The night had started out clear. Millions of stars had decorated the velvet sky, bright and visible against the inky blackness - perfect for stargazing. But not anymore. Now, it was like the city, alive at night with flashing lights and loud noises. Smoke filled the air, blocking out the stars that had shined so brightly just hours ago. Sirens blared and floodlights shone with the light of a thousand suns.

Amid this chaos, two twins stumbled over uneven stone streets, wishing with all their hearts that they could turn back time.

"Come on," cried the first one, her voice hoarse. She coughed, quivering with the ferocity of it.

"I can't hold it much longer," rasped the second one, her voice just as hoarse and twice as weak. With her waxen skin and eyes half-open, she looked as if she was going to collapse. Her skin glowed with a hidden light, which disappeared as quickly as it had come. If the girl hadn't let out a moan, any witness would have brushed it off as a trick of the light.

The first one tightened her grip on the second, her posture straight despite the desperation in her eyes. "Just hold on. We're almost there."

They slipped nearly soundlessly through the streets, looking identical with their ripped clothes and hair the color of the flames that ran through their veins. They ran through the middle of the street, tripping over the debris that appeared out of the darkness. It didn't matter if anyone saw them. Someone already had. All they were focused on was getting as far away as possible.

"Lia!" whispered the first one, her voice cracking as Lia tumbled to the ground.

She quickly picked herself back up. "I'm fine," Lia said, her voice barely audible. She cleared her throat in an attempt to rid it of the bitter taste that the smoke had left in her mouth. "Zoe, I'm serious. It's just over there." Her hand lifted, pointing weakly at the unassuming stone building that stood just down the street.

Zoe's eyes clouded for a minute. She wasn't used to being the leader. That was Lia's job. Lia was the calm one. The collected one. Lia was the one who always knew what to do. Lia was the one who always had the answers. But now the roles were reversed, and it was Zoe's job to make sure her sister was safe.

So instead of collapsing onto the cold stone, Zoe tightened her grip and dragged her sister along as she sprinted to what was their last hope.

The door was open, thank whatever gods happened to exist in their miserable little world, and swung open with a loud squeak.

Lia cried out again, dropping Zoe's hand and clutching her head. "I can't hold it!"

Zoe looked around desperately, but there was nothing, Just a long hallway that branched off in multiple directions. But the whole thing would come crashing down on them if they didn't move fast enough. A shout echoed from outside, and Zoe squeezed her eyes shut.

There was no time for indecision. She placed her hand gently on Lia's shaking shoulder, the skin warm beneath her fingers. "Deep breath," she whispered, taking one in herself.

Lia took a shaky breath, her body shaking with effort as her skin cooled slightly. Then it flared, her eyes shooting open.

She let out a pained scream, her eyes glowing orange as if she was possessed.

Zoe bit her lip to keep herself from swearing. Tears filled her eyes as she pulled Lia down the hall, barely bothered by her sisters' unnatural warmth.

Why couldn't one thing go right for once in their lives? Why did everything have to be a constant struggle?

Zoe grabbed a door that appeared in their path, slamming it shut as soon as they were inside.

As she caught her breath, she surveyed the familiar surroundings.

The room was just like it had always been, with rough stone floors and walls that were much homier than they looked. The benches and chairs were in the usual disarray, spread throughout the humongous room. Everything was still and quiet, the air undisturbed.

Until Lia let out another scream.

"Shh, shh," Zoe whispered, nearly as terrified as her sister.

"I can't," Lia hissed, her eyes glowing like miniature suns. They pulsed slightly, glowing brightly in the dim room.

She screamed again, doubling over as her entire body began to glow.

"It's coming," she whispered, "I can't stop it."

Zoe looked frantically around the room, trying to find something that would help them. But the room was empty. It was meant to be a meeting place, not a refuge.

She glanced at her sister, shaking in the middle of the room as she tried to fight the fire growing inside of her. If she exploded, they'd know where they were. There'd be no way to hide. And Lia would be too weak to move.

"Shh," she whispered again as the light poured out of her sister began to flicker, each pulse growing stronger than the last.

