The Moral Debate Between Reason and Emotion (Part 2)

Steve Rogers firmly disagreed with Cassilius's approach.

The atmosphere grew tense again. The girl in Power Armor had even begun to squeeze the trigger. He knew that if he made the slightest move, none of the agents behind him would survive. Salomon's private forces possessed an unreasonable loyalty. They were all Artificial Humans created by Salomon through magic, each one far stronger than a Super Soldier. They always carried out their master's orders with unwavering fanaticism, which also meant they would not hesitate in the slightest when carrying out an execution. Kamar-Taj's Arcanists could still be reasoned with, but those girls would not listen to a word of advice from anyone else.

Even under the threat of gun barrels and blades, Steve Rogers still refused to compromise. He would never allow the agents behind him to be harmed. He believed that even if the agents had been contaminated, they should be detained and treated by the Avengers. The situation remained deadlocked. "Enough agents have died today," he said. "A fully staffed special operations team was sacrificed for nothing. That cannot happen again."

"You know the consequences of making that choice, don't you?" Cassilius asked curiously. "Some of the agents behind you were never contaminated. They can live, because we only want the lives of the contaminated. Steve Rogers, when you condemn Kamar-Taj's tyranny, why don't you take a look at your own hypocrisy? Evil deeds save lives, while good deeds squander them. Don't you find that ridiculous?"

Captain Rogers turned back toward the agents hesitantly. He blinked tiredly, as though he had finally acquired the soul appropriate to his true age. This exchange, built on mutual distrust, disgusted him. He had already abandoned part of his original plan, but he still had to bring Tony Stark back. Both the Avengers