Spoilers for Age of Ultron. This story is going to follow some of the events from the movie so if you haven't seen it be warned that there are spoilers.
mladshaya sestra - russian for little sister
"Can you tell me your name?" The man with the thick accent and white hair asked. The Asset looked up at him in confusion. Slowly she shook her head. He gave her a sad smile. "How about mine?"
The Asset looked down at the ground. Clutching her head she gasped as a wave of pain washed through her head. What the man was asking her was forbidden. She had no name, she was the Asset.
"I have no name. I am the Asset." She said, softly hoping to lessen the pain. She was huddled in the corner of her cell. The man and a woman had come in with food. The man glared and turned to the woman behind him. "They've wiped her again." Turning back to her, he pulled her into his arms.
"It's alright, mladshaya sestra." He murmured. "Try to remember, Wanda and Pietro."
The Asset looked at the arms circling her in confusion. "No." She whispered. "NO!" She pushed Pietro away with such force that he flew across the cell and crashed into the wall. Wanda held up her hands. Humming softly she advanced, her hands beginning to glow red. The frightened Asset whimpered as the glow encased her head. Then the pain stopped and the Asset relaxed.
"It is better than the last time." Pietro muttered as he stood and brushed himself off. "Last time she tried to strangle me."
"You could have dodged." Wanda chided as she sat next to the Asset and began brushing her hair. "It's not like you aren't fast enough."
"She doesn't react well to my powers." Pietro said ashamed. "They're too similar to her friends'…I believe his name is Barry, and it causes her pain to try and remember."
"Ba-rry." The Asset said slowly. The word felt strange on her tongue. It seemed that it was familiar but she couldn't figure out why. The twins grew silent.
"Hush, mladshaya sestra." Wanda said, quietly. "Shhh. You need rest." She continued brushing the Asset's hair, but her hands began glowing red again. The red encased the Asset's head and she began getting drowsy. Wanda caught her as she leaned back and fell asleep. She turned and hit Pietro on the arm.
"Ouch."
"Why are you causing trouble?" Wanda hissed.
"Because she didn't choose this." Pietro looked down angrily at the sleeping form of the Asset. "We chose to join Hydra to avenge our parents, but they did this to her without her permission." He sat down heavily. "She was good and kind. She even thought she needed to save us."
"I remember." Wanda murmured softly. "That was the first time they wiped her memory. After they found out that they could not break her…she was too strong willed for them."
Pietro hesitated before asking, "Can you restore her memories?" Dreading the answer he knew Wanda was about to give.
Wanda shook her head. "I already tried. Remember what they did to her, to us?" She shook her head. "Even if there were no reprisals, the damage of constantly having her memories return only to have them torn from her would be too much to handle. She would go mad."
"They are monsters no better than Stark." Pietro spat.
"I am beginning to believe you are right." Wanda looked down at the sleeping blonde. Hydra had managed to destroy one of the kindest people she and her brother had ever met. She was now a tool, a weapon to be pointed at whatever target Hydra wanted out of the way. She had been enhanced; the chemicals they injected into her were left over from an older project. Another person had undergone this same treatment. The Baron seemed pleased with the results, but both Maximoffs went to bed everynight with the screams and pleads from the first time she'd been forced into the memory machine echoing in their ears.
"2 years." Pietro murmured. "They've had her for over 2 years."
"I know." Wanda said. "But she will have her freedom soon, she will be shielded from Hydra."
"Why not now?" Pietro glared. Wanda sighed; it was an argument they had frequently.
"The future is not set in stone." Wanda explained. "I see multiple options and choices. The three of us breaking out now…there is no path where that ends in anything but bloodshed. The best path, for her and for us, is to wait."
"While more blood stains her hands." Pietro hissed.
"I can remove that blood." Wanda insisted. Pietro grew silent. Then he snorted.
"The psychic thing is creepy. You know that?"
Wanda smiled.
"She looks so peaceful there." He murmured. "She hardly looks dangerous. We need to keep her safe, we are her only…family."
"It won't be long now." Wanda whispered. "Soon we will all have what we want. Justice for our parents and freedom for Felicity Smoak."
"Cap, I've got some information, but you're not going to like it."
Steve sighed as he braced himself for Sam's news.
"Is it about Bucky?"
"No."
Hearing Sam's answer gave Steve a small sense of relief, but it was only temporary as he realized that no news about Bucky was actually worse.
"Well… actually it does have something to do with Barnes, but not directly." Sam continued.
"Sam, what do you mean?"
"There's been a string of assassinations. Ever since Barnes disappeared there's been a rash of weird deaths with Soviet bullets." Sam said. "The kills aren't as precise as Barnes. The aim is messy and the killer isn't as good at covering up as he is."
Steve froze. "You think Hydra has a new Winter Soldier."
"No." Sam said. "I know Hydra has a new Winter Soldier."
Steve closed his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. The thought of someone else going through what Bucky had been through was horrifying.
"There was camera footage." Sam continued. "That AIDS researcher who was killed in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week. All the cameras in the facility were shut off except one. It's as if the soldier wanted to be caught. I'm sending you the footage."
"Do we have any idea who he is?" Steve asked as he went to his laptop to open Sam's message. Sam let out a humorless laugh.
"Don't be so old fashioned Cap. I never said the soldier was a man."
Steve watched in horror as a small blonde woman came into the laboratory and shot the scientist. Then she arranged it to look like the scientist had committed suicide. There was a pause as the woman froze. She took off her mask, covered her mouth with her hands as if she were horrified at the scene in front of her. Then she looked at the camera. Rushing to the computer her fingers hovered over the keyboard. She seemed frustrated as if there was something she wanted to do, but couldn't. Covering her face she began rocking back and forth. Then she stiffened. Leaning over the keyboard she began typing, her fingers a flurry of movement. She punched the air in victory…just as Hydra agents came into the lab and dragged her away from the screen. The feed cut, but not before Steve saw her beginning to fight the agents only to be tazed into submission.
"That was sent to a Starling City server this morning." Sam said. "It was intercepted by ARGUS before it could reach its destination. I've had Stark's AI helping me with the web aspect of the search and he was able to copy it before ARGUS sealed access completely."
"She's been enhanced." Steve said. "But it's clear she hasn't had a lot of training. And she's fighting their programming."
"Well having ARGUS know about her might not be helpful." Sam grumbled. "My cousin Amanda is in charge and well…let's just say she isn't included on the Wilson family Christmas card list."
"Thanks for the update Sam."
"She called her agents in on thanksgiving because she suspected my mom of treason." Sam said, clearly lost in his memories. "It was only a badly timed joke."
"Keep me updated on anything you might hear about Bucky or this new soldier." Steve said.
"Aye aye, Captain." Sam said and Steve could practically hear the snarky salute that he knew his friend had included.
Hanging up he looked back at the screen. He played the video and paused it at the part where the soldier took off her mask. She seemed so young, her eyes so wide and horrified. She appeared small and fragile, but Steve knew better than to underestimate her. She was fighting Hydra's mind control which meant she was a lot stronger than she appeared, both physically and mentally. He printed out the image of her face and put the photo in the file he kept with the information on Bucky.
"Whoever you are," he murmured. "I'm going to find you and I'll help you."
