Johannes considered Evelyn's thoughts.
A well-armed platoon with two vehicles—one of them an APC mounted with a strange caliber gun.
Elias would never have that level of arsenal, nor the deserted soldiers he had gathered.
"Who are you people?" He said after a long pause. "Why are you here? Why this route?"
Dmitri didn't answer immediately. He glanced once at the road behind him, then back to the shadows above.
"Non-operational until recently," he said. "No long-term footprint."
He spread his hands slightly, not to surrender, but to show clarity.
"We're heading east. Your troubles are not of our concern."
"What task?" Johannes probed.
"Classified," Dmitri coldly replied.
"That's what I thought," Johannes muttered.
Dmitri, sensing the silence, spoke again.
"If you let us be, we'll go our separate ways."
"I'm afraid I can't do that," Johannes words' stumped everyone.
