First Strike Force and the Purity of God

By Kenneth Jeffres

The First Strike Force, a band of brothers and sisters that fight evil, protect Zekion and her people. But evil does not rest and the unthinkable happens. An agent has been missing for forty-eight hours. Rex and Angel are tasked with finding the missing agent. While on the hunt for answers, questions are asked, secrets are revealed, and an ancient evil comes to light. Will the good guys prevail, or will darkness reign supreme?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Page Publishing, Inc.
• Release date: Aug 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781642147513

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First Strike Force and the Purity of God

Kenneth Jeffres

Copyright © 2018 Kenneth Jeffres

All rights reserved

First Edition

Page Publishing, Inc

New York, NY

First originally published by Page Publishing, Inc 2018

ISBN 978-1-64214-750-6 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-1-64214-751-3 (Digital)

Printed in the United States of America

To Tazz,

My four-legged best friend,

May you rest in piece

I love and miss you every day

Acknowledgments

I would like to personally thank Katelyn Powers and the amazing editing team at Page Publishing for having patience with me while I worked on the manuscript. I would also like to thank Page Publishing for accepting my manuscript. Thank you.

Chapter 1

Boom! shouted a man at a small brick building. He watched the front of it collapse. He smiled as people ran out screaming. He walked inside. It was a small area with cubicles. In the middle was a wooden stand, and behind that was a big wooden counter with a glass window. The man walked up to the glass. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a sack. He turned to the glass and shouted, Boom!

The glass shattered instantly, and he jumped the counter. He found a man on the ground and spit out, Money, now. The man nodded. They walked into the back and came to a stop at the safe door. The solid metal door had a number dial on it with a tire iron-looking wheel above it. The man gestured to open the safe.

The man put the combination in. He grabbed the wheel and turned it. The door opened to reveal tables of red, blue, and green bills. The man opened his mouth when he heard police sirens. He rolled his eyes and said, Fill the sack with the green ions. The man in the suit ran over to the table and filled the sack.

When the sack was filled, he turned, and the man was in front of him. He grabbed the sack from the banker’s hands and knocked him out. He walked out of the safe and back into the main room where he was met by ten police officers with their guns drawn. He grinned then, shouted, Boom! All ten police officers went flying out of the room.

A girl wearing black jean shorts, with a blue shirt, and black shoes came running into the bank. She had long blonde hair with blue highlights, bright blue eyes, and smooth skin. She ran up to the guy and punched him. The guy crashed into the cubicles. He pushed a piece of the wall off himself and sat up. He stared at the girl then his eyes widened.

In her right hand was a black leather wallet that had a gold badge in it. The gold badge was shaped like a shield. It had an outline of a dragon’s head on it, and under the dragon’s head were the words First Strike Force. She smiled, and he became angry. He shouted, Boom! The force hit the girl and she took a step back. The man shouted again, and she took another step and fell.

The man got up and walked over to her. He opened his mouth when another man came in and punched the guy. Lightning shot into the man’s body. He took a step back and turned. Standing in front of him was a young man wearing black cargo shorts, a plain blue shirt with a black lightning bolt on it, and black shoes. He had long dark brown hair, brown eyes, and smooth skin. In his left hand was the same badge that the girl had.

They looked at one another and the man with the badge said, What kind of man hits a girl?

The other man shouted, Boom! The guy with the badge shot back. The girl jumped to her feet and punched the guy. The guy went flying toward the other side of the bank. The girl ran over and grabbed the guy’s foot. She turned, swung her arm, and brought it down.

The guy hit the floor. It exploded underneath him. The girl turned, and she saw the guy getting up. Are you okay, Rex? she asked.

Rex nodded and said, How about you, Angel?

She nodded, then the guy jumped up and shouted, Sonic Screech! Rex and Angel covered their ears and fell to the ground.

Who would’ve thought I, the great Stentorian, would have to use my trump card on you guys. He walked over to Angel and kicked her stomach. He brought his foot up and stomped on her ribs. She screamed. He smiled and twisted his foot. He brought his foot back and shouted, Boom! The floor exploded underneath her.

Stentorian looked at her and she was not moving. He turned and Rex was in front of him with his fist cocked back. Stentorian’s eyes widened and he took a step back. Rex punched Stentorian. Lightning shot throughout his body. Stentorian fell to the ground twitching. Rex looked at Stentorian.

You have an amazing power, yet you use it for evil. Why?

Stentorian smiled and shouted, Boom! Rex crashed into the cubicles. Stentorian got up and looked around. He took a step when a bolt of lightning shot past him. He turned and Rex was standing. The two stared at one another.

Why, you ask? Why do I use my power for evil? The real question is, why do you use your power for a corporation that uses prejudice against those who have power? This is a free country. We should be able to use our power however we feel like.

Are you insane? asked Rex. Look around you. Look at all the destruction that our powers cause. Do you think there’s a world where we’re able to do as we please and not have to suffer the consciousness of our actions?

