Winter Soldier gave them a good chase. He was up and over walls and fences with a speed that would astonish normal people, and he scaled walls easily with his metal arm to help him.

He hadn't counted on one of the walls collapsing under him, though, and he went down in a shower of rubble and dust. He was working his way out when the Black Widow was upon him, pinning him down with his metal arm behind his back.

Steve got there a scant second later, helping to keep track of him and keep him down.

"So, we going to do this the easy way or the hard way?" Tony asked, hovering next to the group. Clint landed on a roof, arrow already nocked and aimed at the Winter Soldier again.

Winter Soldier struggled, trying to get his metal arm free so he could slip away.

"Enough," Natasha hissed. Once she was sure Steve had him pinned, she reached over and pulled the goggles and mask off his face. "Why did they send you here?"

Winter Soldier just glared at her silently.

Steve damn near let go of him when Natasha pulled off the goggles and mask but tightened his grip again in time to keep him in place.

"Bucky?"

Natasha's eyes flicked over to Steve at the same time the Winter Soldier glanced up.

"Who the hell is Bucky?" Winter Soldier asked, his voice a bit rough. His accent, though it had a few traces of Russian, was still largely American.

Steve was silent for a moment. Okay, he didn't remember. That was... bad. He'd work it out later, when he wasn't busy holding him down.

"Why did they send you?" Natasha asked again, her voice low and too even. Winter Soldier stayed silent, and Natasha looked at Steve. "Knock him out. He's coming with us."

Steve hesitated for a moment before he knocked out Winter Soldier. He stood slowly, his expression too even as he hoisted up Bucky.

As soon as she was sure Steve had the Winter Soldier well in hand, she turned and headed back towards the Tower. She did not have the appropriate coping mechanisms for this situation.

Steve got him back to the tower and sent Clint on ahead to run interference with the two girls while he got Winter Soldier into a secure room.

And then he went to go pour himself a drink. It wouldn't actually help but the situation called for it.

Natasha was already in the kitchen with a bottle of vodka. She glanced over when Steve walked in, and then looked at her glass again.

Steve went for some scotch instead, leaning back against the counter.

"You looked like you knew him," he said quietly. He was too tired to get into an argument or judge her over it.

"Once," Natasha replied, just as quietly. "We trained together, a long time ago." She glanced at him. "Bucky?"

Steve nodded slowly. "He was my best friend," he said quietly. "We've known each other since we were kids. He... I thought he died."

Natasha just nodded.

"He told me he was found in a ravine," she said. "No memory before that. We were trained together."

Steve closed his eyes. He should have gone back and checked. He should have made sure. And now Bucky had been trained like Natasha but without the benefit of having switched sides and had no memory of him.

Natasha could see the pain on Steve's face.

"Will you tell me what happened?" she asked softly.

"We were going after a train with one of Red Skull's scientists in it. We were attacked on the train, and Bucky fell." Steve was quiet for a moment. "We got Zola. I never went back to look for Bucky."

"That isn't your fault, Steve," Natasha said. She was quiet after that. They needed to figure out what to do with the Winter Soldier, but at the moment, it was best for the two of them not to go near him.

Steve shook his head but didn't say anything else. He couldn't go near Bucky right now. He needed to figure things out first.

Elsewhere, the Winter Soldier's mechanical arm had been confiscated and he was being kept in a secure room. Laurel was trying to figure out how to peek into that secure room to see what was going on.

"Jarvis, how come we can't get in?" Doreen asked, frowning at the door, which refused to budge for either her or Laurel.

"Apologies, but Sir has put this room off-limits for the time being," Jarvis replied.

"Why? Did he give a reason?" Doreen frowned at the stubborn door, stuffing her hands in her pockets.

"I'm sorry, all he would say is that it's dangerous," Jarvis said. "If you'll pardon my speaking frankly, I believe it should be reason enough, if Sir thinks it's dangerous."