Chapter 4 Flight to Africa

Lenka put the phone down with a frown. He was dressed in silk pajamas, light blue with darker blue trim. He looked out the bedroom window at the darkness. It was late and most of the city had already gone to bed.

His man in Tokyo had called just as Lenka was getting ready for bed.

"We have an added element."

"What do you mean added element?" Lenka had asked.

"We have another hostage."

"Who?"

"A dock hand. We don't know why he was here. He managed to find his way into the hold and found the girl."

Lenka sighed, irritated. This was unexpected. He needed to know what the dock hand knew and why he had shown up. He didn't want his men to do the questioning; they had a tendency to get too rough before getting answers.

"Change of plans. Fly to the estate. I'll keep them there until I make contact with Takashi. Contact me when you've landed."

"Right."

Putting the phone down, Lenka knew he'd have at least 17 hours before he heard anything. Turning out the bedside lamp, he got into bed and considered this new problem. He wasn't very happy about it. He had to come up with another "accident" for this new development. Too many accidents could cause problems. He would have to be very careful to make it work. He still had other arrangements to make in the morning. Putting this recent development at the back of his mind, he relaxed and went to sleep.

An early riser, Lenka was up after only five hours of sleep. After a shower, he dressed in a light blue silk suit then sat down to breakfast. He thought about his problem and came up with a solution. After breakfast, Lenka made the other call. He was told that the shipment was ready to go.

'Perfect.' Lenka thought. 'At least one thing is going as planned.' He liked everything organized and on schedule. The added hostage threw off the organized schedule just enough to upset Lenka. It meant he had to reorganize his plans. And that was a waste of time and money to him.

Lenka frowned, thinking. He'd wait for his man to call and then head up to his estate. It was further to the north and a little west and would take about an hour to get to. He didn't spend much time there, preferring to "entertain" at his apartment in the city. So for Lenka, this trip was a waste of time. He did take government officials to the estate for "canned" hunts, spreading his wealth around and keeping the officials under his control. He spent the next half hour going over his schedule, adjusting it to fit this new development.

The rest of Lenka's morning was spent on the phone, making sure deliveries were on time, setting up a meeting with a dealer in Malaysia who dealt in trafficking wildlife, checking freighter schedules and organizing a rhino hunt. The rhino hunt took extra planning, as it involved a private reserve up near Addo Elephant National Park and would require plane fly-overs to search for the endangered animals.

It had been just after noon when Sherrin had asked Hikaru to stay with the animals and left with Sesshoumaru and InuYasha. Hikaru had waited for them to come back, feeling frustrated at not being able to do anything. He sat on the pale blue couch, trying to relax. Maverick, the cat had joined him, purring as he kneaded Hikaru's thigh. Hikaru had just begun to relax with the cat when he had gotten an image from Moriko. Startled, he had sat up, concentrating. She had been on a freighter, now was on a plane. He didn't know where she was headed though. He had tried to get more information, but the connection had been broken. Again, he didn't get any sense of impending danger; only a sense of something not quite right. It still bothered him that he hadn't acted on the sensation when he first felt it. He knew what Moriko would say:

"I don't expect you to come running each time I worry about something."

It didn't make him feel any better. He was determined to find her and help in any way he could.

Dumping the cat on the floor, he got up and paced around the house. He thought about the freighter and the plane, trying to remember anything about them. Sitting back down on the couch, Hikaru sighed. Unable to figure out the where Moriko was taken, he decided to consider the why she was taken. He felt a cold wet nose on his hand and looked to see Moose trying to get his attention. He scratched behind the big dog's ears.

"What are we missing, Moose?"

It was around mid afternoon when Hikaru heard his Father and Sherrin come back. He got up to meet them at the door.

"Learn anything?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru shook his head.

Sherrin came in behind Sesshoumaru. "I'm making some tea, anyone else want some?"

Hikaru and Sesshoumaru both nodded. Sherrin headed for the kitchen, followed by the cat and dog. As she made the tea, she listened to what Hikaru had to say.