Stentorian spit and said, Not yet. There will be and I’ll be the one in charge.

What can you do? You’re nothing but a low-level criminal.

Stentorian became angry and shouted, "Don’t underestimate my power!"

Rex got hit with a heavy pressure. He felt himself being pushed back. He tried to inhale, but the force was too much. He lifted his foot. It knocked him off balance, and he fell, the pressure pushing him down. The floor began to crack underneath him. Rex looked at Stentorian and Angel jumped up.

She grabbed Stentorian’s head and drove it into the ground. The ground exploded. She jumped up and slammed her feet into his back. The floor exploded with cracks going up the walls. Smoke and dust filled the air. The police moved in and found Stentorian on the ground. They handcuffed him and covered his mouth. Angel and Rex looked at one another and smiled.

A noise was coming from Angel. She pulled her cellphone out. Hello, this is Angel. There was a moment of silence. Then she said, Yes, we’ll be there right away. She put her phone down and said, We’ve been summoned for our new case.

Rex nodded and the two left the bank. They stepped out when a man wearing a dark blue police uniform came up to them. He bowed and said, Thank you. The man walked toward a police cruiser and drove away. Rex looked back at the building. It looked like it was about to collapse from the damage. They looked at one another, and Rex saw a taxi.

He ran over to it. He knocked on the window. The driver turned and rolled down the window. What can I help ya with? he spat out.

Are you open? asked Rex. The driver nodded and Rex waved Angel over. They got in and Rex said, To the First Strike Force building. The driver nodded and took a hit from a cigarette.

The taxi ride was quiet. Moments later, the taxi came to a stop. Rex looked out the window and saw a two-story building. The duo got out. They walked over to the building. The inside was mostly empty with a receptionist desk in the back. On either side of the desk were stairs that led up to doors. Rex and Angel walked over to the stairs and climbed them.

They walked into a long green hallway that had doors on the left and a blank wall on the right. Rex turned to Angel and asked, Which room are we going to?

Angel looked at him and said, The conference room.

Rex nodded and they walked down the hallway. They came to a stop at a green door with the words Conference Room on it. They walked into an empty room that had tables and chairs in it. There was a large wooden table, with five empty chairs at the front.

The two walked over to a table, when the door behind them opened. They turned and saw a husky man wearing black suit pants, a green dress shirt, and black dress shoes. He had a thick mustache, smooth skin, green eyes, and a green-and-black pinstripe fedora on his head. He had a manila folder in his hand. He walked over to the large table and sat down. He placed the manila folder down and looked at Rex and Angel.

Good afternoon, he said to the duo.

Hello, Chief Steel, said Angel.

Rex waved and Chief Steel nodded. He looked at the folder then back at them. Do you have anything to report? he asked.

Yes, we do, said Angel. Angel told Chief Steel about the incident with Stentorian.

Stentorian, said Chief Steel. What was his power?

He would shout words and they would cause destruction, said Rex. It was like he was powerful in sound.

"The word stentorian actually means powerful in sound."

Rex nodded. Angel looked at him and said, Did you understand anything Chief Steel said?

None of it, said Rex.

Angel opened her mouth when Chief Steel cleared his throat. They both looked at him. Let’s move onto your new case, he said. They both nodded. Seventy-two hours ago, First Strike Force agent Hyde was sent home on orders of standby for completing his mission. Ten hours ago, I received a new case that would fit him perfectly. However, when I called, he did not answer his phone. And I have been calling him nonstop ever since.

He paused for a moment then said, Your case is to go find Hyde and find out why he’s not answering. He pulled out a small piece of paper from the manila folder and put it on the table. Go to his home address and keep me posted. They nodded, and Angel walked up to the table and grabbed the piece of paper. The two bowed and left the conference room.

Chief Steel sat back in the chair and looked up at the ceiling. I still can’t believe Rex came to the First Strike Force like you predicted.

Rex and Angel walked out of the First Strike Force building. Rex looked down the street and saw a taxi. He waved it down. They got in, and Angel said, Two Three Four Seven Highway Avenue.

The driver lit a cigarette and nodded. Moments later, the taxi pulled up to a red ten-story building, which had patios going up it. The patios had waist-high concrete barriers around them.

The taxi drove off, and the two stood there looking at the apartment building. Rex turned and said, Where to now?

Angel looked at the paper and said, Apartment 1008.

Rex looked up and said, The tenth floor, huh? He looked at Angel and nodded.

The inside of the building had a long hallway that led to an elevator in the back. In the middle were two side hallways, with a sign hanging. They walked over to the elevator. They got off on the tenth floor.

The duo walked to the middle and made a right. They walked to the end of the hall. Rex went to knock on the door when it slowly swung open.

The inside was dark, and there was a smell of rot. They looked at each other and nodded. They entered a destroyed apartment. The living room had a blue couch flipped over, a glass-top coffee table was shattered, and a shattered flat-screen TV resting on a busted entertainment center.

