Thursday

Chapter 3

On the other side of the world, Tony and Gibbs arrive at the airport in Seoul, South Korea at 17:45 in the evening. From Washington, D.C. they were able to make the, Wednesday, nonstop 13:30 Delta flight to Seoul.

Once at the Seoul, South Korea airport, they're met in the terminal by the FBI informant.

"You must be Anthony DiNozzo and Jethro Gibbs." The man greeted them. "For security purposes, my name is Cal."

"We need to hurry…" Tony begins to say.

"Let's walk and talk. We have a long drive ahead of us." Cal stated.

Once in the parking lot, they get into the van. Cal drives while Tony and Gibbs are in the back. The vehicle moves and eventually gets on the long road across the country. Seoul is on the side of South Korea that faces China. They needed to be on the other side of South Korea. A boat is waiting for them at Chodo-ri, South Korea; a small town along the Sea of Japan.

"We have almost a two hundred mile drive." Cal stated. "You might as well get some rest."

"I don't think I can." Tony said.

"They haven't moved Chioke to the trading camp yet. I've been gathering information about the slave trading. The best time to get your son back is upon leaving the trading camp. Upon purchase, the slaves are shipped through China in order to reach to their destinations. The Chinese government may deny any involvement with slave trading, but they receive a cut of the profit by allowing the transportation of slaves through the country. It wouldn't surprise me if some the slaves end up in Chinese sweat shops."

"If the Chinese government makes money off the slave trade business, once we have Chioke, how do you plan on getting us out?" Gibbs asked.

"We'll need to cross the boarder into South Korea. Once we enter South Korea, we'll be out of harms way. I know a route which isn't heavily guarded on the North Korean side. That will be our escape route."

"I don't care how we do it, just as long as I get my son back." Tony stated.

"I took the liberty of purchasing some equipment you might need for this mission. It's waiting on the boat." Cal said. "If there's anything else you need, my contact will get it for you."

"So you know… We have the money you requested for your service." Gibbs said.

"Who taught you English, Cal?" Tony wondered.

"I know it may be somewhat tough to understand my English due to my Korean accent…"

"What are you talking about? I can understand you just fine. Your teacher taught you well." Tony stated.

"I was born in North Korea. My mother brought me to America when I was young. While in America I learned English."

After almost three hours, they reach Chodo-ri where the boat is. Cal parks the van near the docks. Tony and Gibbs grab the gear they came in with. They all exit from the van. The three of them walk unto the dock and to the boat. They step onto the boat. Cal guides them down below. Once inside, Cal shows them the equipment he purchased. Gibbs carefully examines the equipment.

The equipment consists of: three assault rifles, one sniper rifle, three sidearm handguns, three pairs of night vision goggles and binoculars, six knives (three large blades and three small blades), extra ammunition, three pairs of camouflage uniforms, a couple flash-bang grenades and regular grenades plus some other, smaller equipment.

Gibbs grabs the sniper rifle. He holds it and points it to the side; away from the others. Gibbs looks through the scope.

"Very nice." Gibbs said as he puts the sniper rifle down. "We don't need anything else."

"Hopefully we won't have to use the majority of this equipment, but just in case, we do have it." Cal stated. He walks to the stairway to get out of the inside of the boat. "Igor… Get us moving!" He walks back to where Gibbs and Tony are. The boat begins moving away from the dock. "Like my name isn't really Cal, his name really isn't Igor. It's for out security and protection. I hope you understand."

"We understand, Cal." Gibbs said. "We know you're not supposed to be doing this and that you need to protect your identity. We also appreciate the risk you're taking to help us."

"This boat has a hidden compartment. Help me place the equipment inside because the North Korean coastal patrol is very cautious. They stop boats at random or if they suspect anything as being suspicious."

"If they board this boat…" Tony begins to say.

"The hidden compartment is big enough for the equipment and both of you." Cal stated. "But if they catch you… Most likely you'll be executed."

"That's reassuring." Tony chuckled. "But nothing is going to stop me from getting my son back…. Even if I have to go through hell to find him."

"Chioke must mean a lot to you." Cal acknowledged the Tony's worried, yet caring tone of voice.

"More than you'll ever know." Tony responded.

As the boat is making its way up the Korean coastline, the Kron-Printzen remains in the water off the coast of Wonsan, North Korea. The slaves have yet to be moved to the trading camp.

The door to the storage room, where the slaves are being held, opens. The slaves move toward the back as three men enter inside. Two other guards stay near the door. The men approach the corner where Chioke is being held by the woman who shared her food with him. One of the men grabs Chioke. The woman tries to prevent them from taking him, but she's hit with a club and falls down. Chioke struggles to get away but is unable to break free. The men walk to the door with Chioke who continues to struggle. The door closes.

The men bring Chioke to a room that's a small kitchen area. They place him down and begin talking in the Korean language as they pick at Chioke's arms. The men are examining him and talking about how an unhealthy child is useless to them; that he needs food. Chioke stands there unsure of what's going on or if they're going to hurt him.

One of the men lifts Chioke and sits him on the chair at the table. Another man places a plate of food in front of him. The plate has a massive amount of food on it. Chioke is starving, but he's unsure if the food is for him. He looks up at the man with innocent eyes. The man smacks Chioke on the head and yells at him in the Korean language. Chioke tries to hold his tears in as the smack hurt. The man points to the food. He pushes Chioke's head downward a bit; toward the food. Chioke uses his hands and slowly grabs some food. He begins eating.

With Chioke eating, the two men walk away and stand near the door. The men are talking amongst themselves and not paying attention to what Chioke is doing because there's no escape from the room. Chioke continues eating. As the guards aren't looking, Chioke stuffs as much food into his pockets as he possibly can; without being too much which would look suspicious as if something actually is in his pockets.

After almost thirty minutes, the men motion for Chioke to come to them. Chioke stands and walks to the men. He doesn't fight them and obeys what they want, even though he doesn't understand what they say. One of the men places his hand on Chioke shoulder. The men guide Chioke back to the storage room with the other slaves.

Chioke enters into the storage room. The door shuts behind him. Chioke walks toward the back of the room; to the woman. He sits with the woman. Chioke takes some food out of his pockets and gives it to her. The woman begins eating what Chioke has shared with her. The other slaves in the room see this and begin licking their lips as they're starving. The other slaves want some food too.

Even though the other slaves don't deserve any of the food due to pushing him away when he was hungry, Chioke stands up and walks to the others. Chioke reaches into his pockets. He gives the others the rest of the food. The slaves are grateful for Chioke's kindness.