Twist of Fate
Chapter 3 – Life Matters
The trip to Captain Lennox's home was quiet, except for the times Katherine would mention a bathroom break. Ironhide was able to sense when the cat was about to urinate. He'd snap a remark of the thing about to do its business in his truck. He would abruptly pull over to the side of the highway to allow Katherine to get out. She'd snap back saying the kitty was scared. Luckily for Ironhide the trip was only a day's drive but was still too long with the animal. He did have to admit though, the sound the cat made, was comforting. He had even asked what the sound was, and when Katherine would not answer, Lennox told him it was called purring and the animal would do that when they were content or nervous.
When the trio finally made it to Lennox's home, he asked if Katherine could stay in the truck for a moment longer until he saw his wife. When he was gone, Katherine took a look around. She noticed she was in front of a fair size farmhouse. Behind the house was a vast size property, with an opened field behind. It was hard to see it, but she was able to see a tree line in the distance of the lawn.
Her attention was drawn from the beauty of the yard to hearing her brother's name called. She guessed that it was his wife yelling in relief and then crying with joy. A few moments later she saw her brother and his wife come around from the side yard. She also noticed a baby in her brother's arms. Katherine quickly realized that the baby was her niece.
"What is that?" Ironhide asked.
"That is a baby," Katherine smiled. "She's Will's baby girl."
"You mean to tell me; humans are actually that small?" The mech warrior was perplexed.
For the first time since that terrible day, Katherine lightly laughed. "When humans are born, we are small like that. You're a highly advanced supercomputer robot, look it up. I'm sure you have the ability to search the web. You can find all the information you need on where babies come from and how." Katherine opened the door and stepped out, but left her cat in the truck, much to Ironhide's dismay.
"Sara, you remember my sister Katherine?" Katherine could see slight tears still making a track down Sara's face as she answered yes. "Sis, this is my daughter...your niece, Annabelle."
"How could I forget?" Sara replied, wiping her tears of joy. Her husband was alive.
Katherine opened her arms to silently ask if she could hold her niece. Reluctantly, Lennox gave into the invitation. It also was the first time for Lennox to his see his daughter.
Sara looked up and noticed the Topkick. "Where did that truck come from?"
"It was given to me," Katherine answered without thinking as she jiggled her niece, making the baby giggle.
Lennox cleared his throat. "Honey, would you mind if Katherine stays with us for awhile? She lost her apartment the other day."
"You lived in Mission City? You poor thing," Sara said sadly.
Lennox had to marvel at his wife for catching quickly. It was one of the things he loved about her.
"Yeah, I even lost..."
Lennox swiftly jumped into the conversation. "Katherine, why don't you go inside and pick one the spare rooms we have. Upstairs are four rooms to choose from."
"Where do I put Annabelle?"
Silently Lennox took his baby back, allowing Katherine to walk over to Ironhide and pull her cat out of the truck. For a quick second she thought she heard Ironhide give a sigh of relief when she closed the door again.
As she moved towards the house, she could hear Sara and Lennox speaking. It was obvious they were talking about her and why she was there. Not wanting to listen in, she made her way upstairs. Not paying too much attention to the layout of the house, she picked the bedroom at the top of the stairs. She set her cat down on the bed and looked out the window. The view faced the spacious backyard, revealing a large old barn off to the side and a small horse stable nearby. In the pasture, two horses were eating grass, and someone was reinforcing the fence.
She heard a knock at the door before her brother entered with her bags. "Nice place, huh?"
"Where did you guys get a place like this?" Katherine asked, stunned to see her brother. "And who is that guy outside working on the fence?"
"The guy outside is Philip, Sara's brother. He comes over everyday to help her take care of the horses. See the house belonged to Sara's parents and when they died, she inherited the property. Not wanting to part with the house, we moved out of the city and came here. Shortly after we learnt Sarah was pregnant, I was stationed Qatar. Her brother offered to help out when she no longer could do it."
"What about the legal papers?"
