Arondight didn't know how long he had been unconscious.
When the young hero opened his eyes, he first felt the heavy, crushing feeling radiating in his entire body, as if boulders were laid across his every muscle and bone, trying to squeeze him like pulp. He also felt a dull, burning sensation in his shoulder where the neutralizer had hit, reminding him of how easily his opponents had knocked him down despite his clear advantage over them.
It was humiliating, really.
How come a hero like him, who can take on many powerful forms, gets dropped by a single shot of neutralizer, which, after all, he could have easily avoided?
And in seconds, no less?
Yeah. That's not just humiliating...
That's way too embarrassing in its finest!
But even so, Arondight still tried to move from his position, hoping to escape his situation. But his strength still hadn't recovered due to the effects of the neutralizer. This wasn't the first time he had been neutralized, but for some inexplicable reason, the serum felt different.
It was...hot...
Yes, it was unnaturally hot as if his insides were burning slowly. At the same time, his skin broke out in a significant amount of cold sweats. The sensation was unlike anything he'd felt before, and what worried him most was how the neutralizer seemed to be affecting his body strangely, especially on his thing between his legs that had been throbbing and stiffening for a while now.
"This... isn't good..." he muttered anxiously under his breath while trying to shift his body uncomfortably and pressed his thighs together in an effort to hide the angry bulge straining against his pants. "What kind of neutralizer did they use on me?!"
Arondight started worrying about his situation, but he didn't let it show. Instead, he tried to sense what the enemies were doing while he was busy trying to escape. At that time, the smugglers were clustered in a corner, laughing and chatting, while the others stood watch over the white van holding the children.
Their distraction was his only opening.
He tested his strength by tugging at the handcuffs that were attached to his wrists, but he couldn't even break them. Under normal circumstances, Arondight could have easily broken the handcuffs as if he were destroying a toy. Still, now he couldn't even leave a single scratch!
"Fuck!"
Arondight was on the verge of losing his patience when a whisper, almost like a breath from a ghost, brushed against his ear, saying, "Don't make such a scene... I'll save you."
Arondight was stunned and turned in the direction from which the cold voice came. Arondight couldn't be mistaken; he knew the voice when it spoke.
"H-Harbinger?"
Arondight was genuinely surprised when he realized that Harbinger had come to save him. He was sure he'd refused any partners on this mission, so the idea that Harbinger had followed him was a surprise.
"Wait—what are you doing here?" he blurted out.
"Saving you, of course..." Harbinger casually replied. He spoke freely to the young hero since he was invisible, and only Arondight could hear him. Then, he added, "Mr. Harley asked me to follow you. He knew this mission was too personal for you and that refusing me as your partner meant no one would be around to stop you from doing something rash, like this."
Harbinger's intention was to become slightly sarcastic in his response and emphasize that he was rejected by Arondight as a partner for this mission; still, it didn't reflect much because of the natural flatness of his tone.
Arondight winced, mainly because what Harbinger pinpointed was true. He had only been in the hero business for two years. While Harbinger wasn't much further along, the two had been paired enough times for him to recognize their difference. Where Harbinger was patient and level-headed, Arondight was the opposite. Most of the time, emotions drove him, often making him impulsive. Which was precisely why a partner like Harbinger mattered.
And now, here he was again, stepping in at the exact moment Arondight needed him most.
"Thank you, Harbinger," Arondight murmured.
"Save it," Harbinger replied. "We're not out of this mess yet."
Then Arondight heard a soft click when he felt Harbinger's ghostly hands touch the handcuffs until they snapped loose. But he didn't get up right away. They needed to devise a good plan before they charged again for a rescue mission.
"We're not leaving without the kids." Arondight's eyes then pointed to the white van guarded by the smugglers, then he added, "There are six smugglers near the van. One of them was holding a neutralizer and..."
"Neutralizer?" Harbinger cut him off. His tone was skeptical when he heard this. "You were knocked down by a...standard issue neutralizer? Really? I thought neutralizers didn't work on you?"
Arondight just flinched in frustration at Harbinger's words. "Well... It's not your usual neutralizer for your information," he muttered defensively. He couldn't tell Harbinger how seriously the standard-issue neutralizer was affecting him. And worse, the strange heat still coursing through him like fire slowly burning him within. Luckily, his fellow hero hadn't yet noticed his body's embarrassing reaction to the said serum, something that he refused to acknowledge out loud.
Thankfully, Harbinger didn't push the topic any further, and instead, he shifted back to their business with the smugglers.
"Okay, this is what we'll do." Harbinger said, "I'll rush in first to get their attention. While they're busy with me, you get to the van and grab the kids. If things get messy, teleport them out. Can you handle that?"
Arondight immediately responded, "Of course! I can do that!" but then his expression soured into a frown. He said, "But come on—at least let me pay back the guy who tagged me with that neutralizer!"
"Well, you can do that..." Harbinger replied firmly, but then he added dryly and said, "Unless you want to see yourself in handcuffs, again."
Arondight rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twitched. "Fine, fine. Let's just focus on the plan. You take care of the smugglers, I'll rescue the children."
"Good." Harbinger said, "Then, let's do it."