Raven was the one to volunteer to go shopping in the end, as Nero didn't know the first thing about buying clothes, especially not for Raven, and Darkdoom they had both concurred was not to be trusted in a department store with large amounts of money. Nero and Darkdoom meanwhile would try to find a taxi that would take them to the nearest train station (not that they knew where that was). She wore a long black overcoat to hide her painful-looking injuries, and her final stern words to them before she limped off into the shop were: "Stay out of trouble. That means you, Diabolus."

Darkdoom had smiled innocently and promised to try, though he had been quick to point out that it really wasn't usually his fault that trouble materialized around him, it just sort of seemed to happen. Now he and Nero were standing slightly awkwardly on the side of the main road, feeling out of place and secretly both wondering what they actually had to do to hail a taxi, though neither of them would deign to admit it.

They watched several black taxis speed around the corner without slowing one bit, and race each other off into the distance. Nero raised an eyebrow. "If they're trying to get customers, their strategy doesn't appear to be working very well."

"Maybe they can't see us," Darkdoom offered. "We need to try and alert them."

"Yeah," Nero agreed, pretending he had known that. It had been a while since he had been in London, and he had always had transport already arranged when he was there. But you had to acclimatize sometimes to your environment.

Darkdoom made a gesture. "Go on then. You may do the honours."

"Oh, thank you," Nero said, before taking a step forward and raising his arm half-heartedly in the air in an attempt to hail one of the speeding vehicles. He had to maintain this position for a few moments however, before he next saw the familiar form, and waved his hand in the air. "Over here! Taxi," he said, feeling that his voice was sufficiently loud.

However, when the taxi didn't even slow down, Darkdoom snorted from behind him. "That's not how you hail a taxi, Max. Just waving your hand in the air and saying 'taxi' isn't going to get you anywhere."

"Well you do it better then," retorted Nero, slightly affronted.

Darkdoom inclined his head as if to say 'watch this', and stepped out half a metre into the road, waiting until he spotted another of the taxis before both hands shot up into the air and he yelled at top volume: "Taxi!"

A taxi driver did spot them this time; Nero was able to meet his eyes as he spotted the madly waving men. But then he looked away and the taxi he was driving shot off into the distance just like all the others.

"What's wrong with people?" Darkdoom wondered aloud. "He saw us. I know he did."

Nero shrugged, looking down at his torn suit and running a hand ruefully through his matted black hair. "Probably has finicky tastes. We don't exactly look on top form today, let's say that."

"Lets see if he looks any better when he's locked in a cell for 48 hours, questioned and given no sustenance other than water," Darkdoom retorted.

"I assume that most people don't live such exciting lives as we are accustomed to, Diabolus," Nero said dryly.

Suddenly a black car moved smoothly to a halt beside them, slightly scraping the pavement. The windows were tinted black so they couldn't see in, and Nero couldn't see 'Taxi' actually written on its exterior anywhere. But it had pulled up beside them, and it wasn't dissimilar to any of the others speeding across the London roads at the moment. It was a mercy they had actually managed to hail one at all.

The back car door swung open, and Nero could see that there were two figures seated in the front of the vehicle, with three empty seats at the back. Perfect.

"Hi," Darkdoom greeted. "We need a ride to the other side of London, please. For us two and our friend, who will be coming in a little while. Is it okay to wait for her?"

"Yes," a deep gruff voice said from inside, and Darkdoom smiled brightly.

"That's great! Thanks! C'mon, Nero, let's get in to wait for Nat - Raven," he hurriedly corrected himself as Nero shot him a warning look. Raven wouldn't want her real name tossed around here.

Darkdoom slid into one of the back seats and Nero hesitated for just a second before joining him.

The door swung shut straight away behind them. That was the first sense of unease Nero really got: the fact that he had done nothing to prompt it to close. But still, maybe it was on an automatic latch and did that anyway.

However, the second sense of unease came when Nero heard the motor start up from the front of the car. One of the silent figures in the front was revving the engine. Darkdoom heard it too, and was quick to correct him. "Oh, excuse me. We need to wait for our friend. She will be - excuse me, did you hear me?"

The car was beginning to move, and Darkdoom exchanged a worried glance with Nero. "We can't leave Raven. Excuse me, we can't leave yet. Excuse me? Hello?"

That was when the man in the passenger seat turned around, and both men instantly recognised the familiar face of the chief guard.

"I'm afraid we're not waiting for your pet assassin to catch up," he apologized, with an icy smile on his face. "And you're not going anywhere."

The taxi doors were locked.

They were trapped.