Note: All characters are the property of Hasbro Studios. Other materials and references belong to Disney. Got this idea while writing my other story, Working Dogs. Title is based on the song, Remember that Day, from the Disney movie, The Brave Little Toaster: To the Rescue! They used to air once in a while on Disney channel. For anyone who doesn't remember this movie since it was released in 1999, you can probably find it on Netflix. Some changes have been made in order to fit the story. Anyway… read on!

"What a day to remember, I remember just that way… and I'll never forget to remember that day…"

Friday May 28th – 4:30pm

For the most part, the weather in Jasper had been pleasant up until two days ago. Although Nevada was known for having dry and extreme heat, thunderstorms weren't uncommon. Because of the heavy rain, three residents and their pet dogs had no choice but to spend the afternoon indoors. Raf glanced out the living room window and sighed.

"Can't believe it's still raining." He said.

"You're tellin' me, never had this back in Tokyo." Miko replied.

"Eh, don't worry about it…by tomorrow the storm should blow over." Said Jack.

Currently, the three of them were at Rafael's house, working on their projects for the Science fair which was two weeks away. After about an hour, they all decided to take a break.

"So, what now?" Miko asked.

"Beats me…" Jack answered, shrugging his shoulders.

Just then, Raf got an idea.

"I know, how about a movie?"

Jack and Miko grinned.

"Sounds good to me." Said Miko.

"Same here… question is, what to watch…" Jack said as he looked at the DVD rack near the flat screen TV.

Just then, they were alerted by a loud bark.

Looking to the right they spotted a brindle and white Border collie holding a DVD case in his mouth. Raf grabbed the DVD case and read the title.

"Nice one, Bumblebee." He said.

"I remember this movie, haven't seen it in a while though." Jack admitted.

The movie, Bumblebee had picked out was The Brave Little Toaster: To the Rescue.

"Popcorn anyone?" Miko asked.

"Sure, why not?" said Jack.

"Try the cabinet next to the fridge." Raf suggested.

"Got it," said Miko.

As she walked out of the living room she passed by a large gray and white Alaskan Malamute.

"You plan on joining us, Bulkhead?" she asked.

The sled dog in question, opened one of his ice blue eyes and yawned.

"For what?"

"Watching a movie," Miko answered.

"Wouldn't miss it," Bulkhead replied.

Miko smiled.

"Great,"

Stretched out across from Bulkhead was a rusty red and white hound mix. Her upright ears perked up for a moment. Dropping the rawhide bone she had been chewing on, the female looked over at Bulkhead.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"The kids are gonna watch a movie, care to join us?" said Bulkhead.

The female, Arcee began wagging her tail.

"You know I never pass up a good movie." She replied with a smile.

Moments later, the three friends were now sitting on the couch.

"Guys, c'mon, the movie's starting." Miko called.

The canine trio on the opposite end of the room, quickly got up and walked over to the couch. They settled down on the beige colored carpet. For Arcee, after a long week of coming to and from Jack's house, it felt good beneath her somewhat sore paw pads. As they watched the movie, something got the three dogs' attention. Their ears perked up slightly, listening to the lyrics of the song playing in one scene…

"What a day to remember, we remember it just that way… and we'll never forget to remember, that day. Remember! Remember! that day… remember, remember, Remember that day! Remember, remember that day… remember, remember…"

All three canines smiled at each other.

"You thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Bulkhead asked.

"Oh yeah, remember the day we met our humans?" Arcee replied.

Bumblebee yapped in response.

"Seems like almost a year ago since that day." Said Bulkhead.

"It has been almost a year, Bulk." Arcee reminded him.

"Whoa, time flies…" Bulkhead said in surprise.

Bumblebee nodded in agreement.

"How could I forget that day?" Arcee asked out loud.

Bulkhead chuckled.

"I doubt any of will. I'll never forget to remember that day."

