Behind the Scenes

Concept: The Winter Soldier Program

This is the prologue to a Marvel AU I have given up on. The story was going to be about how individuals with superpowers (the Maximoff twins and Peter Parker) were to be recruited into HYDRA's Winter Soldier program and the Avengers would have to protect them.
After the battle of Sokovia, the Maximoff twins are on the run from HYDRA (Pietro survived at least for a while longer. You can decide his fate at the end of this deleted chapter).

The sound of her own loud breathing filled her ears. She could barely hear the snapping of twigs and crunching of leaves under her feet. Beside her ran her twin brother at normal speed, limping as he favored his left leg.

She could feel their pursuers closing in, their guns set to stun. HYDRA wanted them alive.

She wanted to ask Pietro where they could go, how will they live to fight for survival the next day, but she only had enough energy to breathe and place one foot in front of the other.

A branch lashed out in the dark, scratching her cheek. Wanda cried out in surprise and her brother slowed to check on her.

"I'm fine," she panted, "keep running."

They continued on through the dark forest. Now Wanda saw searchlights shining between the trees. HYDRA was almost on top of them, cornering them like hunters around their prey.

Pietro suddenly stopped and gripped his sister's hand.

"We need to split up."

"No! We have to stay together."

"There are too many of them. I can lead some of them away from you," he insisted.

Wanda's eyes filled with tears. "Pietro, please..."

Her twin, the only family she had left, pulled Wanda close and kissed her forehead.

"Trust me. Run and do not stop."

Wanda nodded and stepped back. Her fingers lingered against his, reluctant to let go.

"Don't get caught."

He flashed her one of his cocky grins before melting into the shadows.

All alone now, Wanda sprinted into the darkness, too exhausted to hold back her tears.

She heard gunshots and yelling and pushed herself to run faster, ignoring the numbness in her limbs. Memories of their last HYDRA imprisonment flashed through her mind. They were tested upon, tortured, made into something else; and she only managed to endure by the fuel of her hatred for Tony Stark.

I won't go back there. I won't go back.

White light suddenly blinded her and she cried out, lifting her arms over her face to defend herself. Red energy sparked weakly at her fingertips.

Wanda heard orders in German and a body slammed into her, tackling her to the ground. Knees digging into her back pinned her down as a pair of cold hands roughly cuffed her wrists.

The pressure left, but she could not rise. She was so tired and the cuffs felt like they were draining her. The girl just lay there, breathing.

A radio crackled through the quiet. A low voice murmured into it in German. Something cracked against her skull, sending her into a world of darkness.

"We have the Scarlet Witch. The Winter Soldier Program has begun."