Martial Law By: Geo S

 Self Defense, by any means necessary

After escaping a rape attempt and killing her attacker in self defense, a highly trained martial arts student has a three million dollar bounty placed on her head by her attacker’s crime boss father

Born and raised in a crime and poverty-stricken city and in a home school for girls without ever knowing her birth parents, student athlete and recent college graduate Morgan Callahan is preparing for the championship final in a martial arts tournament. A win in the final would secure her as the winningest competitor in school and conference history, surpassing her mentor/coach Carly Ross and former teammate and “big sister” Maxine Love. 

Love, a fellow product of the home school for girls and previous survivor of a sex trafficking ring, managed to turn her life around through Ross’ mentorship but threw much of her opportunities away due to fighting out of school and was kicked off the team. She now finds herself working as hired muscle and security with a vicious reputation.

Morgan narrowly wins the championship in a grueling contest. Maxine is also in attendance but shows no emotion to Morgan’s victory and declines to meet and congratulate her. A party is held after and Morgan’s friend Shayna suspects that mutual friend Abby is being catfished on her upcoming date. This proves to be true as Abby is brutally beaten and robbed. Shayna suspects the notorious Full Moon Gang that Maxine now associates with. 

Morgan confronts Maxine on her knowledge of the catfishing to which Maxine scoffs at and denies. Maxine's friends allude to orchestrating the attack for a laugh which leads to a fight between Maxine and Morgan in which Maxine toys with and ruthlessly dispatches her. 

Morgan later has a date with fellow student, Ray but the couple is interrupted by the Full Moon Gang (Maxine is not present) and Ray is fatally stabbed. While escaping Morgan spots a police car but the gang brazening murder two officers and taser/kidnap Morgan who is to be offered as a birthday gift to Carson Wilcox Jr., the son of Full Moon Gang Kingpin Carson Wilcox Sr. Wilcox Jr. tries to rape Morgan but she fights him off, kills him, and escapes without notice. 

One year later, Morgan is cleared of murder charges against Wilcox Jr. as it is deemed self defense. She is now under witness protection and being set-up as a surprise star witness in the trial for the murdered police officers and Ray, linking them both to organized crime charges against Carson Wilcox Sr. Wilcox Sr. learns of Morgan’s location and offers $3 million dollars to anyone who brings her in alive as he wants to be the one to kill her himself. Maxine arrives back in the city after a year away and has a hit job on the leaders of the same sex trafficking ring that she was a victim of in her youth.

The $3 million dollar offer attracts dangerous characters and some attack the hotel that Morgan has been staying at. The officers guarding her are killed. She is able to fight them off but does not kill anyone as all are either incapacitated, unconscious, or have broken bones and unable to move. Morgan goes to her college to meet Coach Ross but Ross informs her that some of the other students trained in martial arts aswell want the money. Shayna is also there and tells Morgan that she told the Full Moon Gang about Morgan’s date with Ray after they threatened to kill her. Several of the students attack Morgan but she defeats them with no kills. Coach Ross suggests Morgan heads to her family's cabin outside of the city while Ross contacts the city prosecutor. 

Maxine brutally kills the sex traffickers, eviscerating one and decapitating another. She then kills the two men who originally paid for the hit job as they attempted to renege on paying her. Maxine hears about the bounty on Morgan through social media and is curious if her fight skills have improved.

Morgan originally heads out of the city but turns around because she wants to put an end to the violence and defend herself. She makes it to the downtown hotel where Wilcox Sr. operates. She defeats many of his henchmen without killing them and is nearly defeated herself by a highly skilled martial artist. The mysterious practitioner informs Morgan that Maxine is back in town and he is supposed to meet her at the rooftop patio where she is waiting now.

Morgan makes her way to the penthouse floor of Wilcox Sr. but she is nearly defeated by his two female twin bodyguards. Morgan barely escapes with her life largely in part to Wilcox Sr. who accidentally fatally shoots the twins. Morgan defeats Wilcox Sr. but doesn’t kill him and makes her way to the rooftop patio where she gets the jump on a surprised Maxine, shockingly defeating her with superior skill. The police burst in on the rooftop but Maxine escapes and is not found.

Later at the police station Morgan is hailed as a hero by the news and social media. An Interpol Agent speaks with Morgan and informs her that Maxine and the mysterious martial artist were working for the Yakuza and that Maxine likely has left the city for Japan or elsewhere. The Interpol Agent asks Morgan if she would like to assist with their work and tells her that they have a dossier on her birth parents.