One year earlier…

Nebraska countryside, fifty miles outside of Omaha …

Running down a small dirt road was a Boxer. His fur was mostly a reddish fawn color with white markings on his paws, chest and around his snout. His aqua blue eyes were surrounded by a mask of black fur. His tail was also docked. Around his neck was a barn red leather collar with a silver cactus shaped tag hanging from it. Originally from Germany, Boxers were known for being friendly, loyal, and intelligent and determined. They are also playful and energetic at times. The breed also had a reputation for being protective as well as headstrong. Being a working breed, they did rather well if given a certain a job to do. Though in the case of this male, he found his current assignment to be rather… dull.

"So there I was walking along when out of nowhere these headlights were shining in my face." He explained.

"And then it hits me… I'm not wearing my collar."

Meanwhile, 1,159 miles away…

Trotting down a desert road was a female hound dog. Though she had the rusty red fur and white markings of an Ibizan hound, she was also mixed with a Rough Collie and Airedale Terrier. This mix was known as a Lurcher. Although not recognized by any kennel club as an official breed, they were used to chase rabbits and birds such as pheasants. Because her lineage consisted of collie and sight hound, she had the intelligence and speed of both. Her large ears stood upright and she had a thin but long tail. A white stripe, known as a blaze went down her forehead and ended on her snout. Her mouth, legs, chest and underbelly were also chalk white in addition to the tip of her tail. Lurchers often varied in looks but the majority of them had a sight hound like appearance. Ibizan hounds, were also a cousin of both Basenjis and Pharaoh hounds. The breed came from Spain and was mostly known for being fast runners, much like a greyhound.

Being a lurcher, she had a lean and athletic build. In terms of personality, Ibizan hounds are independent, sensitive, gentle, quiet and protective. One thing that made her standout somewhat was her sky blue eyes. There was also a lilac colored ring around her pupils. The collar she wore was cobalt blue. Her rose gold, apple shaped identification tag, was one of the few things that reminded her of her old job as a school teacher back home.

"Another call from animal control?" she asked, talking over what seemed to be a bluetooth like device in her right ear.

"Better, the catch pole." Was the reply she got back.

"Big metal stick with wire hoop…near impossible to remove." She said, listening to the Boxer's story.

"Right-o! so the local animal control do their thing, and I let 'em get all the way down the block… that's when I kick off my shiny new collar and… bam!" he continued.

"New York ASPCA, totally lose it." The female dog concluded.

"You know me, Arcee… ya mess with Cliffjumper…" he stopped short.

"And you get the short end of the stick." The female, Arcee finished.

Cliffjumper laughed.

"Not sure how that complies with Auto-dog rule number one… keep a low profile." She said, as she trotted on the black top of the road.

"What can I say? Being out here in Dullsville gets lonesome…almost makes miss my old job." Cliffjumper admitted.

"Like Jasper, Nevada's a party. We're alone wherever we travel on this rock, Cliff." Said Arcee.

Just then, Cliffjumper sniffed the air.

"Picking up a scent."

"Need help?" Arcee asked.

"Do I ever need help?" the male Boxer answered.

He made a sharp turn and stopped near a dried up riverbed. Noticing several paw prints of various sizes in the dirt.

"I just found a whole lotta tracks."

His ears, which flopped to the side, perked up when he heard something approach him. Tapping the side of his collar with his right front paw, he activated what looked like a canine sized vest. All four of his ankles now had matching bands on them.

"Decepticons." He said, recognizing the scent.

Next thing, Cliffjumper knew, he slipped and fell landing on the hard soil in the riverbed. Letting out a yelp in the process. He slowly stood up and shook himself. Glancing at the edge, he saw nine other canines wearing purple vests with black wrist and leg bands. The group consisted of three Red wolves, two Pitbulls, a Coyote and the other dogs were English mastiffs. They also wore dark purple collars. He looked at the other dogs nervously, tail tucked between his legs and ears laying flat on the sides of his head.

