Piggyback

Reid had Elena piggyback him: the former riding her like a horse. A speedster was a better ride than any steed, though it came with risks. Elena’s energy drained quickly, leaving them vulnerable in combat. Fortunately, they had avoided any random encounters so far.

It took two weeks to cross the Empire’s borders, yet they still had a long stretch of land to cover before they reached civilization. They set up camp just by the highway, a small respite from their relentless journey.

“A little help here?” Elena asked, her voice exasperated as she tried to set up a single tent.

“Don’t worry, I’ll keep watch by the trees. Sleep is for the weak,” Reid replied.

“At least light a fire, will you? I haven’t had a decent sleep in two fucking weeks, and I’m getting grumpy. Five minutes of rest a day isn’t doing me any favors.”

“Oh, you’re grumpy,” Reid teased, gathering tree branches. He used self-hypnosis to activate a minor pyrokinesis, snapping his fingers to ignite the branches.

It was a unique application of his power of self-mastery, allowing him to subdermally increase his heat to abnormal levels. His fingers were charred, but they soon healed thanks to his limited healing factor, also activated through self-hypnosis. The dark char on his skin peeled away in matter of seconds.

Reid leaned back against a tree, watching the fire crackle as Elena’s eyes widened in surprise. The flames cast a flickering light over the small camp they had set up, pushing back the darkness of the surrounding forest.

Elena, who had just spent two grueling weeks carrying him across the Empire’s borders, was clearly exhausted, her usual sharpness dulled by fatigue. But the sight of Reid lighting the fire with just a snap of his fingers seemed to rekindle some of her energy, if only out of sheer disbelief.

“You can do that?” she asked, her voice a mixture of astonishment and irritation.

Reid shrugged nonchalantly as if his ability to ignite a fire with a mere snap was nothing out of the ordinary. “Yeah, it’s a neat trick. Comes in handy when you need to start a fire in the middle of nowhere.” More like being careful as Reid was still unsure if he’d want to put all his trust in Elena.

Recruiting and allying with her had been his idea, but the human heart was a fickle thing. It was true not just for Reid but for Elena.

Elena shook her head, clearly exasperated. “You could’ve mentioned that sooner. Would’ve saved us some trouble with the damn flint.” There was a good reason why Elena was so… snappy.

Reid chuckled, leaning forward to stoke the fire with a stick. “Where’s the fun in that? Besides, I figured you’d appreciate a little surprise. Keeps things… interesting.” Admittedly, Reid felt guilty about how it turned out.

It took little persuasion on Reid’s part to have the woman piggyback him, but Elena regretted it rather quickly. The whiplash had been unpleasant for Reid and he would have been blown off if he didn’t hypnotically tensed his muscle or redistributed his carbon content every now and then while in superspeed.

However, Elena still got it worse… Apparently, carrying someone while in superspeed was a very burdensome affair. A few bruises had begun to appear around Elena’s skin, purplish and swelling.

Elena groaned, rubbing her temples as she settled down beside the fire. “Interesting isn’t exactly what I’m looking for right now. I need sleep, real sleep, not this five minutes here and there nonsense.”

Reid’s expression softened as he glanced at her, noting the dark circles under her eyes and the tension in her posture. There was a good reason she was this nervous. She’d done well avoiding the empire’s patrols, outposts, and everything. Despite her tough exterior, it was clear that the relentless pace they had kept up had taken a toll on her.

“Get some rest, Elena,” Reid said quietly. “I’ll keep watch. You’ve earned it.”

She hesitated, her pride warring with her exhaustion, but eventually, she gave in. “Fine, but if you try anything funny…”

Reid raised his hands in mock surrender. “Scout’s honor. I’ll behave.”

Before Elena could turn to her tent, Reid tossed her a poultice to relieve her soreness and inflammation. She caught it without a word, her fingers wrapping around the small bundle of herbs and bandages.

“Good night then,” Reid remarked as he perched on a tree branch, the wood creaking slightly under his weight. He bit into a piece of jerky, the dried meat tough but satisfying, a small comfort in their otherwise harsh existence.

Elena grunted in acknowledgment, too tired to say more. She slipped into her tent with slow and heavy movements. The poultice was a welcome relief as she applied it to her bruised skin, the coolness of the herbs seeping into her aching muscles. The scent was sharp but soothing. It was a blend of earth and bitter roots. Within minutes, she was asleep, her body finally giving in to the exhaustion that had been gnawing at her for days.

Meanwhile, Reid remained vigilant, keeping an eye outside. His eyes scanned the dark forest around them. He might not have night vision, but his danger sense and hyper-awareness made him the perfect scout. Even the most excellent night-stalkers wouldn’t be able to get past his defenses.

The fire crackled softly, the flames casting dancing shadows on the ground. He kept his mind sharp, counting the hours in his head, a habit he had developed over years of living on the edge. Even back at the lab, he had done the same. ‘Thinking’ was the one thing that he still had freedom after all back then. Each hour that passed without incident was a small victory, but Reid knew better than to let his guard down.

A few hours later, Elena stirred in her tent. The fire had died down to glowing embers, and the chill of the early morning air seeped into the camp. She emerged, rubbing the sleep from her eyes, her body still stiff but the worst of the soreness had faded.

