“Yeah, we have to find you a safe place to hide out,” Kundo said. “The rest of us have to act like nothing has changed. They’ll be watching all of our homes and hangouts.”
“You know my aunt Charlotte?” Dee said. “The one I go check on during the day?”
“The blind and deaf one?” Remi said.
“Yeah,” Dee replied. “She has a fixed basement. You can stay down there. We can sneak you in. No one will be the wiser.”
“Doesn’t she have a nurse who stays there overnight?” Remi asked.
“She’s supposed to be there overnight,” Dee replied. “But as soon as Aunt Charlotte goes to sleep around nine, Little Miss Florence Nightingale is out the door to go lay up under her boyfriend.”
“So, let’s get you some clothes packed and head out while the children are at school,” Kundo said. “We don’t want them crying for their iya.”
“What are you going to tell them?” Remi inquired. “I just got home last night and I’m leaving them again.”
“We probably have another day or two before they start surveillance on all of us,” Kundo replied. “I’ll bring them by tonight…maybe tomorrow, too.”
“Has anyone checked the news?” Dee asked. “Any word about Ames, Remi or Eboni?”
“When I was dropping off the children at school, there was mention in the news about a rabid bear attacking people in Cobb County,” Kundo replied. “About five or six miles from where Ames is located.”
“Janine,” Remi said.
“Probably,” Kundo said. “They said State Police put the ‘bear’ down.”
“They’re covering up what happened,” Remi said. “I left a mess back there. I’m sure Janine did much worse. They’ll find Eboni’s body and figure I’m dead, too. It’ll take a while for them to figure out I’m not.”
“Good!” Dee said. “Come on y’all; let’s get you settled in at Aunt Charlotte’s. My stories are about to come on!”
####
Aunt Charlotte’s basement was cozy. The sky blue walls were covered with velvet black light posters – a nude couple with huge afros embracing and kissing each other; a spear and rifle-wielding Huey P. Newton sitting in a wicker chair; Imaro, the ‘African Conan’, pointing a sword skyward, with an axe-wielding sister kneeling beside him – remnants of a time when Aunt Charlotte was a Professor of African History and active in the Black Arts Movement. The basement was sparsely furnished with a black leather couch, loveseat and chair suite and an old 27” television.
Kundo sat a duffle bag next to the television. “It’s nice down here,” Kundo said. “You should be…” His words were halted by a fit of coughing. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead and the tip of his nose.
“Baby, are you okay?” Remi said.
“I’m okay,” Kundo whispered. “Not feeling too good. Probably the flu trying to come on; I’ll stop by Ajigunwa’s shop on the way home and get some golden seal.”
“Okay,” Remi said. “Be sure to take care of it. I need you strong in case we have to run.”
“I’ll be re…” more coughing. Kundo cane fell from his fist. He staggered backward.
“Take a seat, Kundo,” Remi said, lunging toward him.
Kundo plopped down on the couch. Remi placed her hand on his shoulder. His shirt was soaked with sweat.
“Are you okay, Kundo?” Dee whispered as she crept down the stairs with a blanket, pillow and sheet cradled in her arms.
Kundo coughed again.
“He’s not feeling well,” Remi replied. “Did the nurse hear him coughing?”
“Girl, she’s up there watching the stories with me,” Dee said. “I got the t.v. up loud, so she can’t hear anything.”
“Good,” Kundo said. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I woke up with a slight headache and now I feel lightheaded and my chest hurts.”
“Here, girl,” Dee said, extending her arms toward Remi. “Take these covers, so I can get back in there before she comes checking up on me. I’ll give her the rest of the day off.”
Remi took the covers and pillow from Dee and then laid them on the loveseat. “Can you pick up Ayo and Tutu from school for us? Kundo needs to rest.”
“I got you, girl,” Dee said. “I’ll drop the children off here. You think you’re gonna be okay to take them to school in the morning, Kundo? Lord knows, their bad butts aren’t gonna be quiet down here.”
You got that right,” Kundo chuckled. “I should be fine in a minute. Do us one more favor and pick up some golden seal from Ajigunwa’s so I can make me some tea, please?”
