Chapter 4

"Where are we?" moaned Pietro, finally awake. Clanking his chains as he sat up.

Wanda didn't respond, she didn't know where, but she guessed they were in some kind of vault modified to keep captives. The chains screwed into the floor held them there. One round her brothers' ankle, two attached to her wrists. She'd been up for about 2 hours. And in that time he had not left and he'd only moved from his spot once. Sitting silently in the corner of the room, back against the wall, playing with a knife. Absently she stroked the thing he had given her.

She woke up and screamed, jolting the man, who had now started walking towards her. Choking back tears she scrambled away clumsily, only to be stopped as he irritably stepped on one of the chains holding her.

"Are you in pain?" he asked confused. Which in turn confused her.

"No" she whispered hoarsely

"So why did you scream?" he asked cocking his head.

"B…because you scare me" she spluttered. The man seemed more hurt then anything she thought he would feel.

"Why?"

"Because you stole me from my home, shot me, drugged me, and tied me and my brother up. Not to mention how you've been stalking me for the last few weeks. And you wonder why I'm scared?!" She said the sentence rapidly, what she'd wanted to say coming out more angrily then she'd intended.

Emotionlessly the man sat onto the floor facing her. "Would you have preferred I leave you there with an unexploded shell?" his voice was scarily calm "how many days before they got to you? How high are the chances of getting you out without setting off the shell?"

"But why?" she whispered "why save us? Why stalk us? Why take us once we were free?"

"Those were my orders, you were considered to be a beneficial asset"

"Who gave you those orders?!"

He looked startled "You're asking too many questions? I'm not supposed to answer" he mumbled to himself turning back to the wall.

"And why not" she called after him

"BECAUSE I'M A WEAPON! IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO GIVE INFORMATION, ONLY TO TAKE ORDERS AND GIVE THEM TO LOWER SOLDIERS WHEN IT BENEFITS THE MISSION" Wanda shrunk back from the man's onslaught, he was so angry, she could tell he wasn't yelling at her, but it scared her. She expected the man to run at her, but he just stood there, defeated, shoulders hunched, moving slowly up and down with each breath he took.

"If these people make you so angry why do you keep working for them?" she whispered, slowly getting to her feet and approaching.

"I don't work for them, they own me" he snorted, taking control of the situation again, as if she should already know that.

"That's ridiculous, people don't own people"

"I'm not a person, I'm a weapon, an asset, an it, a thing, the winter soldier" he rattled out, like he was repeating a manta, repeated to him until it finally became ingrained in his brain.

"Of course you're a person, what are you talking about?! You're a human, not a weapon"

"People don't have things like this" the man pulled his glove off his left hand and shoved off his hoodie so he was only wearing a black t shirt. Wanda starred in shock at what was in place of his left arm. It was sculpted like an arm but made completely of metal. "Even my body is designed to be a weapon, so what does that make me? A weapon." He paused seeing how her face was still in shock and sighed. "I have something you might like, it may help you be less scared" he grabbed his rucksack and pulled out a coin about the size of his palm handing it to her.

"What is it?" she asked timidly, tracing over the design on it, she could have sworn she'd seen it before, just couldn't recall where.

"It will come to you. Trust me. If you push things always come back, if you can feel it there." And with that he walked back to where he had been when she woke up.

What do I call you?" she asked timidly.

"You don't" he answered, barely audible, marking an obvious end to their conversation.

Pietro groaned again rubbing his neck "Wanda? Where..." he hissed suddenly tenderly touching at his leg.

"What's wrong?" she asked moving towards him, worried for her twin.

"He had a huge cut down his calf, I treated it, but I'd assumed it had healed a little by know with your accelerated healing."

"Wha… who's he?!" Pietro pulled back before crying out and grabbing his leg again, he pulled up his trouser leg revealing a large wound which had been stitched up and cleaned. The area surrounding it completely clear of dust unlike the rest of their bodies and clothes.

The man got up and Pietro went to move back but Wanda grabbed him "don't" she whispered harshly.

He pulled some things out of his bag and moved toward them, he crouched by them and handed a set of clothes to each of them then he unlocked her hands and Pietro's ankle.