"The transfer already happened before the accident. I'll leave you now and let you get settled in. I'm sure you would like to have some alone time. I'll call you when dinner's ready and if you need anything; our room is downstairs, along with Annabelle's. Eventually when she is older, she'll move up here."
"I remember meeting her family at the wedding. She has a large family. Makes sense why a large home is required. And I do remember the accident. Her parents were killed by drunk drivers."
Lennox chuckled. "In fact, this was Sarah's room. Annabelle's was always the nursery and when Sara's youngest brother was born, that was his room until Sarah moved out. Oh, the first chance you get can you show Ironhide the old barn. He can hide in there at night and...do what ever he does...when in private."
"You mean transform and give a chance for his gears and wiring to have a change in position?"
"That's it. You were with them for a few days so you would know more what they need than I do. My interaction with them has only been brief, besides driving."
"Will, what if I don't want to go near him?"
"Katherine, I appointed him as your guardian, and you already made Sara believe he's your truck. You have to put up with him. Besides, you're going to have to go into town and get supplies for your kitty. Does she go outside?"
"No and I want it kept that way."
"I'll make sure to tell Sara not to let the cat outside."
She watched her brother turn and leave, giving her time to adjust.
For an hour, she sat on her new bed, staring at her belongings. She was completely teared out. It wasn't until Persia rubbed herself against the woman's arm, breaking Katherine out of her thoughts. Looking to the white fluffball, she realized she needed to get new pet supplies. The kitten had neither food nor a litter box.
Katherine decided to venture outside. Reluctantly she walked over to Ironhide and opened the driver's door. Getting in, she leaned her head on the steering wheel, unknowingly getting Ironhide's attention.
"Is something wrong?" he asked.
Katherine gasped, looking up. "Shit. I forgot, you can sense things."
"Not only can I sense things, I can also see."
"Whatever," she mumbled. "I need to go into town. I have to get some supplies for Persia."
"You mean for that rodent infestation?"
"Don't call her a rodent infestation," she snapped. "She's an animal that is still a baby."
"That thing tried to use my seats as a scratching post. And when I went to scare it, it began to attack me."
Katherine chuckled.
"What's so amusing?"
"Just imagining Persia playing with you."
"That wasn't playing."
"To a kitten, it's playing... attack anything that moves. Even as a cat they do. What makes them do that is beyond me, but sometimes it's extremely funny."
Ironhide revved up his engine and backed out so he could turn and drive towards the nearest town. As much as he didn't like the cat, he had his orders from Prime to guard over Katherine and that meant taking her where she wanted to go.
As the weeks rolled by, many people who did not live in Mission City began to forget. But the ones who did, they were nowhere near forgetting. Many lost loved ones and/or lost their homes. Katherine being one of them was getting tired of being pampered. She loved her sister in law, but it was getting too much. Finally, during an evening meal, she had enough. Slamming her fork on the table, caught Sara and Will's attention.
"Is something wrong?" Sara asked.
"You're damn straight it is," she snapped. "You two have been tip toeing around me since I got here, treating me like I just lost my family."
Will looked at his sister. "Charles was your family."
"But that isn't the only thing I lost. No one will tell me what happened in the city. Who all died? I'm sure I missed all the funerals, including Charles. I even lost my home. So I would appreciate information when I ask it and just back the fuck off about how am I doing."
Katherine stood from the table and stormed out of the house, not even bothering to look over in the corner to Annabelle playing in her playpen. She slammed the front door closed, walking out onto the porch. With one look at Ironhide, she growled. "And you don't make matters any better."
She quickly turned away from him, storming off the porch, making her way around to the back yard. Ironhide was taken aback by her comment. He wondered what would have made her so angry all of a sudden. Just a little before supper, she was playing with Annabelle outside on the porch.
Not to disturb Lennox's wife, he slowly crept around the back and followed Katherine to the old barn. He noticed the small door off the side was opened. When he left the barn this morning, he made sure nothing was out of place as to not suspect Mrs. Lennox or anyone else who might go in the backyard.
