Wrath of the Siafu- A SIngle Link

by Balogun Ojetade

  P.J. and Katya circled Eboni and Remi like lionesses preparing to pounce on a lone water buffalo. P.J. began rhythmically tapping the side of her head with her fingertips as she took small, shuffling steps toward Remi.

  “Fifty-two Blocks?” Remi said as she bent her knees low, raised her fists to the height of her chin and bent slightly at the waist, assuming a traditional West African martial arts fighting position.

  “We call it the Alto Shuffle in here,” P.J. replied. “You ain’t the only one who knows this jungle-bunny combat stuff.”

  “Amazing,” Remi said.

  “What? That a white girl knows the Shuffle?” P.J. snickered.

  “No,” Remi replied. “That some sister was foolish enough to teach your redneck ass!”

  P.J.’s smile twisted into a scowl. “This ain’t no ring, jigaboo. Ain’t no rules in here. I’m gonna…”

  Remi exploded forward, closing on P.J. with blinding speed. She fired a volley of punches into the woman’s face. Each powerful blow connected, rending flesh and crushing bone.

  P.J.’s arms fell to her sides, her torso stiffened, but her knees became rubbery, wavering from side to side for a brief moment before she collapsed onto her back on the cold, hard floor.

  “You talk too much,” Remi said, glaring into P.J.’s flitting eyes.

  Muffled cheers erupted from inside the cells.

  Katya growled and charged toward Eboni with her head down and her massive arms outstretched.

  Eboni leapt toward the giant woman, driving her right knee forward with her sinewy hips. Her knee slammed into Katya’s chin with a loud crunch.

  Katya collapsed onto her haunches.

  Eboni darted toward the downed giantess.

  Katya thrust her left arm forward, punching Eboni in the gut with her ham-sized fist.

  A whoosh of air shot out of Eboni’s mouth. She collapsed to her knees, her mouth opening and closing rapidly in an effort to pull air back into her lungs.

  Katya shook her head and then struggled to her feet. She held her arms out at her sides to steady herself and then she raised her fists high above her head.

  Eboni lurched forward, pressing her torso against Katya’s right leg. She wrapped her arms around Katya’s thick ankles and then drove her chest forward and downward upon Katya’s knee.

  Katya screamed as her knee snapped, popped and then bent at an odd angle behind her. She fell onto her side, screaming in agony as she clutched her dislocated knee.

  Eboni rose to her feet.

  Another cheer came from the cells.

  The door to the common area slid open. Eight detention officers rushed into the room.

  “On the ground,” they barked. “On the ground, now!”

  Remi dropped down into a pushup position and then lowered herself until she was prone, with her forehead pressed to the floor. Eboni followed suit.

  Remi felt cold hands on her wrists. A moment later, she felt cold steel handcuffs bite into her flesh. She was dragged to her feet by two officers and then shoved out of the common area into the hallway. She was then rushed down the hall and into the laundry room. Remi heard the door slam shut. A moment later, she heard the click of the door being locked.

  A woman stepped from behind the dryers. She was dressed in a charcoal-gray, wool business suit with light gray pinstripes. Her straight, black hair was styled in a pageboy haircut and her bistre complexion was flawless. “Hello, Mrs. Swan…Ms. Ahmed,” she said. “I am Anna Hess, but you can call me Warden. I run the Ames Medical Facility.”

  “Did you enjoy the show?” Remi asked.

  “Immensely,” Warden Hess replied. “The two of you are quite formidable.”

  “It must have been staged for your amusement.” Remi said.

  “I needed to assess your skills,” Warden Hess said. “To know you are both the champions I have heard so much about.”

  “For what?” Eboni hissed. “The only fighting we’ll be doing in here is for our lives.”

  “The men’s prisons have seasonal fights,” Warden Hess replied. “At these fights, the best fighters from each prison compete in a no-holds barred tournament. The winners of each tournament win the purse for their prison…a purse that is in the tens of millions.”

  “And?” Remi said.

