Chapter-26 Pointe Noire, 4° 46′ 43″ S, 11° 51′ 49″ E Exotic Animal Black Market

Andalas drove the car fast splitting the relatively empty streets of Pointe Noire as it was a holiday. The police cars arrived less than 5 minutes after the Andalas car sped away.

There was a brief discussion in the speeding car. It was decided that the baby leopard would be sent to Pandora through the WHO office in Brazzaville. Professor Sato would arrange the technicalities. Doctor Aslan would send his trusted people.

Suddenly Andalas stepped on the break. The car entered a large shopping center and park next to a black SUV. The man calmly got out of the car, briefly fiddled with the SUV door and cut the starter wire once the door opened. The black SUV shook gently as the engine started.

Cecilia and Akiko just stared at the whole process sitting in the chartered sedan. If Andalas had been a professional car thief in New York, he could collect a lot of money.

After moving the basket and their stuffs into the trunk of the SUV, Andalas signaled to the two doctors to switch cars. The black SUV glided smoothly out of the parking lot. They were heading to Brazzaville.

Along the way, Andalas switched car three times. Twice at roadside restaurants and once at a gas station.

They entered the city gates of Brazzaville, in an old pick-up truck sitting tightly next to each other. Cecilia and Akiko understood who Andalas was. They saw when Andalas stole the pick-up, he left a bundle of money which was worth to buy two pick-ups of the same quality. Cecilia felt that the cold-blooded bodyguard had a soft side that made her at ease and more confident to continue traveling together.

After handing over the leopard cub to the WHO Brazzaville office, the three changed cars again. This time they chartered one. No more stealing. Andalas was diligent at eliminating traces so the police could not track them down. Moreover, the incident in the exotic animal market was horrific. The police would pay special attention to their investigations.

After spending the night resting and talking to Cathy, the three people left for the airport in the crack of dawn. They would transit in Johannesburg for a connecting flight to Washington D.C.

Last night Cecilia contacted Willy Booth. They would meet at a cafe outside NASA Head Office. Willy Booth was excited about meeting Cecilia that he didn't even realize that it was all business.

It was a long-haul British Airways flight with two transits in Doha and London. Enough time to rest a tired body after experiencing stressful events.

On the way to Doha, Akiko kept watching Andalas. They took first class for security reasons, and to be able to talk freely to each other and rested. Akiko purposely took a seat next to Cecilia in the second row from the front. During boarding, Akiko reserved a seat for Andalas in the left front of the right seat.

Akiko tried not to tell any of her plans to the British doctor because it looked like that Cecilia had not slept for a week that she missed one super important thing that was right in front of her eyes.

Akiko already had a contingency plan in case her suspicions were proven. She just didn't understand why Andalas had different reactions to the incubation process of such destructive bacteria like Anthrax compared to other victims. The man looked fine even though he had a few days of leopard's scratches that were infected with the bacteria. Whereas other infected victims reacted quickly. In Abebe's case it was in a matter of minutes.

Andalas was not much of a talker. He refused to stay at the same place with the two doctors whenever they had to spend their nights somewhere. He said that he preferred sleeping in the open, a luxury that he could hardly afford. The man preferred to arrange where he slept on his own. For him, the most important thing was to keep the two doctors save, as his adoptive father mandated.

The man was very enigmatic. Akiko continued to watch him. She felt her kaiken tucked in her waist. The kaiken was made of tungsten metal and coated with diamonds, so it would stay extra sharp, with special stealth coating to throw off metal detector sensors.

Her kaiken was much smaller than the usual tanto. Although thin and small, it was very special. Besides being much more deadly because of its sharpness, the kaiken was also made by the hands of a master katana maker in Japan who was the most senior subordinate of her father who was a Yakuza leader.

Her kaiken was Akiko's contingency plan should Andalas show symptoms of infection. Scratches from leopard's fingernail were quite deep and painful. But from what she saw, Andalas did not seem to feel it.

That was the reason why Akiko didn't tell Cecilia. The British virologist had completely forgotten that Andalas was injured by a leopard that was tested positive for a pure genome Bacillus antracis that probably had not been mutated yet from the interior of the Congo jungle.

Akiko was sure Cecilia would have a major nervous breakdown if she found out that the person she relied on was infected with the dangerous bacteria. Besides, Akiko was convinced that Cecilia would not agree if she had to kill Andalas even if she was forced to. Let her take over this matter. Again, Akiko felt her contingency plan on her waist.

Although very wary, Akiko watched Andalas went back and forth several times between the coach and business class cabins. Maybe the toilets in the first class were full. Or he was just stretching his legs.

Akiko saw that Cecilia had fast asleep. She felt sympathy for this doctor for going through so much on her own from the beginning, and still felt responsible to fix the situation, although she had to put her life on the line. Just like herself who had to witness the beginning of the Mollivirus sibericum outbreak and ended up in a cold corner of the earth in Pandora.

The difference was, she could take good care of herself and dealt with violence. Her father taught her from a young age to never avoid danger because it would always follow her. His father was an influential Yakuza leader in Japan. However, even though Akiko learned everything including martial arts and the art of survival from her father, she did not want to follow his footsteps. She chose to be a medical doctor.

For Akiko, the choice to become a doctor was the only way to respect her father. She understood that she had no rights to go against her father. His father often injured and even killed people when necessary. Akiko intended to serve by treating and healing people more than the number of people who had been injured or killed by her father.

That was the fifth time Andalas went to the back section. Akiko started to get suspicious. It was almost impossible for someone who just 15 minutes ago went to the toilet and then went again unless they had diarrhea or overactive bladder.

This time Akiko would follow him.