Salvation Road: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

by Peter Okeafor

  “This is pretty elaborate. I like it,” I say.

  “Flowing water is healing,” replies April.

  “Is April your real name or are you named after “Sometimes it Snows in April?”

  “I am named after that beautiful song. I had a name in the old world but my new name is what I use now. The Muse has chosen me so I use its given name. I’m lucky that a usable name is in the title of the song. Most people have to use their old world name along with their Muse name and that leads to some depletion of their power.”

  “I see. That is interesting.”

  “I’ll be right back,” she says as she goes through a white curtain in the far right corner.

  The running water is soothing. It actually seems to help with the dull pain in my head.

  The white curtain parts as I hear two women talking. April has returned with a brown skinned black woman in her mid-50s. She has short, twisted braids and is heavyset. She gives me a smile as she navigates the waterways and moves towards the island with the couches. I make my way to the island and I sit on the couch opposite of April. Marva soon joins April on the couch.

  “Hi, I am Marva “I’ll Take You There” Anderson.”

  “The Staple Singers. That is reassuring,” I say. “Prince did work with Mavis Staples on Graffiti Bridge. She did a song called “Melody Cool.” Prince has also performed “I’ll Take You There” in concert before. My name is Ripley Greer.”

  “Yes, to all of your observations about Prince, Mr. Greer,” says Marva. “So you have had an unfortunate situation with your ex-girlfriend in the old world and you believe your ex-girlfriend now resides here in Suffragette City.”

  “Yes,” I reply.

  “Please, give me details,” says Marva.

  “They say I murdered Chantay. Although I don’t remember anything. I was in the Marine Corp, still am technically, I guess. The military put something inside of my head. Something bigger than a chip. I could be some kind of wiring with multiple chips. I believe I was part of some military experiment that went tragically wrong.”

  “I see. Are you sure you murdered Chantay?” asks Marva.

  “That’s what the military says and that is what my rescue team from the military says. They also claim I murdered both of my parents. I had a great relationship with Chantay and my parents. I had no reason to kill them. I loved them with all of my heart,” I say as a start to choke up. “This is tearing me up. I need some closure. I need to apologize. Somehow, I need to make amends.”

  “You are a very troubled young man,” Marva replies.

  “Unfortunately, yes I am,” I say as I wipe tears from my eyes.

  “I can’t do anything about whatever is in your head but I do sense it is causing you physical pain,” says Marva.

  “Yes, the implant is causing me pain.”

  “April, get some Super Bad for Mr. Greer.”

  “Super Bad?” I ask.

  “It is a healing elixir. A very effective elixir and, yes, it is based on the James Brown song.”

  “OK.”

  “The next thing I need you do to is take off all of your clothes and get into the healing waters.”

  “I will join you,” she says as she starts to undress.

  For some reason the scene from Purple Rain where Prince has Apollonia jump into Lake Minnetonka only to tell her she jumped into the wrong lake comes to mind. Marva, however, is a powerful and serious woman so I push the thought out of mind.

  “I hope you don’t feel too uncomfortable doing the naked cleanse. It really is more effective without clothes,” she says. She is already naked and in the water.

  “I understand. I’m cool with it. I’ll do whatever it takes to get some closure.”

  I quickly remove my clothes and join her in the water. I want to ask her if someone who’s Muse is “Something in the Water” by Prince is about to join us but I bite my tongue.

  “This is serious,” I tell some part of myself. “You are here for answers. Stop fucking around.”

  “Water cleanses and nakedness symbolizes the truth. You have been told information. You need to know if what you’ve been told is actually true.”

  “Yes,” I reply softly.

  The water is warm and relaxing. “God,” an alternate Prince track from the Purple Rain era starts to play in the background. The song is an instrumental. I believe it was a b-side for one of the singles.

  “Close your eyes,” she gently commands.

  I comply.