  “And I want you two to represent Ames in the tournament,” the Warden replied. “You will be the first women to ever enter.”

  “Too bad we’re inmates, not convicts,” Eboni said.

  “We all know that will change soon,” Warden Hess said. “Look, I will make it worth your while.”

  “How?” Remi asked.

  “I will take three months off your sentence for every fight,” Warden Hess answered. “Six months for every win.”

  “And what, up to three fights per tournament?” Eboni asked.

  “Yes,” the Warden replied. “Four tournaments a year; so, potentially, you could have two years scratched from your sentence…if you win each tournament, of course.”

  “Fighting men was hard enough in the cage,” Remi said. “But these men are fighting for their freedom. They’ll fight harder.”

  “Yeah…and some of them are stone-cold killers or crazy as all get-out,” Eboni chimed in.

  Warden Hess smiled. “I have a…solution; something that will even the playing field.”

  “What’s that?” Eboni inquired.

  “You’ll see,” the Warden replied. “So, what do you say?”

  “We want your guarantee in writing,” Remi replied. “But we want four months off of our sentences per fight and nine months off per win.”

  “You’d better win big, then,” the Warden said. “Okay, it’s a deal. Ms. Ahmed, you will fight in the Bantamweight class. Mrs. Swan, you will continue to fight in the Lightweight class. The quarter-final fights are by weight class; the semi-finals are by the drawing of the names from a hat and the winners of the semi finals battle for the championship.”

  “Wait,” Eboni said. “You mean the semi-finals and the finals don’t have weight classes? So, I could end up fighting a man who’s, literally, twice my size?”

  “Or more, yes,” Warden Hess replied. “However, like I said, I have something that will even the playing field.”

  “It better be a machine gun,” Eboni sighed.

  “What are the weight classes?” Remi inquired.

  “Heavyweight, Middleweight, Lightweight and Bantamweight,” Warden Hess answered. “So, I ask again…are you in?”

  “Yes,” Remi replied.

  “Same here,” Eboni said.

  “Good,” Warden Hess said. “The guards will escort you to a van that is waiting to take you to Ames.”

  “We have to get our stuff,” Eboni said.

  “Your belongings have already been packed and loaded onto the van,” the Warden replied.

  “Uh…thanks?” Eboni said.

  “Only the best for my fighters,” Warden Hess said, smiling. She then turned on her heels and walked away, disappearing in the shadows of the washing machines.

  ####

  Remi and Eboni jogged behind a detention officer – a tall, lean man, whose legs seemed to go on forever – in order to keep pace with his brisk strides. She opened and closed her fists, stretching her liberated wrists, which had been constricted by handcuffs.

  “Why did you take the deal?” Eboni whispered. “We should have waited for Dan Wallace’s attorney to work his magic.”

  “I’m buying us time,” Remi replied. “Warden Hess would have kept sending her cronies our way until we complied, killed one of those women and got extra time, or got killed ourselves.”

  “Well, I trust you, so I’m backing your play,” Eboni said. “So, don’t screw up!”

  “I won’t,” Remi said.

  “Stop!” The officer behind them commanded.

  Remi and Eboni stopped running and stood, in silence, before a pair of steel double doors marked ‘Transport’.

  The detention officer at Remi’s rear
leaned forward until his chin hovered over her shoulder. “Alright ladies, you are about to leave this facility. The men behind this door are armed. If you make any sudden movements, you will be put down. If you have to relieve yourselves, hold it; it’s just a hop, skip and a jump from here to Ames. If you relieve yourselves on the nice leather interior of that Mercedes van, you will clean it and you will be denied commissary for two months. Do you both understand?”

  “Yes,” Remi replied.

  “I understand, you need a breath mint,” Eboni said.

  “Funny,” the officer said with a smirk.

  The doors opened. A black van stood before Remi. Two officers, both dressed in pristine white jumpsuits and white bomber jackets, were posted up beside each open rear door.

  The officers were armed with riot shotguns.

  Another officer poked his head out of the driver’s window. “Hop in, ladies!” He shouted.

