Chapter Text
Sokovia
The lights from the computer monitors give off enough illumination to show the sick and curious expressions on the stupid scientists faces, all seven of them looking at the three cells in front of them, barely contained fascination clear as the morning. They were muttering, exclaiming, talking so fast even the subject in the first cell wouldn't be able to pick up on what they were saying.
But she knew. The readings they were gathering must have been off the charts, especially the readings from the last two cells.
Lorna felt her eyes shift, aware of the movement from above. Her cool green eyes meeting the man behind it all. Baron Von Strucker, high up on his observation deck. Untouchable. Watching as the siblings were dealt with more and more experiments. More torture. Some tests failed, some bringing fantastic results. Some subjects fall behind, some outshining the others. It was nothing but an endless cycle.
They were going to be perfect. The perfect weapons. And as the tests went on, everything was almost ready. Of course, there was the setbacks of HYDRA falling and S.H.I.E.L.D becoming aware of their compromised status, in data dump didn't help them at all, but even with all of the information being released, no one knew of the work they were going to achieve - the work that was to be done.
So he watched, a sadistic grin stretched across Strucker's face as he watched the creatures in their cells, testing their powers.
The triplets would be ready soon. Very soon.
She could feel the energy in the room, it was practically tangible. As if she could reach out and feel it under her hands. All the power, all the negative emotions, it was enough to make her feel restive. And no emotion was stronger than the ones coming from the cell next to her. Her eyes bored from staring at the grey concrete of her cell, refusing to look at the faces of the scientists any more. She couldn't bear it. It was driving her mad - it would make her start questioning things, like; why was she here? Why did she join? Why did she follow her siblings? She knew she never wanted this, but she did it anyway. She may have regretted it almost instantly, but she couldn't be certain if her siblings felt the same way she did. And god knows she could never do anything without her siblings. If they stayed, so did she.
She couldn't fault them for wanting to join. For as long as she could remember they have wanted to change the world. Even as children. Living poor, living homeless, watching as war and conflict filled the streets as you had nowhere safe to hide...it changes you. Who wouldn't want a better world after experiencing that?
But did these scientists want to change the world like they did? For the greater good? They volunteered for the tests, and still, she couldn't be certain of anyone's intentions aside from her siblings. Definitely not the scientists...she could barely call them scientists, terrorists fit the mould better. Evil sons of bitches was an even more accurate description of them.
Barely twenty years of experiences, and most of them filled with pain and hate. She hated this place, she hated the cold, she hated the stupid tests they put her and her siblings through. She hated what they turned her into, less than human, bitter. She hated it all, but she didn't hate anything as much as she hated Strucker. The man who did this to them, the one who twisted and turned any last bit of light into the darkness that embodied her. Changed her until there was nothing left of the sweet and shy ten year old she was before she lost her parents and succumbed to the will of Hydra.
Lorna could feel the swell of pride coming from the man as his creations flourished, she saw it on his face every time she saw him. How badly she wanted to drain the life from his body. She fantasised about it more frequently than anything else. She dreamt that she broke out of her cage, and went through Strucker and the scientists as if they were made of paper, she would feel the energy slip from the man, she would feel the iron in his blood as it soaks into the snow and ice covered ground of the research facility. She was getting lost in her thoughts again.
"Sister, are you okay?" She heard the soft voice of Wanda in the cell next to her. Lorna couldn't seem to snap from the rage she felt, her eyes finally moving from the spot of concrete to the man she was fantasising about killing. Still, locked in her thoughts she didn't answer, just continued to glare at Strucker with contempt, she could feel the anger crackling under her skin.
"Lorna, answer me, are you okay?" Wanda repeats, her thick Sokovian accent much more welcome than the harsh German that was always being shouted at her. Sokovian was also a harsh sounding language, but with how softly Wanda speaks, it's hard not to find it soothing. Lorna could hear a shuffle in the cell next to her, something moving, then faintly her sister's voice once again.
" Pietro, Lorna isn't answering me. I don't know what's wrong. " The worry in Wanda's voice was so great it felt like a wave crashing into Lorna, one that severed the negative connection from the feelings that were starting to overwhelm her. It calmed her rage, to a degree. There was a never ending well when it came to Lorna's anger. And sometimes it scared her.
"I'm fine Wanda, I'm sorry. I was just thinking." About murdering Strucker and watching as the life leaves his cold blue eyes. She didn't dare say the last part out loud. She did have some semblance of self preservation. She valued the life of her siblings, so she would do anything to protect them, even biting her tongue. She knew Strucker wasn't above hurting someone to get back at someone else.
"Don't do that again, you scared me." Wanda scolds and Lorna bites back a small chuckle.
"Jeez Sister you sounded like Mama." Lorna says, her mouth stretching into a small smile, most of the anger had left Lorna's body by now. Now she just felt tired. And cold. The beige uniform did nothing to fight off the cool Sokovian air.
Lorna was fairly calm now, that was the gift that was her siblings; Wanda and Pietro could normally calm her off any ledge she was on, even before Hydra, when they were just regular siblings, annoying the hell out of one another they always,
always,
had each others backs. No matter what came their way, they would always have each other.
