Another chapter that drastically needed a rewrite. Riella versus the Stunticons was kind of painful to go back and read – it needed help. So the fight scene has been significantly edited, as has the follow-up.

Chapter 10: Emergency Measures

Riella paced the edge of the campsite, every sensor attuned for Decepticon activity. Watch duty wasn't what anyone in the army aspired to, but it was part of the job that she had done for thousands of years. Some things didn't change, no matter what planet you were on.

Her comlink beeped, signaling an incoming message. She pressed a finger to it, slowing her pace as she answered. ::Riella here.::

::Riella, this is Chromia. I'm about ten standard Earth miles south of your position, and I just got a visual on a Decepticon. Small vehicle, ground-based, the make's coming up on the scanners as a 2008 Mazda Miata.::

Riella was already transforming, first into her bipedal robot form and then into her vehicle mode. ::Copy. I'll back you up. Specs match the ones we had for Reflector, the tri-bot former. Riella to Jazz, do you read?:: She was speeding down the road before finishing the sentence.

Jazz's voice crackled in her comm unit. ::Copy, Ri-girl. Whassup?::

::Chromia has a visual on a Decepticon, possibly Reflector. Coordinates incoming. I'm going to provide back-up.:: Riella skidded around a corner, dirt flying. ::With Decepticons in the area, I suggest preparing for evacuation.::

::Copy that. I'll send Prowl an' the twins after ya. Where there's Reflector, there's bound t'be others.:: She could hear Jazz shouting at someone, without turning the comm off, and reached out to her bondmate.

Prowl, follow my signal. I'm already on my way. Riella's wheels slipped a bit in a patch of mud, and she slowed down a bit to get through it, grumbling mentally about the delay – Cybertron hadn't had dirt roads, one of the (many) things she missed. By swerving offroad, she finally reached the highway and was able to speed up, engine revving as she raced toward Chromia's location. The warning popping up in her HUD indicated that she was breaking just about every speed law in the area, but as far as she was concerned that was acceptable. Dealing with the Decepticon was priority.

A signal beeped insistently, and the femme turned harder than her vehicle mode was meant to, wheels leaving black marks on the pavement as she spun completely around and slid off the road just in time. An explosion ripped into the ground, sending concrete and dirt chunks flying. Swearing internally, Riella swerved and hit the accelerator, trying to evade the debris, but one large piece scraped across her chassis and rammed into her front wheel, leaving a deep scrape and throwing her off balance. She transformed fast and rolled, coming up on one knee and looking back toward her attacker.

"Pit!" she cursed, activating her comlink. ::Riella to Jazz, I have a visual on a potential combiner, repeat, visual on potential combiner team member. Requesting backup and suggesting prompt evacuation of all noncombatants.::

Her comlink crackled ominously as she kept one optic on the Decepticon in front of her, checking for identifying marks. "Jazz, this is Riella, do you copy? Jazz, come in!:: Prowl! Where are you?

Not far – we'll be there in ten.

The Decepticon – Breakdown? Dead End? She couldn't tell – advanced on her, snarling in Kaon-dialect Cybertronian. "When I'm done with you, you'll belong in a slagheap!" Ah. Drag Strip. Lovely.

"Don't be too sure of that," Riella responded calmly in the same language, assuming he probably hadn't bothered to learn any Earth languages. "I have no plans to die today. You do not have to, either. Walk away, and I will not kill you."

"Bring it on, Autobot!" Drag Strip thundered toward her, huge sword swinging over his head. The Autobot waited until he was within striking range before diving clear. A quick roll let her come up on her feet, and she spun into a graceful high-kick, catching him off-balance and sending him stumbling several yards away. Metallikato was so useful for dealing with heavy opponents.

With a furious roar, Drag Strip lunged back to his feet. "You're dead, Autobot scum!"

"Not so far as I can tell," Riella taunted, ducking his rather clumsy attack easily and spinning to open a shallow gash across his chest armor.

With another roar, the Stunticon whipped his blade in a rapid circle and swept it down toward her knees, no doubt intending to disable her and remove her speed advantage. Riella saw it coming, flipped backward over the blade, and kicked him in the jaw. Drag Strip stumbled backward and looked up at her, spitting energon…and smirked.

Realizing an instant too late what was going on, Riella dived to the left, tucking her head and rolling. It still wasn't fast enough to avoid the shot from behind her, which caught her in the side and sent her tumbling. Wincing at the sudden burn, Riella slammed her elbow down into the dirt and stopped her skid, flipping herself over and coming up on one knee to face the new arrival. Scrap. Motormaster, the biggest and most dangerous of the Stunticons. Prowl!

