The large cat woke with a start. His blue eyes popped open and his big ears swiveled around. He was in a large room and his whole body was aching. His fur was slick with sweat and dirt. Where was he?

With much effort, he lifted his head and gazed around the room. It was dark and gloomy. There was a slightly flustered and worried aura floating around it. The big cat spotted a shape huddled beside a bright screen. The figure moved around occasionally, and a large tail flicked back and forth in an annoyed way. The shape was definitely a cat, almost as large as the confused cat in the middle of the room.

Soon, the cat realized that he was laying on a blanket and bandages were wrapped tightly around his stomach and left back leg. The one on his leg was slightly red with blood, and under the dirt and grime on his coat, he saw that his fur was green, with splashes and patterns of dark grey here and there on his large tail and paws.

The green cat struggled to remember how he'd gotten into the large room. He didn't even remember getting hurt. With a groan, the cat rolled onto his side.

The cat by the screens heard him groan, and he jumped away from where he had sitting and dashed over. When he came into the dim light, the other cat could see that he was white with splashes and lines of deep orange/red. His eyes were a bright blue and he looked slightly tired. He skidded to a stop at the green cat's blanket.

"You're awake," she said, relief flooding into his voice. His throat rumbled with a grateful purr. "How do you feel?"

"Urm," the green cat mumbled. He lifted his head again and tipped it at the red and white cat. "Sore, tired, and confused."

The cat beside him made a soft "Hmm" noise. He gently reached up and touched the green cat's head. Wincing, the cat realized that it was throbbing painfully.

"Sorry," the white and red cat apologized gruffly and shortly, continuing on to examine his legs carefully. "Does your head hurt?"

"Yeah," the green cat said. "Who are you?" I'm Bulkhead. I know that. Bulkhead realized that this cat must be a doctor.

"Ratchet," the cat replied, resting his paws on Bulkhead's back leg, making the green cat grit his teeth.

"I'm Bulkhead," he told Ratchet after relaxing his jaw. "How did I get here? Where is 'here'?"

Ratchet paused and sighed after a moment. He mumbled something to himself before answering. "You're in the Autocat base." He didn't go on to tell Bulkhead how he'd gotten there. All he did was go back to the screen.

The silence that followed seemed to stretch on forever. Ratchet didn't say anything else, only pressed small keys that were on a platform by his paws.

Bulkhead laid there in boredom, licking his paws or trying to remember anything at all. The only memories he could pull out of the back of his mind were flashes of destroying and building things with a grey, silver, and slightly green and red cat. He caught more specific flashes of him laughing and joking with the same cat and a few others. He saw flashes and heard snippets of other things, but they were too fast and short for him to understand. It looked almost like fighting...

Finally, the sounds of paw steps filled one of the halls. They were soft and quick, barely audible. Bulkhead wouldn't have heard them if it wasn't as quiet as it was.

The green cat shifted onto his stomach as the newcomer padded into the room.

It was a young male cat, with large ears and blue eyes like Ratchet's. He was a little smaller than the doctor, and was rather furry. Patterns of black and yellow dipped and spiraled on his fur, and he had light, quick steps coming from tiny paws. His mouth was pulled up in a smile as he trotted in. Bulkhead noticed with a pang of pity that the cat had scars running along his throat.

"Ah, Bumblebee," Ratchet greeted, turning to the beaming yellow cat. "Anything?"

Bumblebee shook his head. "Nothing - day."

Bulkhead tipped his own head at the new cat. His voice sounded strange, almost skippy. It skipped a few syllables and almost sounded warbled.

The yellow cat seemed to wince at his own voice. He kept the smile on his snout, however, as he spotted Bulkhead. "Yo — awake!" he exclaimed as best he could, scrambling over to the blanket.

Bulkhead nodded politely. "I'm Bulkhead. You're Bumblebee?"

The excited cat nodded frantically. "You — call me Bee, too."

"Okay," Bulkhead said cheerfully. He liked this cat. He was nice. "Your friend over there didn't answer me before. How did I get here?"

The look that crossed Bumblebee's face unsettled Bulkhead very much so. It was one of fear, confusion, and shock. He shot the look at Ratchet, who avoided eye contact. Quickly, Bee wiped the look away and faced Bulkhead again.

