'Twins' - Alternate MCU - ON HOLD

9. I'd rather be anyone else

Elise

I started to panic when I couldn't talk to Elise suddenly.

"Wanda, I can't hear her!" I cried, my voice getting higher.

She blinked slowly but didn't move from her position in front of me on her bed.

"Wanda!" I snapped her out of whatever trance she was in.

"Huh?" she asked.

"I- I can't hear her anymore!"

I scrunched my eyes shut before looking around. There were so many people in the compound, it was hard to distinguish anyone. I eventually saw three people in a room not far away. Two taller ones were fighting against a smaller one. Shit. I felt the colour drain from my face.

"Is Lexa okay?" I asked in a whisper.

Wanda got up and went to the door.

"I'll go check," she told me, before leaving.

I stayed sat cross-legged on Wanda's bed, waiting anxiously. Eventually, she came back.

"She's alright," Wanda said with a smile. "I heard her talking to Natasha."

"Who's Natasha?" I questioned.

I'd never heard of her.

"Oh, Natasha Romanoff," Wanda replied.

"Agent Romanoff?" I asked.

Wanda nodded. I wasn't sure how to react. Natasha didn't seem to have any emotion in her, why would Lexa start talking to her? After everything that had happened today? I was so confused. Deep in my own thoughts, I didn't feel Wanda sit beside me until she took my hands.

"Come on Elise," she urged, looking straight into my green eyes. "Tell me, why do you have such faith in Hydra?"

I looked away, breaking eye contact.

"They looked after us since we were tiny," I admitted. "I don't know why we were there, they refused to tell us."

"Isn't that reason enough to stop trusting them?" Wanda asked. "They're keeping things from you. And Hydra don't keep secrets unless they've done something bad."

I listened to her in silence.

"I mean, they kept themselves secret they know they're so bad," she scoffed.

"I just assumed our parents died or something, and they didn't want us to be upset or anything," I said with a shrug.

I actually hadn't thought much about the fact that Hydra refused to tell us about our parents. Hydra didn't ever seem cruel. They occasionally punished me for screwing up missions or training, but often Lexa would convince them not to punish me. She sometimes got cuts or scars and I didn't know where they were from. She assured me she wasn't harming herself, but I couldn't- Wait, where did she get the scars and cuts from?

I jumped out of my thoughts, pushing Wanda away as I stood up.

"Elise?" Wanda asked softly.

"I need to see Lexa, ask her where she got her scars from," I explained quickly, fearing a possibility I'd never considered before.

I went over to the door and tried to open it, but red magic swirled around it. Wanda was stopping the door from opening.

"Damn it Wanda, open the door!" I snapped, anxiety rising in me.

"Ask her later, she's with Natasha right now," Wanda told me.

"I-I need to know though!" I panicked and went into Wanda's mind.

She must have extreme control over her thoughts, because I ended up being pushed out. I looked at the witch with annoyance.

"Fine, I'll ask her later," I huffed, still anxious inside.

Clint

I sat on the bed beside Natasha and Lexa as the young girl calmed down. I watched Natasha carefully. She seemed to have a motherly instinct for Lexa, even if Lexa wouldn't answer any more of our questions.

"Lexa, you've got to trust us if we're going to help you," Natasha murmured in her ear, just loud enough for me to hear.

Lexa was curled up against the red-head, Natasha with her arms protectively around the girl.

"How can I trust you?" she demanded. "How can I trust that you won't lock us up? Torture us?"

I saw pain flash across Nat's eyes.

"I doubt you've been living with an organisation your whole life, believing they were doing right, then got told they were doing wrong!" Lexa snapped.

I saw Nat's eyes glimmer dangerously, then they glistened over. She went completely still. I knew instantly what was happening. It didn't happen often, but she was suffering from a flashback of the Red Room. Standing up, I grabbed Lexa's hand and led her outside.

"Just wait here, okay?" I told her. "Don't run off."

I gave her a stern stare, causing her to nod quietly. I left her leaning against the wall as I went back into the room to see Natasha rocking back and forth, fear present in her eyes. I sat in front of her and took her hands rubbing them with my thumbs gently.

"Natasha, it's alright, you're here," I told her soothingly.

"I'd rather be anyone else," she murmured, staring straight ahead of me.

"Natasha, look at me!" I commanded.

The command made her look up. It took her a moment, but when she recognised me, she began to relax, breathing heavily.

"Hey, Nat, it's alright," I soothed as she cried as I hugged her tightly.

"What if they've been through what I have?" she asked shakily.

I knew what she meant instantly. Not just the brainwashing, torture or harsh regime. The graduation ceremony.

"They're young, they couldn't of," I tried to assure her.

"Clint, we need to protect them."