He slowly nudged the big barn door opened and made his way inside. Once in the safety of around the old hay, he transformed. The barn was tall enough to fit his full frame. The hay, however, was an annoyance. If he weren't careful, the hay would get into his circuits and possibly prevent him from transforming. Being dark inside it was hard to see anything. He activated his heat sensors to locate the woman.
It didn't take him long to find her on the upper floor. Kneeling, he brought his chin level to the loft. He could hear quiet sobs coming from the woman. She was huddled in a corner, knees curled up to her chest with her head resting on her knees.
"Now, what's the matter with you?" he asked, a little too gruffly
Katherine looked up, startled. She didn't think the giant robot could move that quietly. Not even when the big door opened or closed.
"Go away," she snapped, hiding her head back on her knees.
"You know I can't do that. Just a little while ago you were playing with your niece and now you're in tears."
"You wouldn't understand…" she slowly lifted her head, rubbing her face. "...Actually, you would."
"This about Mission City?"
"Well what lack of information I've received. I don't know what happened to everyone nor about the funerals. I had friends in that city."
"Katherine are you in the barn?"
Ironhide quickly looked by the door. He sighed in relief when he found it was only Captain Lennox. The captain walked through the opened small door, with a lantern with him. He shone the light towards the 22-foot tall mech.
"Ironhide," he said. "Is my sister in here?"
Without so much as a word, Ironhide pointed towards the corner where Katherine was. Lennox nodded and set the lantern down. He walked over to a ladder and was about to climb up when Ironhide grabbed a hold of him and raised him to the loft.
It was the first time Lennox was picked up by the giant beings and it slightly startled him. When he had his footing on the loft floor, he made his way to his sister. He placed a gentle hand on her hands as she tried to ignore him. "Katherine. I have been under strict orders to not talk about what happened at Mission City. I want to tell you what you want to know, but I can't."
"I am your sister, for crying out loud. I am not some random victim. I'm family."
"I've been trying to tell my superiors that and they still will not allow it."
"Why don't you go back to your little family and leave me the fuck alone!" She got to her feet. With quick maneuverability, she used Ironhide's shoulder to climb on before tracking her way down his arm to the floor. The movement startled him for the moment, preventing him from moving.
Lennox looked at Ironhide with a sad expression. The mech knew the expression meant many things. Lennox was worried for his sister but at the same time hurt by her words. Having enough of her silent treatment towards him, he transformed back into the truck and blocked Katherine's path from getting out.
"Get out of my way," she hissed. She moved to her left and Ironhide only moved forward, preventing her from leaving again.
"Get in," Ironhide commanded sternly.
"No."
Within seconds, she felt her body being pushed. In the last moment when she thought she was going to hit the side of the truck's door, the door swung open and she fell onto the seat instead. Turning back, she saw nothing. Lennox was still in the loft, with an astonished expression. Suddenly her arms being pulled by a strange man. When he had her fully in the truck, the door slammed shut and locked.
Once the strange man seemed satisfied in his action, he walked over and opened the big door. Just as soon as the big door fully opened, the man then disappeared.
Katherine gasped, sitting up to be in the passenger seat. The image of the man was Ironhide's hologram and he had pushed her into the truck. But how was that possible? When she first saw the hologram, she was able to wave her hand through the body.
"Don't wait up," Ironhide stated.
The hologram soon appeared in the driver's seat as Ironhide revved his engine and pulled out. Not sure where he was going, he set his navigator towards the setting sun and drove.
For several minutes, she gawked at the hologram before her. There was too much confusion now, unsure whether to be mad for forcing her in the truck or impressed on having better control over the hologram.
Getting over the shock, Katherine finally found her voice. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the windshield. "This is kidnapping."
"At this point in time," he said. "I don't care. You just hurt your brother's feelings back there. Don't you have any regard to anyone else's feelings? You are not the only one suffering."
"Just shove it, will ya."
"What is your problem? One minute you are grateful for the help, the next you insult everyone. I thought Gears was bad."
Katherine raised an eyebrow at the name. "Who's Gears?"
"Another Autobot. I haven't seen him in 10 human years though, so I don't know where he is or even if he's still alive."