  She gently places her hand on my head and pushes me under water. All kinds of crazy light explosions occur in my eyes. She gently raises my head out of the water and then submerges it again. A rhythm quickly develops between us. I know when she is going to put me under and take me out. First she hums and then she chants in a language I do not understand.

  My body shudders as my mind’s eye opens. All three murder scenes play in my head. She keeps me under as long as possible. When my air starts to become exhausted, she raises me back up. My body starts to shake even more as she chants and puts me under and up again.

  It is all there. I did do it. I murdered the three people I love the most. But I am not myself. I can see that. There is a vacant look in my eyes. Chantay and both of my parents picked up on this. They all asked me if I was all right.

  “Oh my God!” I saw myself leaving the murder scenes covered in blood. “Oh, my God!” The brutality of it all. My stomach convulses and my breakfast from Starfish and Coffee is expelled. I hear someone screaming. I open my eyes. It is me. Marva embraces me. She is stronger than she looks.

  “It’s all right, my child,” she says soothingly. “It’s all right. You must know the truth before you can start the healing process.”

  “I did it. I killed them. It was horrible. It was barbaric—brutal. I was a monster.”

  “But the one’s you love knew you were not yourself. They knew that man was not you. You were a shell of who you are. You were the flesh, but not the soul.”

  “But how? How is that possible?”

  “I don’t know my child, but together, we shall find out.”

  My trip to Anotherloverholeinyohead was expensive. Marva charged me 250 credits with unspecified payments to come. I gave her a tip of 100 credits. It was worth it. I saw with my own mind’s eye what happened. Major Myles would never show me pictures of the crime scene but Lieutenant Colonel Perrione did show me the pictures. The murder scenes I saw played out in my mind’s eye matched the photos. Now, maybe my mind was constructing a false scenario based on the pictures I saw. What I saw in the healing waters with Marva may be a fabrication but it felt real, way too real. I guess I will never truly know since it is buried deep in my mind—in my soul somewhere.

  The one question I have is how did I let them do this to me? OK, they put something in my head, so what. I should’ve been able to resist. How do you totally take away someone’s decision-making power? There is no way they could’ve ever gotten me to consciously murder Chantay or my parents. How does that happen? Who was that soulless, vacant, looking man in the shadow of my memories who committed such horrific crimes against people he loved so dearly? That man was not me. I know that much. But who was it? Did that man tap into some deeply buried resentments that I am not aware of? We all have them with people we love whether we want to admit it or not. Or was the implant the sole guilty party? Who was that man? Who is the monster? The implant or some lost forgotten part of me?

  At least I know the truth now. I have some idea of what happened. Deep down, I know what I saw at Anotherloverholeinyohead was true. I also know who put this technology in my head. I could not see it while in custody. The interrogations, the drugs, all of the mindfuck games—but now I know. It was my own government. How would they know how to manipulate the implant to make Chantay seem like she was alive if it wasn’t their technology to start with. I can see the truth now.

  Chapter 4

  “Hello,” I say answering my new cell phone.

  Suffra
gette City is a big place. I figured I should be efficient by calling around instead of wasting time on fruitless chases.

  “Is this Ripley Greer?” asks a computerized voice.

  “Yes.”

  “Good, it’s nice to finally meet you. You can call me Computer Blue.”

  “You’re not human. You’re a machine.”

  “Yes, The Muse can go beyond only inhabiting humans.

  “I see.”

  “I will be your guide here in Suffragette City. I’ll try to help you navigate The City. This can be a very dangerous place. The fact you don’t truly belong here may catch up with you at some point.”

  “Yes, I have sensed that.”

  “Do you have any questions for me?” asks Computer Blue.

  “Yes, Blue. May I call you that for short?”

  “Yes.”

  “So The Muse chooses its host, right?”

  “Yes. You cannot chase or seduce The Muse. It chooses its partner.”

  “What happens when you are chosen?”