"You re — don't re — ember?" he said in a fearful voice.

Bulkhead took a moment to realize what his new friend had said, but got it a moment after and shook his head. "Don't remember. Just woke up here."

Ratchet seemed to have something strike him. His bright blue eyes widened and he bolted upright. He dashed back over to Bulkhead, nearly colliding with him. "How much do you remember?"

Bulkhead stared at him for a minute. "I just told you -"

"Before!" Ratchet yelled, his fur standing on end. "Anything about your past life!"

Bee had the same look as before, and he was staring at Bulkhead with wide eyes.

"N-no," Bulkhead muttered, suddenly ashamed. "The only things I remember are these flashes with a few others cats. And ... um, breaking stuff. There are other flashes that I can't really understand. It looks like fighting, I think..."

Ratchet raised a paw and smacked his forehead. He grit his teeth and said in a softer tone: "You're sure? That's all?"

Bulkhead flushed slightly. "Yes, that's it." He sheepishly met Bumblebee's gaze. The yellow cat meowed apologetically.

"It - kay," he said in his warbled voice. "Not -- fault." He paused, then looked to Ratchet. "Nor - it yours."

The medic took a deep breath and turned around, padding back to the screen. His teeth were still grit and he was done talking.

"It - man's," Bumblebee mumbled, then frowned and tried again. "H - man's..." He growled low in his throat then gave up, stalking over to Ratchet.

Bulkhead called after him. "Am I supposed to remember something important?" Fear and shame crept into his voice and he flattened his ears on his head.

Ratchet flinched visibly, but tried to cover it up by turning around and facing Bulkhead again. His eyes were narrowed and he swallowed once before speaking. "No, Bulkhead. It's alright."

Bulkhead sensed that the white and red cat was lying, but Ratchet turned back around before Bulkhead could say anything.

Soon, the green cat realized that he was tired. He let his mind slip into a deep sleep as Bumblebee and Ratchet spoke in soft voices. He only caught one sentence: "Will he — okay?"

~

The wind was strong as Bulkhead bared his teeth. His tail was flipping and twisting in the merciless air, and the green cat fought to keep still, perplexed. He took a step forward and rammed his shoulder into the splintered trunk that was before him. He did so three times before many pieces of bark flew in different directions. The stump still did not uproot. Growling, Bulkhead slammed it once more. Nothing happened.

"Havin' trouble, Bulk?" a merry voice said mockingly. Bulkhead turned to see his wrecking partner, Wheeljack. Wheeljack was a gray and silver furred cat, with streaks of red and green patterns over parts of his body. 

Bulkhead laughed jovially. "Sorta. Care to help? This stump won't come up." He nudged his friend with his head playfully.

"Don't mind if I do," the cat replied, bracing himself. Bulkhead did the same, his muscles rippling. 

"One," Wheeljack counted, "two, three!" 

On three, the two large cats charged at the stubborn fragment of a tree. The tipped sideways at the last second and slammed their sore shoulders into it. Finally, half if it uprooted. 

"Ha!" Wheeljack exclaimed in victory. "That's how you do it, Bulk!" 

The two cats laughed together. 

Bulkhead nudged his friend again. "Thanks, Wheeljack." 

~ 

Wheeljack...

The name stuck in his brain as Bulkhead awoke. He peeked his eyes open and stared off into nothingness. 

Wheeljack must have been my friend... he thought. Where is he now? Is he okay? Was that just a dream, or was it a memory? 

When Bulkhead lifted his head and looked around, he was shocked to find another cat in the room. 

This cat was probably the largest one Bulkhead had ever seen. He was twice as big as Ratchet and was very muscular. He held varieties of blues, grays, and reds. His ears and tail were big and fluffy. He looked commanding even from behind. 

"Optimus," Ratchet suddenly said sharply, and the big cat turned to the doctor. 

"Yes?" Optimus rumbled in a deep voice. 

"Two signals not far from here," Ratchet said. "They have trackers, like we did." 

Bulkhead realized that he had many questions. What were the Autocats? Why did they have trackers? How many cats out there were like them? What were they even up against? 