“I’m gonna have to start charging y’all for all these favors,” Dee said.
“We pay you in love, Dee,” Kundo replied. “Money can’t buy happiness.”
Dee sucked her teeth. “Love don’t pay the rent; and money might not bring you happiness, but it can sho’ help you be miserable in comfort.”
Kundo and Remi laughed.
“See,” Kundo said. “Crazy as ever.”
Remi nodded in agreement.
“I’ll be back down after she leaves,” Dee said. “And after my stories.” Dee turned and crept back upstairs.
Remi sat beside Kundo and laid her head on his shoulder. “I think I know why you’re sick, Kundo.”
“Why do you think?” Kundo replied.
“It’s AMVO,” Remi said. “When we made love last night, I infected you.”
“You can’t be sure of that,” Kundo said. “It’s probably just a coincidence.”
“You never get sick,” Remi replied. “And I, like the Creator, do not play with dice and do not believe in coincidence.”
“Not much I can do if I am infected,” Kundo said. “I’m not…”
Kundo fell over onto the arm of the couch.
Remi sat bolt upright. “Kundo?” she gasped. He didn’t respond.
She studied his face. His eyes were closed and one corner of his mouth was turned upward in a slight smile…like Eboni’s. Remi shook Kundo’s shoulders. “Baby? Baby, wake up!”
Kundo moaned. Remi breathed a sigh of relief.
“You’re a warrior, Kundo,” Remi said, holding Kundo’s head in her lap. “You taught me to never quit; to fight until my last breath. Don’t be a hypocrite! You fight…you hear me? Fight!”
####
Kundo’s eyes fluttered open. Remi was looking down at him. She gave him a smile.
“Good morning, sunshine,” she said.
“Finally up, huh, Rip Van Winkle?” Dee said.
“How long was I out?” Kundo asked.
“A long time,” Dee said. “The children are over there asleep and Aunt Charlotte is in bed already.”
“What?” Kundo said, sitting up. He followed Dee’s finger. Ayo and Tutu were fast asleep on a blanket in front of the television.
“How do you feel?” Remi asked.
“Strong,” Kundo replied.
“Take off your top,” Remi said.
“Hey, wait until I leave, lovebirds,” Dee said.
“I don’t want him to strip for me,” Remi said shaking her head. “I need to see something. Baby, please, take off your dashiki.”
Kundo slipped the dashiki over his head, revealing his rock hard physique.
“Look,” Remi said, pointing at Kundo’s torso.
“Dang, Kundo,” Dee said. “You look like you just lost the little bit of body fat you had in a few hours.”
“And your injuries,” Remi said. “How do they feel?”
Kundo stood up. He shook his arms and legs. “I…I don’t feel them.”
“It’s the AMVO,” Remi said.
“So, your blood can heal,” Kundo said. “It can enhance physical attributes.”
“Girl, you a doggone superhero!” Dee said. “I’m gonna have to turn vampire and get some of your blood, shoot!”
“That’s a good idea,” Remi said.
“What?” Dee said, frowning. “Girl, I was just kidding. Shoot, I don’t even drink wine at communion.
I ain’t drinkin’ your blood!”
“No, not you,” Remi said. “But if my blood can do this for Kundo, it can do it for others. We can raise an army.”
“For what purpose?” Kundo asked.
“To bring down the system that made me this way in the first place,” Remi replied. “To put an end to the corporate slavery they call the penal system.”
“Let me get this straight,” Kundo said. “You want to infect other warriors with AMVO to create an army of super soldiers that will topple this corrupt ass slave state?”
“Yes,” Remi replied. She lowered her gaze. “I know it sounds crazy, but…”
“That’s my baby!” Kundo said. “That’s brilliant!”
“My friends have lost their minds,” Dee sighed.
“Maybe we have,” Remi said. “You in?”
“Of course,” Dee replied. “Somebody with some sense has gotta be in this to balance y’all out.”
“Whoot-whoot,” Remi said, wrapping her arms around Dee.
“But I’m not drinking no blood,” Dee said. “Y’all can be Superman and Superwoman…I’ll be Rorschach or the Bat. If I come home all ripped, my husband is gonna have some serious questions.”