Reid watched as she approached the remnants of the bonfire, her movements more fluid now. “Sleep well?” he asked, his tone casual but with a hint of concern.

Elena nodded, still groggy but grateful. “Better than I have in weeks,” she admitted, her voice rough from sleep. She crouched by the fire, poking at the embers with a stick. “Thanks for the poultice.”

“So, where to now?” asked Reid with his usual playful tone.

Elena glanced up from the embers, her eyes still clouded with sleep but sharp enough to cut a person into pieces. “You’re strangely very trusting,” she replied, narrowing her gaze at him as if trying to figure out Reid’s angle.

Suspicion, doubts, and questions.

Elena wasn’t sold on having Reid watch her back,

“Trust me, I’m not,” Reid shot back, his voice steady but with a flicker of something darker beneath the surface. He leaned forward, the firelight casting shadows over his face, accentuating the hard lines and the intensity in his eyes. “I could say the same to you. You slept, remember? Who knows what I could have done to you while you were out like a light.”

Elena’s expression didn’t falter, but there was a slight tightening of her jaw, a small sign that his words had struck a nerve. “You didn’t,” she pointed out, her voice level but with an edge to it. “And that’s the only reason I’m still sitting here.”

“My point is,” Reid continued, unfazed by her retort, “if we’re running, we’ve got to have a destination, right? What are the specifics? Where are we running to?”

The weight of the question settled over them like a heavy cloak

Elena had been so focused on getting them out of the Empire’s reach that she hadn’t allowed herself to think too far ahead. But now, with Reid’s piercing gaze fixed on her, she realized that they couldn’t keep running aimlessly. They needed a plan, a goal to work toward.

“We’re heading west,” she finally said, her voice firming up as she spoke. “You said you want to build a mercenary band, right? There should be plenty of work for you with the Kingdoms… The Empire isn’t the only sovereignty of the land.”

Elena took out a flask of water, drank, and then continued, “The Kalon Kingdom. They wave a flag under the name of the Lizard King, a very greedy fella. His kingdom was built on banditry, blood, and brutality. It is the perfect place for outlaws like us.”

Reid nodded, absorbing Elena's words with a thoughtful expression. "The Kalon Kingdom, huh? Sounds like a lovely place," he remarked with a hint of sarcasm, though his interest was piqued. The mention of the Lizard King and his brutal reign painted a picture of a land where only the strong survived—a fitting destination for two fugitives with powers that set them apart from the rest of the world.

Elena caught the tone but chose to ignore it. She was too exhausted for banter, and there was seriousness in her eyes as she continued, "The Lizard King rules with an iron fist. His kingdom is a haven for outlaws, mercenaries, and anyone else who’s fallen through the cracks. We can blend in there, find work, maybe even carve out a place for ourselves."

Reid leaned back, considering her words. "And what’s your plan when we get there? You’re not seriously thinking about hitting the first tavern we see and applying as a bar wench, are you?"

Elena shot him a glare, though there was a flicker of amusement in her eyes. "Barmaid, jackass. And no, that’s not the plan. But we need to keep a low profile until we know the lay of the land. Our powers might give us an edge, but they’ll also make us targets if we’re not careful."

Reid frowned at the mention of their powers and Elena's obsession with the normal life. The 21st century had taught him a lot about the dangers of standing out, especially with abilities like theirs. However, this world worked differently: this was a medieval paradise for mutants like him… and for once, he was thankful for how his luck had turned out to be.

"We’ve got powers," he said, his voice quieter now as if voicing an unspoken truth. "Why not use them? In this world, our abilities could make us kings, or at least give us the leverage we need to survive."

“Your way over your head, Reid.” Elena shook her head with a disappointed and annoyed huff. "We aren’t mutants, Reid. We’re just people. To be a mutant means being elected into your position by something—someone—greater than yourself. It’s not just about power; it’s about being marked, being set apart in a way that isn’t always a blessing."

Reid’s brow furrowed as he processed her words. The language here was still something he was grappling with, his understanding cobbled together through fragmented learning in accelerated states of perception. The term 'mutant' had tripped him up before, and now it seemed there was more nuance to it than he had initially realized.

In his own tongue, the closest translation to what Elena was trying to convey would be something akin to 'Chosen.' The freaks of this world didn’t see themselves as mutants—outcasts from his own time—but as beings selected or cursed by fate. It was a distinction that carried weight, shaping how they viewed themselves and each other.

Reid found it ironic, almost amusing, how a simple word could carry such different meanings in different worlds. In his time, being a mutant meant danger, fear, and often death. Here, it was something else entirely, something that hinted at a deeper, more complex social structure.

It was so… fucking unfair.

"We aren’t Chosen," Elena repeated, her voice tinged with something Reid couldn’t quite place. "We were born this way, not because someone picked us out of a crowd but because it’s who we are. And that means we don’t owe anyone anything for what we can do. We make our own choices, our own path."

Reid watched her for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Fair enough.”

And then Reid swung his short sword, beheading something invisible. A human head rolled over to the ground revealing a headless figure carrying axes in each hand— it was a mutant.

“Bandits!” Elena erupted in a blur as she drew her katana and deflected a series of arrows that flew their way. “Just great… and here I thought we’d get some peace for some time.”