MASTIFI

After Kendra kicked off her boots, the smooth caress of Lake Andrea surrounded her. She began to think about how good it felt to actually be free of the guards, training and tests. But unknown to her, she wasn’t really free yet. Joe quietly followed her into the lake from the opposite side. It was too late for Kendra to retreat before being dunked into the water head first. After coming up for air, a thick muscular arm wrapped around her neck. As Kendra regains consciousness, she realizes that she is being carried over Joe’s shoulder onto the shore. She could barely see through the blindfold or hear from the ringing in her ears.

Suddenly, shots fire and Joe falls to the ground. Kendra ducks behind Joe’s seven foot frame and checks his pulse. He looks deep into her eyes and says, “Sorry Ken, Mega sent me.” Kendra sees Joe’s truck and says, “Can you walk? He whispers, “Yes” and they both struggle to the truck. Kendra hops into the driver’s seat and drives off. Joe looks at Kendra through the rearview mirror and says, “See what happens when you leave. It’s safer for you at the compound where I can protect you.” Kendra responds, “I’m a WHOLE adult, Joe. I can take care of myself” Joe says, “Yes, you’re doing such a great job at it too. Kendra rolls her eyes.

As she turns her head to check on Joe, one armored truck stops in front and another pulls up behind them. Armed guards, dressed in all black, jump out of the armored trucks with their guns drawn. A guard with a medical bag hops out and says, “Boss wants these two alive.” As he attends to Joe’s wounds, Kendra asks the medical guard, “Who do you work for? What do you want?” While the medical guard is distracted by Kendra’s questions, Joe slips a stun grenade from off of his utility belt. Before Kendra could get answers, the armed guards pull them out of Joe’s truck and duck tape their mouths. The guards begin to restrain them in the back of the armored truck. Before Joe’s hands could be zip tied, he winks at Kendra and drops to the floor. Joe kicks the guard into his partner and they both fall to the floor. As Kendra jumps off the truck, Joe throws the stun grenade at the armed guards and jumps off behind her.

They run into an apartment building and hide in the laundry room. Joe searches his phone for the nearest company safe house. He looks down at Kendra and says, “There’s a company safe house nearby. Follow me.” He grabs her hand and peaks out the doorway. A shot is fired. Joe pulls his head back into the laundry room. As soon as he hears the armed guard approach the laundry room door, Joe reaches for the guard’s gun. A second armed guard approaches from the opposite end of the hallway and attempts to tase Joe. But Joe instinctively grabs the armed guard instead and uses his body as a shield. He winks at Kendra and walks down the hallway towards the second guard. Kendra holds onto the back of Joe’s bullet proof vest and follows behind. The taser stops when the second guard realizes that the highest voltage is not working and the shock of having tased his own teammate sets in. Joe throws the limp body onto the second guard.

Joe and Kendra run out the back of the building, through a playground and into a hotel. Joe leans into Kendra’s ear and whispers, “Only my wife and I can use this safe house, so your last name is Nichols. Go to the front desk to check in and i’ll meet you on the 13th floor.” Kendra nods her head, up and down. She then walks to the front desk to check in for her stay on the 13th floor. The front desk attendant says “Certainly, what is your name?” Kendra responds, “Mrs. Kendra Nichols.” After a surprising flash comes from a small dot on the back of the front desk attendant’s computer, he asks Kendra to remove her gloves and place your palm onto a print pad on the counter. Kendra removes her gloves carefully and quickly places her normal palm face down onto the print pad. While gesturing, he explains, “Mrs. Nichols, the corner elevator will take you directly to the 13th Floor. You will access your room via retinal and palm scan. Enjoy your stay!” Kendra looks down the dark hall at the corner elevator. The doors open invitingly, as if waiting for her to enter. As she walks away from the front desk, she looks back to the pillar where she left Joe, but no one is there. Her blood begins to cool and the runes of her palms begin to glow neon blue. She takes a deep breath and enters the elevator. Despite her attempts to calm down, her palms continue to glow.

