Gray Line (Neutral Male Reader X Superhero Girls)

Issue 25: Bad Move

"God dammit, when did you start caring about people?" I asked myself before running off to save Hayley. I waited for an explosion before running towards it. When I got there, C-1 was throwing Hayley around like a rag doll with her robot arms which seemed to have been repaired. C-1 threw Hayley into a wall and she slumped down onto the ground.

"You're already done? Lame. We really shouldn't have worried about you at all." C-1 said before lazily throwing up one of her hands and starting to form a red laser. I ran over and shoulder tackled her to the ground. "Who's the asshole-" She shouted before throwing her hand into my direction and then stopping when she saw it was me who attacked her. She put her hand down and started crawling away from me. "I don't wanna fight you!" She said before getting up and starting to run. I looked over to Hayley.

"Are you alr-"

"Don't worry about me, just catch her!" She shouted pulling herself up. I started running after C-1 as she was panicking to find a way out of my reach. She saw me behind her and put her hand out like she was going to shoot a laser. I kept running towards her and she didn't shoot a laser and just started running again. She used her robot arms to climb up a wall. I jumped to climb up the side but immediately fell back down to the ground as my shoulder was in immeasurable pain from grabbing a ledge and trying to pull myself up. Oh yeah, I have a grappling hook. I thought to myself as I laid on the ground. C-1 looked at me pitifully before starting to climb up more, only to get knocked down by a huge rock hitting her head. She fell down into a dumpster and let out a blood curdling scream. I crawled over to see the dumpster was filled with broken glass.

"H-help me..." C-1 muttered raising a bloody arm. I actually started contemplating helping her out.

"Did we get her?" Hayley asked.

"I'm not taking any responsibility for this. You caught her. You did this." I said stepping back from the dumpster and letting Hayley see. She gasped when she saw C-1.

"Jesus." She said before looking at me. "How was I supposed to know that there was a dumpster full of broken glass, let alone hitting her with a rock would make her fall into it?"

"Doesn't matter now. She's basically a pile of glass and metal." I said. "Glad I let the shooter get away for this..." I said sarcastically.

"Wait, you What?" Hayley said.

"I already told you on the phone, I found the shooter but then you started shouting about how you needed back up and-"

"Did you put a tracker on her or something at least!?" Hayley said.

"What do I look like, Nightfall!? And why are you so upset, I just saved your life!"

"Who cares!? Do you know how many more people the shooter can hurt now that she's still running wild in the streets!? If anything you've said about her was true she was more important than C-1!"

"Alright, listen you piece of shit! I didn't have to save you! You'd've been fucking dust right now if I didn't step in when I did! So if you could at least fucking say 'thank you', I'd appreciate it!" I said. Hayley backed up as she heard my tone get angrier and angrier.

"You're right. I'm sorry I-"

"Well don't be, because I'm going to hear the same fucking lecture from Anonymous and I'm gonna be in a fucking mood for the rest of the week so thanks for that." I said kicking a wall.

"Hear was lecture from Anonymous?" I jumped as I turned around and saw Anonymous walking out of nowhere with his hands in his pockets.

"Could you be less creepy, please?" Hayley asked him. Anonymous looked at her before looking back at me.

"Don't bring girlfriend out with us anymore." He told me.

"Not my girlfriend but duly noted." I said glaring at Hayley underneath my mask. I looked back at Anonymous. "I let the shooter get away. Hayley asked me for help and I ran to her like an idiot." I explained.

"...Rookie mistake. Another reason not to have girlfriend get in the way. Don't let it happen again. Shooter has no name, no confirmed appearance, no bio, can't be found now unless by chance. Revolver not in usual spots. Have to go back to Harriet's to follow through on promise now. Night unfruitful. Slightly depressed. Should go home. Get rest." Anonymous said.

"But what do we do about C-1?" Hayley asked pointing at the dumpster. Anonymous walked over and looked inside before closing the dumpster lid.

"Solution found." Anonymous said.

"Hey! No!" I said walking over and opening the dumpster again.

"Yeah, we cant just leave her for dead!" Hayley said.

"Looks like criminal." Anonymous said.

"That's because she is But we have to treat her wounds and take her to jail!" Hayley said.

"Way is flawed. My way is better." Anonymous said.

"You're going to let her out of there or I'm going to give the cops in Watchtown a tip about their number one most wanted!" Hayley said. Anonymous stared at her for a couple of seconds before speaking.

"No." He said before going to close the lid again.

"Wait! What about this: I keep her at my place? In the attic or something? If she breaks out, you can do what you want to her! If she doesn't do anything bad, she gets to go!" I said.

"Don't like compromises." Anonymous said.

"This isn't a compromise! It's just us making a deal!" I said.

"...Fine. Take her home. Tell Ms. (L,N) what happened and to help her heal. I'll go investigate more while you go to school." Anonymous said. "Try to find shooter myself."

"Oh, what? So am I just not in this anymore?" Hayley asked.

"No. You're not." I said trying to gently pull C-1 out of the dumpster as she screamed in pain.

"Come on, just let me know what to do! Hell, I'll even get my dad to-"

"Ramone is to stay where he is: in a retirement home as the aging media whore he is." Anonymous said.

"Don't talk about my father like that you son of a bitch!" Hayley said getting in his face. "And you're just going to sit there and not say anything!?" She said looking at me.

"I'm sorry, I thought I told you you weren't apart of this anymore." I said leaning C-1 against the wall. "Go back to working by yourself and making all the calls yourself, not over what's morally right, but over what will get you more attention in the long run. What's saving someone who screamed for help when you can take down someone who will get you out on headlines all over America?"

"Is that what you think that's what it's about!? You're a fucking idiot! You should've gone for the shooter because she can easily hurt more peep-" Hayley said before a gun shot went off and she froze. She looked down at her side and saw blood staining her shirt. I looked up and saw the shooter standing on the building across the street of us. Hayley fell into my arms as I kept watching the shooter. She stuffed something down her gun before aiming it again. She shot a piece of paper at the wall next to Anonymous.

"As a reward for letting me go, she'll live. -R." He read out loud. She ran off the rooftop and disappeared into the rain as I looked down at Hayley. "Gonna go after her now?" Anonymous asked me.

"I get it. I should've picked the shooter. Don't rub it in." I said. "Can you take C-1? I'll take care of Hayley." I asked Anonymous.

"Understood. I'll take her to Ms. (L,N). Stay in school. Don't do drugs. See ya." He said. I nodded as a good bye as I carried Hayley over one of my shoulders.

"Should've... should'v...-"

"I get it, I should've-"

"took C-1... let me bleed... deserved it... shouldn't have been mad..." Hayley muttered. The annoyed expression hidden under my mask changed.

"Relax, it's gonna be fine." I told her. "Now after we make a quick stop I need you to tell me where you live." I said as I walked towards Harriet's Happy Hour.