These Paths We Tread (Autobot x OC)

VII. Fix you

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Despite having giant aliens running about its streets and mucking up its walls with alien ammo, the city had done fairly well in regards to the damage. Oh, yes, Catherine was sure it was well in the millions of dollars, but it could have been so much worse. None of the tall buildings had fallen and the loss of human life had been actually incredibly small. That wasn't to say there weren't charred, bleeding, and broken forms here and there, but the wounded outweighed the dead and a wounded person was still a living person. They would get to live another day and continue on with their lives one way or another, and the city would be repaired and move on, too.

Even so, Catherine could not help but frown at the sight of their tears and the sound of their wails as loved ones were mourned or tended to as best as Lennox's men were able until actual medical aid could arrive. It made her almost feel guilty for getting off so easily—at most she may have suffered a sprain in her ankle, which had begun to throb not long after Lennox had herded them, along with the Autobots, away from the carnage.

At first they had wanted to stay and help. Ratchet even offered his services, but the screams of an injured woman when he came close was all the convincing needed to see that, although they were the good guys, the Autobots were not a welcomed sight. The people didn't know the difference between Decepticon and Autobots, so they took the safest option and left with a few of the Sector Seven soldiers with Jazz's remains in the back of their vehicles and  Bumblebee still attached to the tow truck. The three teens left with them, too, no longer of much help, and, frankly, they were more than happy to get away from the city. Too much had happened there, and they needed to escape to even just barely begin understanding what had happened.

Instead of back to the Dam, though, the Sector Seven soldiers gave them the coordinates of a separate base—a safe house where everyone was to be moved in emergencies. It was the best bet, so they headed there, but at a slower pace with the earlier sense of urgency gone, although they did not delay either. Thankfully, the roads had been cleared by the government—or rather Sector Seven—and their path was free of too many onlookers. Their pace increased a little once they drove onto the smaller canyon roads, but slowed again as they headed off-road on a "hidden path" to the other base. They stayed there for a good five minutes before they found paved road  and an array of metal buildings.  

Sector Seven had been waiting for them, but instead of hostilities, they were met with cheers and warm welcomes directed by Tom Banacheck himself. They were brought into a large area situated with accommodations for people rather than experiments. It was there they found a pleasant sight: Maggie, Glenn, the Secretary of Defense, and even Agent Simmons looking worn out and battle weary themselves while they sat in chairs, guns still across their laps while the black man had a finished plate of food on his. What had once been a pompous ass, there was now a proud, satisfied soldier in the man they knew as Simmons as he exclaimed with much vigor on how they had "done it".

From there, the humans and Autobots had settled into their groups; the robots were guided to a place where they could rest and Ratchet could begin repairs, and the humans took up their spots with the other four to exchange stories while human medics were called in to check on them. Simmons had nearly gotten nearly halfway through the battle with Frenzy when their aid came and began to work on Sam first, at Catherine's insistence. He checked out with a clean bill of health besides exhaustion, a few scrapes here and there, and the cut on his brow that would heal on its own. The redhead was next, and she received a clean bill, too, much to her surprise. The cut—which had been bleeding a good trickle before—had proved to only be superficial, and the pain in her ankle had already ceased. Although somewhat suspicious, she went with it as good luck, and let it go as Mikeala came off much the same as them: just a few scrapes and bruises.