Laurel looked up from her communicator. "Ok, I just received our coordinates. We'll be heading a little farther through these alleys." She said, a wide smile across her face. Brook shot her a look. "What are you so peppy about? We're here rescuing a hostage. From a gang. So, they're 'seriously bad people', as you'd put it."
"But we're in Toronto! It's just so exciting to be somewhere new, you know?" Laurel gushed.
"No. It's time to get your head out of your fairy tale fantasies and-" Brook started, then whipped her head around. "Shh. Get down." She grabbed Laurel roughly by the arm and shoved her behind one of the walls. Laurel made a brief noise of protest, followed by the breath being knocked out of her when Brook pushed her to the ground. Oops. She had to remember that Laurel wasn't as tough as her sometimes. At least she'd be quiet for now.
Brook craned her neck to see what was going on. Her eyes narrowed, zooming in on a group of men and women sauntering out of one of the back doors to a warehouse. That was definitely them; the Dusk Gang. They matched the descriptions that they were given at Circle HQ. Well, all except one. There was one girl, slim and hunched over, that didn't quite fit in with the rest.
The hostage. They must be moving her to a different location.
"Move out." Brook said under her breath.
That was all it took for Laurel. She jumped out from the corner, a half-smirk on her face. "Leaving so soon?" She asked, flexing her arms and leveling two enormous boulders from the ground. "Don't forget your souvenirs!" On the last word, she flung the two rocks.
The gang scattered. Mostly, anyways. The leader- Erik Dusk -pulled the girl with him, wrapping one arm around her neck in a headlock. "Keep 'em busy!" He yelled at his followers. One nodded, and reached down into his pocket.
Oh, god, no. Right now, they were likely to win. But if that guy had the kind of ammo Brook thought he did…
She leaped from her hiding place, pulling out her collapsible metal bō and deflecting the bullet aimed at her partner. "Greenia, it's now or never." She looked back at Laurel, who was sparring with two people twice her size.
"On it." Laurel's expression turned determined. She fought back with more energy now, and took down one of the men in the first minute. It seemed like she was going to win-
Erik put his fingers to his mouth and whistled. There was some commotion around the warehouse doors before at least 10 more people filed out. Many went to where Laurel was. Brook's breath caught. She didn't like these odds anymore.
Now Laurel was having trouble keeping up with the fight; getting knocked around between her new opponents while struggling to stay on her feet. She dodged a snap kick, then blocked and threw a punch that would have surely knocked out someone, when suddenly- one of the bigger men reached for her arms, flipping her over his shoulder as if she weighed nothing, and swinging her into the wall.
Brook winced. Ouch. She would have rushed over to help, but now she had her own problems. She slammed her bō into someone's stomach, knocking them back and taking down another at the same time. More people came onto her.
Laurel got up slowly from where she was, touching her arms, assessing the damage. She was good; only a little bruised up. That brute was going to be sorry that he'd messed with her. She looked up to see that the thugs had moved onto Brook. It's time to end this fight. Laurel tapped her foot on the ground, turned once in a circle, and- she was gone. Well, not really. Just underground.
Seeing this happen, Brook backed up. She knew what was coming next.
"What, you scared or something?" Erik sneered, pulling out his gun.
"Hardly. But you should be."
"Huh? What's that supposed to mean-"
The ground exploded at his feet. A column of earth flung him up into the air, and others burst underneath the men and women of his gang, sending them to the sky, too.
Laurel surfaced, shaking some dirt out of her hair. "Well. That was fun." She looked around. "Mhmm." Brook agreed, walking towards the only one left- the hostage from before. "Ok, now let's get you back to your home, alright?" She took her by the arm calmly.
The girl looked quite shocked as to what just happened, though there was underlying relief on her face. "I knew someone would come for me. I just..didn't expect it to be you guys." She motioned with her hands, unsure what words to use. "Uh..what are you, exactly? Super-powered heroes, or something?" She asked.
"Or something is probably closer." Laurel said tactfully.