Story 2: From Russia With Love

A young hero is still...figuring out how to hero

By crawling a child learns to stand. ~ African proverb

7:55 am

Jay, just waking up in her gray sweat pants and a gray sleeveless half sweatshirt, bounds down the stairs toward the cozy kitchen of her 20th-floor one-bedroom apartment. Even as a freshman in college, Jay always had limitless energy and was always up before​ her 8 am alarm. Jay stretches to welcome the day, her 6 pack and strong arms on display in her sweatshirt. She turns on the tv and changes it to channel 10 Action Now morning news as she begins to make breakfast, an egg white spinach omelet. There's some story about an explosion at the Sentagon City pier a few nights ago.

"Sentagon has really gone to hell lately". She said aloud to herself

Jayla Turner had always been a success. Valedictorian of her high school, two-time prom queen, top women's high school basketball player in the state.  At the age of 17, she received a full scholarship to college to play basketball. After she graduated with a degree in strength and conditioning, Jay had played basketball overseas in Tokyo for a few years before having to retire to take care of her dying mother.  After her mother's passing Jay, with the money she made from basketball and what her mother left her, was able to move to the city of High Castle. Her sports background and degree allowed her to become one of the best private trainers in the nation. Actors, athletes, businessmen, and house wives. It didn't matter Jayla just liked helping people get in the best possible shape that they could. Just loved helping people, she always had.01 11th

"If you have the means to help... You help no questions asked". It was something her grandmother used to tell her all time. Something that had been ingrained in her since she was a child.  She would not truly understand until sometime later in her life...sometime like today.

Before she could finish her omelet...

8:09 am:

"THIS IS RICK THURMAN WITH BREAKING NEWS! A MAN WITH A ASSAULT RIFLE HAS OPENED FIRE IN THE HIGH CASTLE TRANSIT CENTER.  MANY HAVE ESCAPED THE BUILDING BUT THERE ARE STILL HOSTAGES INSIDE. NO CASUALTIES AT THE MOMENT BUT MANY ARE BEING REPORTED AS INJURED. ALL EXITS HAVE BEEN WIRED WITH EXPLOSIVES. THE BOMB SQUAD IS IN ROUTE, BUT AT THE MOMENT ALL POLICE ACTIVITY HAD BEEN BROUGHT TO A STANDSTILL. WHO KNOWS WHAT WILL HAPPEN IN THE MEANTIME.  ALL WE KNOW IS INNOCENT LIVES ARE IN DANGER"!

This was it, this was the moment Jay had been waiting for. She felt a guilty pleasure in it. It was sad that there were lives in danger but she was finally able to help by more than just getting people to exercise. Finally able to use her family's most prized and guarded secret. Handed down from great grandmother to grandmother to mother to her. The ring of Goddess Oya. She was finally able to make her family proud. She slips the ring onto her perfectly manicured  finger

"Goddess Oya, Warrior Mother Of The Winds, Grant Me Your Strength To Protect Those Who Can Not Protect
Themselves"!

A giant gust of wind blows through the apartment. The ring begins to glow bright purple and the light fills her high rise. Purple bolts of lightning strike the apartment as the light engulfs Jay's body.
Tall, beautiful, and strong Jay emerges from the purple light bath, her flawless ebony frame exuded power. Beautiful purple streaks appeared in her long black braided hair that ran down her strong back. Her purple and black shorts show her long powerful legs extending down to her purple and black sneakers. Her purple and blacktop showed her strong muscles hardened for years of exercise and sports. And with the power of Oya, her power and grace had been multiplied 15 fold.

"YEAH"! She exclaimed pounded a gloved fist into her open palm. It was a small gesture but the apartment building shook from the force "THIS IS AWESOME"!
She says aloud as she puts on her black shades and a purple favorite leather jacket. "Let’s go, Shero!" Jay thinks to herself as she flies out of the balcony window headed to the transit center.

8:17 am

"CHANNEL 10 ACTION NEWS NOW, WE ARE LIVE AT THE HIGH CASTLE TRANSIT CENTER. CURRENTLY, THERE ARE STILL NO CASUALTIES, BUT WITH THE DOORS STILL WIRED WITH EXPLOSIVES NO EMERGENCY WORKERS CAN MAKE THEIR WAY INSIDE TO HELP ANYONE. THE UNKNOWN MAD MAN INSIDE IS STILL LETTING ROUNDS AND ROUNDS OF AMMUNITION WITHIN THE HALLOWED HALLS...WAIT...WHAT'S THIS...IT APPEARS SOMEONE HAS JUST.....FLOWN?!?!? YES, A WOMAN HAS FLOWN TO THE TRANSIT CENTER MAIN ENTRANCE.....SHES.....SHES REACHING FOR THE EXPLOSIVE"!!!!!

BOOM!!!! The explosion echos throughout the front garden of the transit center.

"OH...OH MY GOD...I CAN'T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST WITNESSED. THE YOUNG WOMAN WHO...FLEW...YES, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN FLEW INTO THE TRANSIT CENTER HAS TAKEN HER OWN LIFE...WAIT...THAT'S....THAT'S AMAZING...IT'S...IMPOSSIBLE".

Through a small cloud of dark smoke, there seems to be a body...a body clad purple and black that shimmered brightly in the spring sun. Still very much alive.

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN.....IF YOU ARE STILL WATCHING...IF YOU JUST WITNESSED WHAT WE DID...THIS INCREDIBLE WOMAN...SEEMS TO...SEEMS TO HAVE ABSORBED THE FULL FORCE OF THE EXPLOSION WITH HER OWN BODY"!!!!!

