The twelve people had noticed him before he noticed them.
That much became clear as Alex approached. Their postures shifted subtly. Some straightened. Others tilted their heads, evaluating. A few exchanged glances that carried meaning too quick to fully decipher from a distance.
Twelve individuals.
Each carried themselves with the ease of people who had already adapted to this environment. They wore no uniforms, displayed no common markings, yet they moved with a cohesion that suggested they had learned to operate together. Or at least, they had learned to coexist.
Alex studied them as he drew closer.
The tallest among them stood nearly eight feet high, his frame carrying the dense solidity of someone whose biology had been forged for endurance rather than agility. His skin held a faint metallic sheen, and his arms hung with the loose readiness of a combatant who trusted his physicality above all else.
