It isn't that Laurel didn't think that they wouldn't come after her for pursuing this case. She's been the target of thugs before, and she has no doubt that she would be again. There's a reason her father made her take self defense classes.
(And there's a reason she had Nyssa train her when she decided to become the Black Canary.)
Still, while she expects retaliation, she doesn't expect them to be so brazen that they corner her as she's leaving the back door of the DA's office. She comes to a stop, eyeing each of the three men who are moving as though they have something to prove, and she steadies her stance and doesn't hesitate to look them all in the eye.
"You're going to regret this."
They're not as convinced. For a while the fight is pretty evenly matched, Laurel's assassin-esque training holding up against them throwing their weight around against a smaller woman. But they manage to get a bit of an upper hand, gets their arms around her torso and pins her arms, and one of the goons grins.
"Whadaya say now, bitch?"
She smirks. "You're still going to regret this."
And with that, she opens her mouth to scream, unleashing the canary cry across the alleyway.
Tyler hadn't exactly been expecting peace and quiet - Central City had more than its fair share of criminals interrupting his daily life - but he sure hadn't been expecting a cry loud enough that he rushes out the door of the DA's office. If he hurries, he could probably give them a beatdown.
His eyes flash yellow as he surveys the scene: a bunch of fallen thugs, some debris, and - Laurel? Was that where that loud screeching had come from?
Tyler adjusts his messenger bag across his shoulder, taking one tentative step forward.
"Wow." He whistles softly, glancing over at her. "So uh... how long have you been a Siren?"
She spins on her heels, eyes wide at the sound of another voice, part of her still on the defensive with her baton in her hand. But when she sees who it is, she relaxes, taking a moment to brush her hair out of her face and try to gather her thoughts.
"Sorry?" Because yes, that's a good and not at all suspicious response. "How long have I been a what?"
"A siren," Tyler says more slowly, raising both hands in defense as he pieces together what he had heard and seen.
A cry like that only came from sirens, or so he'd thought. Laurel and Barry had mentioned metahumans - people with superpowers - but they were so far out of his world view that Tyler didn't jump to them. The Flash was probably a friendly vampire; Vibe was probably a technowitch; and Killer Frost was just crazy. (Sorry, pretty lady.)
"You know, the mythological creatures who can lure guys to their doom with their voice...?"
"I know what they are, yeah." Her head tips to the side for a moment, confused that that is the connection Tyler is making. "I'm trying to figure out why you think I am one."
Because Tyler hadn't actually seen her scream, so she's still planning to pass this off on the Black Canary, but the world is conspiring against her on that front. Or not the world, exactly, just Barry Allen.
There's a swirl of red and gold lightning as the bad guys get collected into one place and zip tied and the Scarlet Speedster in his full Flash gear speeds to a stop next to Laurel. He's seen Tyler so he's going to keep his face blurred, just to be on the safe side, and in his terrible Flash voice:
Tyler can't believe he's here, putting two and two together right as a gust of wind swirls around them and - and that sure is the Flash staring him in the face. Tyler squints, as if he could make anything in that undecipherable mess, but ultimately gives up.
His werewolf senses weren't meant to embark on that kind of rollercoaster ride.
"I think she can handle herself, Flash." Tyler snorts, regarding his boss with newfound awe. "You just missed her kicking their asses."
"Well, ADA Lance has always been scary. That doesn't surprise me."
Laurel gives him a look at that, before shaking her head. She knows she can keep denying things and see how far that gets her, but at the same time, there's only so long those secrets are going to be able to hold. She glances back over her shoulder to make sure the alley's clear, then looks back to Barry again.
"Maybe we should take this somewhere more private."
"Are you sure?"
"Might as well. So long as it's okay with you."
The Flash glances back to Tyler again, and with that, there's a flash of red and gold lightning and the three of them are suddenly standing n the middle of the STAR Labs' cortex.
That familiarity - the mere tone that she used with the Flash - couldn't be good. Tyler knew that heroes worked with the law, but certainly not this intimately. It was like she knew him. Personally knew him.
Then a gust of wind and light swirls around him, and he's in some strange, sterile lab with a ton of computers and people bickering in the next room over.
Tyler rubs his temples, trying to make sense of it all.
"STAR Labs," The Flash begins, though he's dropped the voice modification and the blurred face, so where his identity was a mystery before, it's less so now. He'll even ruin the rest of the mystery, by pulling off his cowl to reveal Barry Allen, crime scene investigator. "Hey, Tyler."
Laurel is just going to let him take that in, and hopefully he'll get around to drawing his own conclusions in a moment. Otherwise, she'd be disappointed in his ability to lawyer.
"H-hey." Tyler gives the Flash - Barry? What does he call this guy? - what must be the world's most awkward wave.
If his totally dorky CSI colleague was secretly the Flash all this time, and Laurel had powers and intimately knew Barry (the Flash?!) as if they were more than work friends, then -
Then Laurel wasn't a siren. Not in the mythological or supernatural sense, anyway.
