A/N: And here we go with the first major deviation from canon plot. There's not much of it in this chapter (I've rearranged this one and the next two five or six times trying to find a good stopping point), but this is where it starts.

As usual, thank you to everyone who read, reviewed, followed, or favorited – I appreciate it!

Chapter 7: Tactical Relocation

As was typical for humans, the ones in the S. scattered across the yard with no apparent plan, a few hurrying to the front door while others appeared to be trying to map out the area. They would get better results with an internet search, Riella thought dryly, and sensed Prowl's amused agreement a moment later when she communicated the image. If they're looking for evidence of our team, I can guarantee you they'll destroy most of it crashing around like that. Not that there wasn't plenty of it to begin with.

The man at the door rang the doorbell repeatedly. Riella arched an eyebrow, making a note that humans were as likely as Cybertronians to attempt something over and over again in hopes that it would happen faster. It did seem to have an effect, since Sam's father answered the door in under half a minute.

"Ronald Wickity?" the man snapped.

"It's Witwicky." Sam's father's tone sounded as if he answered that question frequently. "Who are you?"

"With the government. Sector Seven." The man held up a badge that Riella couldn't see clearly from her position around the corner.

"Never heard of it."

"Never will."

Hmm. Interesting. She opened a comm line absent-mindedly, still trying to get a better look at the Sector Seven human. ::Riella to Prime.::

::Prime here. Do you have the glasses?::

Riella rolled her optics, for approximately the twentieth time that night. ::No. The humans involved work for their government. Sam is still in the house. Could someone do some research on a government branch known as Sector Seven? I'm trying to focus on this.::

::Jazz here. Already on it, like sparks on a plug.:: There was a brief pause. ::What was it – Sector Seven? Let you know when I've got somethin'.::

::Copy that.:: Riella gave up on the badge. She would have to get closer. ::Thank you, Jazz.::

Purely by coincidence, the human agents were moving closer to her. A plan flashed through the back of her mind, and she took a moment to verify it with Prowl.

A bold move. Are you sure you can handle the humans solo?

Of course. Humans may not be my specialty, but let's not forget that I can incapacitate any one of them if things get out of control. I could stay out of the way, but we may lose Sam in the process, and without Sam I have no idea where to look for the glasses.

Copy that. Clear it with Prime. I'll back you up.

Appreciated. Riella reopened the comm line, which she'd closed without thinking about it. ::Prime, requesting permission to break cover temporarily and make contact with the human agents. I may be able to gain further information from contact that I can't get at this range.::

::That seems…drastic.:: Optimus hesitated. ::This could compromise our entire operation. Are you sure?::

::All due respect, sir, between the tire tracks on the lawn, repeated sightings, and human government involvement, our operation can't get much more compromised,:: Riella pointed out calmly. ::I can handle this.::

::If you're sure - ::

::I am.:: Riella glanced up at the approaching human. ::Sir, I need a decision now. Permission to break cover?::

::Permission granted. Stay in contact.::

::Copy that. Riella out.:: She waited until the human was practically on top of her before stepping out into full view. "Is there a problem here, sir?"

"Holy – " The human stumbled backward, cursing. Before Riella had time to speak, she was surrounded by half a dozen humans, all with guns pointed at her head. The first one recovered from his shock enough to shout at her. "Who the hell are you?"

Without changing position, Riella looked him over, noting that she was a good four inches taller. "A family friend. Who are you?"

"Sector Seven. U.S. government." To her disappointment, the man didn't pull a badge, although he did gesture for the guns to lower. "This is a restricted area. What are you doing here? How did you get past us?"

Easily, she commented mentally. "I wasn't aware of the restriction. What is going on here?"

The human ignored her, shouting across the yard. "Simmons! We got another one!" He gestured rapidly to the men on either side of her. "Bring her in. He'll want to talk to her too."

Both agents promptly made a grab for her, pushing her toward the house. Riella supposed she couldn't entirely blame them for the unnecessarily tight grip they took on her upper arms, although it would have been entirely ineffective had she really intended to fight back – she was taller than both and easily outweighed the one on the left. Apparently human governments didn't have much in the way of physical standards for their black-ops agents, which she assumed Sector Seven was.

The first thing she heard when she entered the house was Sam's mother, shouting at everyone in general. "You better get those guys out of my garden or I am going to beat the crap out of them!"