Coming!

Motormaster and Drag Strip lunged for her simultaneously. Riella sidestepped a shot from the larger Decepticon and jumped back to block Drag Strip's blow with one blade. She deflected it down into the ground, but it still sent a tingling shock up her arm. A sideways punch from Motormaster almost raked the side of her head, forcing her even further back. It must have rained recently – the soft ground was throwing off her balance, making it hard to judge her next step correctly. Another attack, this time from Drag Strip, and Riella was forced to spin both blades up in a rapid deflection pattern. The move left her side unguarded for barely a second. Unfortunately, that second was too long.

The barrel of Motormaster's cannon slammed into the space between her upper chassis armor and hip plating, throwing her nearly twenty feet. Riella felt something snap, both on the side where the cannon connected and the side where she hit the ground hard. She scrambled to get her feet back under her, but before she could get her balance, Motormaster's foot cracked into her head and sent her sprawling again.

Half-dazed, Riella rolled and twisted, striking at his ankle with one blade. Energon splattered her wrist as the blade cut through several cables. Above her, Motormaster snarled in pain and kicked her savagely in the chassis again, then fired straight down. Pain shot from Riella's leg all the way to her spark, and she gasped and tried to twist away. Motormaster slammed the cannon down against her again, this time hitting her arm as she rolled. When the blow sent her tumbling forward, facedown, he slammed one heavy foot down against her back.

Something shattered inside Riella's spine, and agony blazed out from the center of her back through the rest of her frame. She thought she might have screamed, but wasn't sure.

A rough foot kicked her over onto her back, doubling the pain in her spine. Motormaster's gun powered above her head, and Riella somehow found the ability to jerk her head to the left. The blast burned her cheek, sending light flashing painfully through her optics. One of them sparked, and the world went dark around her. Flash blindness.

No! Prowl…where…

Gunfire exploded above and around her, familiar sounds…none of the fire was directed at her…and then the bond pulsed with concern and love. Riella!

She closed her optics, head thudding lightly against the ground as she went limp. She could taste energon in her mouth, and her body wasn't responding to her efforts to move. The aware part of her mind noted that she was probably going into stasis, and that shock had kicked in.

Riella! Riella, I'm here. A footstep caught her attention, bringing her back to relative awareness. Even though she knew who it was, instinct kicked in, and she tried to edge away from the sound. It was a mistake. The pain, which had started to fade as she went into stasis, returned with a vengeance, and she couldn't stifle a low moan. Almost immediately, Prowl's arms wrapped around her shoulders and side, carefully trying to lift her. She cried out, voice catching and rasping in her throat. Blurry warnings popped up in her HUD about her fuel tanks. Prowl noticed, lowering her to the ground, and a gentle hand turned her head to the side, so that her intakes didn't jam as she purged her tanks violently. Riella gasped, shoulders shaking in pain.

It's all right. Shh. I'm here. A hand rubbed along her back soothingly. Lie still. I've got you. Just breathe.

She reached out desperately, her hand flailing for something, anything. Her fingertips brushed against metal, and then traced upward, feeling the familiar contours of narrow features and a triangular visor. Prowl…?

It's me, little star. Prowl adjusted his hold on her, supporting her head against his knee and stroking her cheek and neck with his free hand. Ratchet's on his way. What's damaged, besides the obvious? Do you know?

Riella fought for some kind of focus. Back's broken. Optics offline. Something in my chest. Snapped. And the leg. Think it's gone.

It's not gone. In bad shape, but still attached. Prowl slid his hand carefully under her neck, pulling her closer. Don't be afraid. He brushed gently at her cheek, and Riella realized she was crying. Prowl curled around her, spark pulsing lightly against her cheek. It's okay. You're not bleeding out. Your spark is alright. Just wait for Ratchet.

Riella buried her face in his chest, trembling and trying to stay alert. Ratchet…will not be happy.

No, but he'll know it wasn't your fault. Prowl tilted his head and rested his cheek against the top of her head. Rest, love. I'll be here when you wake up.

She let herself relax, stasis taking over again. The bond was her one concrete link back to reality, and even that began to fade out as she gradually lost consciousness.

"Riella? Riella, answer me. Can you hear me?"

Ratchet. She groaned and tried to speak. It came out as a raspy "mmhm."

"That's a yes. I'm going to give you a sedative before I move you." Ratchet's hand brushed against her chin, tilting her head up. "Hang in there, kid. We'll fix you up, okay?"

A moment later she felt the pressure of an injection into her neck, and the pain disappeared as her CPU finally shut down.