"Arcee… about that help…"

Moments later…

The sound of barking could be heard in the country side. Running as fast as he could, Cliffjumper tried to avoid getting caught but wasn't having much success. Taking a short cut across the pasture of a nearby farm, he looked over his shoulder to see the Vehicons chasing him. One of the gray wolves, tripped over a tree that had fallen over, another got his collar caught on one of the branches. Before Cliffjumper could do anything he ran into the root of an old sycamore tree, barking in surprise as he fell forward. His tag came off and landed in the tall grass. He slowly stood on all fours and turned around as Two pitbulls and a mastiff approached.

"Can't catch me!" he barked before darting off.

One by one, the other dogs got tired of chasing him and stopped. The only ones still running were the two pitbulls, a mastiff and a coyote. Cliffjumper yelped when he hit a fence post. Exhausted from running and caught in some wire, he was unable to get up. The two pitbulls, one black and white and the other gray and white with brindle markings grabbed him by his collar. The two dragged him to the opposite end of the pasture and placed the Boxer on a patch of dried up grass. Looking up, Cliffjumper noticed a dark gray wolf like dog with brindle markings staring at him. The dog was half Mackenzie valley wolf, half Kai-Ken. His brindle markings resembled black stripes similar to that of a Tasmanian Tiger. They ran down the scruff of his neck and ended near the tip of his busy tail. Like a Kai-Ken, his ears stood up. His legs were a sandy shade of tan and all four paws were white. He also wore a magenta colored vest with black wrist and leg bands. Traces of white fur could be seen around his mouth and chest. Kai-Kens were an old Japanese breed. Sometimes called Tora Inu or Tiger dogs because of their brindle coats. These agile and strong members of the Akita family were used for tracking down deer and wild boar. They were also good swimmers and even climbed trees.

It didn't take long for Cliffjumper to recognize the canine in front of him. The bright red eyes, black leather collar with silver stars and airplane shaped tag gave it away.

"Hey, it's been a while." He said with a cough.

The Boxer's face and fur coat was covered in mud and a few cuts and bruises.

"So, where's your leader?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Never mind him; I am in charge around here." The Wolf dog, Starscream replied.

The two Vehicon Pitbulls both yelped in surprise when they heard someone coming, Starscream's ears twitched off to the side.

"Humans!" he barked and took off running with the two Vehicons not far behind. Too weak and exhausted, Cliffjumper laid on the grass. He had heard the sound of a car door slam followed by footsteps. The farmer had heard the noise and went to check the cattle that were grazing in the pasture.

"Looks like you need to see a vet."

Cliffjumper half smiled at the farmer, wagging his tail slightly before he blacked out.

Two hours later…

Five dogs stood near the riverbed, one of the places Cliffjumper was last seen. Among them group was an Akita, an Alaskan Malamute, a Border Collie, a Tibetan Mastiff and last was Arcee, the Lurcher. She and the Border collie, went on ahead of the others, looking for Cliffjumper. The two kicked up dust as they trotted. Both of them followed the faint traces of the male Boxer's scent. She froze in the pasture when she saw a silver cactus tag sitting in the grass. The female auto-dog gasped. Her ears drooped as she ran her left paw over the tag.

"No,"

She looked back at the other dogs before lifting her head up. Arcee's howl echoed through the countryside, anyone within a six mile radius would've heard it.

Back in Jasper, Nevada; Arcee wasn't the only one who was having a rough day.

"Hey!" yelled the young casher at the local drive thru window.

"I… I have to pay for that." He said.

Trotting down a side street, Arcee was now back in Jasper. She slowed down as she entered the small Nevada town. Having lived here for almost four years, Arcee knew how to get around. Having a collar and I.D. tag kept her from getting picked up by animal control and winding up in the pound. As she passed by a nearby gas station, two English mastiffs spotted her and began following the red and white auto-dog. Looking out of the corner of her right eye, Arcee noticed the two big dogs.

"Twins," she muttered.

Picking up the pace, she ran ahead, making a left turn into a parking lot and hiding under a silver Toyota minivan. The two dogs, passed by as they tried to follow her scent. Arcee watched for a moment, once the mastiffs were gone, she came out of her hiding place. Pulling out a leash hidden in a compartment on her vest, she attached it to her collar and managed to wrap it around the pole of a sign with 'Handicap Parking' printed on the front.

