The Kirby guns were surgical and destructive at the same time. There were civilian casualties; but most were hydra. The ground took a pounding. Buildings were destroyed. Many had emptied during the leftist riots beforehand. All a calculated risk; but they were in a state of war as well; And they wouldn't pull punches with any enemy of freedom; especially hydra or anything else skull linked.
"I give you credit captain; you continually impress me..." Red Skull said from all around him. "You've definitely changed. The star spangled persona of before never would have fired so easily on civilians. But then you really want the inferiors gone don't you... Deep down that is. Right...?" "Show yourself Schmidt!" "Not just yet captain. There is still much to be shown here. Our time will come; but I'm still hoping for your conversion to our side of things. Like what happened with Darth Vader; wouldn't you say?" "Never gonna happen." "Never is not a word that applies in a world such as ours. Look at us alone captain. Two mortals now changed into immortals with glorious powers. We could rule everything... Think of the possibilities." "There is no we in tyrants skull. There is only the tyrant." Skull laughed. "Semantics captain. We are more alike than you'll ever realize; and I don't mean our looks!"
Cap was prepared to argue the point more but Skull pulled out of his head. Bonehead and his endless crap. I want him so bad! Seen that asshole kill too many people. As for what the skull had said about cap killing civvies to achieve a result... he wasn't wrong. But that was an old cap moral dilemma; new cap was nomad. But nomad wasn't a tyrant. He was just an antiheroic version of old cap. Nothing more. That meant the ends did justify the means if that was what freedom required. And they did.
Cap would commit genocide now as nomad if needed for freedom. Plain and simple. He was like Thanos in his own way now. Thanos had done it to stave off misery; cap did it to keep people free. A true son of liberty would do no less for his cause. Ever.
The firing stopped. Most of the hydra hitters had been killed. Black civvies were also down. A male war dog named Akimbe ran up to cap in traditional Wakandan armor. "Captain Rogers! The hydra force has been stopped for the moment. We're losing too many civilians. We must regroup." "Agreed agent. Reconfigure the entire escort perimeter." "On it." Akimbe ran back to the Wakandan field command to solidify the security efforts.
Sharon on comms "Steve; the damage is bad; but we still saved more than we lost." Cap could see that well enough. It had been a victory of sorts. For the moment. But skull's latest mind games still ran through his head. His top baddie from the world war cap had saved the world from... going at it again like nothing had happened. Skull was right about some things even cap had to admit. One was indeed the word never did not apply to them. They alone were proof of that.
Shuri approached cap in her magical panther armor. Her helmet collapsed. "Captain." "Princess Shuri." Together they looked around at the devastation around them. "This loss of life is most regrettable." "It is. But the red skull is behind this. And he will play his mental warfare games until he achieves the result he wants." "But this isn't a mind game captain. These are real people that are dead. People that had agreed to leave peacefully; and were doing so; when this happened." "I understand that highness; but hydra and its allies will accept nothing less then total victory. It doesn't matter who they kill to achieve it." Pause. "Frankly highness you don't know hydra like I do. You can't. And not the red skull either."
"These are our brethren brought to your shores by your own slavers. Do not claim to tell me the history of things." "Muslims and African chieftains were also slavers too highness. All the facts must be recalled." "It doesn't make it right." "No highness it doesn't. But the facts stay the same regardless." Pause. "And as a free people we will never bow to anyone that threatens our liberty. Be it hydra Africa or anywhere else." Shuri straightened. "We are not enemies captain." "We're allies. But as commander of the rebel army it is my job to make that clear to all we deal with." "Your point is clear."
White lives must matter too; and they will cap thought. Or there'll be hell to pay. And nomad will make that a reality.
They continued their fluctuating perimeter reconfiguration efforts. Hydra could resume another hit series but for the moment things seemed calm enough. Cap would take that break in the action and make sure his men had what they needed to stay in the fight.