Katherine leaned her head down as she heard the tone Ironhide used. The sudden feeling of sorry and guilt washed all around her for being such a bitch towards everyone. Tentatively, she reached over to touch the hologram's arm. To her mild surprise, her hand touched solid mass. The black leather jacket the hologram wore felt real under her fingertips.
"What the..."
"I haven't perfected the projection yet. The body is solid, but the sensors have yet to activate."
"You mean you can't feel any sensations on the body?"
"No," he answered. Not once did the hologram move his eyes from watching the road. With his hands on the wheel, eyes facing the road, he looked like a real person. But all too soon, Katherine noticed the hands tensing up.
"Are you ok?" The mere reason for the 'kidnapping' were forgotten.
"Why is that human driving all over the road?" Ironhide sounded alert.
Katherine looked up and gasped. "Oh god. He's drunk!... And there's a car coming. Ironhide look out!"
Taking note of the oncoming car heading straight towards the drunk driver, the hologram suddenly disappeared. The other driver tried to swerve and avoid the inevitable collision, but it was too late. The drunk driver broadsided the opposing vehicle. With a sudden snap of the wheel to the left and the brakes being slammed, Ironhide came to a screeching halt, turning himself sideways to avoid the back of the drunken car. Katherine threw herself out of the truck, soon after the vehicle stopped. It didn't even register in her mind the doors were now unlocked. She ran towards the two cars, leaving the passenger door opened, which automatically closed.
Katherine stopped when she reached the drunk driver. He only had a nasty bump forming on his head and a cut, no doubt from hitting the steering wheel. One thing about drinking is it numbs the body's reaction time, so injuries are not as pronounced. Once seeing he would survive, she ran over to the other vehicle. But that driver wasn't in too good of a shape.
"Ironhide!" she yelled. "Call 911! There's a woman who needs medical help!"
Transforming, Ironhide made his way over to Katherine. Using his communications relay, he patched through the phones.
"911, how may I direct your call?" a woman's voice said through Ironhide's radio.
"Yes! My name is Katherine Lennox and I just witnessed a terrible accident! Please send help! There's a woman trapped in her car! I think she's unconscious! She's not moving!"
Ironhide listened to the entire conversation. He already had seen how fragile humans were when it came to war times, but he did not realize humans were just as fragile with everyday routines. His thoughts were interrupted when his charge moved to open the door to the car.
"Ironhide, can you give me a hand!" Katherine called.
He looked down to see she was having trouble getting the door opened. Transforming once again, he activated his hologram and moved to the car, yanking the door open.
"Oh, Ironhide you mean? Well... I... it's a call sign as he works with my brother in the army."
Ironhide quirked a brow at the explanation before shrugging. He continued to observe the scene around him as Katherine carefully pulled the unconscious woman out of the car. With a gash on the woman's head, blood was slowly making its way down. Not too sure how bad the wound was, Katherine stripped off her blouse, revealing a white tank top underneath, and covered the bloody wound.
She braced the woman on her lap and waited for the ambulance and police to show. It seemed like forever, but it was only several minutes when the sounds of sirens were approaching from behind. The medics were quick to rush out of the vehicle to assist while another Ambulance arrived, heading straight to the other driver.
Katherine shaken, stood, wrapping her arms around herself, while the unconscious woman was being examined. She felt a cold chill go up her spine and it wasn't because of what she was wearing. She was worried about the woman. Her wound looked pretty bad.
"Ma'am," a police officer announced, getting her attention. "I need to ask you a few questions."
Katherine turned away from the woman just as Ironhide stepped up to her. "Ah...yes."
"Can you tell me what you saw?"
She gave Ironhide a quick look before answering. "After having an argument with my brother. My friend here, and I took a drive to cool off. I noticed one car was swerving all over the road while another car came from the opposite direction. Ironhide did his best to avoid the accident. Once we stopped, I rushed out to assist while he parked the truck off the road for safety precautions."
"The officer looked at Ironhide's hologram. "That must be your tire treads in the middle of the road over there."
