Tracking down a new friend...

[kaci_celica]

A black Celica weaves quietly through the hallways within Autobot City, moving quickly but going at thankfully slower speeds than had been the case during the earlier frantic race to the Medbay. Kaci throws a few sensor sweeps as she approaches her intended target, following Metroplex's ever-helpful directions

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[kaci_celica]

The nurse returns a short while later with a doctor in tow. Kaci thanks her and she runs off to return to whatever she'd been doing before, leaving Kaci with the doctor. Kaci requests a private room with a securable door to take Michelle to, the doctor nods in response, and then both of them begin to head off.

Kaci details Michelle's injuries along the way, keeping her internal scanners on Michelle. From Michelle's point of view the doctor and Kaci appear to exchange words, but she can't hear them through the soundproofed passenger cabin.

It isn't long before they reach their destination. There are already medical staff there waiting for them. The room's entrance is shut and locked at Kaci's request before the Celica's door pops open with a soft click, and two nurses move to fish Michelle out of the passenger compartment.

At the same time, the window of the other door rolls down and a flatscreen monitor unfolds from the dashboard, turning towards the open window on an extendable limb. Kaci beckons the doctor over to show him the results of the different scans she's performed thus far. He scrolls through them using the navigation menu (the monitor is a touch-screen), frowning, then begins to give the staff instructions on what to do. He moves to shadow the two nurses as they try to help Michelle over to the bed.

[victordrath]

Michelle leans on them and limps to her bed. Feeling the bald spots where hair had been with a free hand, she sits down, wincing as even that simple movement sends knives through her chest. She glances over at Kaci with a hard-to-read look. It's almost like she's scowling, but there's a bit of thanks in her eyes.

[kaci_celica]

((Composed following OOC discussions.))

Kaci remains parked where she is, white scanning light scrolling back and forth slightly less frantically than before with a gentle, barely-heard hum. The little flatscreen monitor still displays its information on Michelle's cracked ribs - one of which has succeeded in just piercing a lung after being bent too far - marked locations indicating cuts and bruises sustained, and an area where there are worrying signs of slow but steady internal bleeding. Kaci doesn't transform, but she does continue to keep watch on what's going on. Michelle's look is met by a calm, almost reflective electronic gaze as the Celica regards the human woman with quiet thoughtfulness.

And then she detects that barest glimmer of gratitude in Michelle's eyes.

It's hard to read a faceless car, but if Michelle is looking carefully she'll see a slight change in the brightness of Kaci's scanner bar; something like the flicker of a warm glow passes through the black Celica in response to that hint of a thank-you. The same feeling that comes with the giving of a genuine, honest smile. A reassurance that everything will be okay...

The medical staff swarm and fuss around Michelle as treatment begins. She is hooked up to an IV feed and given painkillers. A tube is inserted into her chest to drain off fluid and blood from her punctured lung to allow it to re-inflate; her ribs are taped as best as they can be, given the necessity of the chest tube. Scrapes and cuts on her skin are cleaned and dressed, and in some severe cases the doctor decides the cuts will need to be stitched. The injured patches of her scalp are likewise cleaned up. A breathing tube is inserted into her throat and she is anaesthetized; the internal bleeding will need to be corrected through surgery.

Some hours later, Michelle is asleep and recovering. Some of the tubes are still in place to help her breathe. Having completed their work here, the staff file out and move onto the next task. The doctor remains behind to do a final check, then he and Kaci follow the others out. The door is relocked and secured behind them - relatively weak and recovering from her injuries she may be, but this was still the same woman who had eluded the Cybertronians and their allies before. They weren't going to take any chances this time.

The doctor reassures Kaci that nurses will be in to check on Michelle's progress at regular intervals, then leaves Kaci to her thoughts and heads off to the next job - and to request that a pair of security guards be sent to watch the door to Michelle's room, to make sure no-one went in or out who wasn't authorized to do so. Kaci greets the human guards when they arrive outside Michelle's door and at the same time sends a com-link message to Blaze. As far as she knew, the big black SUV didn't have anything else too important to do right now. It couldn't hurt to have some heavy artillery parked nearby, plus she could always contact him through the com-link for updates.

And in addition, it would give him something to do and keep him out of trouble occupied while she went back to keep an optic on the other two captives.

[blazinblackness]

The familiar form of the large black BMW with the equally large trademark flamethrower arrives a short while later to play Transformer guard to Michelle, and perhaps also the rest of the medical center while he was at it. He grumbles at Kaci for dumping this 'boring waste of time' role on him, but eventually resigns and accepts her reasons.

"Fine then. I'll handle it. You go back to whatever it was you were doin' before."

"Also, I stuck that drum of high grade in your room for ya, jus' so you know."

They'd long ago opted to share the access codes to their quarters with one another. It was as much a simple practicality as it was a show of trust.

[kaci_celica]

She manages to give the impression of a smile: both in the tone of her voice, and through that inexplicable link of understanding you inevitably develop with another being after working as a team - no, a family - for a long enough period of time. Things simply make sense to you. You just know; you just understand.

"Thanks bro, it's appreciated. On both counts."

The black Celica lingers for just a moment longer, then makes her way out of the medical center. She heads back towards the area where the other two human captives are currently being held.

It is not very long after Kaci's exiting the medical center that Photon receives a com-link message to notify her that the Celica's on her way back. Sure enough, a brief while later, the tell-tale thrum of an automotive engine can be heard approaching from down the corridor. Kaci rounds the corner and transforms, walking the remaining short distance on foot.

"Hi again, Photon," she greets the other femme, managing to hide most of the tiredness from her smile. "Sorry I took so long. The doctors only just finished with the woman I took to the medical center a little while ago. She was quite badly injured, and I'm surprised she was still as coherent as she was under the circumstances."

She glances at the doors that are keeping the remaining two captives inside their rooms. "I hope you didn't have too much trouble here in the meantime. Sorry for having to leave you on your own so abruptly before..."

[strataseeker]

Photon offers Kaci a polite nod and smile in greeting as the celica approaches. "I had assumed as much, given the precipitousness of your departure. Do not worry; I understood. Strata informs me that the chaos in the Medical Bay has settled, and there was no trouble here," she replies, cocking her head as she gives Kaci a long look.

"In truth, given Metroplex's monitoring capabilities, there truly is little requirement to station a secondary guard here. Perhaps once you have completed your medical scans of the last two prisoners, you might seek some rest? Forgive my rudeness, however you appear as if you could use a recharge cycle."

[kaci_celica]

Kaci looks relieved. The smile widens a little. "Good to hear things've settled down there. Was anybody hurt?"

A nod. "I think you're right. I'll check on 'em both and make sure they're doing okay..." She allows herself a brief pause to think, then sighs. "...and then maybe I should get a little rest for a while," she admits. The rescue mission was finally over and things back home seemed to be settling down. It was as good an opportunity to take a break and recuperate while she could as any.