Demolished

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Earth was in ruins. Pidge could see that from the moment Hunk picked her up and carried her out of the wrecked Galra fighter.

Pidge almost wept to see their home destroyed, in shambles.

Everyone, coming out of the ship behind them, looked as ruined and wrecked as their home.

Keith had been the only one to be beat them out of the ship. He had launched himself from the cockpit right before it crashed into the ground. He was holding his arm funny, and he was limping. His forehead and cheek had been cut, probably by some loose pebbles, but that was the only issue.

Shiro looked very tired, his entire body sagging. His left arm was cut from the wrist to his middle finger, and his cheek was bruised.

The rest of the team was better off.

Pidge looked at her exhausted team, then at the wrecked city, the endless desert behind it.

"We. Are. Doomed." She deadpanned, nuzzling into Hunk's hold.

"Don't be like that." Hunk shrugged. "Who knows, the Garrison might be sending reinforcements right now!"

"We brought the healing pod, right?" Keith suddenly asked, perking up.

The Paladins had previously decided to bring along the healing pod with them to Earth. If Earth had some way to recharge it, Pidge could be up and at 'em within the end of the day. And that's what all of them wanted.

Lance came over to take care of Pidge for a moment, Hunk and Allura walking over to the ruins of the wrecked Galra ship, and, after a bit of searching, pulled out the blackened - and slightly busted - healing pod.

Allura had realized that, by using a crystal that might be in Commander Holt's possession, she could recharge the Cryo pod and heal Pidge completely before they took on the Galra.

Fortunately, the pod had enough energy to stay in hover-mode for a while, so they decided to use that opportunity to tow it around.

Secretly they all hoped they didn't have to walk all the way to the Garrison, even with the floating pod.

Lance distracted Pidge's attention from the healing pod, swinging her onto his back with a solid move.

Pidge winced slightly when he grabbed her legs, but stifled the frown when Shiro glanced over.

After several minutes of collecting everything they needed, Hunk scooped up Pidge gently.

"Let's go."

The eight of them - and Kosmo - started into the town, smelling the whiffs of smoke that still lingered in the air from the fires that had taken over the town not too long ago.

"This is terrible." Pidge murmured from her safe cubby in Hunk's arms. "So many people lost their homes..."

"And their lives." Keith deadpanned, always the

Everyone shifted uneasily at his words, frowning down at their boots.

"What? It's true." As if to illustrate his point, Keith stepped over a grey, rotten hand that was barely peaking out from underneath a pile of rubble.

Pidge winced, turning her face away from it drearily, focusing on Hunk's chest plate's symbol.

Allura spared her a sympathetic look, smiling a bit regretfully as she walked past, pushing the healing pod on.

"Pidge, check our position." Keith ordered, pausing beside a car as he addressed the youngest Paladin.

Pidge pulled out her gauntlet, looking at it curiously. After a few seconds, she looked back up at their leader. "If we keep going straight for six more blocks, we'll end in up in city square, and from there we-"