"Moriko sent me a message. She was first on a freighter, then on a plane. I didn't get any more than that." Hikaru shook his head. "If only I had acted when I first felt she was upset."

Sesshoumaru knew from experience what Moriko's reaction was when Hikaru "came to her rescue" when he felt that she was upset. "You are not to blame." He told Hikaru, though he himself felt much the same as Hikaru: that he should have done more to protect Moriko.

Sherrin came out with the tea. She could tell both men were blaming themselves for Moriko's disappearance. Handing them their tea, she said "There's nothing either of you could have done to prevent Moriko being taken. So let's figure out where she is and get her back." She had their attention. "Hikaru, you said she was on a freighter. Let's look into that."

Sesshoumaru set aside his emotions, knowing he'd think better with a logical mind unencumbered by anger. Sherrin's suggestion helped him to look at the situation from all angles; not just that Moriko was taken, but who took her, why they took her and where were they taking her.

"I know it won't be easy, but can we check out the docks for any clues?"

Sesshoumaru nodded. "Maybe some scent we can track or someone who saw something."

Sherrin sat down at the small desk with Sesshoumaru's lap top and started looking up shipyards.

After dropping off Sesshoumaru and Sherrin, InuYasha went back to his office. He had someone in mind that could help him find out what he wanted to know. He made a phone call.

"Hey mangy wolf," InuYasha said when he heard the voice.

"Dog Breath. What a surprise. What do you need?"

InuYasha and Kouga's relationship was an odd one. Like with Sesshoumaru, InuYasha knew he could count on Kouga to help him out. Kouga had long ago accepted the relationship between Kagome and InuYasha, but he still cared for Kagome and felt protective of her. Of course he had his own mate, Ayame, who had turned out to be a good choice.

"I need some info on a couple of men. They're most likely German mercenaries." He explained about the two men snooping around the shipyard and gave a fairly accurate description.

"I'll get right on it."

"Thanks." InuYasha hung up and sat back in the chair. His office, one level down from Sesshoumaru's, was all walls, no windows. The room was done in an off white color, the walls blank but for a few pictures of mountain scenery. There was a bank of monitors that showed scenes of the building and dock. There were security cameras at every entrance and exit of the building, as well as one at each boat slip, where the ships docked.

But that wasn't all the security. There were guards as well, humans as well as youkai. So the company was well protected. The only weakness in the company was that the individuals who worked there weren't protected when they left. This was the weakness that was exploited by the two men.

While Kouga was trying to find out who was responsible, InuYasha was concentrating on the why.

'Okay, the possibilities.' InuYasha thought to himself. 'Kidnapping, for money, blackmail or for slavery?' The kidnapping for money didn't seem to be right, as no one had contacted them. 'Blackmail.' He considered this carefully. There was only one reason why anyone would try to blackmail them. If someone had found out what he and Sesshoumaru were, there really was no need to kidnap Moriko to get money, except as extra insurance. Most likely, if Moriko were kidnapped because someone knew what they were, it was to study her and maybe get information out of her. 'Slavery then.' InuYasha thought about it. He spent about an hour researching human slavery.

He found that it was mostly poor European countries that trafficked in human slavery. However, there were groups that worked in other countries to find suitable "partners" for rich European businessmen. InuYasha felt this was a possibility but it didn't quite fit with the men checking out the company. Frowning, he considered what reasons the men would have for checking out Shiro Inu Exports.

His thoughts went back to blackmail. It was the only thing he could think of for taking Moriko and checking into the company.

He was still thinking about the why an hour later when Kouga called him back.

"Yup, hired mercenaries. Work for a shipping company out of South Africa, Port Lyon Import-Export, owned by one Henrik Lenka."

InuYasha frowned. The name Lenka sounded familiar. "Thanks Kouga."

"No problem. Anything else?"

"Find out all you can about Lenka."

"Sure, just tell me why all the interest."

InuYasha explained about the two guys checking out the company and Moriko's disappearance.

This bit of information surprised Kouga. He let out a low growl. "Any help you need just let me know."

