A/N: Back on movie canon now, for the most part. I'm still a little iffy on this chapter – not quite sure what's not right, but something doesn't seem to fit. Maybe it's just that I've been over it too many times, but any feedback on that would be much appreciated.

And as always, thank you to everyone for reviewing, following, favoriting, et cetera! I didn't expect much response to this story, and I really do appreciate all of the encouragement.

Chapter 10: Trapped

"Roll out! Now!" Optimus ordered sharply. "Anyone with a smaller vehicle mode, go. Riella, with me. You and I will monitor the humans."

Through the clatter of rapid transformations and chaos of Autobots taking off in five directions, Riella found Prowl at her side, his vehicle mode pushing up against her leg. Optimus doesn't have a good understanding of this planet yet. There are things that work on Cybertron that would never work here. Be careful.

I know. I will, she assured him, stroking one hand quickly over his windshield. He may not know this planet, but I do. I'll look out for all of them.

And for you. Look out for yourself. Be safe.

I promise. Riella pushed him away firmly. Now go! Get out of here! You have your orders and I have mine.

Copy. Prowl brushed up against her one more time before taking off, dark plating disappearing into the shadows.

"Riella!" She spun around, saw Optimus holding a hand out, and bounded up his arm without stopping. Sam and Mikaela were already clinging to his shoulder, trying to hold on despite the Autobot leader's rapid movement. Riella curled her arm around one shoulder panel and braced her foot against an arm guard as Optimus took off, sprinting down the road. Concrete shattered, tires screeched as cars swerved to avoid them, and a helicopter hummed past too close for comfort, forcing Optimus to duck around a corner.

::Sir?:: Riella twisted around and pushed herself higher, gritting her teeth to avoid yelling over the comm line. ::Have you considered that avoiding them would be much easier in vehicle mode?::

::If you want to transform, be my guest. You're small enough to get away with it. I'd damage most of the area trying to avoid them.:: Optimus nearly crashed into a building, and Riella arched an eyebrow.

::Prime, look at the road. You are damaging most of the area,:: she pointed out dryly. ::You won't blend in here. We should get off the main road.::

::Acknowledged.:: Optimus swerved down another, narrower, street. ::Open to suggestions.::

Riella loosened her grip and leaned out to look, checking for any possibilities and trying to ignore the screaming humans less than a yard away. ::The bridge is an option. From what I can see, it's wide enough to provide cover.::

::Copy.:: Optimus took one more corner too quickly for comfort, dropped down over the edge, and caught himself on the underside of the bridge before they could land next to the river. Riella scrambled to regain her grip, sliding a few feet over his back as the large Autobot pulled himself up and braced both legs under the bridge as well. In this position, they were all but invisible to anyone not looking directly up at them.

Of course, helicopters were still a problem…

"Easy," Riella muttered warningly, noting that Sam and Mikaela were moving around a bit more than they should be. Somewhere far below, the faint hum of a Cybertronian engine reached her ears, cutting through the helicopter noise. ::Bumblebee! What are you doing?::

::I can't leave Sam. They're getting too close.:: The younger Autobot sounded nervous, but determined. ::He's my responsibility.::

::Bumblebee...:: Riella sighed. ::I admire your dedication, but now is not the time! We have the humans. Stay out of sight!::

::No time! The S-7 agents are getting too close. You have to get out of there!::

::Bumblebee, pull back! That's a direct -::

Riella's scolding broke off abruptly at the sound of a human scream. She jerked her head up, frantically looking for the source, and swore at the sight of Mikaela sliding off Optimus's shoulder. "Frag it!" She lunged forward, barely keeping her own grip on Optimus's arm, and made a grab for the girl. Her fingers locked around the human's for a second, but Mikaela's hand was sweaty, and couldn't get a grip on the metal. Before Riella could get a hold of Sam, he'd fallen too, pulled down as Mikaela desperately clawed at his arm. Riella's hand slid free, and she dropped after them. "Prime - !"

"Hold on!" Optimus dropped halfway down, swinging both legs down in an effort to give them something to catch. Sam and Mikaela bounced off his foot, with a thud that sounded like it might have fractured a rib or two; Riella missed entirely, tucked her head in, and braced for the landing before remembering that the humans wouldn't survive it.

Scrap –

Before she could come up with any workable solution, tires screeched on the concrete below, and Bumblebee sped out from under the bridge, headlights flashing. The Camaro transformed in mid-air, catching the humans directly out of the air above Riella, and landed in a rolling skid, tucking Sam and Mikaela closer to his body to protect them. Riella hit the concrete hard on her shoulder and hip, rolled and slid, and finally came to a stop curled up a few dozen yards from Bumblebee. With a groan, she stayed put, cataloguing a new string of bruises. Ow…

Are you alright? Prowl's frantic question cut through her daze. Riella, are you hurt? Respond!

Minimal damage. Wincing, she pushed herself upright, and snapped back to alertness at the sight of incoming helicopters.::Cover's broken – they've got visual. Bumblebee, take the humans and go! I'll cover for you and circle around. Go!::

Two helicopters closed in, barely twenty feet above Riella's head, kicking up a wind that blew her hair in all directions. She couldn't see the humans inside well enough to make out what, if anything, they were trying to do – the flashing lights prevented that. She took a quick step back, dropping into a fight stance. ::Go!::

::Riella! – ::

The thud of an air-powered weapon caught her attention the second she spun around, but she couldn't do anything about the weighted cable that tangled around Bumblebee's arm, yanking him off balance. Before she had time to get more than three steps, another thud alerted her that she was now a target as well. Without stopping, she dived and rolled, tumbling head-over-heels and coming up on her feet in a full sprint. "Bumblebee!" Another cable snagged Bumblebee's other arm, dragging him back and away from her as he fought to stay on his feet, and she activated both arm blades with a hiss. Prowl! Do you copy? Prowl!

Get him out of there! I'm on my way!

A third cable caught Bumblebee's ankles, throwing him to the ground, and he started thrashing in panic. Understandable, but a definite problem. "Stop! Bumblebee, stop!" Riella finally reached his side, shouting over his protesting incoherent noises. "Hold still! I –" Her blade went through the cable around his left arm easily, but before she could get to the next one, screeching tires and a hail of gunfire announced the arrival of human backup. Most of the bullets bounced off her armored bodysuit, only a few tearing through her jacket to leave stinging scrapes on her arms, but it was distracting enough that she took her attention off Bumblebee for a second.

That was her first mistake.