Zoe knelt next to Lia, trying to steady her own breath. Then a blast of light and heat made everything go white. And then there was silence.

🔥🔥🔥

[ STEVE ]

The first fight ended quickly. The newly discovered Hydra base was in the middle of nowhere, the soldiers weren't expecting the Avengers to come crashing in.

"Stark?" the supersoldier asked, seemingly to no one.

"A little busy here." The sound came from his ear. Steve sighed, his pale eyes darting back and forth and he cautiously crept through the dark hallways, his shield at the ready.

Grunting noises echoed through his earpieces as he turned the corner, his feet making no sound on the stone ground.

"Okay, Capsicle, what's up?"

Steve ignored the persistent nickname, repressing a sigh. "I'm nearly at the control room, have you scanned it yet?"

"Yes, of course. I managed to fit it in between my many near-deaths."

"So dramatic," cut in the voice of Natasha Romanoff.

"How many life forms did you see?" Steve asked, his eyes fixed on the door he was nearing.

"About six." There was a crash and a grunt.

Steve crept closer. Then in one motion, he kicked open the door and charged in. Six surprised soldiers looked up from their computers.

One of them shouted something in another language and they all stood, drawing their weapons.

Steve made quick work of them.

"Everyone okay?" he asked as he stepped over one of the limp bodies, a faint flicker of remorse in his eyes.

He let out a breath as a chorus of "yes"'s came through, his fingers hovering over the computers he had recently learned how to navigate.

"Let's grab the information and get out of here," grumbled Sam Wilson. "This place smells."

Just as the words came through to Steve, the ground began to rumble. Then the room began to shake, dust falling out of the stone walls like every classic action movie, except very, very real. Then came the sound of an explosion,

"Please tell me that one was of your arrows, Barton," Tony muttered.

"I wish. Whoever that was, it wasn't me."

"Natasha, get down to the control room and finish uploading the data," Steve ordered, already running through the door. "Tony, Hulk, Thor, and Clint, finish rounding up the Hydra soldiers. Sam, Wanda, Vision, and Pietro, come with me. We need to make sure this fight stays away from the civilians."

The five of them met outside, running through (or flying above) the panicked crowds of civilians. "Vision, Sam, go in from above and see if you can find the source of the explosion. Wanda and Pietro, move whatever debris you find and escort all civilians to safety."

Each person went their separate ways, large chunks of stone lifting themselves out of the streets, surrounded by a red glow.

Steve crept through the maze of building pieces, his eyes darting to every corner. He turned into the building where the explosion had originated and stopped short. It was completely blockaded. As if someone had specifically not wanted anyone following them.

"What's the view from above?" he asked the air.

"There weren't very many people around, which is strange," came Wanda's voice. "I don't think this bomb was intended to kill anyone.

"It may be a distraction," Vision said. Then he made a noise of confusion. "That's strange."

"What's going on?" Steve demanded, his eyes flickering back to the entrance.

"There appear to be two lifeforms inside the building, but they would have been in the very center of the explosion."

"Or maybe," Wanda said gravely, "they were the explosion."

"Do you think it is another Hydra experiment?" Pietro asked, the telltale sounds of his superspeed following.

"It's possible."

"Pietro, bring Wanda over here please," Steve ordered. They were there within seconds. Pietro set Wanda down, his feet tap-tap-tapping against the stone floor. "Keep rounding up the civilians and get them away in case there's a second explosion. The boy nodded, his hair flopping in his face before he was off with a flash.

Steve jerked his head towards the pile of rocks. "Can you move this?"

Wanda nodded, her hands lighting up. Her eyes glowed as her fingers danced, pulling the rocks through the air like a conductor directing a symphony. A red, glowing, very dangerous symphony.

"Vision, Sam, stay up there. Keep out of sight. We're going in."

"Be careful Cap," Sam said, his normally upbeat voice edged with concern. "I don't like this."

Not much about their job was likable. "Me neither." It was hard, grueling work sometimes. People got hurt, emotionally and physically. People died. It placed a weight of guilt and duty so heavily on them it felt like at any minute everything could come tumbling down. But it was also something that they could live for. A cause to rally behind. And that was all Steve needed.