InuYasha grunted a thanks and hung up the phone. It rang. Picking it up again, InuYasha growled a hello. It was Sherrin.

"We're going to the docks. Hikaru got an image from Moriko about being on a freighter, then a plane. We'll pick you up."

"Right." InuYasha hung up again and got ready to leave.

Sesshoumaru pulled the car around the front of the shipyard office where InuYasha was waiting.

InuYasha got in the back seat next to Hikaru. "The freighter most likely belongs to a South African company, Port Lyon Import-Export." InuYasha informed his brother of what Kouga had learned.

Sherrin had a list of ship yards she had gotten from the internet. She had made notes about each shipyard. "Lets check the ones that aren't as big and busy first."

They made their way around Tokyo Bay, checking out various shipyards. On their fifth stop, they found something. This shipyard, while in view of the shipping lanes, was quiet; it seemed almost deserted. There was a freighter docked but no one around; no workers busy loading or unloading.

Sesshoumaru and InuYasha slowly made their way along the dock, sorting through the numerous scents. Hikaru checked the freighter, but he couldn't tell if it was the one Moriko had been on or not.

Sherrin had followed Sesshoumaru, watching how he worked. He would walk slowly, his eyes going over every building, every object, looking for clues. He would pause occasionally, as if thinking. Sherrin knew he was sorting through the smells, learning what he could.

Sesshoumaru stopped suddenly, picking up the scent of an unknown youkai mixed in with Moriko's. He growled softly. There were also the scents of eight different humans with weapons. Sesshoumaru sifted through the scents, sorting out the humans and the youkai. He concentrated on the youkai to get an idea of what the youkai was; a young male, feline in origin. He growled again.

InuYasha looked up at the sound of the growl. He too had picked up the scent. "Recognize it?" he asked.

Sesshoumaru shook his head, frowning. He knew of a group of feline youkai living in remote areas of the northern part of Russia but had never met them. He wondered if this youkai was one and what he was doing here.

"What did you find?" Hikaru asked, joining Sherrin. He too picked up the scents.

"Moriko was here, along with an unknown youkai." Sesshoumaru took one last look around. "There is nothing more to learn here."

Back at the company office, InuYasha had a message from Kouga to call him back. As he sat at his desk, Sesshoumaru, Sherrin and Hikaru went up to Sesshoumaru's office. Picking up the phone, he dialed the number. "What have you got for me?"

"You won't like this. This guy needs to be taken out." What Kouga had learned turned his stomach. Considering his own distant past, that said a lot. He told InuYasha everything he had found out: trafficking weapons, slaves, endangered animal parts and a no tell policy.

InuYasha growled. He had no idea how Kouga managed to learn these things and he didn't really want to know. Kouga had earned a reputation as a very efficient private investigator. Incorporating the skills of his favorite literary detective, he surpassed his role model, the great Sherlock Holmes. InuYasha knew that whatever Kouga found out, it was true. So the only thing that made sense was…

"Slave trade," Kouga said, finishing InuYasha's thought.

"I need to tell Sesshoumaru."

"Let me know if you need my help going after this guy."

"I'll let him know. Thanks Kouga." InuYasha hung up and headed upstairs to Sesshoumaru's office. Sherrin had looked up the Port Lyon Import-Export shipping company while InuYasha was talking to Kouga. She didn't learn much, other than the company shipped cargo around the world.

Sesshoumaru stood at the window, looking out. He turned when InuYasha came through the door.

"The company is owned by a guy named Lenka." He looked at Sesshoumaru. "He could have taken lessons from Naraku."

Sesshoumaru frowned. To put Lenka in the same league as Naraku meant that the guy was totally evil. And he had Moriko.

"So he took Moriko to sell her as a slave?" Sherrin shuddered at the idea. She had seen the movie, "Taken" where the main character's daughter had been kidnapped for slavery. While the movie was fiction, the slavery was not.

"No."

"No?" InuYasha looked at his brother, surprised.

Sesshoumaru had been remembering a phone conversation with a man named Lenka.

"No. About a year ago, Lenka tried to buy the company. This is about the company."

