It took a moment, and his expression went a little blank and distant as he thought over that question. The man had a habit of faraway stares even at the best of times, and it was more pronounced when he had to remember something from those long cold decades: it was like having to flip through a mental rolodex and extract a particular file, a particular memory. When Bucky's answer came, his voice was slow and thoughtful.

"No. I was familiar with him, but we never crossed paths." Then, with a ghost of humour, he added: "You gotta admit, though, it stings a little that he was known as 'Russia's only super-soldier'."

There was a clear-cut difference between the two: the Winter Soldier had operated in the shadows, classified and confidential and his operations always struck from the official record. James wasn't even Russian-born, either. And then the Red Guardian had relished his status in the spotlight, plastered on propaganda posters and on television broadcasts and in action figures, strutted about for national pride. They were both different tools for different purposes.

"I had no idea the two of you even knew each other."