She reaches the 13th floor and enters the very lavish, modern apartment. As soon as Kendra feels safe, a set of warm hands cover her eyes. She hears a familiar voice whisper, “Miss me?” Kendra turns around and her jaw drops. She has never seen Joe in plain clothes and immediately notices that this mystery man looks just like her beloved Joe, but her intuition is screaming that this is NOT Joe. Before she could speak, the mystery man laughs and says, “Ok, you’ve got me! I’m Joe’s forgotten twin brother, John.” He then pulls a small black notebook out of his breast pocket and says, “I thought you might be needing this.” She notices her Watkins family crest on the cover and snatches the journal from his hand and says, “How did you get this? What do you want? What do you mean, forgotten twin?” John responds, “My dear, all questions will be answered in time. I only wish to help you. Kendra says, “Help me? Help me how, Help do what? I don’t even know you!” John replies, “Of course you do. If you know Joe, then you know me.” Kendra rolls her eyes and looks around for signs of false entry. Just then, she realizes that Joe hasn’t arrived yet. She turns back to John and says, “Where’s Joe?” John replies, “My loving brother is conveniently occupied at the moment.” Just then, the phone rings and Kendra grabs the receiver before Joe can get to it. She hears Joe’s voice yelling her name in the background. Kendra says, “What do you want? Leave Joe alone.” A woman responds, “We don’t want Joe. We want Mastifi.” Kendra yells, “I don’t know Mastifi, so let Joe go!” John walks to the door and whispers under his breath, “Oh, you will. The woman on the phone says, “You want Joe, I want Mastifi by midnight.” The call ends. Kendra turns around, the door is open and John is gone. She hears a cell phone ringing in her pocket. The caller id reads John. Kendra answers the call and says, “What is going on? Who are you?” John responds, “I started the car. Grab the bag by the door and meet me on parking level 5. A team of assassins is entering the building now, so hurry. We don’t have much time left.” Kendra responds, Ok.” She then runs to grab the bag and leave. As she rides the elevator down to parking level 5, her palm runes begin to glow neon orange. John is waiting for her with the passenger door open. He shuts the door to the black truck and rolls up the tinted windows. They barely escape the assassins.

John drives to the abandoned Langsford cannery. Kendra looks out the window and says, “Why do I know this place?” John replies, “You should. Our families spent a lot of time here.” The truck stops and they both jump out. Kendra’s blood runs cold and she realizes her palms are glowing neon indigo. John pulls out his iPhone and notices that he has an unread text from an unknown number. The text reads, “Assassins are on site. Once you prove that you have the Mastifi, you will be wired $20,000 and awarded a seat on the international council. Welcome to the League of Immortals.” John responds to the text, “Meet me inside. The Mastifi will be revealed.” John looks up at Kendra and says, “Follow me.” Kendra takes a deep breath and shoves her hands into her pockets. As she enters the building, she sees the same runes as her palm imprinted on the wall of the abandoned building. She follows the runes down the wall and notices that her runes glow to match the runes on the wall. At the end of the corridor is a large iron door. She places her palm over the empty palm print in the center of the door. The door begins to glow and Kendra pushes it open. John walks in behind her and says, “Yes. You were able to open the door.” He looks down to a small black notebook and continues, “According to the Nichols family journal, if the runed one places their palm on the altar, the truth will be revealed.” He looks Kendra deep into her eyes and says, “All your life, you’ve been searching for answers alone. Now, I am here to help you find them.” He holds Kendra’s hand, walks her over to the altar and places her palm onto the empty palm print. The altar begins to glow. Writing appears in the mirror on the wall behind the altar. Kendra reads aloud, “The true Mastifi is the one that bears the mark of the ancient ones.” John knocks Kendra unconscious and ties her to a chair.

As she awakens, she can hear the same female voice from Joe’s ransom phone call and opens her eyes. Kendra is shocked to see John shaking the woman’s hand and walking out with her. She yells, “Liar, traitor. Where’s Joe?” The woman stops before an assassin and orders him to bring Kendra in alive. The assassin knocks Kendra unconscious.

She feels someone caress her cheek and brushes back the hair from over her face. A familiar voice whispers in her ear, “Ken, wake up. It’s me, Joe.” She leaps into his arms and replies, “We’ve got to get out of here.” Kendra looks over Joe’s shoulder into the mirror behind them and notices that Joe has the same glowing runes on his back. Joe pulls away from Kendra and says, I overheard them mention something about two Mastifi and a prophecy. Kendra’s eyes open wide. She looks Joe deep in his eyes and says, So, you’re the second Mastifi?” Joe responds, “Yes, that’s why your uncle Mega has been protecting both of us, all this time. That’s why I was always your sparring partner.” Kendra replies, “So, what do we do now?”