  Eboni climbed into the van and took a seat. Remi followed her. The officer had not lied – the seats and walls were, indeed made of soft, oxblood leather.

  Eboni perused the van and whistled. “Damn, we ridin’ in style! This is one of those Mercedes Sprinter Mini-Buses.”

  “Instead of the whip on our back, now we’re in the back of the whip, huh?” Remi said.

  “Yep,” Eboni sighed. “We gon’ get free, though.”

  Remi nodded. “Yes, we are.”

  ####

  The ride in the Sprinter was short; no more than fifteen minutes by Remi’s estimation. Although the van had windows, they were so thick, so black, she could not see anything when she peered at them except her own reflection. The Sprinter slowed and came to a stop. A moment later, the doors flew open. The guards stood beside them, scatter guns at the ready.

  “Out, please,” one of the guards said.

  Remi stepped out of the van and onto the white, granite floor. Remi looked around. The stone walls, the steel doors, even the light fixtures – all stark white.

  Remi and Eboni were led through a door, down a short hallway, to a door marked ‘Warden Hess’ in ivory text with a black outline.

  One of the guards rapped on the door with his knuckles.

  A muffled “Come in,” came from within the room.

  The guard opened the door and stepped inside. The guard at the rear gently nudged Remi and Eboni into the room.

  The warden sat at her desk, smiling. “Mrs. Swan, Ms. Ahmed, welcome to Ames Medical Facility. You will be staying in Pod C. Officers McCray and Dillard here will get you situated. They’ll take you on a tour of the facility in the morning.”

  “Okay,” Remi replied.

  “I just have a few rules,” Warden Hess said. “Most don’t apply to you, I’m sure, but I have to tell you anyway. No drugs, except those prescribed by one of our doctors; no fighting other inmates; no martial arts or other combat training outside of the designated training areas, which include the wrestling room, the bag and pad room and the cage; and, finally, since this is a medical facility, everyone is kept on a healthy diet tailored for them. All meals will be served in your rooms and eaten there. No meals will be shared with others and every meal must be eaten. Any violation of the rules will result in additional time added to your sentence and denial of parole hearings and may result in a stay in solitary confinement, as well. Any questions?”

  “No,” Remi replied.

  “Nope,” Eboni said.

  “Good,” Warden Hess said. “Officer McCray, Officer Dillard…please show the ladies to their rooms.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Officer McCray said.

  “On it, Warden,” Officer Dillard replied.

  “Follow me, ladies,” Officer Dillard said, peering over his shoulder.

  He marched out of the room. Eboni followed. Remi walked behind her. Officer Dillard led them to the end of the hall to an elevator door. The door slid open and everyone stepped inside the elevator. Remi noticed that the elevator only had a button for the first and second floor.

  “This prison only has two floors?” Remi said.

  “This isn’t a prison,” Officer McCray said. “It’s a medical facility. And why do you ask? Planning an escape attempt?”

  “If it’s just a medical facility, we’re free to leave whenever we want, right?” Remi said.

  “You’re free to leave when the Warden says you’re well enough to,” Officer McCray said. “And before you ask, yes, she’s a doctor.”

  The door slid open. Remi followed Officer Dillard down a hallway. On her left were the pods – capacious rooms that housed several cells and a central common area. On her left were the towers for each pod – where the officers sat, keeping watch over the activities within the pod, controlling the pod and cell doors and relaxing until they had to transport an inmate or respond to some crisis. Remi counted four pods. Her pod, ‘C’, was next to last. She assumed the last pod was ‘D’.

  “Open Pod C,” Officer Dillard shouted.

  “Opening Pod C!” Someone shouted from the tower.

  The pod’s door slid open.

  “You’re home, ladies,” Officer McCray said. “You’re in room four. You will find your uniforms, towels and toiletries there. Shower and change. Leave those old blue uniforms at your door. You have twenty minutes, then your door will lock and your light will go out. The other ladies are already locked down for the night.”

