Malcolm's face drained of color as he took a step toward the vehicle. "Beron, stop this insane joke right now!" Malcolm yelled, his voice laced with genuine panic for his younger brother. "Put the remote down!"
"I'm not joking," Beron stated flatly.
Without a second thought, Beron's thumb pressed down hard on the red toggle.
CLICK!
A sharp, loud digital countdown sequence blared through the transport's exterior speakers, ringing out across the empty service station with sickening clarity: 00:59... 00:58... 00:57...
"You have exactly one minute to make your choice," Beron declared, his voice cold, steady, and entirely detached from reality. "Either you stand back, let me step into this car, and walk away with my baby's carrier... or I detonate the secondary manual charge right now and we all die in this clearing."
