Sokovia

"Where did Strucker say we were headed with this Scepter?" "Sokovia. We've been securing a base out here while their current "liberator-of-the-month" rebellion provides the cover."

- Mark Smith and Mark Basso

Sokovia is a country in Eastern Europe.

Establishment of the HYDRA Research Base
HYDRA established an underground compound in the country of Sokovia while its operatives still posed as loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. While Sokovia was in the middle of a rebellion, HYDRA managed to send its operatives to the country under the guise of being S.H.I.E.L.D. peacekeeping forces.

Arrival of the Scepter
One of HYDRA's operatives, Mark Basso, custodied recently recruited S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Mark Smith to the HYDRA Research Base, as Smith managed to obtain the Scepter that Loki used during the Battle of New York for HYDRA. Basso explained how HYDRA had managed to secure a secret base in Sokovia while the current rebellion provided a cover.

Wolfgang von Strucker personally welcomed Smith, in order to make sure that his scientist, led by Doctor List, started immediately to study the Scepter. A group of HYDRA scientists immediately harnessed the power of the Scepter and attempted to use it to power the Chitauri Guns left behind in New York City. However, the progress they were making, though remarkable, was not enough to make the advances that Strucker demanded.

Doctor List told Strucker that in order to progress, they would need to perform experiment on living human subjects. Watching the news reports of the rebellions in the streets of Sokovia, Strucker assured List they would have plenty of subjects to choose from.

From Protesters to Volunteers
Doctor List approached a group of protesters in the streets of Sokovia, that included twins Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, in order to convince them that they should not look to their government to protect their rights, they should fight for them personally.

List offered them the "tools" to battle their oppressors if they were willing to volunteer. The Maximoff twins confronted List, saying they wanted the wars out of their streets, but List told them that they would need power to achieve. List exemplarized the power he was offering them, saying they had already seen it in Iron Man and the Avengers, and everything he required to grant them a greater future was their consent.

Many of the citizens in Sokovia volunteered for List's offer, including the Maximoff twins.

Human Experiments
Doctor List began the experiments to use the Scepter in the Sokovian citizens that volunteered in order to obtain the power that would allow them to stabilize their country.

List approached Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, explaining that given the amount of volunteers he had, they would still have to wait for their turn. List admitted he was eager to witness the results of his test, given the fact they were twins, and wondered what kind of abilities the Scepter would unlock in them.

Wanda was not sure about the procedure, but Pietro asked her to be strong, as it would soon grant them the power they needed to fight.

Meanwhile, Mark Smith wondered how they would evade human trials, and Mark Basso explained to him that once Project Insight had been launched, the whole world would change, and they would not have the need to work underground anymore.

Age of Miracles
Wolfgang von Strucker and Doctor List, one of the scientists stationed at the HYDRA Research Base, discussed the public revelation of HYDRA's existence and its infiltration within S.H.I.E.L.D. List asked what would they do now that Nick Fury had revealed everything about them, but Strucker replied that he only revealed the things he knew. As they continued walking through the facility, Strucker acknowledged that HYDRA and S.H.I.E.L.D. were two sides of a coin that was no longer currency, and Strucker stopped right in front of the Scepter, saying that they got something more worthy than anyone could imagine, even though they have only scratched its surface.

Strucker informed that they would lure Captain America and his allies to other HYDRA facilities in order to keep them away from them, and they would deal with the "volunteers" to their experiments, burying the dead deep so that none could find them. List asked about the two survivors of their experiments, Pietro and Wanda Maximoff, who were being kept in cells as they struggled with their powers. Strucker acknowledged that sooner or later the Avengers would meet them, as the world was not a world of spies anymore, not even a world of heroes. Strucker ominously announced the arrival of the age of miracles, as there was nothing more horrifying than a miracle.

As Strucker was speaking, Pietro moved at superhuman speed from one side to another of his cell, while Wanda moved a series of cubes with her mind, finally making them explode.

Trivia

 * Sokovia is one of the few fully fictional countries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
 * All signs in the country are written in the, save for the logo of the Sokovian Police, which, as seen on an officer's computer, is written in Latin alphabet.
 * In the comics, Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch's country of origin is, an also-fictional Eastern European country.