Before the Morning // TFATWS

11

Sharon drove herself and the others to her High Town apartment.

Once they arrived and entered, the four looked around and saw numerous pieces of art.

Sam chuckled and said, "Looks like breaking all those laws is treating you well."

Sharon shrugged. "At some point, I thought if I had to hustle, I might as well enjoy the life of a real hustler. You know how much I'll get for a real Monet?"

Sam scoffed as he turned to Sharon. "Easy. Deactivate your hustle mode. You sell fake Monets."

"No," Zemo said. "She means real. This gallery is specialized in stolen artwork. Monet. Van Gogh. Classics."

Bucky nodded, taking his son's hand to keep him from wandering as he said, "It's true. You know, half the artwork in museums like the Louvre is fake." A distant look crossed his face as he thought of Dorothy's mother.

Dorothy looked around. "This place is crazy, but kinda cool."

Bucky nodded and turned back to Sam. "Real stuff sets in places like this."

Sam chuckled as he pulled out his phone. "Okay, guys, I see what you're doing. You're more worldly than good old Sam."

Bucky said in a condescending tone, "Yeah. What's Google say?"

"No shit."

"Come on," Sharon said. "You guys need to change." She stopped a door, waiting for Sam to join. "I'm hosting clients in an hour."

She led them upstairs to where she lived. There was a large living room, a couple bedrooms, and numerous bathrooms.

Dorothy began exploring the apartment.

Eventually, Dorothy made her way back to the main living area and saw that Sam and Sharon were already there. Her father walked in as Dorothy sat on the couch.

Sharon smiled as she looked at the three before saying, "Much better."

Sam, who was still looking at jackets, glanced over to Sharon and asked, "What's going on, Sharon? You don't ever wanna come back home?"

"They'll lock me up if I ever step foot back in the States. Madripoor doesn't allow extradition."

"I'm sorry I didn't call, but after the Blip and the chaos, I just..."

"Look, you know the whole hero thing is a joke, right?" She tucked a strand of hair back. "I mean, the way you gave up that shield, deep down, you must know it's all hypocrisy."

"He knows," Zemo said with a shrug. "And not so deep down."

"By the way, how is the new Cap?"

Bucky and Dorothy were sitting on the couch and the former replied, "Don't get me started."

Sharon scoffed. "Please. You two buy into all that stars and stripes bullshit. Before you were his pet psychopath," she gestured to Zemo as she sat next to Bucky, "you were Mr. America! Cap's best friend."

"Wow. She's kind of awful now."

Dorothy nodded. "Yeah. She hasn't changed for the better."

Sam joined the three on the couch, Zemo leaned on a table nearby, and said, "Karli Morgenthau and at least seven others have taken the serum."

Sharon shook her head. "You guys should really steer clear of all of this for your own safety."

"We know it's a risk, but we're not gonna leave until we find the person who cracked the code. We got a name. Wilfred Nagel."