Before the Morning // TFATWS

04

"You have no income over the last five years."

"How can you have income if you don't exist?"

"Sarah," Sam called. "Uh..." He stuttered. "I've been gone like several billion other people. But if you look at our plan, I have government contracts, so that's proof of earnings. And I know for a fact that we qualify for an SBA loan."

"Under the old terms, sure. But with these days, what, with everyone just showing up, well, things tightened up."

"Funny how things always tighten around us," Sarah muttered.

"Whoa. Easy there. Look, I'm on your side. After all, he's a hero." He looked at Sam. "Is there any chance, and of course you could say "no", that I could get a selfie with your arms out?"

"Are you serious?" Sam asked in an offended tone as Sarah laughed.

"Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Wilson..."

"Miss," Sarah corrected. "I'm a widow."

"Ms. Wilson. I know your family has banked with us for generations," he closed the folder, "but we cannot approve you." He handed Sam a passport and Sam took it. "I'm truly sorry." Sarah picked up the papers and stood.

As Sam and Sarah walked outside and across the street, Sam said, "We're gonna get that loan. I don't care if I have to go to every bank in the city."

"Sam, stop!" Sarah told him. "I don't want to deal with this again."

"Well that's what life is, dealing with things."

"You are so out of pocket for that. Don't forget, you joined the Air Force. You didn't see everything Mom and Daddy dealt with."

"I knew they weren't gonna help us. It's not their job."

"Those people don't even know who Daddy was, and he was a giant." They reached Sam's truck and Sarah put the papers in the bed of the truck.

"I don't care. I'm not gonna quit."

"What are you trying to prove, Sam? And who you trying to prove it to? I swear, after Daddy died..."

"See, I knew that was gonna come up."

Sam opened the truck bed and went to pull out a box of food. "I never hid what I thought. You had to go off and fight armies and monsters. And I appreciate that, but you don't get to come back here and try to right your wrongs just because you couldn't deal with what was going on here. You don't know what happened these last five years. I was alone with two babies and I survived. I'm the one who kept that boat from sinkin'."

He and Sarah pulled out the boxes of food. "Yeah, well, half the boat's mine and so is the house. We're not sellin' our family's legacy."

As they walked away from the truck, Sarah asked, "You gonna do me like that when you know I'm right?"

"Yep!"

WILSON BOAT

Birds chirped.

"Okay," Sam whispered, shifting something and pipes creaked. He sighed and turned his head, stretching his neck. He leaned into something. "Oh."

He exhaled and climbed up the steps. "Come on, baby. What you got for me?" He turned the engine and it sputtered. "Come on! Come on!" The engine sputtered again. "Shit!" He hit it angrily.

He turned the wheel as he looked at the pictures. Water splashed and the boat creaked.

Sam's cell phone dinged and he picked it up to see a text from Torres which read 'Get to a secure line, need you to watch something and call me back ASAP #important'. Torres sent a picture of himself with his cut up face.

WILSON HOUSE

Sam sat at his computer and the keyboard clacked as he looked at the video.

"So, this is the leader of the Flag Smashers, huh?" Sam asked, propping the phone against the laptop.

"Yeah, real nice guy," Torres replied.

"I thought you were supposed to be monitoring them online."

"I was. I did. But you know sometimes you gotta get your hands dirty, or a broken orbital."

Sam scoffed. "You're lucky that's all you got." He watched the man. "He's strong."

SWITZERLAND

Torres, who stood next to an ambulance, said, "He was. I mean, bro, they went dark as soon as it was all over. But that's their M.O. We just gotta keep our eyes and ears to the ground till they pop up again."

WILSON HOME

"Anything else happen outside the video?" Sam questioned.

"No, man," Torres said. "My face was in the dirt before I knew what was happening. Why? What are you thinking?"

Sam's eyes shifted from side to side. "Nothin'."

"Wait. You don't think he could be a..."

"Look, I'll circle back to you. Let's keep this between me and you, okay?"

"All right."

Sam ended the call as Sarah came in holding the remote and she said, "Oh, my God, Sam. You better look at this."

Sarah turned the TV to a news station. Sam turned in his chair so he could better see the TV.

A man on TV said, "Unrest, in the wake of recent events has left us vulnerable." Sam set down his phone and turned again, so he was entirely facing the TV. "Every day Americans feel it." Sarah put a hand to her mouth. "While we love heroes who put their lives on the line to defend Earth," Sam leaned closer and clasped his hands, "we also need a hero to defend this country. We need a real person who embodies America's greatest values. We need someone to inspire us again, someone who can be a symbol for all of us. So," Sam laced his hands together, "on behalf of the Department of Defense and our Commander-in-Chief, it is with great honor that we announce here today that the United States of America has a new hero. Join me in welcoming your new Captain America."

The crowd cheered as a man in uniform walked out with the shield. He shook hands with the man and stood in front of the crowd, winking at the viewers.

Sam closed his eyes a moment, lowered his head slightly, then opened his eyes, shamed by what he'd done.

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK

Dorothy grabbed the remote and turned on the TV. She frowned as she watched the news. "Uh, Dad?"

Bucky walked up and frowned. "What the hell?"

"I don't know. Why does he have Sam's shield?"

"I don't know."