The Next Puzzle Piece...

[Oracle]

(Christina tries to think about it. If Radar tries anything extravagant, it would be all over the news. Eventually the others would hear about it. Either way, it was worth a try. Christina stands and walks out of the store. She sees Radar staring at her from the middle of the street. But instead of walking towards him, she leans against the store window and folds her arms across her chest with a smirk on her face. She knows Radar heard what she was thinking. All that was left was whether or not he could carry out his threat.)

"Your move."

[Radar]

"Silly girl, don't you know...."

(Radar's smile fades suddenly and the tips of his fingers spark as Christina flies into the air.)

"...tricks are for kids."

(Christina is floating in the air with her arms out and her legs spread. Radar forces her eyes shut and then lets loose another wave. Fifty feet behind Christina, the cement jumps up and creates a wall. People look and scream and a fresh smile graces Matthews face.)

Radar: Oh my god! It's a mutant! Run for your lives!

(Surprisingly, the flock of people scatter and chaos breaks out in the plaza. Radar drops his arm but holds Christina in the air, not hurting her at all. He pulls his dart gun from it's holster and aims at Christina.)

"You shouldn't tempt a lion, Chrissy."

Radar fires his gun and the dart hits Christina in the thigh. As the serum starts to take effect, Radar lowers her and walks over. He picks up the young woman and carries her off.)

[Radar]

(As he places Christina in the back of the Hummer he's commandeered for this mission, he can't help but wonder about scruples again and what the big picture is. Apocalypse was a scary name, and Smith wasn't truly sure what precautions he had to take to control the beast when he unleashed it. The very thought scarred Matthews, but he wiped the thoughts from his mind by glancing once again at Christina's face. There was some sort of tranquility he found in that face, and he couldn't help but stare. She let out a bit of a groan, and Radar's thoughts came back to the mission at hand.)

Radar: Women...always busting us up.

(Matthews handcufffed Christina's hands to a steel bar jutting from the Hummer's interior. He stepped back to admire his work and then frowned. He grabbed a cord of rope and bound her legs. Then he took a pillow and shoved it underneath her head. Finally, he threw a thin camo blanket over her and sighed. As he closed the doors to the back of the Hummer, he scratched his head. He entered the driver's seat of the Hummer and started the engine. A keypad rose from the cupholder to Radar's side and he typed in his code. A soft beep indicated his code had been confirmed and he reclined back in his seat. His hand found the com and he placed it in his ear.)

Radar: Omega Five, I've secured the package and am heading home now. Please don't open the Scotch.

(Private First Class Tina Anorak's voice came over the com link.)

Tina: Ok. Navigating the H-14 now. Just relax, I got the wheel Johnson.

Radar: Nah, nah, nah. No talking on this field trip. Just alert me when we get low on gas, so we can stop for that and food.

Tina: Yes sir. Anything else?

Radar: Nope, I'm fine. What time should we be back?

Tina: Seventeen hundred hours tomorrow. Provided you only stop for gas, food, and the occasional bathroom break.

Radar: Roger that.

(Radar took the com out of his ear and placed it on his shoulder. As the Hummer took off, Radar turned his monitor off and hoped Christina wouldn't talk too much when she did wake up.)

[Oracle]

(After about an hour or so of traveling, Christina lets out a small moan. She recognizes the groggy feeling of the tranquilzer. She opens her eyes and looks at her surroundings. She notices her hands handcuffed and tries to sit up only to find her legs have been bounded also. She groans angrily and looks over to the driver seat.)

Christina: Hey. Thought you were blind. What the hell are you doing driving?

[Radar]

(Matthews opens his eyes and then closes them again. He turns slightly in his seat to look at her and folds his arms on his chest.)

Radar: Quiet there Chrissy. You're ruining my already fowl mood. Don't worry, I'm not driving. This is a H-14. It's being commanded by a nutcase back at Omega Base. So don't worry, we're not going to crash and burn as one might think. Even if we did, I'm an ok driver. Considering, I would have to turn my radar on.

(Matthews settles back in his seat and places the com in his ear.)

Radar: Do you need to go to the bathroom or eat something? Tell me now, before we get on the Interstate, because I'm not turning this thing around once we do.

[Oracle]

Christina: What I need is for you to quit calling me that and letting me go!

[Radar]

(Matthews lets out a sigh of anoyance and sits up in his seat. He gets up and crawls in the back seat. He sits in front of Christina and raises an eyebrow.)

Radar: Ok, Chrissy. I'm not playing with you anymore. Shut the hell up or I'm gonna fill you with so much damn tranq that you'll be the female equilivant of Rip Van Winkle. Now shut up and calm down. You're not getting let go. We need you and you know why. Get over it. You're going to Omega Base and I'm escorting you there. End of story. You want me to quit calling you Chrissy, prove to me that you can shut damn trap of yours. Now before you come back with some girly little comback, trying to maintain any confidence whatsoever you may be clinging on to, ponder this. I have five pounds of tranquilizer and you're tied up. So answer my damn question. Are you hungry or do you need to use the bathroom? And I swear woman, if you give me any other answer than what I just asked I will plug you up. Go ahead, test me. Test me like you did last night.

