Location: Arlington Virginia

1500 hours Zulu

Welcome to my school, Arlington Central High School. Incidentally my name is Andrew Kane. No I'm not the jock in corner over there with the three blondes crowding around him, and no I'm not class president, or even captain of the debate team. That's me the brown haired teenager in the corner with the glasses on who is trying to get his textbook back from those two football players. As you can see, I'm not Mr. Popularity that's for sure. But I have one whopper of an afterschool job. I'm, ah just wait and see, you wouldn't believe me if I simply told you.

A hand shot in front the Jock's hand and snatched Andrew's book out of the air.

"That's enough, Kurt!" snapped a booming voice, it was Jack Fuller the basketball coach, "Kurt, Johnny, Don't you two have ball practice right about now?"

"Yes sir," said the boys looking like two deer caught in the proverbial headlights.

"Then I suggest you get to it now unless you want your coach to find out why you were late." The two boys nodded and took off for the ball field they knew that Coach Rogers of the football team had no use for bullies, and if he found out that they were late because they had been bullying someone he would at least bench them for the next game if he didn't kick them of the team all together.

"Andrew, are you okay," asked Coach Fuller, handing the book to him.

"Yeah," said Andrew, "Thanks Mr. Fuller." Andrew hurried out the front door and barely made it to the bus. He climbed the steps into the bus and looked around for an empty seat. Suddenly he made eye contact with an extremely pretty brown eyed brunette.

That folks is Lisa Mitchell the prettiest girl in the school. Every guy in the school would give his right arm to be her boyfriend. What's more not only is she drop dead gorgeous she's actually a nice person. she's not vane or stuck up like those cheerleaders.

Lisa smiled at Andrew and pulled her backpack of the seat next to her. Before Andrew could move one of the basketball players Pete Tyler, a buddy of Kurt appeared, shoved his way past Andrew, and plopped down next to Lisa. Andrews bowed his head slightly and his fists doubled up. When he looked up again Lisa was looking at him apologetically. Andrew's anger subsided. With a shrug he took another seat for the ride home. A few miles later the bus pulled up in front of Andrew's house and Andrew started toward the door of the bus. Just as he reached the door he was kicked from behind and sent tumbling down the steps. He sat up in the driveway and rubbed his elbow. Riotous laughter from Pete echoed through the bus.

"Andrew, are you okay," asked Mr. Wallace the bus driver. Andrew nodded and Mr. Wallace tuned on Pete.

"Mr. Tyler," he snapped, "you pull a stunt like that again and you'll walk to school for the rest of the school year!!"

Andrew brushed himself off, picked up his backpack, and walked up the driveway to the side door. he opened the door and entered the kitchen laying his pack on a small table near the door.

"Mom," he called out, "I'm home."

An attractive brown hair woman in her mid-thirties walked into the kitchen.

This is my mother Dr. Andrea Kane she works at Arlington Memorial hospital. My Dad Jeffery Kane is the local police chief.

"Hi hon," said Andrews mother, "any homework tonight?"

"Got it done on the bus." Said Andrew heading for the living room

Just then a 9 year-old girl walked into the room she had blonde hair that she wore in a braid down her back and she was wearing a pink t-shirt and blue jeans.

This is my kid sister Katie she has everyone is this house wrapped around her little finger, and that includes me.

Katie followed Andrew through the house and into his bedroom. She wore a frown.

"I saw what happened when you got home," snapped Katie leaning on the door frame while, "Why do you let those jerks get away with that?" Andrew emerged from the closet wearing a Gi and carrying a Bo staff. He took Katie by the hand,

"You know the answer to that," said Andrew. Andrew walked down the basement stairs up to the entertainment center the den, which was located in one corner of the underground basement. He pressed a button on the DVD player and the whole entertainment center slid back revealing a secret door. On the other side of the door was a martial arts gym. Through a door at one end of the gym was a room with a satellite computer system that the pentagon would kill for.

Andrew demonstrated a technique with the staff then had Katie repeat it. Andrew was in the middle of demonstrating a new technique when the phone rang. Katie went to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Yes,"

"Understood," she hung up the phone and turned to Andrew.

"You have a new mission," she said, "Senator John Peterson's daughter became involved last month with a guy who was the head of the gang that has been behind the rash of armored car robberies near Las Vegas, Nevada. She managed to get a letter to him stating that she wants out."

"So," said Andrew, "Mission is, get in, get her, and get out."

"Actually it's not that simple," said Katie, "the armored car that they robbed yesterday was carrying more than just currency. One of the guards was actually a courier transporting a set of plans for the football, the briefcase that the president carries that gives him access to the country's nuclear weapons, you've got to get the girl, look for a redhead, Mid-twenties, and those plans back before those thugs figure out what they've got. Their hideout is an abandoned Mission a few miles west of Las Vegas. And the plans are hidden a Casio watch called an interceptor."

"Right," said Andrew, "get on the phone to the base and tell them to have the Stealth standing by!" Katie nodded and walked back toward the computer room. Andrew walked over to the wall and placed the staff on the weapons rack, then he pulled down, there was a click and a small panel opened. Andrew placed his hand on the scanner inside the panel. The device scanned his hand, a green light flashed on, and a doorway next to the panel opened. Andrew walked through the doorway and into a room with an assortment of weapons and field gear. He changed into a pair of black cargo pants, and a black shirt. Then he selected two 45' automatics and a few spare clips of ammo. Then he pick up two flat throwing knives one went into a hidden sheath in the combat boots he was now wearing and the other went into another hidden sheath that was built into his shirt and rested against the back of his neck. He strapped on his gun holsters and placed the pistols inside. Lastly he removed his glasses.

