THE RETURN Of the LEGENDARY KING of WAR

The Signal

Andrew dialed Mason's secure number, hoping he would pick up. But Mason simply watched as his phone rang, hesitating to pick the call because it was an unknown number. He let it ring for the first time, his thumb hovering over the screen before finally answering on the second attempt.

"Hello?" Mason's voice was cautious, guarded.

"Mason, it's me," Andrew's voice came through, laced with an undercurrent of urgency.

Mason's grip on the phone tightened as he instantly recognized the voice. He knew immediately that something was wrong.

"Mas…ter?"

"Yes it's me. Mason, listen to me carefully. The package is ready for delivery," Andrew said, his tone light but laced with tension.

He had to speak in coded words because of possible surveillance, and he hoped Mason would get what he meant.

"Huh?" Mason replied in total confusion.

Andrew was frustrated, and had to repeat himself, hoping Mason would understand what he meant.

Mason's mind suddenly snapped into high gear. He immediately realized that the phrase was a warning, a signal that his Master was compromised.

"Oh shit! Do you know your current location?" He asked with a tone laced with a mixture of urgency and reverence.

"I'm not sure of where I am, but I'm sure there's something you can do to try to locate me," Andrew replied.

Mason's training kicked in.

"Of course, there is," he replied.

And in that moment, he began tracing the call, using military-grade tech to pinpoint Andrew's location.

As Andrew waited for Mason's response, he knew he had to keep the call brief. The man who had allowed him to make the call was growing suspicious, his eyes narrowing as he watched Andrew's every move.

"Anything?" Andrew asked, trying to find out if Mason was making progress with finding his location.

The man in the room with him raised an eyebrow, clearly unconvinced.

"Who are you talking to?" he asked, his voice dripping with skepticism.

Andrew forced a smile, trying to deflect any suspicion.

"My wife. Just letting her know I'm running a bit behind schedule."

The man's expression didn't change, but Andrew could sense the tension building between them. Andrew knew he had to end the call before things escalated further.

"I'll talk to you later, honey," Andrew said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Love you."

As he hung up the phone, the man's eyes locked onto his, searching for any sign of deception. Andrew held his breath, hoping he had played it cool enough.

The man's gaze lingered for a moment before he nodded.

"Alright, let's get moving. We've got a schedule to keep."

Andrew's smirk remained, hidden behind a mask of compliance. He knew Mason was going to find him, and he just had to hold on a little longer. The game was on.

As Andrew was dragged back to his room, his mind racing with thoughts of escape and rescue.

Meanwhile…

Back at the hidden location, Mason sprang into action. He swiftly gathered Andrew's old team, briefing them on the situation.

"Our Master has been compromised," Mason addressed them, his voice low and urgent.

"We need to move, now. Let's get to work on tracing that call."

The team members agreed by nodding their heads as they mobilized quickly, their movements swift and precise. They began analyzing the call metadata, using advanced tech to isolate the signal.

"We've got a rough location," one of the team members said, eyes fixed on the screen.

"Industrial zone, outside the city. Looks like a warehouse district."

Mason's eyes narrowed.

“I want a visual. I want to know what we're up against."

The team worked tirelessly, hacking into security cameras and gathering intel. Mason's phone buzzed with updates, his eyes scanning the information as it came in.

Meanwhile, Andrew was being taken back to his cell, the man's grip on his arm like a vice. Andrew's smirk remained, hidden from view, as he was thrown onto the cold floor.

The lead interrogator, a man with a twisted grin, leaned over Andrew.

"You think you can play games with us?" he sneered.

"We'll break you. You'll tell us everything we want to know."

Andrew's eyes locked onto the interrogator, a spark of defiance igniting within. He began to toy with the man, sowing seeds of doubt and confusion.

"I'll tell you whatever you want to know," Andrew said, his voice laced with sarcasm.

"But I'm not sure you'll believe me. You see, I'm not who you think I am."

The interrogator's grin faltered, his eyes narrowing.

"What are you talking about?"

Andrew's smile grew, a calculated risk.

"Let's just say, I'm not the package you think I am. And you're not the ones in control."

The interrogator's face twisted in anger, his fist flying towards Andrew's face. But Andrew was ready, his mind racing with strategies and countermeasures.

As the interrogator's fist flew towards Andrew's face, Andrew's mind flashed back to faint fragments of what might've been his past. He saw someone that looked like him. A doppelganger, perhaps? Or maybe someone who looked just like him, but wasn't.

Or could it be that he may have been involved in something years ago that had probably been erased from his memories? Maybe back when he was shot? He wondered. The memories were hazy, but Andrew knew he had to hold on to them. They might be the key to his survival.

Meanwhile, Mason and his team were closing in on Andrew's location. They had pinpointed the warehouse district, and were now moving stealthily through the shadows.

"We're twenty minutes out," Mason radioed to his team.

"We go in hard. We bring our Master back home."

The team nodded, their faces set with determination. They knew the risks, but they were willing to take them to rescue their Master.

Meanwhile, Andrew was being dragged out of his cell once again. The boss had arrived, and Andrew's fate was about to be decided.

The boss stepped into the room, his face shrouded in shadows. Andrew's eyes locked onto him, a spark of recognition igniting within. Andrew felt like he knew the boss. Suddenly, it clicked. Standing before him was someone whom he thought had been dead for ages.

"Carl?" He called out in shock.