  Remi and Eboni sauntered toward their cell – the only one with an open door. Women whistled and catcalled.

  “You pretty!”

  “Wanna be my girlfriend?”

  “Hey, sis, bless me with those blues when you change out into your whites, okay?”

  Remi ignored the voices and kept her gaze on her door. She stepped into her room. It was as stark white and clean as everything else she had seen in this facility, thus far.

  “Damn, is the training equipment white, too?” Eboni said, shaking her head.

  “If it is, it won’t be after we get a hold of it,” Remi replied.

  “I know that’s right,” Eboni said, extending her fist.

  Remi pressed her fist to Eboni’s and then extended her fingers as she retracted her hand. Eboni mirrored her, simulating an explosion.

  “Age before beauty,” Remi said, nodding toward the shower in their bathroom.

  “I’m older and more beautiful, so I guess I’ll have to take two showers,” Eboni replied.

  “You should write a book, too,” Remi said. “Your imagination is tremendous!”

  “Whatever,” Eboni replied with a smirk. “So, how are we gonna let Kundo know we’re here?”

  “I told him the transfer was coming,” Remi said. “Dan Wallace’s attorney is coming to see us tomorrow. When they tell him we’ve been transferred, he’ll know to come here.”

  “Cool,” Eboni replied. “We gotta get out of here ASAP, Remi…that warden gives me the creeps.”

  “Me too,” Remi said. “Until we get out of here, we move as a unit, we sleep with one eye open, we don’t start nothin’, but we sure as hell finish it.”

  Eboni pounded her left palm with her right fist. “Damn skippy!”

  ROUND THREE

  “It is seven a.m., time to wake up,” a soothing, maternal voice crooned from what sounded to Remi like several speakers – all obviously concealed within the walls and ceiling because the only fixtures in her cell were the lights and a small plasma television embedded in the wall above the white oak desk opposite the bunks. “It is seven a.m., time to wake up,” the voice said again.

  “Shut up!” Eboni hissed, throwing her pillow at the wall.

  Remi sat upright, dangling her feet over the edge of the bed. “I guess it’s time for breakfast. We’d better get up.”

  “You’d better get your feet out of my face,” Eboni said.

  “You’re just jealous of my pretty feet,” Remi replied.

  “You do keep ‘em lookin’ nice,” Eboni said, sitting up. “Kundo must have a thing for toes.”

  “I ain’t sayin
’ nothin’,” Remi snickered.

  Eboni laughed. “Yep, that’s my answer, right there.”

  A click came from the door. A moment later, it slid open. A short, athletically built woman dressed in a white officer’s uniform pushed a chrome cart into the room. Atop the cart were two white, polymer trays. Remi peered down at the multi-compartmented trays – both of them contained steaming oatmeal, a banana, a bunch of grapes and a toasted cinnamon raison bagel. Beside each tray was a tall plastic cup full of what looked like a green smoothie.

  “Good morning, ladies,” the officer said. “I’m Officer Reed. I’m here to work with you during the day shift. Eat up…all of it and enjoy.”

  “Where’s the steak and eggs?” Eboni asked, staring at the tray in despair. “The salmon croquettes? The pancakes? The turkey bacon?”

  “All of our patients are placed on a strict diet designed to promote health, fitness and focus,” Officer Reed replied. “All meals are vegetarian and vegan.”

  “Aw, hell naw!” Eboni protested.

  Remi snickered. “Welcome to my world.”

  The women removed their trays and cups from the cart and placed them on the table.

  “I’ll return for the trays and cups in an hour,” Officer Reed said. “Throw away the plasticware. If there are any stains on your clothing, yell up to the pod and let us know; an officer will bring you a fresh pair. The Warden doesn’t permit anyone to leave their pod with any stains on their whites. I’ll return at nine to take you on a tour of the facility.”

  Officer Reed pushed the cart out of the room. The door closed behind her.

  “Patients?” Eboni whispered.

  “I know, right?” Remi replied.

  “I guess they think it sounds better than inmate or convict,” Eboni said.