Chapter 2: Railway Wagon

Phoebe walked out to the parking lot, five minutes away from the police station, after having spent all morning looking at a computer screen with profiles of the killers on it. She paid a three hour fee and passed the barrier, busy with buckling herself in, not noticing the traffic lights change to green, when another car behind her bumped into the one she was driving. It was no big deal, she felt no more from what she would've felt like when breaking hard, but she still didn't own a car herself and with all the damage that happened in the house with the demon attacks, last thing Piper needed was having to pay for repairing the car. The accident seemed to have been both drivers' fault, if not completely outside her responsibility, but you could never be sure with insurance companies, let alone the other party.

An older, but well built and handsome looking man with blue eyes and grey hair stepped out from behind the wheel and started towards her to assess the damage as well, "I'm so sorry," he shrugged apologetically, "I don't know what I was doing…I just assumed that you would move I think. I shouldn't have done that, obviously," he pointed at the marks on the back of Piper's minivan and the broken lights on both vehicles, "it's not very much according to regulations to drive around like this. How about going to a garage right away and fixing it? Or do you just want my calling card and you'll tell your insurance company the details?" He handed her a card made from sophisticated blue paper.

Phoebe read it, it said Ivan O'Mara, attorney, business associate, Straudt and partners. She frowned at the déjà vu feeling, a charming lawyer, handing her a business card. But she got no premonitions this time. She shook her head slightly, making a fast decision, "you know of any garage around here?" It the man was offering to pay for the damage right there and then, there was no time like the present. He was a lawyer after all, one that could turn everything around if it came to a court hearing.

"If you'd get out the way with your car and followed me…there is a mechanic I got a sentence suspended for, he'll do all I ask."

Sounded like a textbook lawyer all right, bending the law, Phoebe thought as she climbed back behind the wheel, not exactly happy nevertheless that she had to delay her important conversation with her lawyer boyfriend. He must have been at home by now, she hoped.

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"Stop scrying and come and look at the telly!" Piper shouted upstairs to Paige, who ran down the stairs to see CNN's live coverage of a car chase. Piper put the volume up, so she could hear the commentary even before she could join her and Leo, "…the jail escapee somehow managed to put his hands on an extraordinary gun that emanates fire, with which he managed to overturn four police vehicles so far. We haven't had the chance to take a peek at the gun when he fired it, but experts believe it must be of Turkmen origin…"

"Yeah, right, Turkmen aka demonic, pal," Paige commented.

"Time you see some real action, Paige," Piper stood up, "Leo, could you orb me into that car just for a millisecond? Paige, continue watching the screen!"

The young witch cornered the sofa to get a better view, but her older sister has orbed back with Leo already, while the television commentary went on, "…car seems to be swaying out of control, must be the speed…oh…oh! Believe this! Terence Renel, former baseball player that violated and murdered fifteen of his fans more than a decade ago has found certain death on the bottom of San Francisco Bay…"

"Or, alternatively, in the ether, as I blew him up," Piper tittered.

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Phoebe was gulping down her orange juice the obedient mechanic offered along with his services at the back of the small garage. The diluting juice didn't taste all that good, but she didn't care as it was very hot, making her tiredness intensify. Suddenly she felt even more sleepy and by the time she realised this was more than the effect of some restless nights and wanted to shout for Leo, the person that called himself O'Mara caught her as she fell unconscious…

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"Darryl says it's sixteen to go," Paige put the phone down, "Phoebe should be on her way."

"We don't need to wait for her," Piper grabbed her jacket enthusiastically, "the power of three might be a bit too much for these people."

"It's not fair that you have all the fun, blowing them up and I just watch."

"Oho, got your witch hound instinct going? No problem, we made some potions didn't we? I freeze, you throw, how is that for a good game?" This time, she didn't pursue demons because she tried to forget Prue died and she could enjoy it properly.

"Are we meant to be this viscous about it?" Paige looked at her sister questioningly.

"How do you think they would be with us if we gave them a chance?" Piper justified her actions.

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Phoebe found her side being uncomfortably pressed by something hard, so she opened her eyes to try to rectify the situation. It was the rigid surface of one of the underworld's large halls, so she pushed herself off the ground, just to be pushed back by a bulky and hair covered demon. There were several of them about, so she judged it was better to assess the situation first.

The presumably pretend lawyer was there too, talking to a taller man, "I want my payment."

The other man turned towards one of his guards and Phoebe recognised the psychiatrist from Piper's dream world. It was the human form of the Source…

Tbc