"Take five," the female auto-dog said to herself before she sat down on the sidewalk. Her ears pricked forward at the sound of a door opening. She noticed the boy walking out and talking on his cellphone. Arcee stayed still as he walked by her.

"Be careful, seriously? This is Jasper." The boy said over the phone.

He paused for a moment, looking at the red and white dog.

"I love you…"

"Uh, ye-yeah I love you too, Mom. I gotta run." He said before hanging up.

"Hello, Beautiful…" he greeted the dog.

She pulled her tail closer to her body as he approached.

"What are you doing out here?" he wondered.

"Cool,"

Arcee nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt the young human's hands stroke her short soft fur. Having had little contact with people, being petted like most dogs was different but it did feel pretty good. She tried her hardest not to wag her tail when he rubbed her behind the ears.

"It may take a few K.O. paychecks but I am gonna own a dog like you someday." He said to her.

"Are you talking to your dog?" someone asked.

The boy looked up and noticed, two girls his age, one blond and the other a redhead laughing at him.

"My dog, uh no… I mean, yes… yes, it's mine but uh…no, I'm not talking to… well, to you, I-I am." He sputtered.

"How's thing's, Sierra? Anything new?" he asked, before getting on his bike.

Arcee turned around and spotted the twin Mastiffs slowly approaching her.

"Come 'on, Short stuff… wrap it up." She muttered.

"You know my name?" Sierra asked.

"We're in home room together… I'm Jack, Jack Darby." No sooner did he finish his sentence, the three high school students were alerted by a loud snarl. Looking up, they spotted two brindle English mastiffs, both wearing dark purple spiked collars.

"Snap," Arcee said quietly.

Sierra and her friend yelled in fear and ran as the large dogs ran towards them.

"Hey!" Jack yelled as the red and white hound mix took off. Her leash somehow got tangled on one of the handlebars of his bike.

"Whoa! Whoa! Oh man!" he shouted.

"Whoa!"

He shut his eyes as the female Lurcher darted between the other dogs and continued running. Jack turned around; he could still see the Mastiff twins were not far behind him.

"Do not let go." The Lurcher said to him.

Jack gasped, glancing at the dog in shock.

"Who said that?!" he exclaimed.

Next thing he knew, the brindle mastiffs were running alongside them. Arcee stopped in her tracks, causing the dogs to bump into each other. She then bolted and made a sharp right turn down an alley, with Jack in tow.

"Alpha Starscream, canine spotted, accompanied by a human youth." Said the mastiff with silver and black brindle markings.

"Capture them both!" the Wolf dog barked on the other end of the comm device.

Once they got some distance away, Arcee managed to get her leash untangled.

Jack stepped off his bike, still in shock.

"What are you?!" he asked.

The dog in front him had her tail stretched out behind her. Fur on the back of her neck stood on end, her upright ears pointed forward.

"I don't exist, tell anyone about me and I will track you down." She said.

Jack nearly tripped as he got back on his bike and rode off.

"Whoa!" he yelped.

After going their separate ways, the two mastiffs continued chasing Arcee. She noticed one of them had gone in the direction Jack went.

"Snap!" she barked and did a U turn.

Leaping out of the way of the fawn brindle mastiff; she quickly went after the other one. On the other end of the alley, Jack pedaled as fast he could on his bike, hoping the silver brindle canine would eventually give up.

"I don't even know her!" he shouted.

Arcee came from around the corner passing the other dog and catching up with Jack.

"Grab on!" she said.

Jack did as he was told and got a hold of her leash.

"Whoa!"

He held on has his bike was pulled down the block. The two other dogs still following them. Both attempted to grab Arcee by her hind legs. She made a sharp turn down a dirt road and tried to stay ahead of the Vehicon dogs.

"Why are those guys chasing us?" Jack asked.

"There's no us, kid and they're no guys." Arcee answered.

Moments later, a young brindle and white Border collie ran up alongside the fawn brindle mastiff. He passed by the other dog nearly bumping into him. The mastiff, however ran into into his brother. The Border collie quickly turned, following Jack and Arcee.