“Isn’t he on a run to Chicago?” Kundo inquired.
“Yeah, thank God,” Dee said. “The last thing I need is for him to be asking me a bunch of questions.”
“Is Dan back?” Remi asked.
“He got back early this morning,” Kundo replied.
“You think you can convince him to bankroll this operation?” Remi said. “I know he’s all about the money and he won’t be making anything from this; only giving.”
“Dan will do it,” Kundo replied. “He’ll do it because he’s my best friend; my brother… and because there is always profit in war.”
####
Dan Wallace, the CEO of World Extreme Ring Kombat – or WERK – the organization that gave Remi her shot at being the first woman to fight men in professional MMA matches, walked down the stairs to Aunt Charlotte’s basement, led by Dee.
Kundo beamed when he saw him. “Dan!”
Dan bounded down the stairs and ran to his friend. The men hugged.
“Man, you said you were still in pain from the accident and that you felt sick this morning,” Dan said. “You look better than ever. Were you taking the piss?”
“Eww,” Dee said, turning up her nose.
“No, not taking a piss, love,” Dan said. “Taking the piss. In England, we say you’re ‘taking the piss’ if you’re teasing someone.”
“Oh,” Dee said. “Thanks, for clarifying that.”
“No, I wasn’t teasing,” Kundo said.
“It’s a miracle, then?” Dan said with a smirk.
“Of sorts,” Kundo replied. He peered over his shoulder toward the bathroom door behind him. “Come on out, baby!” he called.
Remi sauntered out of the bathroom.
“What the hell?” Dan gasped. “When…how did you get out?”
“Have a seat, brother,” Kundo said. “We have a lot to tell you.”
####
“And you want me to believe you have super powers?” Dan said, shaking his head.
“Not super,” Kundo said. “Not powers, either. Enhanced Abilities, is what we prefer to call it.”
“I find this impossible to believe,” Dan said.
“You can see the difference in our bodies,” Remi said.
“You’re definitely more muscular; more defined,” Dan replied. “But ten times stronger? Ten times as quick? That is not possible!”
“I’m nowhere near as enhanced as Remi,” Kundo said. “I’m maybe a bit beyond the upper limits of human physical ability.”
“No, sir,” Dan said, shaking his head.
We’ll just have to show you,” Remi said. “Stand up.”
“Uh oh,” Dee said. “Somebody’s about to get whooped.”
“Remi,” Dan crooned. “You don’t want none.”
“Oh, I do,” Remi said smiling.
“She does,” Kundo said.
Dan stood and then removed his suit jacket. “I won’t hold back.”
“Don’t,” Remi replied.
“Alright, then,” Dan said. He inhaled deeply. A moment later, he tossed his jacket toward Remi’s face and then darted behind it.
Remi lunged sideways, evading the jacket. She thrust her knee upward, driving it into Dan’s thigh.
The force of the blow sent Dan somersaulting forward. His back crashed onto the floor.
Remi grabbed his belt and yanked him off the floor. She held Dan above her head. “Convinced now?” she asked, staring up into his quivering face.
“Y-yeah,” Dan said. “I-I’m convinced!”
Remi sat Dan down on the loveseat.
“Want some tea, child?” Dee snickered.
“Yes, thanks,” Dan said. “Add some whiskey to that, please. I need a stiff drink.”
“We’re ready to bring it all down, Dan,” Kundo said. “To finish what Nat Turner, Boukman Dutty, Three Fingered Jack, Nwanyeruwa, Blanca Canales and The Black Liberation Army started, like we used to talk about back in college.”
“I’m with you,” Dan said. “But nobody in their right minds is going to allow themselves to be infected with anything, let alone a virus that changes them so radically.”
“Then we need people not in their right minds,” Remi said. “People who would do anything to see their people free.”
“Hmm…I can’t guarantee anything, but I might know just the people,” Dan said.
“Who?” Kundo asked.
“Your boy, Changa bin Wahad and his Freedom Takes Power brothers and sisters,” Dan replied.
