Brandon felt it deep in his bones, an ominous premonition curling in his gut like a serpent ready to strike.
It was a dark itch, a whisper in his mind that drummed a steady beat of warning clearer than it had ever been.
He frowned, furrowing his brow deeply as he wondered,
'Is this a newfound intuition bestowed by my awakened powers?'
Brandon was not one to take such feelings lightly; over the years, trusting his instincts had become second nature.
The unnerving sensation coiled tighter within him, urging him to act.
With a decisive move, Brandon pulled down the walkie-talkie affixed to the vehicle's ceiling and spoke in a commanding tone that resonated with authority,
"Brothers and sisters, in the event anyone falls behind, the priority is to regroup at the Void Fortress…"
The communication device was tuned to an exclusive frequency that linked all the military vehicles under his command.
A voice cracked through the walkie-talkie, hesitant but needing to ask,
"Boss… what if it's you who…"
But Brandon was firm, cutting in with a clarity that brooked no argument,
"Especially if it's me. I entrust Geoffrey to lead in my stead; he knows my methods well. Believe that I will return."
The chorus of acknowledgments rang out.
"Roger!"
"Roger!"
"Roger!"
…
From the driver's seat, Baph shot Brandon a glance through the rearview mirror, his eyes clouded with concern.
"Boss, what's got you so on edge?"
The heavy frown remained on Brandon's face as he shook his head, his voice carrying a note of distress that wasn't there before,
"I can't explain it. Just a hunch that that something's coming…"
At his side, Asmo turned, his piercing gaze fixed on Brandon, his usually semi-oblivious demeanor replaced with severity.
Asmo, with a swift motion, turned his attention to Brandon.
The Void forces, especially the top generals, knew Brandon's almost supernatural intuition.
It had steered them clear of danger countless times.
Asmo's brow furrowed, his voice bearing a heavy note of concern,
"Boss, is this another one of those times?"
Meeting Asmo's gaze, Brandon gave a solemn nod.
Crystal leaned forward, urgency filling her voice as she asked, "What times? What's going on?"
Her hand moved subconsciously, finding its way to rest protectively over Jade and Baron who were immersed in peaceful slumbers on their laps, unaware of the mounting tension around them.
Her words barely had time to hang in the air before the world answered.
*RUMBLE…* *RUMBLE…* *RUMBLEEEE…*
Violent tremors shook the vehicle, the ground beneath them trembled fiercely, the sudden and sharp jolts resembling that of a violent earthquake.
The vehicle shook ominously as everyone inside braced themselves, eyes filled with alarm.
Without a moment's hesitation, Brandon seized the walkie-talkie.
His voice thundered through the static, a beacon of authority in the chaos,
"SPREAD OUT!"
Heeding his command, the convoy of military vehicles exhibited a remarkable discipline amidst the tremors.
Almost instantly, the convoy of armored vehicles fanned out with surgical precision.
The formation looked like an inverted "V", with Brandon's truck positioned as the tip about half a mile apart from each other, ready to confront whatever was manifesting before them.
Then, just as abruptly as the quaking started, it ceased, replaced by a more bizarre spectacle. In the clearing dust, a massive building shimmered into view
A grandiose building oscillated between reality and illusion, flickering in and out of existence like a mirage rising from a heatwave, tantalizing and elusive, right before the lead vehicle where Brandon was seated.
Before they could attempt to decode the bizarre phenomenon, a rift in space materialized directly in front of Brandon's truck like a nightmarish magic trick.
It was a spatial tear, an anomaly of fearsome and undeniable power.
And then, with a force as decisive as it was merciless, it engulfed the vehicle, swallowing Brandon and his immediate companions whole, leaving a void where they had just been, the empty space bearing testimony to their sudden and mysterious disappearance.
As the vacuous rift closed, leaving an empty space where Brandon and his vehicle had been just moments before, a paralyzing silence took hold of the formation.
The remaining convoy, momentarily stalled in their positions, bore witness to their leader's sudden disappearance.
The mirage too had vanished, leaving a barren landscape where once it had flickered uncertainty.
The radio channels burst into life, frantic voices overlapping, trying to understand, to comprehend what had just transpired.
"What just happened? Where's the Boss?"
"Boss... General Baph… General Asmo... Do you copy?"
A voice laced with panic as one of the Void troops grabbed the walkie-talkie, his knuckles turning white from the force of his grip.
The anxiety was palpable, a heavy cloud of fear that swallowed words and stifled breaths, leaving a ringing silence in its wake.
The radio erupted in a cacophony of frantic voices, a tumultuous mix of disbelief, anger, and fear.
Yet amidst the chaos, a few voices tried to sow seeds of hope, their tones firm, if shaken, calling for trust in Brandon, urging others to believe in his return, to have faith in their leader.
"Did anyone see that? What the hell was that?"
Another voice crackled through the transmission, forcing steadiness into her voice,
"Everyone stay calm. Boss told us to trust him, to have faith in him. That's what we're going to do."
Silent nods of agreement echoed among the drivers and the passengers of other vehicles as seen through the windshields.
It was Poki, usually quiet and reserved, who then voiced the gut-wrenching question on everyone's minds, her voice trembling over the radio,
"What if... what if he...?"
To make space for Crystal and the twins, Poki had moved to another vehicle before they left the capital.
The driver of the vehicle, a muscular man with a scar down his right eye cut her off,
"Boss obviously saw this coming! Everyone, calm down. All we need to do is follow orders! We head back to the Void Fortress first, we—"
A broken voice interrupted, quivering with emotion.
"But General Asmo and Baph were with him too. And Boss's girl... the twins."
The words trailed off, suffocated by the dread enveloping everyone.
Poki swallowed hard, fighting back her own fear as she responded,
"I know, but we have to follow the boss's orders. The Boss trusted Geoffrey to take charge in a situation like this. We have to trust in them, and in our King's judgment."
There were whimpers from some vehicles, stern voices from others…
As the reality began to sink in, the frantic energy was slowly replaced by a grim determination.
The voices over the walkie-talkie steadied, albeit laden with concern and uncertainty.
One by one, affirmations came through the line:
"Understood."
"Moving out."
"Regroup at the fortress. It's what they would want."
Though their leader was missing, the Void troops knew that maintaining their discipline and following orders was paramount.
The vehicles began their synchronized retreat, all moving towards the safety of the Void Fortress, with hope that their leader and King would find his way back to them.