Ironhide looked. In seconds he realized his tires did indeed marked the road when he slammed on the brakes. "Affirmative," he stated sternly.
The officer looked at him strangely.
Katherine took a deep breath. "Ironhide works for the army with my brother."
"I see. So, you witnessed the whole thing?"
"Yes officer."
"Can I get your name?"
"Ah...Katherine. Katherine Lennox."
"Thank you. Ms. Lennox. So, neither one of you were hurt?"
Ironhide's hologram took a step forward, about ready to bark a remark when Katherine quickly grabbed his arm. "Yes, we're both ok. The blood is from the woman." She looked past the officer to see the woman was on a gurney, being transported into an Ambulance.
"You are very lucky to have been out here."
Katherine couldn't answer as she covered her ears when the ambulance blared its sirens, racing off down the road. When she could no longer hear them, she looked back up to the officer. "I hope she will be ok."
"We hope so," he said. "Now if you excuse me, I need to attend to the other driver."
Katherine nodded. She watched as the officer walked over to another who was dealing with the drunk driver. Turning, she stepped back to lean against Ironhide's true body.
"What the hell were all those questions?" Ironhide hissed quietly. "Pretty freaking redundant if you ask me. Of course, I'm not hurt."
"Seriously?" she whispered. "You really want them to know you're a damn alien from another planet? Isn't that the whole damn reason you're protecting me?!"
Ironhide's hologram turned to the woman, glaring at her before walking over to her. The two were quiet for several minutes as she watched two policemen arrest and put the other drunk driver in a cruiser. Not realizing, there was a third officer who had been quiet throughout the entire ordeal. Katherine only realized he was there when he stepped over to her after his other two comrades pulled away.
"You know miss," he began. "You don't have to stay here. You are free to go."
"I know. I just need a few minutes to calm my nerves." As she spoke to the officer, she felt the Topkick give a slight shiver or at least that's what it felt like to her. The hologram went completely still, keeping a straight face.
Two more police cruisers arrived from behind Ironhide with two tow trucks. The police officer then walked away and made room for the trucks to get through. Katherine watched as the trucks pulled the two cars up and got them off the road.
Ironhide stepped closer to her, putting a hand on Katherine's shivering shoulders. "Come on, we should get going. I'm sure your brother will be worried about you." Keeping his thoughts quiet, he didn't like how the third officer looked at Katherine.
Katherine turned her head and looked into the hologram's eyes, noticing the eyes were very focused. With a nod of agreement, she took one step towards getting in the truck, but her legs decided to give out on her. Ironhide's hologram was quick to prevent her from falling. It made sure to have a secure lock with her hands.
Slowly, Katherine got into the truck. When the door closed, the hologram disappeared and Ironhide pulled himself into the opposite direction, heading back the way they came.
On the drive back, Katherine looked at her bloody hands. "I did something that mattered," she muttered.
"What?"
She looked up from her hands and stared at the moving wheel. "I did something that mattered. I saved a life. I've never done that before, only reported on how other citizens saved lives."
"I'm sure the other driver will get what he deserves. Those two cops weren't gentle with him."
"I think he was resisting arrest and when you resist, it only gets worse. I hope they throw the book at him."
"Excuse me?"
"I mean. I hope he goes to court, and the judge doesn't let him off lightly."
"I see. Why don't you lean back and relax? Your heart rate is quite irregular."
"For someone who is just a weapons specialist, you sure know a lot on medical."
"I can sense your heart rate is way above normal and your blood pressure isn't the best either. I can also sense you're lightheaded."
Not wanting to argue as he was right, she leaned her head back and rested her eyes, trying to get her heart back to normal. When they got home, Katherine numbly got out of the truck and walked past Will as he rushed towards her. He was waiting on the porch for the two to show back up. When Katherine didn't even acknowledge him, Will felt hurt.
"She's had a rough evening," Ironhide answered.
Lennox looked back at the Topkick. "What happened?"
"The original idea was to talk to her in private but instead witnessed a car accident. Saving a life took all spunk out of her."