They were finally welcomed out of their cages, Strucker ready to start integrating them into Hydra's plans. It felt good to not be stuck in a small cube of a cell, it was good to be able to see and talk to her siblings whenever she wanted, rather than just waiting for little snippets throughout the day. However, the self control Lorna needed every time she was near Strucker was truly the biggest test of her life. Nothing could prepare her for how much her hands twitched, longing to call one of her knives and imbed it into somewhere vulnerable to the man. The thought makes her smile.
The ground under her steel toed boots started to rumble and shake with force. To a normal person, someone who wasn't accustomed to some of the stranger parts of life, it would seem as if it was an earthquake. But Lorna wasn't a normal person, and she knew an explosion when she felt one. It was a large and earth shaking one, and Lorna ran immediately to where her siblings were. Standing by the sceptre, the blue light illuminating them in the dark room, surrounded by all the alien technology, as Lorna reached them she could hear the static as Strucker's authoritative voice called through the speakers. Lorna turned her back on the sceptre, the... thing, that gave them all such power, the energy crackling around it, trying to reach out to someone. Lorna gives her attention to her siblings, and didn't like the look on her sister's face.
Pietro spares a look to Wanda, who was already looking up at him with a look that could only be described as willingness. She was ready to do what she must and Lorna knew she would be dragged along with whatever plan Wanda had concocted. Pietro must have read the same expression from Wanda and he sighs before meeting Lorna's gaze. They both give an 'fucking hell' smile before focusing their attention back to the announcements. Lorna brought her light green eyes back to the sceptre and she sighs again, even after all this time, still the apprehension she felt about the whole situation. She had a bad feeling about it. Lorna had a bad feeling about a lot of things.
" Report to your stations immediately. " Lorna suddenly feels the warm and comforting hand of Pietro as each of his hands slip into each of his sisters, forming a chain. He squeezes both hands, giving any form of comfort or stability he could. It was his role as big brother, no matter how many minutes he was older than them. Lorna tore her attention away from the sceptre, now giving her undivided attention to her siblings.
Lorna could hear as the soldiers ran past, guns at the ready, loaded, safety off. Ready to shoot to kill. " This is not a drill ." Strucker's voice continued over the loudspeaker. Lorna was overwhelmed by a sudden burst of negative emotions. Not just from her, the emotions were coming from so many places, Lorna felt as if she was going to drown. She was grateful for Pietro's hand clutching hers, the way he grounded her and made her feel safe, no matter the pulsing of the air around her. No matter the fight ahead, Lorna felt more calm the longer Pietro held onto her. It begged the question whether or not it was a secondary power.
" We are under attack. We are under attack. " As nervous as Lorna was, she knew they were ready. Ready to test their powers and enhancements on something other than each other and other test subjects. On actual, real enemies where they didn't have to worry about hurting someone without meaning it. They could uncap their potential and let it all out. Something Lorna had never done before, Lorna believes Wanda is in the same boat, with so much power and no way to fully test it without limitations.
Lorna could feel the magnetosphere all around her, could feel the magnetism in her core. It was like being hugged by an old friend. Over her ten years with Hydra she had gotten cynical. The hopefulness and optimism slowly but surely died out, as it would in many places like a Hydra base. Long gone are the days of wishing on every star she could see, on every eyelash that fell to her cheek, every prayer that she could go through life with Pietro and Wanda, living in a small house, together . Somewhere in the country. But that childlike light had dwindled out by the time of their twelfth birthday. All that remained was pessimism, hatred and the metals that she loved. Her power, that made her whole.
Lorna was in a constant war with herself. At one point, she loved her powers and the other, she felt disgusted by them. She didn't feel human and a minute later she never felt more complete. Her life sucked.
She dropped Pietro's hand first, tucking her hands in her pockets as she watched the door behind her brother, seeing the movement of the soldiers and the guards, she flicked her head towards the doorway, hinting that they should join the rest of the soldiers. Pietro nods and as they go to move, an embrace stops her. Wanda is holding her tightly, breathing in as if to remember the smell of Lorna's leather jacket and body spray. She is then held at arm's length by a tearfilled Wanda. Dear God...
"I love you Lorna, Pietro. I'm glad you're here with me. Were gonna change the world, just you see." Wanda says, voice thick with her accent as well as her emotions. She squeezes Lorna one more time before launching herself at Pietro, hugging him just as fiercely. Love coated her words. Lorna always struggled with showing love of affection. She knew how to love, but receiving it always felt different. After the death of her parents, the only constant thing in her life was the pain from Hydra and the love from her siblings, but even then most of the time they are separated by the walls of their cells, cut off from one another.
Lorna's breath felt uneasy, the knowledge that if they go and fight she might lose one or both of them, after all, they are still relatively new to this. It was a thought she couldn't bear. Finally her brain clears of the emotional fog long enough for Lorna to complete a coherent sentence.
"I love you both. More than you know." Even Lorna could tell her voice was thick with the same emotion. "Just please, don't get hurt. I don't know what I would do if I lost one of you." Lorna continues and to this Pietro responds.
"Sister, you would destroy the entire world." He says with a laugh.
It brings both sisters to smile. It was hard not to smile around Pietro, he was so much lighter than the sisters. His hands reach out and bury themselves into his sister's hair, ruffling Wanda's brown hair and Lorna's green one. Lorna wasn't sure if she was ready to fight anymore. Not if she could lose this.