"Change into those"

Wanda looked at hers, it was a plain red wool jumper and a black ruffled knee length skirt. Pietro had a pair of jeans, a white t shirt, and a black pull on hoodie.

"I need to make a call, there's no way out of here, so don't bother" He walked out the room.

"What's that guys problem?" muttered Pietro "and more importantly WHERE ARE WE AND WHO'S THAT GUY?!" he rubbed his throat which protested every time he spoke.

"I don't know, but don't call him a person… it annoys him" she giggled, Pietro stared blankly at her. "You had to be there" she stated grabbing the clothes "now turn around, I'm getting changed"

Awkwardly Pietro spun round, "you turn around too, I'm getting changed as well" he muttered.

"Ok" Wanda said while pulling of her school pinafore and uniform, and placing them in a pile, quickly she pulled on the skirt and jumper, she left her tights on under her skirt. "Pietro you done?"

"Yeah, you?"

"Yeah"

They turned to face each other. Wanda eyed up Pietro's new outfit, it looked out of place on him, not because it didn't suit him but because it wasn't his usual style. She noted the hoodie was incredibly baggy, swamping his body. His jeans seemed to fit though. She couldn't see his shirt because of the hoodie. On her the skirt fitted and the jumper was a tad large, but she liked it like that.

"This thing's huge" protested Pietro pulling at his hoodie.

"That's because it's mine" said the man re-entering and shutting the door.

"What?"

"I couldn't find you a hoodie of your size so I just gave you one of mine. I don't need it anymore." Wanda noted how the man had taken off his zip up hoodie and was missing a gun off his belt. Also, his face seemed anxious. "A word of advice, don't say a word, do what you're told, don't try run," he said staring at Pietro "these men will hurt you if you irritate them" Wanda didn't have a chance to question the man's last statement before there was a large bang on the door. Wanda grew anxious herself and gripped Pietro's hand. He responded by pulling her into his side protectively. She looked up at his face, it was tense and glaring at the door. She wasn't the only anxious one.

Pietro was so confused. He was wearing a huge man's hoodie, the same man who had choked him probably a few hours earlier and kidnapped him. But also, by what had happened earlier, stalked them, and apparently saved them from Anatol.

Also now there were people here that even that man was scared of. He had no power in this situation, he could try run, but after what the man had said, that wasn't an option. So he was going to do that thing he had always done, protect his twin.

The man opened the door "Sir" he stepped back and a man walked in trailed by some fearsome looking men dressed head to toe in black with automatics hanging off their shoulder. Pietro was now thankful he was fluent in English.

"Soldier, guard the door." The man's voice had a thick American accent, he was probably in his 60's, dressed in a grey suit, his hair a reddish, blonde, grey, colour. The new man reminded Pietro of one of the government men who would visit the district, not looking like much but holding themselves like they owned the world, this comparison made him hate the man. The new waited until the man or 'soldier' had left the room.

"So" he said walking towards Wanda and Pietro, "my name is Alexander Pierce, I don't expect you to know me coming from such a slum as this but names are important, they show your status. The man who brought you here does not have a name, for he is the lowest of creatures, a weapon. You're still alive as you have been considered valuable to our organization. So, I must ask you for your names."

Wanda and Pietro stared blankly at him.

"Well, I guess I should have checked they speak English." He chuckled back to his men, who shared grins with each other.

Pietro was angry, these men thought they were better than them purely because they spoke English. "We do speak English" he spat.

"Oh good, we can hold a decent conversation then. Now what are your names?" the man was smiling but there was no warmth behind it, in fact it scared him.

"You've been following us, you know who we are. You already know our names" stated Wanda angrily, pulling away from Pietro to stand in front of Pierce. Instantly the man's face dropped to a scowl. Pietro had no time to stop it as the man brought his hand across his sister's face.

"Wanda!" he grabbed her as she went to fall and pulled her close to him, hugging her into his chest.

"First lesson, we do not tolerate insolence, and we believe that order comes through pain. Now, young man, what is your name?"

"Screw you" hissed Pietro, he knew he shouldn't have said that. Pierce raised his hand and Pietro braced for the hit. The man laughed.

"Aren't you defiant" he playfully patted Pietro's cheek, Pietro winced.