With determination in his pale blue eyes, the super-soldier signaled to Wanda, advancing as quickly as he could without making any noise.

The building had been utterly destroyed. The stars shone brightly through the smoke that rose from the wreckage. There were no roofs. Or walls, really. All that was left were large pieces of stone, covered with chipping paint. It smelled like ash and dust, like a fire long gone.

"You're sure there was no one around?" Steve asked Wanda quietly, his heart dropping as he surveyed the carnage.

Wanda closed her eyes. "I sense only two people, the two that Vision was talking about, and they are faint. If anyone else was in this area, they're dead now."

Steve swallowed. It hurt his heart to think of all the people that might have lost a sibling or a parent or a child. "Let's go. But you should be careful. This place isn't structurally sound." He took a step, planning to go forward, but Wanda laid a hand on his arm.

"Let me lead. I know where to find them, and I can move anything that's in our path." Steve hesitated. He'd never ask someone to do something he wasn't willing to do himself.

"Okay. Stay on guard though."

Wanda led him through what was left of the building complex, taking so many twists and turns that Steve knew he'd never have been able to find the two anomalies if she hadn't been guiding them.

After what seemed like a million turns, Wanda held up her hand. "They're right around this corner," she whispered.

Steve nodded curtly, his patriotic shield already around his arm. "I'll go first."

He turned around the corner before she - or anyone else - could object. The second he was in view, a head rose.

The first thing he noticed was her eyes. Steve was taken aback by how desperate she looked. They were filled with tears, her lips parted in a silent cry. Her eyes seemed to waver for a second as her mournful gaze settled over the duo. Then her expression turned into one of pure terror.

"Who are you?" she choked out, her voice hoarse and barely audible. She coughed, scrambling to her feet.

"We aren't here to hurt you," Steve said, raising a hand in a gentle surrender. The girl looked at him with her amber eyes, one hand raised in an attacking position.

"Who are you?"

That's when he noticed the limp body next to her. A tangled mess of red and grey and white that was.... glowing. Pulsing slightly.

"What's happening to her?" he asked as a red light filled the room. Wanda, using her magic to steady the ruins.

But the eerie lighting made the girl tense. She backed up, one hand hovering protectively over her companion. "We don't want any trouble. Please just leave us alone." Her voice cracked, tears shining in her eyes.

"We only want to help." Steve took a step forward, his shield lowered. Bad idea. The girl's hand jerked, and a wall of flames rushed at them.

Steve threw up his shield. His vision was blocked by smoke and dust. Ash and grit filled his nose and mouth. He coughed violently, but everything was laced with the taste and smell of thick, heavy smoke. He couldn't help it as his eyes began to water.

But nothing happened. The heat was so intense he could barely breathe. Smoke and ash made the world a haze of hazardous edges and rough stone. His ears rang with the deafening noise of an explosion. He was feeling every sensation of fire except the burning. Every inch a painful death but without the Reaper hanging over his shoulder.

When he managed to crack his eyes open, he found a glowing wall of red inches away from his face. Wanda's grunt filled the air as she struggled to hold back the wall of flames.

"Wanda!" Steve shouted as she swayed. He rushed to her side, holding her steady. "Get behind me."

"No," she whispered, sweat shining on her brow. With one last grunt, Wanda thrust out her hands even farther, and the shield of red energy burst. Flames flickered in front of them, wild and rowdy like boys at the bar back in the day.

But none reached them.

"Please just go," the girl begged, on her knees by now as fire streamed out of her hands. She let out a pained moan. "I can't control it."

"Sam, Vision, brace for another explosion!" Steve roared as light flared out of the girl and she screamed.

"I. Can't. Control it," she whispered, her voice even more ragged. She gave them one last look.

A look that in all his time living, Steve would never, ever, ever, forget. Because the look wasn't just one of someone who had given up on the world. It was the look of someone so broken that the very idea of life seemed like a curse. It was haunted by so many ghosts that even he didn't want to think about the possibilities. It was the look of someone utterly, completely destroyed.

And then flames washed over everything, and his thoughts were lost to the heat.