Outwardly, Sesshoumaru was calm. Inwardly, he was seething with anger. He kept the anger in check, to be unleashed when he met Lenka.

"We're going to Africa."

Amba and Moriko sat quietly on the plane, trying to figure out how to escape. Though they could escape mid-flight, there was no way to explain such a feat. Their chances of how they overpowered eight armed men plus the pilot and co-pilot and escape or fly the plane were slim. So their only chance was to wait for the plane the land and make a run for it. There was also the need of information. Why were they being taken? Had someone figured out what they were? Or was she, Moriko, the target? Perhaps to be sold as a slave? Or was it something else?

As far as she could tell, she was wanted alive. But that didn't give her much information. If someone had figured out what they were, they would more than likely want live specimens to study, or she would have been killed outright. If it was the slave trade, she would need to be alive and healthy. Beyond those two reasons, she couldn't think of anything else.

Amba watched the men, looking for lapses in concentration. While the men talked among themselves, at least two were always vigilant, guns at ready. Amba had already come to the same conclusion as Moriko. There was no feasible way for a human to escape such a predicament. If they could be sure no one found out about the incident, they might get away with it. He was sure Moriko's father would keep the incident as quiet as possible, but it was sure that someone in authority was going to find out about it.

After several hours, with nothing to do, Amba and Moriko rested. They closed their eyes, not fully asleep, but dozing lightly.

The plane bounced, jolting Amba completely awake. He looked out the nearest window. The plane had encountered a storm and was skirting around it. Judging by his internal clock, Amba estimated they had been in the air about seventeen hours. He didn't know the flight time between Japan and Africa but he thought they should have been at their destination by now. He carefully studied their captors. The men were hushed, nervous. That was not a good sign. Nervous men with guns caused accidents.

The plane bounced again as it hit cross currents of wind from the storm. Moriko sat up straighter and held onto Amba's arm. They could both hear the engines growling and straining against the storm. Finally, after what seemed like forever, but was in fact only an hour, the plane reached the edge of the storm and turned back towards its original course. The men relaxed a bit. Another hour or so and they'd be back on land.

It was when the pilot mentioned their approach to the landing strip that the engines sputtered, whined and quit. For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then as the plane nosed downward, the men erupted in yelling. Several flung their guns down to hang onto their seats for dear life, screaming. The plane shook and shuddered, throwing anyone who wasn't holding on out of their seats.

Keeping calm, Amba and Moriko held on to each other and their seats. On either side of them, their guards were yelling. One was waving his gun around and yelling at them, as if this was their fault. Amba was sure the guy would end up shooting them.

The plane shuddered harder, dropped several hundred feet then leveled out as the pilot fought to gain control. The plane continued down in a more controlled fall. The men who had been thrown from their seats dragged themselves back. For a moment it looked like the plane might actually make a safe landing. Then the plane dropped the last few hundred feet like a rock. It hit the runway with a hard jolt, sending everyone flying. Men and guns flew every which way, banging into chairs, walls and even one went through a window.

The plane spun around as it slid off the runway, breaking a wing as it hit a boulder and slammed into a large stand of trees and stopped.

Amba and had kept their wits about them, rolling into protective balls between the seats to keep from being thrown around. As soon as the plane came to a stop, they took advantage of the confusion and went out the already broken window into the trees.

Notes:

Sorry for taking so long on updating. Apart from being busy, I look up everything. I have been spending a lot of time on other sites. Also, I don't like writing with people watching, so I wait for alone times to write. They are few and far between. One place I spend lots of time is "Africam", the live streaming 24/7 video of a water hole in South Africa. As I'm writing this, a herd of elephants showed up. So I'm bouncing back and forth.

Again, you may find personal opinions here as well as information.

There is a 7 hour difference between Japan and South Africa. So if 3pm in Japan, then 8am Africa

I do not approve of canned hunts or trophy hunting/fishing. Both are not only a waste of a life, but takes away from the gene pool and health of the population. If I want to se a dead stuffed animal, I'll go to a museum.