The kitchen cabinets were busted and had broken glass in them. The floor of the kitchen had broken glass, wood from the cabinets, white powder, and blood mixed together. Rex looked behind the door and saw a busted wooden table, with what looked like wooden chairs to go with it. Angel looked at the ground and saw a trail of blood go into a doorway. She looked at Rex, and he looked at her. She pointed to the blood trail, and they followed it.

They got to the door and saw the bedroom. There was blood on the floor. The bed was flipped upright, and clothes were thrown everywhere. They saw a side hallway and walked over to it.

Rex turned to Angel when his eyes widened. She looked at him confused, and Rex ran past her. Her eyes widened when she saw a guy wearing black shorts, a plain white shirt with a red stain going down it, resting against the wall. Rex got to the guy and put his pointer and middle fingers together and placed them on the guy’s neck.

He pulled them away when he felt how cold the body was. He turned to Angel and shook his head. Angel put her hand on her mouth.

Call Chief Steel.

Angel nodded and walked out of the room. Rex turned back toward the guy. He saw the hole in the guy’s shirt. He lifted the shirt up and saw a stab wound. He lowered the shirt down and looked up. The guy’s brown eyes were wide opened, and his mouth was closed with some dried blood on his chin. Rex looked down and saw a black leather wallet lying next to the guy.

Rex grabbed the wallet, opened it, and saw a First Strike Force badge. His eyes widened and ran over to Angel. Angel was on the phone with Chief Steel.

Hey, I found this by the guy.

He handed her the badge. She looked at it and her eyes widened.

Is that guy Hyde? asked Rex.

I don’t know, she said. Chief Steel is on the way, and he doesn’t want us to move or touch anything.

Rex looked at the badge and said, I should put this back.

He took the badge out of Angel’s hand and went back into the room. He came back out and they looked at each other.

What do we do now?

Nothing, said a voice coming behind them.

They both turned and saw a man standing at the door. He was a tall, skinny man wearing jeans, a black long-sleeve shirt, and had sneakers on. He had long black hair, was clean shaven, had smooth skin, and had bandages wrapped around his eyes.

Who are you? asked Angel.

The man pulled out a white leather wallet and flipped it open to reveal a First Strike Force badge, and said, I’m X-ray, and I was sent by Chief Steel.

Rex and Angel looked at each other and then back at X-ray.

How’d you get here so fast? I just got off the phone with him.

I live on the third floor, and I came home for lunch. He called me right when I got off the elevator. He told me you two would be here, Rex and Angel, right?

Yes, said Angel.

Can you see with those bandages on your eyes? asked Rex.

X-ray nodded and said, Yes, I can. I can see you perfectly fine. Black cargo shorts, a blue shirt with a black lightning bolt on it, black sneaker. Long dark brown hair, brown eyes, smooth skin, and a lightning-based power.

X-ray paused for a moment and looked at Rex. Rex could feel X-ray staring at him under the bandages.

Hey, are you a Lightning—

What do you have? asked Chief Steel who standing next to X-ray.

The three looked at him, and he looked at the three of them.

What? he asked.

X-ray shook his head and walked into the room.

Nothing, I know the answer to the question.

Chief Steel looked at Rex and Angel, and they shook their heads. Chief Steel walked into the bedroom and saw X-ray kneeling in front of the body. X-ray reached into his pocket and pulled out two rubber gloves. He put them on and lifted the shirt up to look at the stab wound. He lowered the shirt and looked at the boy’s neck. Chief Steel walked over to X-ray, and he looked at the body.

Ahh, he said in a low voice. Poor Hyde, he was so young and had a lot of potential too.

X-ray looked up at Chief Steel and said, The cause of death was a stab wound to the heart.

Chief Steel looked at him and said, Anything else?

There’s some light bruising on his neck. He was strangled, but not very hard.

Do you have a time of death?

Roughly forty-eight, maybe fifty, hours ago. I won’t know until I preform the autopsy.

Chief Steel nodded, and he looked at Hyde’s body one last time. He saw something behind Hyde’s head.

X-ray, can you move his head slightly to the left?

X-ray reached up and grabbed Hyde’s head and gently moved it to reveal a little star drawn in blood. Chief Steel’s eyes widened.

Why’d it have to be him?

Who? asked Angel.

Chief Steel looked at Rex and Angel and said, Keller.

The serial killer? asked X-ray.

Chief Steel nodded and said, Keller is a vicious serial killer who’s been haunting the city for years. All his crime scenes are different, except for this little star. He leaves it somewhere on the wall.

Why? asked Rex.

No one knows, said Chief Steel. It’s his mark.

Do you think Hyde left this here as a clue for us? asked Angel.

I don’t know, but we need answers. And the only way to get them is we need to go to the Imperial City police department and get the case information on it.

The three looked at Chief Steel. He stood up and said, Athena, come in here.

A lady walked into the room. She was wearing black dress pants, a green silk dress shirt, and black high heels. She