Story 4:Starlite

Our Heroine stumbles upon a sex trafficking ring while searching for a young friend

Children are the reward of life. ~ African proverb

11:40 am

"7....8....9....10" Jay grunts out her last few reps before she reracks the bar in her squat rack. Leg day was always her favorite day of training. She had already trained two clients this morning and didn't have another until tonight. The music is blasting loudly in her lavishly designed home gym. It looks like a professional with heavyweights running along the fully mirrored wall. A weight bench Story 4: Starlite

sitting alone in the middle of her padded floor a few feet away from the heavy bag hanging in the corner. Jay exits the gym walking into the kitchen and turns on the living room TV.

“This is Rick Thurman with Channel 10 Action Now News with your mid-morning news. We continue now with a report that first broke this morning about an attempted break-in at Lisbon Shipping. We now go live to Lisbon chief operations officer Bly Lisbon for comment, Ms. Lisbon.....”

"There have been so many weird things happening at the Lisbon corporation lately." Jay thought to herself "I may have to look into it if things keep up like this."

11:52 AM: RING RING...RING RING... RING

Jay mutes the TV and answers her cell phone. A frantic crying come voice is on the other end of the call

"I'm...sorry Jayla...I can't make ...our session today." The woman says in-between jobs. The woman is Mrs. Williamson, a very sweet middle-aged woman, whose husband is a wealthy corporate banker and she likes to keep in shape. Mrs. Williamson was one of her favorite and hardest working clients.

"Mrs. Williamson, what's wrong? Are you ok, can I help?" Jay asked very concernedly.

"It's Amy... she's...(sob).she's been missing for a...few days and no one has seen or..(sob)..heard from her. The police have been looking...(sob) non stop but haven't found any clues. They have started to give up at this point...(sob) saying...saying sometimes teenage girls just run away and she will be back soon...but that's not my Amy."

Amy was always a nice quiet young lady, cheerleader, straight-A student,  always doing volunteer work with the homeless. Not the kind of kid who just disappears.

"I'm so sorry to hear that." Jay says "on matters like this you have to trust the police, but I know someone I can call to look into it."

"Thank you so much Jayla (sob) please call if you hear anything." Cries Mrs. Williamson

Jay hangs up the phone saddened by the conversation

Jayla runs upstairs into her small bedroom-sized bathroom for a hot shower. After quickly cleaning off she dresses in her favorite black and grey hoodie, black denim jeans, and black works boots. Her hair in a ponytail and of course her favorite purple ring on her finger, she heads towards her elevator to begin her search

12:42 PM: High Castle Homeless Helping House

Jay walks up and down the 40 foot wide gray stretch of sidewalk in front of the homeless shelter. "Has anyone seen this girl?" she asks holding up a picture of Amy. After 20 minutes of having no luck, Jay works her way inside. No one on the

Volunteer staff inside had seen Amy all week. She eventually runs into Jerry, a homeless veteran she and Amy help often. 

" Hey Jer, have you seen Amy around"?

"No Darlin, not since Saturday night," he said in a gravelly rough voice "we usually play chest for a few hours but she said she had an orientation for new volunteers at the sibling center".

"How are you doing Jerry, you good " Jayla ask

"Better than I  been in a while, finally got a job. Working mornings in the lumber yard" Jerry replied "be able to move out of this damn shelter soon"

"Oh yeah, when you taking me out," she asked jokingly as she shakes  his hand to leaves

Jerry opens his hand to find $200.00 in it "I'd give you more but that's all I have".

" Maybe you should be taking me out" Jerry laughs knowing better than to argue about the money. With a wink, a smile, and a wave Jay was out the door

1:30 PM: High Castle little siblings center

"Amy was supposed to be on Sunday morning for orientation but she never showed. No one has heard from her" the receptionist seated at the front desk of the lobby said "it's so strange a lot of the girls haven't shown up lately I think there a cold going around or something

"Ok thank you" Jayla was really worried now. Amy would never stop her volunteer work without saying something. "well she disappeared between the shelter and here and she usually takes the subway so that's where I’ll go next"

2:08 PM: High Castle subway station d

Jayla walks up to the security desk of station d and turns on her usual charm

" Hi my name is Jayla Omara, I know  this is unusual but a friend of mine hasn't been seen since Saturday night, do you have any footage from that night," she asked getting a glance at his name tag"... Tommy"

Clearly enamored with the beautiful young woman in front of him" nor, nor, normally ma'am we don, don't share in, information like that with civilians" Tommy stutters his answer

"Please, call me Jayla," she says with a firm handshake

"Um, well, uh yes, Jayla, even if I could show you I don't have it. Apparently someone hacked out system all the footage from that night is missing". "no one can trace it HCPD was investigating but didn't have a lot to go on"

"Oh wow that's strange. Well thank you for your time...Tommy". With another firm handshake, she was on her way, thinking about what her next lead would be. But as she is heading to the subway stairs she happens to notice a tunnel closed for construction. Suddenly her ring starts to glow white. Jay quickly covers it with her other hand as not to draw attention to it. Jay looks over at the security desk. Tommy is busy busting some teenage boys he caught tagging the subway wall. Using the distraction to her advantage she heads down into the tunnel past the closed for construction sign. The deeper she gets into the tunnel the brighter her rings glow.  "Pretty sure I just found my next lead, but I don't think I'm dressed for the occasion"

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

Jay emerges from the warm white light that surrounds her. Her uniform has a different appearance. One all purple sneaker on her left foot, the other sneaker all black. A bodysuit half black on the left and purple on the right, purple and black gloves on each hand. Her short leather jacket and a purple visor covering her eyes.

Using her ring as a flashlight Jay makes her way deeper into the tunnel.