He draws a deep breath, trying to steady himself as he looks back at Laurel, "So uh... I guess... that means you're more like a Canary?"
She gives a small nod in acknowledgement as she moves to take a step closer. "I was visiting my mom when the particle accelerator exploded. Barry woke up with superspeed and I have my scream. Cisco likes to call it the Canary Cry."
"He's really good with the names." Barry helpfully contributes. "Just saying."
The alliteration was pretty sweet, Tyler would agree.
But instead of finding a kindred spirit (or two), he tumbled down a different rabbit hole. This whole time, he had been working alongside metahumans - like the very ones he had been reading in his case files - who also moonlight as superheroes.
This is his life now. If he can handle vampires and other creepie-crawlies, he can deal with metas. No sweat.
"Sure seems like it," he says, relaxing his stance and trying to tease a little, "Anyone else at the police department I should know about?"
Laurel pauses before shaking her head. "Those aren't our secrets to tell. We told you who we were because we trust you, but we can't make those decisions for other metas." Though Cisco's probably come up on occasion, Laurel isn't going to force his hand in that respect.
"Hang on, I didn't actually want to know." Tyler holds up his hands in surrender, letting out a nervous laugh. He had been joking, not... actually convinced there was someone else he should know about...
(Though now he half-wonders what else he'd gotten wrong about Central City, this whole time.)
"But yeah, I get it. We've all got secrets of our own."
"What Laurel is trying to say is that we trust you." Barry says with a nod as he steps forward. "And we're hoping that you trust us as well." Because knowing that they're the metahuman vigilantes (and they are vigilantes) who've been helping people can be a lot to handle, especially if you disagree with their approach to things.
Tyler doesn't hesitate one bit. While he might've misunderstood how they acquired their powers, he sure understands why they would don costumes and hide their identities from their loved ones.
"After all, there's more than one way to protect your town."
"There is. And we try to cover as many bases as possible."
And she thinks that Team Flash has done pretty well, all things considered. There's always a big event here and there, but they manage to save as many people as they can.
He shakes his head. Given how much Laurel and Barry had trusted him with their secrets, Tyler should confess to his own secrets. He can't hide his enhanced hearing for much longer, let alone how stray cats seem to hiss at him more than usual.
Yet this isn't the time or place. Vampires haven't called Central City home, and with the Flash around, they aren't likely to lurk in the shadows.
"I'm good." His expression turns apologetic, "Sorry I called you a siren."
She waves it off, because it's really no big thing. Especially considering her Earth 2 counterpart actually calls herself a siren. "It's okay. I mean, I'm not sure if it's a compliment or not, but it's ... kind of in the ball park?"
In the interests of keeping his job, and whatever little dignity he has left, Tyler nods. "Yeah, totally a compliment."
It hadn't been, initially, but he could see how she would be mistaken for one. Laurel would be the last person he would mess with, and he's sure he's feeling way too loyal as an intern. (Ah, well, that's a problem for future-Tyler.)
"So um - " He clasps his hands together, turning towards what he thinks is the door. "How do we get out of here so we can grab a round of drinks?"
"I actually have work to do but Laurel can show you out. I'll catch you guys later."
Laurel nods in agreement, before resting a hand on Tyler's shoulder as she goes to lead the way out again. "C'mon. I know a place that makes a really good milkshake." Which is probably not what he had in mind, but too bad. Your boss is sober, Tyler. You'll have to get good and drunk by yourself later.
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sheridan2017-10-14 10:59 pm
don't it make you want to scream
(And there's a reason she had Nyssa train her when she decided to become the Black Canary.)
Still, while she expects retaliation, she doesn't expect them to be so brazen that they corner her as she's leaving the back door of the DA's office. She comes to a stop, eyeing each of the three men who are moving as though they have something to prove, and she steadies her stance and doesn't hesitate to look them all in the eye.
"You're going to regret this."
They're not as convinced. For a while the fight is pretty evenly matched, Laurel's assassin-esque training holding up against them throwing their weight around against a smaller woman. But they manage to get a bit of an upper hand, gets their arms around her torso and pins her arms, and one of the goons grins.
"Whadaya say now, bitch?"
She smirks. "You're still going to regret this."
And with that, she opens her mouth to scream, unleashing the canary cry across the alleyway.
no subject
Tyler hadn't exactly been expecting peace and quiet - Central City had more than its fair share of criminals interrupting his daily life - but he sure hadn't been expecting a cry loud enough that he rushes out the door of the DA's office. If he hurries, he could probably give them a beatdown.
His eyes flash yellow as he surveys the scene: a bunch of fallen thugs, some debris, and - Laurel? Was that where that loud screeching had come from?
Tyler adjusts his messenger bag across his shoulder, taking one tentative step forward.