"Friend of yours?" he asked, looking at the Scottish sheepdog.

"Family," said Arcee.

The Border collie, Bumblebee tried to block the Vehicon mastiffs from following Arcee but skidded off the road when one of the mastiffs tripped over him. Meanwhile, not far away was twelve year old Rafael. He was sitting in a flood channel in his neighborhood racing one of his remote controlled cars.

He stopped for a moment to answer his cellphone.

"Hi Mama, racing…right up the street. 'Kay, just five more minutes?" he said before hanging up and going back to what he was doing.

Back on the road, Jack noticed the mastiffs had stopped both of them stood there panting heavily. He frowned wondering why they were just standing there.

He then looked ahead and froze at seeing a sign marked 'Road closed'

Arcee then turned off to the side and jumped down into the flood channel. Jack screamed and held on to the handlebars of his bike. Arcee ran downhill before coming to a stop moments later.

Raf stared in shock, dropping his remote control.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

Jack panted for a minute before lifting his head.

"Oh, you have no idea." He said before getting off his bike.

Raf walked up to him and Arcee, looking rather confused.

The two then noticed the mastiff twins standing near the edge of the flood channel, growling. Both ran down towards them. As they did a flying leap, their metallic canine vests and matching bands activated. The twin dogs landed on the cement with a loud 'thud'.

Both Jack and Raf had their mouths hanging open at the sight. The two looked over their shoulders when they heard the sound of metal clattering behind them. Arcee stood up, her blue vest and bands now noticeable. Her ears were now flat against her head.

"This ends here, 'Cons." She growled.

Raf and Jack got out of the way as the red and white dog ran towards the two English mastiffs. Doing a flying leap, she pounced on the silver brindle mastiff, the next thing the other mastiff knew he was on the ground like his brother. A series of yelps, growls and barks could be heard. Both Jack and Raf watched on the side, still confused.

"What are they?" Raf asked.

"Talking dogs that turn into robots, or the other way around." Jack answered.

The silver brindle mastiff got up and looked at Arcee, whose hackles were raised, her rust colored fur stood on end. She stepped back slightly and tried to get out of the way. The female auto-dog yelped when she fell and rolled on the cement, kicking up dust and sand. Jack and Raf's jaws dropped at seeing Arcee on her back.

Seconds later a brindle and white sheepdog jumped down from the bridge over the flood channel, his black and yellow vest and bands were now exposed. He landed on the silver brindle mastiff and pushed the other one out of the way. Arcee groaned as she rubbed the left side of her face with her front paw. She slowly got up, only now she had a limp. Bumblebee pressed his right front paw on the mastiff's head; the other dog got the hint and laid there, looking rather submissive. Bumblebee's ears perked up when he heard a small 'crunch' and felt something under his front paw. Looking down, he realized he had stepped on Raf's car. The young sheepdog's ears drooped as he looked at Raf and whined.

"No problem, really." Raf assured him.

Before Bumblebee could do anything else, he howled as he was pushed away and hit the ground. He tried to get up only to be pinned down by the fawn brindle mastiff. He managed to turn over noticing the large dog showing his teeth.

"Leave him alone!" Raf yelled.

All three canines paused and looked at Rafael.

"Please?" he said nervously.

"Bad call," Jack told him.

The silver brindle mastiff then started walking towards them. Without a second thought, Jack and Raf took off running.

"Come 'on! Come on!" Jack shouted.

They climbed into a large pipe where the rain water emptied out into the channel. The mastiff was surprisingly large enough to fit and went after them.

"Keep moving!" said Jack.

The large dog's left paw nearly reached them before he was dragged out by his tail. Raf and Jack stopped for a minute and saw the border collie stick his head in the pipe. The brindle sheepdog let out a few friendly barks.

"Thank you," said Raf.

The dog nodded and yapped cheerfully. Raf smiled at the collie as he walked away.

"Don't look back," Jack told him.

"What did we just see?" Raf asked.

"No idea, and I'm not sure I wanna find out." Jack answered as he and Raf continued on their way.

