Page 24 of Radar

Xander immediately clambered down from the tree to give Radar whole-body scritches and high-pitched, enthusiastic praise.

But Radar wanted none of that.

He stomped his foot and ran out. Traced back and ran out again just as he’d attempted with Jerome.

Xander wondered if Radar was leading him back to Jerome’s car. Which was fine, he needed to return the man’s things.

About a hundred yards out, in the exact spot that Xander remembered Radar had stopped, looked into the woods, and stomped, Radar stopped again.

There, Xander found a woman curled up under a tree reading a book.

“Your bandage?” Xander called out.

“My bandage,” she said with a wave.

Xander wondered why Radar had bypassed her when searching for help. And the only thing Xander could assume was that the “find human” command sent him on a search that fell into one of two camps—a victim or a perpetrator—and neither was suitable for the command, “Get help.”

Could that be right?

The whole thing, from start to finish, was mind-bending. Xander knew some men on the battlefield who couldn’t have juggled all the balls that Radar had during one of the most complicated training evolutions Xander had ever seen.

The radio sizzled. “Jerome here. I have a meeting. I need that phone.”

“Yeah, yeah, come on over and get it,” Xander said. “Oh my god, man, your mom is the best cook. I’ve never had a meatloaf sandwich as good as this one. No wonder you were ticked about your lunch.”

“Dude, you’d better be kidding or we’re going to dance.”

“Mmm, sorry, can’t hear you past my moaning. So good. Wow.”

“Dude!”

“Gotta go.” Xander put the radio back on his belt. He hadn’t approached the woman with her book because he didn’t know what role she was playing here.

A rescue team came up the mound with a soft approach.

Radar turned and braced a low rumble in his chest, warning the crew against advancing as he maintained control over the area.

Xander commanded Radar to allow the team to come forward with a “Radar, leave it.”

The group wore jackets with identifying logos that weren’t from Cerberus. Reaper must have wanted a crew that was new to Radar.

The men stepped in to perform mock first aid on both Xander and the woman with the book, laying “the victims” on stretchers, and moving them to the car where they were set down, all under the close observation of noble Radar.

That whole scene was beyond expectations. It was miraculous.

Reaper pulled up in his car. “Clear,” he said. “End of evolution.”

Xander was high-pitched praising Radar and playing tug, only coming to a stop when a red-faced man stomped over. “Hey! I’m Jerome. I need my phone. And I need my mama’s meatloaf sandwich.”

Chapter Seven

Xander

Thursday

Iniquus Campus

Xander had showered at Cerberus and changed his clothes.