Pierce grabbed Wanda from him "teach him a lesson" he said to his men, who grabbed Pietro in an instant before Pietro could even go for Wanda he had a man holding either side of him.

"Now, my dear, you do understand that I can, although it would be inconvenient, give the order to kill your brother if you try anything with those powers of yours. You are indeed correct when you say how you can be much more dangerous than your brother with the context of your powers, after what you did to that poor boy in the ally, I fear he never would have been the same, it's a good thing we sent our clean up team after him and his friends." Pierce said smiling at his sister. Pietro wanted to kill this man, the way he was gripping Wanda's arm, how scared she looked, the small tears that were falling from her eyes as she glanced back and forth between Pierce and Pietro. "No come my dear, let's get you to the plane, I assure your brother will follow once he's had his punishment, provided you behave." Pierce pulled Wanda towards the door, she looked back at Pietro terrified. As she was dragged away. "Avoid his face, and don't make any permanent damage, it will be very inconvenient" where the last words Pietro heard from Pierce before them man dragged his sister out the door.

The second they were gone he was rammed into a wall.

Wanda curled up and sobbed on the plane, her cheek still stung, she had been locked in the back of it, what was this hell she and her brother had been dragged into. Every second they waited she knew her brother was being pummelled by those men back at the room. She felt someone nudge her, she looked up, and it was the man who had brought her here.

She knew it was stupid but she couldn't help herself. "How could you!" she sobbed as she hit him with her fists. He disabled her arms and pulled into him, holding her close. She kicked pathetically at him before breaking down in his arms and hugging back. That's how they sat for what felt like forever, her sobbing into his arms while he just held her. Finally she let go and he let her go. Silently he handed her something, she took it gently and realized it was the hoodie he had been wearing earlier.

"I'm not allowed them at my base, I have to wear a uniform. I don't see why you won't be allowed something more casual." He shrugged silently. Moving off to a corner of the room and sitting stoically on the bench that reached round the compartment.

Wanda slowly slipped the hoodie on and zipped it up. It was obviously too large for her, but she needed it. Slowly she walked over to the man, he flinched as she sat next to him. Silently she reached her arms around him and squeezed. "Thank you" she whispered. "Thank you"

The man hugged her back "they're not evil people, they need to make the world better through order, I help make happen. The man who talked to you, my handler. His is not a nice man, but he is making the world a better place. You have to understand that. And I am the weapon used for the dirty work, I deserve to be treated how I am because I am part of the problem with the world. I need to play my part so my handler can do his to make the world better. You must focus on the real enemy" Stark. Wanda didn't believe a word the man had said except for the end part, he had obviously been brainwashed into thinking it. But she could help him in time, "HYDRA is the cure for the world"

That caught Wanda's attention. She could have sworn she had heard of HYDRA in History, or at least heard it mentioned in relation to WWII. Before she could ask the man pushed her away as the door swung open. She ran to her brother as he walked in, he looked exhausted and pressed practically all his weight onto her, relived from being forced to walk.

"Keep walking kids" grunted one of the men coming in behind Pietro. The man reacted to this man's voice, sitting up more straight. "Move!"

Wanda helped her brother to a corner of the room, sitting on the bench he leaned onto her and curled until he was lying with his head on her lap falling asleep.

"Well isn't that sweet" mocked one of the thugs that had followed Pierce into the room. Wanda ignored him.

For the next 3 hours Wanda was forced to watch the thugs torment her friend, the man. They mocked him, hit him, the ringleader was the one who's voice he had reacted to. She knew from just looking that her friend could kill all the men without even a cut to his skin. And they knew it, whenever one was tormenting, at least one had their hand on their gun.

Whoever this organization was, it was not the good willed one her friend had described.

Finally they landed. The thugs opened the door. And stepped out, then came her friend, beckoning for them to follow.

As they stepped out they were greeted by Pierce. And a blonde man with an eyepatch

"Stryker, these are your new assets. Wanda and Pietro Maximoff. 10 years old. I will stay here until they get settled. Train them well. They will prove useful to our cause. Follow us" he said to the twins. As he turned he muttered something into Stryker's ear.

Whatever it was Wanda had no good feelings about any of this as they walked into a huge castle building.