  “It takes over your body. One’s body naturally resists be it a computer, machine or human so it is quite traumatic. A human will become violently sick. The body naturally fights The Muse but eventually it relents. A purge of the body then occurs. It is quite messy consisting of vomiting, sweating, diarrhea and so forth.”

  “I see. So can someone empowered with The Muse be killed?”

  “Of course. You can go against the nature of your individual Muse. Take for instance if Marva Anderson went against the natural Muse of ‘I’ll Take You There’ and went on a murdering spree. The Muse would destroy the offending host and find a new host.”

  “That is interesting.”

  “It can also happen if you are a warrior Hu-Muse and lose in a battle to another warrior Hu-Muse. So, yes, Hu-Muse can and do die. That’s why you will sometimes see a roman numeral following the name of a Hu-Muse.”

  “All right, that helps.”

  “Mr. Greer—”

  “Please call me, Ripley.”

  “OK, Ripley you need protection. We need to get you a small but powerful arsenal of weapons.”

  “That doesn’t sound good. I could understand a weapon but an arsenal?”

  “Yes, an arsenal. You are an outsider here. You need a small arsenal but you also need to keep a low profile. When I say an arsenal, I mean no high-powered rifles or explosives. If you run into trouble, I’m hoping that you can execute a quiet kill.”

  “Huh, a quiet kill? All right, whatever you say. You are the expert here but I could get low on credits.”

  “You need not worry about credits. I can get us all of the credits you will need. They are electronic in nature and I am a computer—a very smart and powerful computer I might add.”

  “That’s good to know.”

  “So who is who in this city. Marva said I need to visit Chocolate City and the P-Funk All Stars next. I must say I’m actually looking forward to this. I am a huge George Clinton and Bootsy Collins fan.”

  “Yes, that makes sense. Maggot Brain should be able to figure out what is in your head.”

  “What else do I need to know? Who are the most feared bounty hunters in the city?”

  “Well, first of all there are several free agents. Sometimes they are good. Sometimes they are not. The Muse for two of them is Motorhead. They are Orgasmatron and the Ace of Spades. The Motorhead Hu-Muse are men. Fire and Ice is inspired by Pat Benetar and she’s a woman.”

  “What motivates them to do good or bad?”

  “Nobody knows for sure.”

  “OK, what else?”

  “You are already familiar with the Kiss inspired 100,000 Years. Psycho Circus is one scary ass villain. Black Diamond is a peacekeeper. Domino is a nasty female bounty hunter. Shock Me, she is interesting—she heals using electric shock, she can also be a good and bad huntress.”

  “Yeah, I am starting to get more familiar with Kiss. They are very powerful here.”

  “Yes, they are. You also have AC/DC. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap, Hells Bells and The Jack are assassins for hire. High Voltage, Live Wire and TNT are peacekeepers. If you ever see the two different groups in the same place, run, it’s about to get ugly. When Hu-Muse from the same family but opposite spectrums of the continuum meet, their powers are amplified.

  One other powerful group is the The Doors inspired The Soft Parade. They are not seen but they are. Nobody knows who they are or what they look like but they are very powerful. The Lizard King is their leader. This what we think we know, Light My Fire is a fire mage, The Unknown Soldier is supposedly a standard peacekeeper, The Rider of the Storm is a warlock, and LA Woman is a witch. They are on the good side and there are many myths and legends about them.

  You also have a whole host of very powerful healers and spiritual masters such as the Kiss inspired God of Thunder and The Rolling Stones inspired Ruby Tuesday, she’s an oracle. Kashmir, who is rooted in Led Zeppelin, is a messianic figure. Finally, you have The King of Pain which is infused with The Police.

  You also have hard to define Hu-Muse such as the Lynyrd Skynyrd inspired Free Bird and Deep Purple’s Smoke on the Water.”

  “What about any other powerful Muse with multiple magically empowered songs?”

  “Jimi Hendrix is very powerful here in the city. Voodoo Child is a hunter and peacekeeper. If 6 was 9 is an oracle. Purple Haze is an illusionist and The New Rising Sun is a healer.”

