were very small, just big enough for a bed, desk, chair, and closet, but they didn’t need anything else. Wanda was just grateful that she had a room at all.
Once she was dressed, Wanda went across the hall to Pietros door, where she knocked before opening it. Pietro’s room, as usual, was a disaster. Clothes were piled up on the desk and chair, his trash bin was overflowing with used tissues (she never knew how he used so many), and various books, blankets, and clothes were strewn about the floor. As soon as she stepped in, she was nearly trampled by her brothers.
“Wanda!” Peter was desperately trying to escape Pietro to no avail, “Help me please!” He squealed as Pietro mercilessly tickled up his ribs.
“Peter, you have super strength. You have literally trained with the Winter Soldier. I think you can escape Pietro,” Wanda rolled her eyes fondly at her brother.
“Shhhh!” Pietro hissed, “Don’t be reminding him!” Recently, Strucker had only allowed them to speak in English, to improve their skill with the language. Their accents were still very thick, but things were getting easier to pronounce.
Peter wheezed like he used to when he had asthma, back when playing like this could kill him, “I don’t want to-” He broke off to laugh loudly, “I’ll hurt- Pietro stop!” Tears were welling up in his eyes, yet he couldn’t stop laughing gleefully.
“You are too afraid of using your strength,” Pietro said before pressing a zerbert into Peter’s stomach. This was finally too much for Peter and he thrashed like a mad-man, pushing Pietro away. He sat up, gulping in breaths, his shoulders still shaking with silent laughter.
“I could have gotten away sooner,” Peter finally said.
“Ok little brother,” Pietro rolled his eyes dramatically, “Suuuure.”
“I just didn’t want to hurt you!” Peter huffed, “I could beat Captain America in a fight. I’m sure I could get away from you.”
“But Captain America isn’t nearly as fast as me,” Pietro began darting around the room to prove his point.
“Auhg Pietro, you’re making me dizzy,” Wanda groaned, flopping over onto the bed beside Peter, “Are we going downtown today?” Whenever they all had free time, the trio would go down to downtown Sokovia to shop with the tiny allowance given to them or just to chat and visit. Strucker had no problem with letting them leave when they wanted, because they’d always come back. He had set a curfew for them, a rule that they’ve never broken once. Strucker trusts each of them a great deal, because they’re all obedient and loyal.
“That could be fun!” Pietro says, shoving Peter off the bed to take his spot. Peter yelped and just splayed out on the carpet like he’d been murdered. Wanda giggled and nudged him with her toe.
“Pietro just wants to go so he can see all of the pretty ladies,” Peter sang.
This made blush dust Pietro’s cheeks and neck, “Hey! I do not just go for the ladies!”
“No no,” Wanda chuckled, “I definitely won’t see you flirting with at least ten different girls.”
“I do not need to take this,” Pietro stood in mock offense, “I guess you’ll be walking to town on your own.”
“NO!” Peter and Wanda cried and sat up in unison, drawing giggles out of all of them. Pietro only hummed dramatically before running out the door in a blur.
“I hate when he does this,” Peter stood with a groan. Most days, Pietro is kind enough to take two trips running into town, each time with a sibling clinging to his back like a monkey. Wanda just shrugged and grabbed Peter’s hand.
They traveled into town hand in hand, and by the time they got to the town square, there was a small crowd around Pietro. He was handing out supplies to those who needed it, especially people who had helped the Maximoff trio when they could.
“Peter!” I girl called, prancing over. Annika was Peter’s only friend outside his siblings and the scientists of the base. She had blond hair that she almost always had pulled into a braid; today was no different.
“Hi Annika!” Peter smiled brightly at his friend.
“You two have fun,” Wanda waved, “Peter, be back here in an hour.”
“Ok!” Peter flashed her a thumbs up before following Annika towards the only working fountain for miles.
“So what have you been up to?” Annika leapt onto the lip of the fountain, balancing on it carefully.
Peter sighed dramatically, “You know I can not tell you.” Annika often wanted to know what “training” meant for him, especially when he was sent away for a couple weeks at a time to train with the Winter Soldier or with Widows. It was a heavy burden to bear, all these secrets, but he was loyal. His lips were sealed, even to his older siblings.
“Mhm,” She hummed, “Well I got my computer up and working for a few hours but the screen went blue again. It’s a piece of shit,” Annika’s accent was much lighter than Peters' because her mom was American and had insisted Annika grew up bilingual.
“You need a new computer,” Peter said pointedly, “Let me build you one!”
“My mom won’t let me keep it,” She sighed, “My dad would be cool, but she’d find out,”
“Your mother does not trust me,” Peter said, stepping onto the fountain lip and walking with the grace of a cat along the edge.
“She trusts you, she just…” Annika paused to think, itching at her scalp, “She doesn’t trust Strucker or those people.”
Peter frowned deeply, “If she does not trust Hydra then she should not live here.”
“Peter,” Annika stopped and turned to face him, “they’re Nazi’s.”
“The organization used to be,” Peter scoffed, “They are brilliant scientists.” Although Peter and Annika were close, they couldn’t bring up this topic without getting in some sort of tiff. It upset Peter that Annika’s mother was so appalled by the people who had saved him and his siblings from freezing in the streets.
“I think I’m gonna head home,” was all Annika said before jumping off the worn stone. She shuffled away, hands in her pockets, without turning back once. Peter stamped his foot once and huffed like an angry horse.
He was heading back towards Wanda and Pietro, wallowing in his thoughts, when the sound of the base's alarms wailed through the air. Peter immediately snapped to attention. Some people screamed and everyone ran towards safety.
“Peter!” He looked up to see Pietro beckoning him over frantically. Peter ran towards him and was greatly relieved to see Wanda beside him.
“I’m going to take Wanda back and ask for orders,” Pietro said, crouching so their sister could climb onto his back.
“Byt’ bezopasnym!” (Be safe!) Wanda shouted in Russian before being whisked away. Peter had super speed (that was nothing in comparison to Pietro), but he could make it back to the base quickly.
As soon as Pietro reached the base, he set Wanda down. He didn’t have to search for Strucker long, because he came barging towards them, a wild look about him.
“Where’s Peter?” He demanded.
“He’s heading back from town,” Pietro said, taking a step towards the exit,” I can go get him.
“No, you must stay here,” as Strucker finished speaking a harsh booming sound echoed through the halls.
“If there is a fight, we can help,” Wanda insisted.
“Stay. The Avengers are here, and the risk of them taking you prisoner is too great,” Strucker hissed. Pietro’s blood ran cold. The Avengers.
Another sound so powerful that the whole building shook rang through the air and Strucker rang his hands together. He didn’t even pay them any more attention before jogging down the hall, surely to help with this crisis.
“Pietro,” Wanda tugged at his hand, cold dread clear on her face, “Peter is out there.”
“I know,” Pietro nodded “You stay here to distract Strucker or the Avengers. Wait for Peter in case he makes it back here first,” Wanda nodded, “I have feeling he went towards the fight, I am going to check the forest.”
Pietro squeezed his twin sister’s hand before dashing out the door. He was so incredibly fast that time seemed to move in slow motion around him. He’d be able to make quick work of finding Peter.