Sunday Bloody Sunday

[Bjorn]

Acting on instinct, Cadfael's hand dives into his pocket to grab his prepared Rune of Obscuring.  The rest of his body, however, throws him towards the nearest fence, with the intent of getting something between him and the possesed automobile.

[Carthrat]

The automobile screechs to a halt, about 10 metres north of Cadfaels position. The lightning fades away, and-

About three doors open, and angry screams in German start lancing out. The blaring rock music drowns out most of the voices, but even Cadfael winces at some of the obscenities thrown out.

The inhabitants of the car don't care much, though. One of them gets out, and lo, it's the same guy with the hat from mid-Berlin.

He pauses, looks around, and starts to yell. You can detect a hint of magic about him, too; his voice has been sonically pumped, and slightly amplified with a compulsion spell. Falls of your shield, though.

"Cadfael! I know you're around here somewhere, and believe it or not, we've got no intention of harming you.

The Cabal is on our tail, but it's on yours, too, and they'd give up chasing us if they found you. They've trapped you in Berlin, and you'll never get out.

You've got ten seconds to come out and come with us, or we're gone, and you'll be dead."

[Bjorn]

Cadfael freezes, and considers.  Take a chance, he decides.  He has weapons, both subtle and not so.  These people certainly don't seem to be Cabal.  They might prove a liability in the long run, but the concern now is for the short term.

Moving closer to the car, Cadfael speaks up.  "Talk more," he suggests.  "What trap?"

[Carthrat]

"They've been combing overt tracing methods with a hidden, electrical tracking device," he replies, urgently. "They slipped it on you downtown. They havn't closed in on you yet because they're waiting for you to exhaust yourself. Either way, they're going to be here any second!"

[Bjorn]

Tracking device?  Cadfael frowns.  That might be possible, but... when?  

A portion of his mind falls automatically into theory, trying to devise a new rune to locate electronic devices.  A modification of Mystic Sight, to detect electrical energy instead of mana.  Not entirely trivial, since the spectra involved are not directly comparable, but a combination of the eighteen whorl with the twenty-seventh hexagram instead of the twenty-sixth ought to...

The other part of his mind -- the one he actually thinks is entirely his -- makes him nod at the other man.  If they were Cabal, they'd have already tried to kill or capture him outright -- no need for such trickery.  And if they werne't Cabal, then the Cabal would be after them too.  That's enough for a temporary alliance.  "All right," he says, moving towards the car.  "Talk more as we go."

[Carthrat]

As you approach the car, the white-hatted man comes in clearer focus. He looks like a Berliner, and talks like a Berliner, though this may or may not lead to the conclusion that he is a Berliner.

"The simple thing is, we need your help," he replies, shrugging. "And it appears you need some help yourself. Mutual gain in the balance, we decided to try and track you down. You're a hard man to find, I'll give you that."

[Bjorn]

"Not much choice," Cadfael says, studying those who stayed in the car.  "Who are you?"

[Carthrat]

"Call me Barry," replies Barry, taking off his had and revealing a bald head. "I'm just a guy who hasn't been paid yet."

He gets in the back seat of the car, gesturing for you to follow.

[Bjorn]

Cadfael gets into the car, taking a look at the other occupants as he does so.  "Name's not enough," he points out.

[Carthrat]

The guys in the front, conversly, both have long blonde hair, tied in identicle braids, look about the same height, and when the turn around to look at Cadfael, have the same sort of Eurasian features that are getting increasingly common, these days.

"Mmm. We're disparate mages, of sorts," replies Barry. "Strength in numbers and all that, we've been trying to get together more of our ilk.

Oh, and not just mages. Anyone with awesome skills. Why, we pulled in some psychic the other day, didn't we? Never had any idea they existed, but this guy knows the stuff."

[Bjorn]

It's not the first time Cadfael has been in a car, but it's fairly close to it.  He shifts about uncomfortably in his seat, trying to look in all directions at once.  It's... uncomfortable, not having a clear escape route.  

"Groups are easier to find," he observes flatly.  "What about the Cabal?"

[Carthrat]

"Individuals are easier to squash," replies Barry, dryly. "Check out the rear window."

An ominous-looking black sedan is rounding the bend, and unlike the car Cadfael is currently in, it's travelling at an easy pace. Doesn't look rushed at all.

[Bjorn]

This makes Cadfael distinctly uncomfortable.  "Plan?" he asks.

[Carthrat]

"To get out of dodge," replies Barry.

There's a low hum, and Cadfael is half-blinded by the magic the starts emnating from the car. What is it? Speed, protection, non-detection.. the things got a veritable pile of spells heaped upon it- and they seem to have been there for some time. Evidently, it's seen quite some use.

"You wouldn't have any, er, firepower on you?" asks Barry, hopefully.

[Bjorn]

"Some," Cadfael replies, twisting around to keep an eye on the car behind them.  "Why?"