  Billy Idol is also big. New Future Weapon is a peacekeeper. Eyes Without a Face is an oracle. White Wedding and Rebel Yell—they are magically empowered tricksters. They can be good or bad depending on the time of day or weather… I am joking of course—let’s just say they are unpredictable.

  There are many other powerful Hu-Muse out there—too numerous to mention. That is a thumbnail sketch. I will fill you in as we encounter others.”

  “Thank you. This is a lot to take in. I’m glad you are looking after me.”

  “I am glad to be wanted and appreciated,” answers Computer Blue.

  “So what can you tell me about Salvation Road?”

  “It is the reason I exist. It is why The Muse exists. It is the key to the city. It is why all of these people reside in The City. The trick is to see through the strip clubs, whorehouses, alcohol-fueled nightclubs, and the drama of the bounty fueled battles to see the real reason we are all here. It seems so obvious but so many can’t see the obvious. It’s also the only true safe zone in the city from the violence. Many here don’t realize this because it is unstated. If people would only open up their eyes, they would see the obvious.”

  “All right. I get it. Thank you again for your help.”

  “No problem. Now get moving. You have work to do.”

  I sit in a dark corner in the back of Ramone’s sipping on a cheap bottle of beer. The bar isn’t named after the band The Ramones but after the owner Ramone Hernandez. I am nervous. I am here on the advice of my cyberspace advisor, Computer Blue. I used to drink a lot when I first joined the Marine Corp. I don’t have the stomach for alcohol today. Maybe it’s because I want to stay focused. There is a lot going on and I want to stay alert. Suffragette City is a beautiful and fascinating place. It’s also dangerous. This is the first real dangerous situation I have been in since entering the city.

  I know him instantly when he enters the little hole in the wall bar because Blue showed me a picture of him on my smart phone.

  James “Shoot to Thrill” Biederson is bigger than I thought he would be. He is a husky six-foot-four with flaming red hair. Husky is an understatement—he is a mountain of a man. He is as wide as he is tall. He looks powerful not fat. His Muse comes from the Australian rock band AC-DC.

  He eyes me and walks toward the back of the bar.

  “Are you Ripley Greer?” he grunts.

  “Yes, sir, I am.”

  He smells of cigarette smoke and sweat. He has on blue jeans and a black button down long sleeved work shirt that a construction worker or logger
would wear. He looks to be in his late 40s.

  “Let’s make this quick. I’m just starting my rounds. You’re the first person I’m meeting tonight and I have a whole lot of other people to meet.”

  “I would like a .357 handgun, a M-9 Bayonet, a push knife or fist knife, and the BC-41 used by the Brits in World War II.”

  “The BC-41. Are you out of your fuckin’ mind? I can’t get a BC-41. Those things are very rare.”

  “I was told that if I had the credits, you could find the goods.”

  “Well, yeah, but you’re asking a lot.”

  “How much?”

  “A .357 will be 800 credits. The M-9 is about 200 credits. The push knife is also roughly 200 credits. Do you really need a BC-41?”

  “Yes.”

  “That will be at least 1000 but may be closer to 1500.”

  “That won’t be a problem.”

  “What is so special about the BC-41? You already have two knives in your order.”

  “It fits my fighting style.”

  “All right. Whatever you say.”

  “I’ll throw in another 200 credits for any advice you may have for me. I am new here in The City.”

  “Well, clearly you’re new here and you obviously have some serious business to conduct. From the sound of it you want to keep a low profile and not end up on the bounty board.”

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “And worse, you don’t belong here—I mean—you should be in the old world.”

  “Yes, correct, again.”

  James Biederson lets out a sigh and closes his eyes.

  “Well, you have the right weapons if you want to lay low. Try to talk with your credits rather than your weapons and form an alliance with a clan if that’s possible.”

  “How are these alliances formed?”