(Radar pulls his gun out of his jacket pocket again and starts spinning it on his finger.)

[Oracle]

(Christina stares at Radar and decides not to test him again. She turns her head and doesn't look at him or the gun he's twirling. Through clenched teeth she answers him.)

Christina: No... I'm fine.

[Radar]

(Radar lets his shoulders drop as he realizes that he was harder than he usually is. He sighs and places a bottle of water next to her handcuffed hands. Even though she is bound, she can reach her mouth.)

Radar: Here, Christina. It's safe, don't worry. I haven't gotten the nerve to drug you yet. Please don't give me any incentive.

(Matthews climbs back into his driver's seat and once again reclines the seat. He pulls off his blue shades and opens his eyes. As the final rays of the day shine down, Radar smiles. He pulls open a pamphlet and moves his fingers across the page, reading about the process of aging white wine. Shortly thereafter he falls asleep.)

[Oracle]

(Christina grabs the water bottle and takes a little sip. She looks over to the driver seat and finds Radar asleep. She doesn't want to anger him anymore than he already was, but she didn't want stay here and been handed over to Smith at Omega Base. She pulls herself up so she could look out the window. The windows are tinted so no one would be able to see her. She lowers herself back down and tries to think of something else. Christina tries pulling on the handcuffs, but they begin to dig into her wrists, and Radar has the key on his persons. She then tries to move her legs to unbind herself, but the rope is bounded tightly. It was a time like this that Christina hated to be on her own, and she began to regret giving up her powers.)

[Radar]

(Matthews is standing on a silver building. He can feel broken ribs and dried blood on his body. He looks over to his side and sees Chaze Snipez standing next to him. Chaze is in his human form, and is just as beat up and bloody as Matthews.)

Radar: I think we finally did it.

Wolf: Yeah, I think it's over.

(Radar smiles and then looks behind him. They're in the industrial zone of an unfamiliar city. Buildings are burning, and people have taken to the streets. Wolf says something about "Whisp," but Radar doesn't hear it.)

....................................................................................................

(Radar wakes up in a cold sweat and looks around. All he sees is the mundane blackness. He shakes his head and breathes slowly.)

Radar: What a dream.

(Radar looks at his flask and can feel that it's empty. He tosses it on the passenger seat and sighs. It was just a dream he tells himself, but it felt so real. Radar rolls the window down and lets some fresh air in. His thoughts fly once more to scruples and the real good guys.)

[Oracle]

(Christina notices Radar has awaken and stops trying to untie herself. She lies there quietly and lets her head rest on the pillow. It puzzles Christina how Radar is physically blind and yet he knows and can see so much. For being handicapped, as well as a drunk, he still seems to be a strong, commanding man. Although she has witnessed his powers for herself, she is curious to know exactly what else he could do. She wonders how long they had traveled already and how much do they have left. A new sense of dread fills her mind. She begins to think of how Smith is. She had heard Chris talked about how he should have killed him when he had the chance. She thought Smith hated all mutants as well. So why was Radar working for him? Would Smith ever betray him for he is a mutant afterall? It is then that she remembers the reason why Smith had wanted her capture. She begins to wonder how much longer she has to live.)

[Radar]

"You worry way too much, did anyone ever tell you that?"

(Radar turns slightly in his seat to let Christina see his smile. Then he sighs. He hits info on the adjacent keypad and a soft robotic voice tells him it is five thirty in the morning.)

Radar: Wow, Christina. We've been traveling for five hours. Only six more to go, and then you can stretch your legs.

(Anorak's voice comes over the com.)

Tina: You guys are starting to run low on gas. I recommend the Grab-It-N-Go two miles up ahead.

Radar: Do it.

Tina: Roger that sir.

(Radar turns and faces in Christina's general direction.)

Radar: We'll be stopping for gas in a bit. I'm getting you some food, no arguments. You don't have to eat it, but you should. I can tell you're hungry even if you deny it.

(Radar taps his temple with his middle and index finger.)

I can read brain waves and use any known kind of waves to my advantage. But I usually send sound waves to let me see. That's why I've been named Radar.
So you see, I know everything that your body tells you. And I also know that you do need to use the lavatory. Fine, but no tricks. I'll make you think you're paralyzed if you do anything dumb. Understood?

[Oracle]

Christina: Fine... but you know... there is something called invasion of privacy. A girl's not even safe in her own mind around you.

[Radar]

(Matthews smirks but then it fades as the truth once again dawns on him.)

Radar: Ok, listen up. Just becuase I don't say this word a lot. I'm sorry. I don't exactly know how to turn it off, and sometimes it's hard not to listen. Most of the time, I just ignore the voices. There's so many, it's hard to concerntrate if I don't tune them out. So, don't feel flattered. Trust me, if it were up to me, I wouldn't hear a word anyone thought.

(The Hummer gets off of the road and starts down a small side street. Radar turns back to the road and crosses his arms.)

Radar: So...muffin, buscuits, pancakes, or what? What do you want?