THE RETURN Of the LEGENDARY KING of WAR

Echoes In The Dark

It had been hours since the team began working, and the energy inside the room was tense, but focused.

As they worked tirelessly, only one thing was at the back of their individual mind and that was finding that bit of the missing puzzle:

Who was this anonymous man?

The question imprinted a deep worry on Andrew who sat at the far end of the room, quietly observing everyone move from screen to screen, map to map, piecing fragments together.

The silence in his mind, however, was deceptive. As deep in it, was something else… Something very disturbing that he didn't know how to pin at that moment, was this another plot from Lizzy?

Every possibility spun inside his head like a carousel he couldn’t get off questions, half-formed answers, that was racing through the depth of his mind.

The thought that someone might be out there wearing his face, using his name, walking in his shadow, disturbed him more than he admitted aloud…

Mason walked over, and placed a cup of coffee in front of him.

“You look like hell, boss,” he said casually.

Andrew gave a tired smirk. “Feels like it too.”

Mason sat beside him, taking a slow sip of his own drink. “So this old contact of yours... Are you sure he can be trusted?”

“As much as anyone in his world can be.” Andrew replied, picking up the cup without drinking.

“In that case I have someone that could be of help in this case, if we want to get around it we need someone of immaculate intelligence, you know what I mean, sir." Mason added.

“Really?" Andrew arched his brow. “Who could this be?"

“His name is Dorian Knox. He used to build encryption systems for government agencies until he decided he preferred getting paid under the table.”

He raised an eyebrow. “A black hat?”

“A grey one,” Mason said. “He doesn’t work with enemies, but let’s just say ethics were never his strong suit.”

“You think he’ll help?” Andrew questions.

Mason looked down at the coffee, then slowly met the commander's gaze. “If the price is right.”

*******

Hours later they made a stop at an unmarked apartment at the edge of the city.

For Mason who led the way, the place looked like it had always been:

Rusted metal doors, cracked concrete, graffiti-stained walls. A perfect front for someone who didn’t want to be found.

Andrew stepped out of the car with Mason close behind. They walked in silence up to the door. He knocked three times, paused, then twice more.

Finally the door clicked open and a tall man in a dark hoodie leaned against the frame. He had a scruffy beard with smudged glasses with an ooze of whisky, above all that he looked like he hadn’t slept in a week.

“Mason,” the man said with a sly grin. “I was wondering when you would come knocking again.”

“Hello, Dorian, we need your help.” Mason stepped out of the way, revealing Andrew who stood tall behind him.

"Commander…Andrew." He stuttered. “It is a pleasure to meet you finally, please forgive my manners. Y-You can step in."

Dorian gazes round after the men walk in before shutting the door after them when he is satisfied.

Inside, the warehouse was more high-tech than it looked outside. Multiple monitors lined the walls, humming servers stacked in the corner, wires crawling like vines across the floor.

“So what brings the great Commander to my humble apartment?” Dorian asked as he booted up a screen “Need another identity scrubbed? Need to disappear again?” he noted.

“No. I need to find someone who’s pretending to be me.”

Dorian froze mid-keystroke. “I beg your pardon?”

Andrew’s tone didn’t change. “Someone is impersonating me, and using my face, I need to find out who it is.”

Dorian turned slowly. “Are we talking deepfake level, or what?”

"I don't know, just do your thing.” Andrew grimaces.

Dorian’s smirk faded. “Then we’re not talking about basic tech. That’s classified-level deception. You don’t get that from the dark web.”

Andrew stepped closer. “Can you help me find out how it’s possible?”

Dorian sighed and walked toward a locked cabinet, pulled out a device, and tossed it on the table. “This,” he said

Mason narrowed his eyes. “How would someone get this?”

Dorian looked at Andrew as the room went still.

“From my suggestion and experience, I feel this person might as well know much about you, this would help us in finding out who."

“How long is it going to take?” Andrew asked, his voice low.

Dorian shook his head. “I don't know …But it would be faster with all hands on deck.”

Andrew folded his arms. He knew Dorian meant money. “Can you trace it?”

“I’ll try. But this tech doesn’t leave a clean trail. Whoever’s behind it knows how to erase footprints. I’ll need time. And unrestricted access to your surveillance logs, gate entries, everything…It will take a long time, months but we will find out who it is.”

“You know I don't have months, no time for all that.” Andrew frowned. “Anything else I should know?” Andrew’s jaw clenched.

“I will do my best commander…”

"I will have your money transferred," Andrew interrupted.

*****

(Back at his Apartment— Midnight)

The room was dimly lit, the men still working, but quieter now. Andrew stood before the window, staring into the night as he thought back mainly to all that were debated that evening.

He didn’t say a word as Baron approached with a new file in hand.

“We ran that cross-check you requested. Found something strange.”

Andrew turned.

“Three facility entries registered under your ID in the past week,” Baron said, flipping the file open. “Two of them match your actual whereabouts. But the third?” He tapped the page. “You were supposedly inside a private research lab the same day you were in the detention facility.”

Andrew’s eyes narrowed.

Baron nodded slowly. “We think that was your impostor.”

Andrew’s voice was a low growl. “Then he’s not just here to play games. He’s planning something.”