"Don't think she ever did that before."
"No, she said it was the first time and said something about reporting people saving lives."
Lennox turned back towards his house. "Will she be ok?"
"With some rest, she should be just fine. She's a very tough woman Captain."
Lennox turned back to the truck, letting the Autobot know he had his full attention.
"Why don't you tell her what she needs to know?"
"Like you, I'm under orders. I can not discuss anything about Mission City to anyone."
"But that doesn't mean I can't."
Lennox smiled. "You know I never thought of that. Telling her what she wants to know will pull her more into the depression she's already in."
"Then perhaps you need to give her a swift kick in the aft. She can't stay here forever. And I do know you humans need to have some sort job to live."
"I have been thinking a lot about that. Sara is also getting tired of her just moping around."
"She did say she worked for a paper. Perhaps she could get a job in the local town here."
"I'll look into it. Right now, I better go see what Katherine is up to."
"I have to report to Prime."
Next morning, Katherine woke, wanting to do something different. She went downstairs soon after doing her morning rituals. Once reaching the main floor, sounds of Annabelle in her crib brought a smile to her face. With a shrug, she went in and picked up her niece just as Sara was entering the room.
Grinning, Sara made her way to the kitchen to start on breakfast. Before long, William woke to giggles. He walked into the kitchen to find both women feeding his daughter.
He leaned against the doorframe of the kitchen and watched. The accident Katherine witnessed the night before seemed to brighten her spirits a bit.
Katherine looked up to see her brother. "I'm going to head out as soon as breakfast is over."
"Where are you going?" Will asked, pulling himself away from the doorway now that he was caught spying.
"I would like to see how the woman is doing. Already called ahead and she's going to be ok. She was very lucky with only coming out with a concussion and a gash in her head."
"Did you want me to go with you?"
"No, I'll take the truck. Besides, who knows when you'll be deployed again."
Katherine went back to help feed her niece while breakfast continued to cook. Once breakfast was finished and true to Katherine's words, she was swift to shower and dress. She gave her niece a kiss good-bye before rushing out the door to climb into her truck.
"You're energetic today," Ironhide noted.
"I'll be glad when you're no longer my guardian."
"Don't worry, the feeling is mutual. But orders are orders." Katherine placed her hands on the wheel as Ironhide revved his engine and pulled out. "I spoke to Optimus about last night. He was a little surprised a cop came over to you."
"Why would that surprise him?"
"Barricade, one of the Decepticons, is disguised as a police cruiser."
"Oh pleeeease. Why would one of them be nice to humans after what they done?"
"Don't underestimate the Decepticons. They would if they're trying to find something."
"But isn't it also possible that your enemies can change their disguise so they wouldn't be caught? I heard Bumblebee went from a 1977 Camaro to a 2007 one after he met the teens."
"That is true, but we don't take anything for granted. So, where the hell are we heading to?"
"The hospital. I'm going to see the woman from the accident yesterday. But before going there, I'm going to stop at a gift shop."
It didn't take Ironhide long to get into town and find the nearest gift shop, much to his dismay. He missed being around Sam even if he only knew the teenager for a few days before leaving. Soon enough, he saw Katherine return with a bag in hand. As she got in the truck, the bag was placed on the passenger seat. The two then left for the hospital. Upon arriving, Katherine went to get out, grabbing the gift bag but the jerk of it caused an item to fall out. She then felt the truck jolt.
"Not again," he grumbled.
Looking to see a small little kitty plushy had fallen out; she snatched it up, putting it back in the bag. "What is with you and not liking furry creatures? Besides, it isn't real."
"You didn't have one of those things lubricate on your foot!"
"Lubricate?" she looked confused for a moment. "You mean an animal pissed on your foot." She smiled as a fit of giggles filled the air. The giggles quickly turned into a laugh.
"It wasn't funny," he hissed.
"Oh yes it is," she said, still laughing. She tried to best to stifle her giggles. "An animal has to do their business somewhere. Just be lucky it wasn't your tire or a skunk. A skunk places a permanent scent."
