Gray The Asshole #142

"Go on then, let me hear your sob story..." I mockingly said, crossing my arms as I leaned back. I was willing to humor Nightshade out of curiosity more than anything else.

"It all started with my mother..." Nightshade replied, sighing as she began explaining her backstory; the origin of her mother Maureen, her enmity with The Incubus, and how he'd killed Maureen and taken the heroine's brother hostage in The Land Of Nightshades.

"I see," I said, showing zero sympathy in my tone as I had none to give after hearing the heroine's story. Her story was tragic, alright, but I couldn't really care.

There were as many villains and heroes with equally if not more tragic backstories as there was shit in the sewers. After she conjured a fucking giant shark that tried to bite my head off, hearing her backstory didn't inspire any sympathy within me.

"Cool story, but I still don't understand why you'd come to me of all people with it," I added, shaking my head as I waited for her to get over the shock over my blatant disregard for her blight.

"You can kill demons... I know you can; the person who released me said so!" Nightshade said, gritting her teeth as she raised her tone gradually through her sentence.

I stilled at her reply. I, of course, didn't forget about the antique rifle, The Ace of Winchester's, gathering dust in my inventory, nor its ability to slay demons, but how the hell did the person who freed her know about it?

'Oh wait...! shit!' I internally cursed as realization dawned on me.

"The person who freed you... did he happen to have green skin and a deep hypnotic speaking voice?" I asked, my eyes twitching in annoyance, and Nightshade stiffening at my words was all the answer I needed.

"Not cool, man. Not fucking cool," I remarked, barely resisting the urge to raise my middle finger as I looked up, where I was sure a certain green martian was watching.

Not many people knew about The Ace Of Winchester, those who knew it was with me were even, and only one person knew all of that and had the ability to break Nightshade out of Stryker's Island.

"In any case, there's nothing you can do or say to convince me to go into another dimension to fight some world-conquering demon," I decisively stated, waving the very notion away as I gestured to the side dismissively.

"So much can go wrong with that shit; it ain't even funny," I added with a shrug. "However, since Martian Manhunter freed you, I'm willing to let you go or take you to the authorities and vouch you surrendered yourself willingly," I added.

"We can make it look like your escape for Stryker's was a freak accident with your powers acting due to stress or something..." I explained. "It's up to you whether you wanna take your chances and find someone else or let me hand you over," I went on.

"But, I'm not fighting no goddamned inter-dimensional demon for you, your brother, or anyone else," I concluded as I got up and undid the ropes binding the heroine to the chair but not the collar on her neck.

I might have been willing to cut her some slack because of J'onn's involvement, but that didn't mean I'd give her the chance to use her power and fuck me over.

The collar would stay on until I was long gone if she decided to keep looking for someone to help her. If not, well, that would be the authorities' problem, not mine.

"There has to be something I can do to change your mind!" Nightshade said through gritted teeth, stubbornly unwilling to accept no for an answer, but it was all she'd get, regardless.

I internally sighed at the heroine's persistence. I wholeheartedly had no intention of getting myself involved with her inter-dimensional drama. So I needed to make it abundantly clear, or she'd find a way to drag me into it.

'Whelp... it's asshole Gray time...'

"Afraid not. Your testimony might hasten Waller's conviction, but that's it..." I replied with a shrug, fully intent on making her understand how fruitless asking for help really was.

"It would hasten the inevitable, but that's hardly an equal exchange with what you're asking..." I added as I got up and started pacing, out of boredom more than anything else.

"You could promise to owe me a favor, but there's nothing you can do that I can't with effort and time unless you're willing to do as I say for the rest of your life..." I blankly added, dangling a ray of hope before her that I would promptly crush.

"But that's impossible. You're a heroine turned criminal. That's bad PR..." I added, cutting her off before she even had the chance to start pledging her allegiance or some shit.

"Even if we managed to salvage your reputation, there's no guarantee you'll keep your word..." I added, grinning as the heroine froze. "Not to mention the backlash I'd face if word gets out..." I went on, regaining my blank expression.

"Then again, I'm a hormone-addled teenager, and you could offer sexual favors in exchange for my services..." I remarked, trailing off as I studied the heroine's expression and was surprised to see her considering it.

"Most men would give up everything they have for a chance to sleep with a hot superhero like you..." I added, pushing her even more in that direction as it would be the final nail.

If I'm not wrong, Nightshade probably joined Waller because she struck some bargain with the latter to save her brother. If the intense aura of guilt she radiated is anything to go by, I'd say she regrets what she did for the said deal.

I was pushing her into attempting to propose a similar bargain with me that was several degrees worse, as it had A bit of how's yer father in it. Turning it down before she could even suggest it in the heat of the moment would make her think twice before approaching me again.

I wanted her to think of all the bad things she did to save her brother and how low she was willing to stoop to accomplish it, as that would intensify her guilt and might even make her give up on the whole thing.

It was manipulative and fucking cruel, but I had to do it. I couldn't let Nightshade drag me into her mess, not now, not anytime soon, and hopefully never.

I'll take feeling like an asshole for a while over fighting a powerful dimensional entity anytime, thank you very much.

I waited for Nightshade to process my words and continued just when she gathered her bearings, a light of resolution flashing in her eyes as she prepared to give me a reply.

"Unfortunately, you're not my type, and I'm not so desperate, to begin with..." I remarked, grinning as I walked to the chair and sat. "You should understand now. You have nothing to bargain with," I concluded as I crossed my legs and straightened my posture.

"What's it going to be? Back to Stryker's or...?" I asked as I watched the heroine's shoulders slump, her eyes dimming that were shining in hope dimming as they lost their light.

"You... I understand. You won't help me, but I can't give up on Larry..." Nightshade said after a second as she gathered her bearings and took a deep breath.

"Have it your way. But remember, next time we meet, I'm taking you back to Stryker's whether you like it or not," I replied, nodding as I got off my chair and approached the heroine.

I stood before her and reached for the collar, throwing it in my inventory, much to the heroine's relief, which did not last as I jabbed my finger into the pressure point on her neck.

Nightshade's eyes widened as she gave me a shocked look before promptly losing consciousness, and I merely shrugged at her before turning to leave.

'Now I just have to deal with Abbot and Whisper, and I can get back to brooding in my hideout...' I mused as I walked away from the unconscious heroine, trying to think of what the duo could possibly want from me.

...

Diamond District

Inside a cheap motel room

"I fucking hate this..." Whisper said, clearly uncomfortable as she sat on an old, tattered couch, reluctantly taking a bite out of the cheap burger she bought for dinner.

Though a trained assassin and a vicious killer, Whisper had gotten used to the finer things in life after working as a manager for one of Manheim's front companies. Suffice it to say; she found her current accommodations less than satisfactory.

"Such are the conseqounces of failure in our line of work..." Abbot blankly said as he finished his burger and threw away the wrapper. "Hopefully, we can turn things around soon... we only need to wait for Wraith to call..." he added, and the phone rang as if waiting for those words exactly.