Well, this may be interesting. She took a moment to locate three separate exits before studying the human in a suit – presumably Simmons, who she guessed was their leader. At the moment, he was greeting Sam, in a far-too-cheerful tone. "Hi, how you doin', son? Your name Sam?"

"Yeah..." Sam saw Riella, and his eyes widened. "Oh, great. Just great. Um…"

"What?" Simmons turned around to look, and whistled slightly at the sight of Riella, looking her up and down rather pointedly. "And who are you?"

Riella arched an eyebrow and pulled away from the two agents, folding her arms over her chest and studying Simmons clinically. So far, he was the only Sector Seven agent tall enough to look her in the eye, though he didn't appear to have enough muscle mass to be effective in a fight. "Riella Atlas." It was her cover name, which she'd been using for about three months now. "You must be Agent Simmons."

Her tone must have conveyed how unimpressive she found him, because the human's eyes narrowed in a brief glare. "And what are you doing here, Miss Atlas?"

"Do I need a reason to visit a friend?" Riella stalked coolly past him, casually placing herself between the government agent and the Witwicky family and taking the opportunity to scan an image of the badge in his hand. "To be honest, I could ask you the same question. What is going on here?"

"What's going on is that you're all coming with us," Simmons snapped back.

And that, Riella decided, was the point where she drew the line. After all, leaving would mean there was no way to find the glasses, and she was fairly confident she could stall them for quite a while if necessary. Hopefully Sam would be looking for the glasses. If he hadn't panicked. "No, Agent, we are not. Explain what you are doing." She recognized the device the human in the corner was holding – it measured radiation levels. Apparently they had come up with a way to detect spark signatures.

Prowl? How far back are you?

Five minutes out. I can be there in less if we decide that cover is no longer necessary.

Copy that. Stand by.

Simmons' gaze darted from Riella, to the barking Chihuahua, to Sam, and back to Riella before gesturing to the man with the scanner. "Well? Do we have a result?"

"Yes, sir." The human's eyes widened, and he hadn't stopped staring at Riella. "I'm thinking…direct contact, sir."

"Contact with what, Agent?" Riella asked coolly, taking a step closer and running a quick calculation to gauge the location of every human in the area. "I will not ask again. Explain yourself." Out of the corner of one eye, she spotted Sam's backpack, which the human was holding on to as if it contained a bomb. If he had the glasses, it might as well have. Plan change. She was already recalculating, downloading a local map and identifying an exit route. They could not allow the human government to acquire the location of the AllSpark. Inform Prime that I'm resorting to tactical relocation and taking the human children with me. I'd prefer to avoid human arrest, at least for now.

Copy that. Stand by for rendezvous coordinates.

Simmons, for his part, ignored Riella almost entirely, grabbing the scanner himself and pointing it in Sam's direction. In the process, he unintentionally brushed against Riella's arm, and the scanner promptly let out a screech of feedback and started beeping rapidly.

Riella sighed. Scrap.

"What the hell?" Simmons yanked the scanner back and stared at it, eyes going wider than any human's Riella had ever seen. "What the hell? Don't just stand there! Tag 'em and bag 'em!"

The two agents who had escorted her inside reacted immediately, making almost-simultaneous grabs for Riella's arms. They were quick, she had to give them that.

Unfortunately for them, she was quicker.

One elbow swept up and back to jab the taller human in the chest, knocking him back and away, while her other hand caught the shorter agent in the chest and sent him sprawling. She dropped into a defensive crouch and took two quick steps back, eying the humans moving to block her exit.

Five between us and the door. Not a difficult problem.

"Sam?" She kept her voice low and calm. "When I say run, do it."

"What? What? No, we're not running from the – "

"Go!" Riella grabbed his arm and yanked hard, pulling him after her as she lunged toward the first agent in her path.

A single second of pressure on one specific nerve, and he was down. She spun, driving her right arm down toward the next opponent, and forced herself to modify the blow just in time – no human injuries, not as long as it can be avoided. It still knocked him back three feet and sent him sprawling into the one behind him. The two closest to the door had guns drawn and leveled by the time she reached them, but she didn't give them time to fire, kicking the gun out of one agent's hands with her left foot and slamming her heel into the other agent's chin before he could react. The door was clear.

"Sam, go!"

To her relief, the human did as he was told, bolting through the door with Mikaela right behind him. Riella followed, kicking the door backward sharply to slow down any followers.

Tactical relocation in progress…