"Will you just get going? I don't want to be all day."
Katherine continued to giggle as she got out, heading towards the entrance. She made her way to the customer service desk and got the room where the woman was in. When she entered, the woman slowly looked towards the door.
"Who are you?" she asked, weakly.
"You don't know me, but I saved your life yesterday evening when you had your accident. My name is Katherine Lennox."
The woman slightly smiled. "Thank you. I'm Michelle Farborn. I tried to swerve away from the on coming car but…"
"You don't need to explain." Katherine walked in and sat at the nearby chair, near the woman's bed. "I was directly behind the car that hit you."
"I was told a woman, bravely got me out of my car and kept me alive until the medics arrived," she weakly smiled.
"Here, I brought this for you." Katherine opened up the bag to reveal two small stuffed animals. One was a brown kitty and the other was a white puppy. "I hope you like cats and dogs."
"I love them. I have three cats and one dog. Thank you." She watched as Katherine set the plushies on a nearby counter that already had a couple get well cards.
"Did you say your name was Katherine Lennox? You are a reporter from Mission City."
At the name of the city, Katherine felt sudden sadness. "Yeah, but…"
"You are one of the survivors. My husband was in Mission City, there for a business conference. He was wounded but lived to tell the tale. I haven't had a chance to see him yet though. The military won't release him from their hospital. I can't even talk to him."
"I'm sure the army are doing everything possible to release the wounded survivors. I lost my apartment and boyfriend to the tragedy. Luckily I wasn't hurt."
"Yes, because perhaps I wouldn't be here right now if you were wounded or worse yet, killed. I'm sorry about your boyfriend."
As the two women began talking about anything and everything, Ironhide was beginning to have his own problems. Not long after Katherine entered the building, three men came up to him, showing evil grins.
"Poor lady," one of them said. "She left her nice looking truck."
"That lady seemed really hot," another said. "We could wait until she comes out and then follow her home."
"Will you stop thinking with your dick," the third said. "How often does an opportunity come up with a brand spanking new vehicle? And this one looks like a prototype."
Opening his web browser, Ironhide looked up what the second man was talking about. It took him several minutes to realize the man had evil intentions and they were not too pleasant. What he found disgusted him. How could human males be that disrespectful? He wasn't too fond of the woman, but she didn't deserve what the second man was thinking about.
Deciding the men were too disgusting for his taste, he activated his hologram, being sure there was no one else around. The eyes of the hologram widened as the first man produced a knife and aimed it towards the passenger door.
Ironhide's hologram slowly walked around the truck. "Excuse me," it said. "What do you think you're doing?"
The second man looked up to the hologram. "Who the hell are you?"
"The owner of this truck."
"Yeah, right," the first one said. He raised his fist and aimed for Ironhide. He smirked and caught the on coming fist.
"You are either too stupid to back off or really brave," Ironhide taunted. "I'm voting for stupidity." His fist closed tightly around the man's.
Immediately the man began to kneel to his knees as pain throbbed through his fist. The third guy wasn't going to stand around and watch as his 'leader' being submitted as a loser. Reaching into his pocket, the man pulled out a knife, then jumped forward to attack Ironhide's arm.
Still holding on the man, he kicked the other attacker. Surprisingly enough, his foot connected with the man's chest, knocking him to the ground. The second man slowly began to back away; seeing the one before them wearing a black leather jacket was a bit strong.
Ironhide thrust his hand away, shoving the first man into the ground. "Now get the hell out of here before I kick your ass!" he hissed.
He watched as the three men hurriedly turned and ran away. They knew he was one man not to deal with. When the three were gone, Ironhide looked at himself in his passenger mirror. He knew he was taller than Katherine; with her being five foot five. He guessed that he was close to six feet. His very short dark brown hair was slicked back. He was cleaned shaved and had incredibly beautiful blue eyes.
He smirked at himself as he turned back towards the hospital. Within moments the hologram disappeared. While tangling with the men, he was able to feel the hand connect with the attacker. It wouldn't be long now before Ironhide would have full usage of his hologram including the sensors.