"Wow." He whistles softly, glancing over at her. "So uh... how long have you been a Siren?"
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"Sorry?" Because yes, that's a good and not at all suspicious response. "How long have I been a what?"
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A cry like that only came from sirens, or so he'd thought. Laurel and Barry had mentioned metahumans - people with superpowers - but they were so far out of his world view that Tyler didn't jump to them. The Flash was probably a friendly vampire; Vibe was probably a technowitch; and Killer Frost was just crazy. (Sorry, pretty lady.)
"You know, the mythological creatures who can lure guys to their doom with their voice...?"
no subject
Because Tyler hadn't actually seen her scream, so she's still planning to pass this off on the Black Canary, but the world is conspiring against her on that front. Or not the world, exactly, just Barry Allen.
There's a swirl of red and gold lightning as the bad guys get collected into one place and zip tied and the Scarlet Speedster in his full Flash gear speeds to a stop next to Laurel. He's seen Tyler so he's going to keep his face blurred, just to be on the safe side, and in his terrible Flash voice:
"You okay, Counselor?"
no subject
Tyler can't believe he's here, putting two and two together right as a gust of wind swirls around them and - and that sure is the Flash staring him in the face. Tyler squints, as if he could make anything in that undecipherable mess, but ultimately gives up.
His werewolf senses weren't meant to embark on that kind of rollercoaster ride.
"I think she can handle herself, Flash." Tyler snorts, regarding his boss with newfound awe. "You just missed her kicking their asses."
no subject
Laurel gives him a look at that, before shaking her head. She knows she can keep denying things and see how far that gets her, but at the same time, there's only so long those secrets are going to be able to hold. She glances back over her shoulder to make sure the alley's clear, then looks back to Barry again.
"Maybe we should take this somewhere more private."
"Are you sure?"
"Might as well. So long as it's okay with you."
The Flash glances back to Tyler again, and with that, there's a flash of red and gold lightning and the three of them are suddenly standing n the middle of the STAR Labs' cortex.
no subject
Then a gust of wind and light swirls around him, and he's in some strange, sterile lab with a ton of computers and people bickering in the next room over.
Tyler rubs his temples, trying to make sense of it all.
"Uh..." Eloquent, Lockwood. "Where are we?"
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Laurel is just going to let him take that in, and hopefully he'll get around to drawing his own conclusions in a moment. Otherwise, she'd be disappointed in his ability to lawyer.
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If his totally dorky CSI colleague was secretly the Flash all this time, and Laurel had powers and intimately knew Barry (the Flash?!) as if they were more than work friends, then -
Then Laurel wasn't a siren. Not in the mythological or supernatural sense, anyway.
He draws a deep breath, trying to steady himself as he looks back at Laurel, "So uh... I guess... that means you're more like a Canary?"
no subject
"He's really good with the names." Barry helpfully contributes. "Just saying."
no subject
But instead of finding a kindred spirit (or two), he tumbled down a different rabbit hole. This whole time, he had been working alongside metahumans - like the very ones he had been reading in his case files - who also moonlight as superheroes.
This is his life now. If he can handle vampires and other creepie-crawlies, he can deal with metas. No sweat.
"Sure seems like it," he says, relaxing his stance and trying to tease a little, "Anyone else at the police department I should know about?"
no subject
no subject
(Though now he half-wonders what else he'd gotten wrong about Central City, this whole time.)
"But yeah, I get it. We've all got secrets of our own."
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"What Laurel is trying to say is that we trust you." Barry says with a nod as he steps forward. "And we're hoping that you trust us as well." Because knowing that they're the metahuman vigilantes (and they are vigilantes) who've been helping people can be a lot to handle, especially if you disagree with their approach to things.
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Tyler doesn't hesitate one bit. While he might've misunderstood how they acquired their powers, he sure understands why they would don costumes and hide their identities from their loved ones.
"After all, there's more than one way to protect your town."
no subject
And she thinks that Team Flash has done pretty well, all things considered. There's always a big event here and there, but they manage to save as many people as they can.
"Is there anything else you want to know?"
no subject
Yet this isn't the time or place. Vampires haven't called Central City home, and with the Flash around, they aren't likely to lurk in the shadows.
"I'm good." His expression turns apologetic, "Sorry I called you a siren."
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It hadn't been, initially, but he could see how she would be mistaken for one. Laurel would be the last person he would mess with, and he's sure he's feeling way too loyal as an intern. (Ah, well, that's a problem for future-Tyler.)
"So um - " He clasps his hands together, turning towards what he thinks is the door. "How do we get out of here so we can grab a round of drinks?"
no subject
Laurel nods in agreement, before resting a hand on Tyler's shoulder as she goes to lead the way out again. "C'mon. I know a place that makes a really good milkshake." Which is probably not what he had in mind, but too bad. Your boss is sober, Tyler. You'll have to get good and drunk by yourself later.