“Man, they might be too crazy,” Kundo said, shaking his head. “Changa bin Wahad once said in a lecture that the best he can hope for is to die in a pose that confuses future archaeologists.”
Remi laughed. “Sounds like exactly who we need with us! Hook it up, y’all!”
“Okay,” Dan said. “Kundo, come with me. FTP respects you. And I know that Changa and some of his people were at your fight against Chris Cunningham, Remi.”
“Alright, Remi,” Kundo said. “If we meet with Changa and all goes well, you’ll have your army.”
####
“Good luck,” Changa bin Wahad called from the balcony, upon which he and his crew stood.
Kundo and Remi dropped to one knee, raising their left hand to their forehead as they pressed their right fist to the floor in salutation to Changa and five of his closest comrades in the FTP Movement – Ogunbala, his Chief-Of-Security; Mecca Asiatic, his wife and Co-Chairperson; Fang Sing, a rapper, artist and martial arts expert, turned activist; and the twins Akin and Koya, both professors at Spelman College and revolutionaries. The warriors of FTP pounded their chests with their fists in a show of mutual respect.
They met in a warehouse Dan purchased decades ago; a place where he held underground fights before going legit. Tonight, this place, where much blood was spilled and where men and women proved their skill in combat, would once again be a place where warriors would prove their mettle, or die trying.
Dan, who stood beside Changa bin Wahad, held a device in his hand that looked like an oversized remote control. He waved it about as he spoke. “The brothers and sisters of FTP are willing to join your cause if what you say you can do is real. They require…no they demand a demonstration. Are you ready?”
Remi and Kundo sprang to their feet. “Ready!” They said in unison.
“Then let the demonstration begin!” Dan said, pressing a button on the remote.
Two loud clicking sounds followed, as if large locks had come undone. A moment later, a sound, like distance thunder, echoed throughout the warehouse. A huge grizzly bear galloped into view.
“Oh, damn,” Changa gasped. “Brother, what is this? I didn’t come here to see this brother and sister get slaughtered.”
“Just watch, please,” Dan replied.
; “And where in the hell did you get a grizzly bear?” Changa said, shaking his head. “I guess money can buy anything.”
“I’m renting, actually,” Dan replied. “They aren’t allowed to kill the bear; just subdue it.”
The grizzly bear stood on its hind legs and then roared, baring its dagger-like teeth and claws.
Kundo stomped at the bear. “Come on!”
The bear charged. Kundo rushed to meet it, running at blinding speed. He leapt over the bear’s head, punching downward into the top of its skull as it passed under him.
The bear stopped charging. It grunted as it shook its massive head. The bear stood again, turned and lumbered toward Kundo.
Kundo jumped into the air, twisting his hips until his back was toward the creature. He then thrust his foot behind him, striking the bear in the belly with a powerful back kick.
The bear stumbled backward, roaring in protest.
Remi dug her fingers into the fur at the bear’s lower back. She thrust her hips forward and then raised her arms above her head, jerkking the bear off its feet.
The bear howled in fear.
Remi arched backward, snatching the bear over her head and then slamming its shoulders onto the concrete floor.
The bear’s back hit with a booming din. The creature curled up into an unmoving heap.
The members of FTP stood in stunned silence, their eyes as wide as dinner plates.
After a long pause, Changa bin Wahad spoke. “Sign…me…up!”
“Did you kill my bear?” Dan asked, wagging his finger.
“It’s still alive,” Kundo replied. “Out like a light, though.”
“Come on down,” Remi said. “Dee and I prepared dinner; let’s discuss our next move over some good food.”
####
The members of FTP sat on one side of a long table, devouring the black bean enchiladas, curried couscous and eggplant parmesan. Remi, Kundo, Dee and Dan sat on the other side.
“This food is delicious,” Changa said. “My compliments to the chefs.”
“Thank you,” Dee said.
“Thanks,” Remi replied. “There’s honey bean pie for dessert. Kundo told me it is one of your favorites.”
One of my favorites?” Changa said. “Honey bean pie should be one of the food groups!”
Wrath of the Siafu- A SIngle Link Page 6