4:22 PM: 3.2 miles into  the tunnel

"I've been searching down here for hours and not a single piece of construction equipment. Not as much as a screwdriver. It's the cleanest Subway tunnel I've ever seen. The place looks wiped clean" Jay thinks to herself

Walking a few more hundred feet she spots a white, brightly lit subway platform. She shuts off the light There were only two cars, one in the front being the operation car, the second looking like a storage container. There is are 5 armed guards dressed in black combat body armor with a black mask. They leading a line of young children into the container. All of the children’s heads are covered in hoods, their clothes dirty and torn. No one was wearing shoes. As the kids file in there as a child at the end. She seems older than the other girls. Her hands are tied behind her back, the only one being restrained. They pull the young lady outline and turn her around. Walking towards her is a young woman in an all-white pant suit, blonde hair up in a ponytail wearing white sunglasses. She pulls the girl’s hood off.

"Oh no...Amy" she’s thinking "what have they done to you"? Amy has a black eye and a busted lip. It looks like her ribs are bruised also. The woman whips her sunglasses off

"Holy s**t, is that...BLY LISBON" Jay almost screams aloud "what the f**k is going on"

Bly has a black eye of her own. Jay can't hear but she sees Bly say something to Amy. Whatever it was must have been extremely unpleasant as Amy responded by spitting her face. Amy didn't take s**t from anyone for better or for worst. This situation seemed to be for the worst, as Bly wipes the spit from her face with a dark grin then proceeds to backhand the girl knocking her unconscious in the guard's arms. They drag the girl into the container with the children already inside. Amy starts to come to as they dump her unceremoniously against the container wall. A guard walks up to the little boy about 7 or 8. The boy’s eyes are glazed over, almost empty looking. He cups the boy’s chin in his gloved hand. "Gonna be a long trip, I could use a little stress relief," he says eyeing up the boy. The other guard stands silently giving his mute approval. Amy, finally awake jumps in between the guard and the boy slapping his hand away. "Only way you're laying another hand on him is over my dead body" Amy screams.

"Not this again. How many times do we have to beat the crap out of you, you hard-headed little b***h" the guard groans. Amy angrily responds "I don't know, how much time ya got"

"Ok you little c**t, dead body it is," says the guard as draws his hand gun pointing it at Amy. "Or maybe you, you could eh, take his place hmm" he walks up to Amy putting the gun to her forehead. Defiantly Amy says "F**k off".

"Stubborn b***h" the guard laughs. He turns slightly pointing the gun at the young boy. "Maybe I should try another form of persuasion". A wave of horror washes over Amy as the guard pulls back on the hammer of his gun. Suddenly the back of the container comes flying off. There is Jay standing with the rear of the container held over her head. She tossed 50 feet back into the tunnel.  The first guard turns and fires his AK-47, but a wall of the wind rises from the container floor stoping the bullets in mid-air. "Practice makes perfect" Jay thinks to herself. Before the guard can reload, Jay flies over to him grabbing him by his vest, and lifts him off the ground. Holding him in the air she looks over at the other guard. She slams his back on the container ceiling knocking him out. Still holding him she throws him out through to hole in the container. The guard lands a few feet behind where the chunk of the Jay had ripped off landed.  She walks over to the other guard frozen in fear. "You like to take advantage of people, why don't you take advantage of me". The guard finally turns his gun on Jay but she simply reaches out and crushed the gun...as well as his hand. "You're never gonna touch another kid again." She reaches and grabs the guard’s other hand in hers, squeezes it, breaking every bone. Letting go of his hands she uses her left hand backhanding the guard sending him flying into the side of the container with a loud echoing thud.

She then turns to Amy. "You're a very brave young lady," Jay says "you may have  saved that's boy’s life."

Amy just stares in awe, mouth hanging open, not sure what she sees in front of her but she seems amazed. "Now get these kids out of here" Jay states in a calm but stern voice seeming to snap Amy out of her daze. " This tunnel will take you back to the closest terminal. Ask for Tommy." Says Jay. Amy nods her and begins to usher the kids down the tunnel. As a little girl is walking by she taps Jay on the leg. She looks down to see the girl holding up a doll baby. "This is starlight...she says thank you for saving us". Then the little girl has her doll tight and runs down the tunnel with the other children. Jay punches a hole into the container then into the first subway car.  She flies over to the panel and smashes it in one punch. The panel sparks and smokes as the subway cars move down the track to their intended location. As Jay starts to fly out of the subway cars and back to the surface a purple star forms on the middle of her chest. "Starlite....sounds catchy." She thinks to herself

A week later 10:40 am RING...RING...RING

Jay answers energetically as always. "Hello Mrs. Williamson, I was just about to call you. I understand if you want to push back this week's session. I figure you would want a little more time to help Amy recover."

Mrs. Williamson responds, "Actually Jayla I'm calling about just opposite. Amy wants to join me in training sessions, something about needing, needing to be stronger. I will gladly pay the extra fee. I just wanted to check if it was ok"

"Of course it's ok, and there's no extra charge," Jay answers "for Amy it would be my honor." Jay turns the TV down as she and Mrs. Williamson discussed the detail of their new training routine.

"Rick Thurman here with a channel 10 Action Now News update. Police still have no leads in strange the kidnapping case last where 19 children were found escaping a High Castle City subway tunnel. Although events are unclear whatever was there seems to be long gone by now. That's your news update I'm Rick Thurman, now back to the price is right."

[Authors note:

27 million people in modern-day slavery across the world

1 million children exploited by the global commercial sex trade, every year. 

2 children are sold every minute.

800,000 people trafficked across international borders every year. 

$32 billion yearly profits generated by the human trafficking industry. 

This makes trafficking the 2nd most lucrative crime in the world]