The CDC soldier's didn't lower the rifles. In fact, they tightened their grip, making sure that none of the guys in the Hummer could move.
"Contain them."
The leader of the CDC soldiers gave the order like it was no big deal. He didn't shout, he didn't panic, he simply lifted his hand and expected it to be obeyed.
His men closed in a half step, not enough to crowd, just enough to make it clear that from this point on, direction came from the men in ash-white armor, not from the people who had just crossed thought the wasteland of Country M.
"Forward," the lead soldier continued when he was sure that Zubair wasn't going to try anything.
Of course, Zubair started walking first, making sure that his hands were visible at all times.
He made sure that his shoulders stayed loose, and that every line of his body said, 'I am not here to start a war but I am perfectly capable of finishing one'. Lachlan fell in beside him, his mouth tight and his eyes sharp.