"I don't actually need these glasses I just like doing the whole Clark Kent thing. You see it's like this, whenever the government has a mission that cannot fail I'm the guy they send in to do the job. I'm the most classified covert operative in the world. Not even the president himself knows who I am. The only people who know are my parents and sister. My assignments are known only by the codename, Dark strike."

A Stealth fighter winged its way through the night sky moving a supersonic speed, but there was no one at the controls. Suddenly Katie's face appeared on the monitor.

"Andrew, I've sent on a straight line flight you'll be over the drop zone in five seconds, Good luck and be careful."

"I will," said Andrew, who was geared up for a HALO jump.

You're probably wondering how all this started. Well the truth is I've been a martial arts prodigy since I was 4. When I was fourteen a government agent saw my moves and told me that with moves like that I had a choice, I could either fight the bad guys or become one of them and so here I am. Oh and I case you're wondering about the Stealth, Katie is piloting it from computer room back at the house. Yes I said Katie, I guess I forgot to mention that I'm not the only prodigy in this family. Katie has been a prodigy when it comes to computers. When she found about the whole Dark strike thing she insisted that she should be my "mission control" or "homeplate" if you will the government men laughed at that until she sat down at a computer and hacked the NSA mainframe in 15 seconds flat! She got the job.

The jump door opened Andrew moved into position. As soon as the green light came on Andrew dropped out of the jet. A few minute later on the end of his parachute he coasted softly down on top of a mesa in the Nevada desert. The com-link that Andrew was wearing switched on.

"Andrew," it was Katie, "the Mission is located on the north side of the Mesa." It was a starry moonless night so Andrew was able to move across the Mesa unseen. When he reached the edge of the Mesa he crouched on the edge and looked down into the well lit Mission. the back wall of the mission was the cliff its self and the other three walls were manned by armed guards. In the courtyard stood a big man who Andrew guessed was the leader of this gang. next to him stood a pretty redhead.

On his arm was the watch.

"Well that will make things easier," muttered Andrew under his breath. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a flat round disk. He pressed the button on the top of it and pitched it into the driver's seat of one of the dune buggies that sat at the near the back corner of the mission. A split second later it exploded with a deafening roar making a huge fire ball.

As soon as the guards rushed out to investigate, Andrew jumped down into the Courtyard. The one guard that was left in the courtyard whirled around only to be cut down with a foot in the side of the head. The gang leader pulled out is knife only to be laid out by a kick to the gut followed by a kick to head. Whipping out his own knife Andrew cut the watch off the man's then turned to face the girl. Who was too stunned to talk.

"I'm here to get you out," said Andrew he turned around and fired a grappling gun and fastened the hook to the top of the Mesa. Grabbing the girl with one arm and the grappler with the other he pressed a button and they were lifted to the top of the Mesa when they reached the top the Stealth was waiting for them.

Location: Andrew's Air force Base

1030 hours Zulu

Andrew called Katie from the air force base when he got back.

"Katie," he said , "Advise the panel that Miss Peterson and the "Gift" are en route too them."

"Roger that, Dark strike well done," She said Andrew Hung up his cell phone and walked of the front gate he hailed a cab and climbed in only to come face to face with Lisa Mitchell who was climbing in the other door. She was all dressed up as though she had been on a date.

"Hi," she said with a smile, "What brings you to the airbase?"

Just when I though this day couldn't get any more complicated, she has to see me coming out of the airbase!

Andrew had to think fast,

"I was just here to help out my uncle." This seemed to satisfy Lisa. Suddenly she seemed to remember something.

"Andrew," she said once he had told the cab driver where to go and that he and Lisa lived on the same street, "I wanted to apologize for what happened on the bus earlier today, I really was clearing that seat for you." Andrew looked surprised

"I didn't know that you knew my name." said Andrew. Lisa nodded,

"Don't you remember we met in 1st grade during recess,"

"Oh, yeah," said Andrew, "you were running around in pigtails and I had another nosebleed complements of Kurt." Lisa smiled,

"I remember trying to nurse your nose." Andrew Laughed

"yeah," said Andrew, "and I remember that was one time that Kurt didn't get away with bullying me."

"Well," said Lisa blushing a little, "That's because I tattled on him." Andrew 's eyebrows shot into his hairline.

"You mean that it was because of you that Kurt left me alone for an entire week?!" Lisa nodded and turned even redder.

"Well," said Andrew, as the pulled up to her house "thank you very much, I'd thank you properly by taking you out to dinner but it looks like you already have a significant other."

"Oh this old thing," said Lisa, "Callie Walker set me up on blind date with some guy that she knew. We met for dinner at the Brick Hearth across from the airbase. He was weird I didn't even want to ride home with him, so I hailed a cab and here I am." She hopped out of the cab and paid the fair. Before she left she popper here head back in the door.

"Pick me up tomorrow at 7:00 pm." And with that she was gone. The taxi pulled to the end of the road where Andrew's house was located. Andrew paid the fair and walked into the house with a stunned expression.

"Andrew, what's wrong?" His mother asked with a worried expression on her face. All Andrew could get to come out was the numb answer,

"I've got a date."

To be continued…

Will Andrew Keep his Date?

Will Kurt show up to ruin it?

What will Lisa's friends do?

Tell me what you think?