On Antony Dee Mountain, the wind howled. There was not a trace of moonlight in the night, only the faint glow of lightning.
Brando stood atop a jutting boulder halfway up the mountain, his wet blond hair whipping behind his head.
Across the dark wilderness before him, flares burst one after another in midair.
White light bloomed through the rain, illuminating the ground. Each flare lit an area two hundred meters across.
The Illuminati had plenty of ways to deal with a sudden storm. The flares lasted only a few minutes, but they had numbers on their side.
Pop, pop, pop, pop! The white lights went off like fireworks, advancing in a line from east to west.
"All our aircraft have been destroyed, and we've lost contact with the Moose Mercenary Group closing in from the north. They were probably wiped out without a sound." A brown-haired man with curly hair landed on the boulder beside him.
Brando said calmly, "Brandy, I told you to bring radar from the start."
"Of course. But this thunderstorm is causing too much interference, and our targets aren't large craft. They're just vehicles."
"So?" Brando asked.
Brandy looked surprised. "Weather this severe is beyond our control. We've had bad luck."
Brando suddenly drove his forehead into Brandy's. As their heads collided, Brando pressed his right index finger against Brandy's temple and twisted it hard. "Use your brain, Brandy!"
"If the thunderclouds interfere with our mission, get rid of the thunderclouds!"
Brandy's eyes lit up. "Yes, yes... Got it!"
He hurried off and leaped straight down the mountainside. Membranous wings spread from his sides, and he soared through the rain like a bird.
Like Carter, Brandy was an Ascender who couldn't be killed by falling. He immediately set about "getting rid of the thunderclouds."
A