"What do you mean by that! You're not military!" the congressman raised his voice.
"I said get back on the line!" the soldier snapped, aiming his M4 Carbine at him. "Like I said! There will be a helicopter coming to pick you up later. You just have to wait!"
"And why would we believe that? Heck you might even abandon us!" the congressman said, voice rising as he stepped forward again, ignoring the muzzle still trained on him.
"You don't give the orders here," the lead soldier replied flatly. "Step back."
The man laughed under his breath, shaking his head like the situation itself was beneath him.
"You think you can just show up here, pick whoever you want, and expect us to just fall in line?" he said. "I'm telling you right now, that's not how this works."
He pointed at the rope.
"That seat is mine," he added. "You pull me up next, or you answer for it later."
No one moved.