The blue and red cat stood up. "I will go investigate." He walked past Bulkhead and toward the tunnel. As he passed, he nodded politely at Bulkhead. 

The green cat turned to Bee, who was sitting with his tail curled over his paws. When the yellow cat saw Bulkhead looking at him, he perked up. 

"Who was that big guy?" Bulkhead asked, tipping his head. 

Bee cocked his own head. "That - timus." He frowned as though he'd swallowed a bug. 

"Timus?" Bulkhead echoed in a slightly confused tone. 

"No," Ratchet corrected him from across the room. "Optimus. The Autocat leader." 

"He's - re - good guy," Bee purred happily. 

"That reminds me," Bulkhead said quietly. He was ready to launch into his questions. "I have some questions." He took a deep breath, but decided to stick with one question at a time. "What are the Autocats?" 

The red medic shook his head. "It might be best for you to hold off until Optimus returns." 

"Yeah!" Bee cried, leaping to his paws dramatically. "He - answer yo - questions." He walked over to the green cat and nuzzled his head against Bulkhead's shoulder. 

"You make friends surprisingly fast, you know," Bulkhead chuckled, flicking his ear. "So, Doc, when do you think I'll be up?" 

Ratchet sighed exasperatedly. "Don't call me that. My estimate would be a few more days bedridden. But another few weeks of not doing anything strenuous." 

Bulkhead sighed but agreed. He couldn't argue with Ratchet, he'd learned. 

Bumblebee purred softly in sympathy, stretching out beside the big cat next to him. His large yellow and black tail curled around and rested on Bulkhead's back.

The green cat chuckled softly again, then spotted the large cat - Optimus - returning. Walking beside him were two cats, one red with silver-ish white ears, the other a deep blue with patterns of black and pink winding over her body. The red cat was smiling happily, while the blue one was frowning. 

Bulkhead tipped his head at the cheery red cat. He seemed surprisingly joyful as he bumped his shoulder against the female's.

"Cheer up, 'Cee!" he said. "We've got ourselves a team!" 

"'Cee" scowled at him. "Who said I asked for one?" Her voice was patient but fierce, and her ear only flicked as she stared down the red cat. 

Optimus waved his large tail. "Arcee, Cliffjumper, this is our team. Here is our scout, Bumblebee." Bee smiled happily at both cats. "This is Ratchet, our medic. Our newest is over there. He claims to be Bulkhead." 

The mentioned cat lifted his paw and waved at them both. Cliffjumper grinned full teeth, while Arcee only nodded at him.

"Nice to meet you all," Cliffjumper said enthusiastically. He bounded over to Bee and started talking. 

The little scout looked a little flustered, but soon was nodding at Cliffjumper, listening intensely. 

Bulkhead watched Ratchet start taking a few medic things out. He told the new cats that he needed to check them over. Arcee followed him while Cliffjumper kept talking to Bee. 

"NOW!" Ratchet yelled impatiently at Cliffjumper, and the red cat -

A splitting headache suddenly pierced through Bulkhead's skull, and a howl of pain escaped his mouth. He squeezed his eyes shut just as Ratchet started forward with a scared look.

~

Bulkhead was staring up. His vision was blurry. Pain was flying through his sides. The world around him was spinning. Loud voices filled his ears. 

"Get my medical kit!" a voice yelled, then there was a cat above him with worry stuck on his snout. Bulkhead saw a flashes of red and white fur and blue eyes stared into his. 

Bulkhead felt his conscience slipping away.

"NOW!!" the cat above him screamed, startling him back into the world. He felt paws touch his shoulders and shake him gently. "Stay with me, Bulkhead," the voice said urgently, shaking him again.

The green cat winced. He didn't know where the wound was - almost every part of him hurt. 

The paws shook him again. "Bulkhead!" 

~ 

Bulkhead's eyes popped open quickly. He was curled up on his side on the blanket, his large tail hiding his face. His front paws where clutching his head, and he felt a few whimpers escape his throat. 

The paws that shook him in his memory seemed to be there again. They were shaking him every few seconds, and soon, a voice followed. "Bulkhead!" 