Meanwhile, Bumblebee was back in the flood channel, the mastiffs still after him and Arcee. The female auto-dog limped over to the young sheepdog who was back on the ground. She helped him up and the two stood there, as the Vehicons walked up to them. All four dogs, stopped what they were doing when they heard the sound of barking. A large gray and white malamute with an olive green vest and metallic wrist and leg bands came running up to them.

"Lose something, guys?" the Malamute, Bulkhead asked.

The mastiff twins froze. Deactivating their vests and bands, the two ran off, with their tails tucked between their legs. There was an awkward silence before Bumblebee let out a sigh of relief.

"What took you?" Arcee asked.

"Traffic," Bulkhead replied.

That night…

"And the 'Cons would've been in the dog house if I hadn't been distracted by the human." Arcee explained.

A black and tan Tibetan Mastiff turned around at hearing this.

"Human?" he asked.

Bumblebee raised his left front paw and barked twice.

"Two boys," the Mastiff concluded.

"I guess the second one caught us in action… I don't know, was a little busy at the time." Said Arcee as she shrugged her shoulders.

"If the Decepticons are searching for us, anyone assumed to be a friend of ours could get caught." Said the Tibetan Mastiff.

The next day…

Jack walked out the school, thinking about what happened yesterday. He didn't pay that much attention to the girl sitting near the entrance drawing on her sketch pad or that Arcee was quietly waiting near his bike. Turning to the right, Jack spotted Raf under a sycamore tree, waving at him. He raised an eyebrow and walked over.

"Raf, hey, look, let's just keep this between us and forget anything ever happened, ok?" no sooner did Jack finish; the two heard a few friendly yet familiar barks.

Raf gasped at what was coming towards them.

"Jack,"

The same border collie they met the day before trotted up to the duo.

"Oh not again." Jack groaned.

The dog was a light tan color, mostly known as fawn. His semi long fur was mostly white patches of fawn on his back, tail, face and floppy ears. Brindle markings ran down from his upper back and ended on his hind legs. The ends of his ears were black tipped; he also had neon blue eyes and a ring of black fur near the white tip of his tail. Instead of the yellow vest and bands Jack and Raf had seen before, the dog had a black and yellow striped collar around his neck. His silver tag, with a bee engraved on the front reflected in the sunlight. He wagged his tail and yapped.

"I-it wants us to follow it?" Jack asked.

"No, just me" said Raf.

Jack looked rather puzzled.

"How do you know that?"

"It said so," Raf replied, judging by the dog's facial expression and body language.

"What?" Jack sputtered.

"Yours is over there," Raf pointed towards the dog sitting not far away.

It didn't take long for Jack to recognize the rusty red and white hound mix sitting next to his bike.

"Look, I really don't think that…"

"How's it going?" Raf asked the young sheepdog before he got on his own bike.

"Raf?" Jack asked.

He turned around and saw what was going on.

"Wait! Stop!" he called.

He tried to go after them but Raf and the other dog had started heading down the street. Jack stood on the corner in shock, just where were those two going? He glanced at Arcee and his bike and walked away. The girl he walked by smiled as she looked at Arcee.

"Coolest dog, ever." She said as she sketched the female lurcher.

The girl, Miko paused when her cellphone rang.

"Host parents? Ignore." She muttered and put down her phone. Picking up her sketch pad and pencil she went back to working on her drawing. Looking up for a minute, she saw that the dog was gone!

"Aww," she groaned.

Looking over her shoulder, she spotted the lurcher running off. Sketch pad in hand, Miko got up and went after the dog. Wherever was going on, she was about to find out…

MORE TO COME…

And that does it for part one. For those that aren't familiar with the breeds mentioned such as the Lurcher, Kai-Ken, English Mastiff and Tibetan Mastiff, I suggest looking them up along with the Mackenzie valley wolf. Anyway… between working on other stories and that I'm moving this month, I will try to update this story in about a week or two at the latest. In the meantime, stay tuned for chapter 3 of my other story, Working Dogs.

Ciao for now!