"Ugh great scratched my brand new glasses". Jay grunted annoyed

Jay strode confidently through the front doors of the transit center, smoke still coming off of her body. She looks around trying to get a sense of the situation but as soon as steps through the door, bullets rapidly start to fire. Jay begins to panic as bullets bounce off of her body, ricocheting in every direction.

"S**t, s**t, s**t" she exclaims "Gotta think fast, if I don't get this under control I'll be the one killing innocent people!”

In an instant, the lobby begins to fill with thick gray fog. In a matter of seconds, no one can see their hand in front of their face. But the shots are still ringing out wildly with no target.

"Great, made things worse" thinking to herself "time for more direct approach".

Her fist glowing purple with power Jay conjures a giant gust of wind knocking the man back so hard he flies into the transit center glass window cracking it. The gust of wind clears all the fog out of the lobby in a rapid fashion.

"Oops, may have overdone it," she thinks "but it’s good he's out cold. Hope he's ok but right now I need to clear these people out asap".

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, WHAT APPEARS TO BE A GIANT CLOUD OF SMOKE HAS JUST ERUPTED OUT OF THE TRANSIT CENTER LOBBY DOORS. THE H.C.P.D.,  BOMB SQUAD, AND S.W.A.T. ARE ON THE SCENE BUT THERE APPEARS TO BE NO SERIOUS DAMAGE TO THE BUILDING BUT STILL NO WORD ON THE HOSTAGES. WAIT...WAIT WHAT'S THIS...YES...YES, IT LOOKS THE HOSTAGES ARE BEING ESCORTED OUT BY...BY THIS MYSTERY WOMAN. THE BOMB SQUAD IS MOVING IN TO DISABLE THE REMAINING BOMBS AT THE EXITS"

As the building begins to empty emergency workers rush to hostages to treat any and all injuries. As the building begins to empty of frightened civilians, Jay walks back over to the now somewhat conscience man. As she approaches she looks down on a man, not crazed with rage, but a man entranced in fear. His face looked flush. And tired. He was sweating profusely with his breathing painfully labored. The gentleman is older, balding, and a bit overweight. He looked more like someone's grandfather or a retired mall Santa than a blood thirsty terrorist. 

"Maybe I can set him up with a meal plan while I'm here too". Jay joked to herself.

There's a strange black electronic collar around his neck. Tears streaming down his face. He seemed to be whispering something foreign and incoherent.

"Помогите мне, пожалуйста, не делайте мне больно, пожалуйста, помогите". mumbled the man.

Confused and concerned Jay reaches down to help the man up. As she picks the man up their arms brush together and suddenly the ring begins to glow hot white. It's like a flashbang goes off in Jay’s mind, the loud blinding light clearing out her thoughts. Jay hears a voice whisper "Wisdom". Her mind is free.

"Помогите мне, please don't hurt me". the man mumbled again frightened

"Sir please I don't under.....stand.....Russian?" she says confused and shocked "I understand Russian. Well ok then, I guess that's the wisdom part"

"He....said .....he said he will kill me....and.....my family....please". the man whispers tears pouring from his eyes.

"What....who wants to kill your family....who did this to you"? Jay asked in a confused response

But before the man can answer the collar begins to beep faster and faster and faster. A green light flashes on and yellow gas is emitted out of the sides of the collar. Jay covers her mouth creates a little gust of wind so clear the room having no idea what kind of gas it was. As paramedics enter the building the man's head lulls backward and his eyes slowly begin to roll into the back of his head on showing the whites of his eyes. The paramedics check on him, he is alive but non-responsive. Looking down closely at the man's hands, even tho he was now unconscious, they were gripped tightly to the handles of the rifles. Almost as if they were frozen there... Almost as if he was holding them but never pulled the triggers at all. Jay moved out of the way to allow paramedics to work on the man and move him to an ambulance. Her mind was being flooded with questions, questions she couldn't get answered now. As she exits the lobby a reporter stops her

" Rick Thurman channel 10 Action Now News. You saved dozens of lives today and stopped the destruction of the transit center. To all the people of High Castle...Who are you?"

"При�™ет, меня зо�™ут.....меня зо�™ут" she began to trail off stunned at the words coming out of her mouth. More important than Jay not having an epic astounding superhero code name was the fact that she could still only speak Russian. Before matters could take a turn for the worst Jay simply flashes her beautiful bright white smile, tilts her glasses, and gives the camera a wink of one of her glowing fiery
purples eyes. Then proceeds to fly away as fast as her newly powered body will take her into the beautiful mid-morning sky.

"I wonder how long it will be before this Russian thing wears off"? She asked worried not knowing how to control this new power

1:34 am

Laying on her large lavish sofa watching her 55-inch flat panel tv, Jay is channel surfing for stories about the superhero who saved the High Castle transit center today.

Channel 3: Today a woman now being dubbed the Russian Rebel...

Channel 5: Big black Russian woman saves city...

Channel 9: And the day was saved, thanks to the pow.....

With a satisfied grin, Jay hops off the sofa and bounds up the stairs off to get ready for bed. Even though she would probably be too excited to sleep. Tomorrow was another be her best self. Halfway up the stairs in her ecstatic state, she realizes she still had the remote control. She nonchalantly tosses it back onto the sofa and heads toward her bedroom. As it lands face down...

Channel 10: "Although dozens were saved today at the High Castle transit center hostage situation there was one casualty. The suspect in the attack was pronounced dead a few hours ago. Doctors found him in a hospital bed not breathing. Authorities have been unable to find a name or any other information about the suspect and no family can seem to be reached"...

To be continued?