It was the same voice from the memory. The green cat tried to find his voice and coughed. 

"Bul - head?" Bee's voice said by his ear. "Wa - up!" Tiny paws touched his back. 

"R-Ratchet...?" Bulkhead whimpered, taking his paws off his head and peeking out from behind his tail. 

The red and white medic before him visibly relaxed, but still was pretty tense and worried. "Bulkhead. What happened? Can you tell me?" 

Bulkhead lifted his head - which still hurt a lot - and glanced around the room. Cliffjumper and Arcee was the only ones hanging back with looks of confusion and worry. Bulkhead felt suddenly ashamed about making the new cats see that. Ratchet was right in front of him, watching Bulkhead expectantly. Optimus loomed above him, beside Ratchet, with a gentle, worried face. Bumblebee was behind him with his paws still on the green cat's back. 

"I... remembered something," Bulkhead said weakly, making Arcee and Cliffjumper exchange pitying looks.

Ratchet tipped his head curiously, but his eyes told Bulkhead he was dreading to hear what it was. "Is that so? What was it?" he asked anyway. 

"It was ... confusing," Bulkhead told him quietly. "I was lying on my back, and almost every part of me hurt. Someone yelled for a medical kit, then yelled 'Now'. Then the cat started shaking me... Told me to stay with him... Ratchet. I think it was you." 

The medic's eyes grew wide, and Bulkhead heard him grit his teeth. Optimus did too, because he gave Ratchet a slightly worried and sympathetic look. The medic's ears fell back and his tail stiffened. "M-me?" He considered this as Bulkhead nodded. "Right. Yes... That was me..." 

"Why don't I remember that? Or at least what happened?" Bulkhead said sharply, his patience suddenly wearing thin. "And answer me this time! You haven't answered ANY of my questions!" 

Ratchet drew back a little. "I-" 

"Optimus is here now," Bulkhead growled. "I'm going to ask my questions, and I'm getting my answers." 

Optimus purred slightly to calm the green cat. "Go ahead, Bulkhead. I will answer the best I can." 

"How did I get here?" Bulkhead said more softly, his anger wearing down a little. 

"You arrived in our base two days ago, due to humans trying to capture you," Optimus replied calmly. "Bumblebee had been scouting ahead of us, and he discovered you trying to escape the humans. We rushed to help." 

Bulkhead racked his brain. "Why... Why don't I remember this?" 

"He was getting to that," Ratchet said softly. "You... hit your head extremely hard on a brick wall. You were out almost immediately. Since you don't remember anything... I figured it jarred your memory, or messed with your head in some way." 

The green cat was silent for a minute, trying to comprehend. "Really?" 

"Pretty sure," Ratchet answered solemnly, his eyes falling. 

Bumblebee rubbed his body against Ratchet's after he wandered around Bulkhead. "Not yo - fault." 

"What are the Autocats?" Bulkhead asked, moving on with a gulp. He would have to get back to his memory jarred thing.

"We are a group of special cats," Optimus said. "There are many like us out there, unfortunately unreachable. The cats we are fighting against call themselves the Decepticats. Their motive is to rule humankind." 

"Why do we have trackers on us?" 

Optimus sighed. "Because humankind find us to be mutants. They want to take control of us for their own selfish reasons. We were once in a lab, and that's why we have trackers. I believe you were as well." 

"That's a good reason, I guess," Bulkhead murmured. "I mean, aren't we speaking their language and have strange colors? And we're huge, I think. Bigger than normal cats, at least." 

The big, red and blue cat nodded. 

Ratchet sighed through his nose. "Alright. I think we should let Bulkhead rest." 

Bulkhead closed his eyes gratefully and rested his head down on his paws. He fell quickly into a dreamless sleep. 

~ 

HERE IT IS!! THE BOOK YOU ALL HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR!! 

CATFORMERS!! YEAH!!! THIS IS SO EXCITING!! 

Holy cow, though. This chapter is like, the longest I've ever done! Over 3000 words!! 

Well, that's because Im writing it in my journal, and I usually make chapters much longer. I don't count the words, though.

Hope you all enjoy the rest of this book!! Feel free to comment, vote, or share!! :)