Professor Sumdac was a research lab one of his employees by the name of Henry Masterson. He was rather young and enthusiastic, but he was a genius, and he had heard good things about him.
"Dude! I feel like a total noob," said Masterson shaking Sumdac's rather enthusiastically. "I mean your Isaac Sumdac. You're the old guy that started the robot revolution thing! I grew up tinkering with your bots, and now I'm working for you! It's too wild, huh?!"
"Oh, yes. Well, thank you," Sumdac nodded. "I must say that I have heard great things from my project managers about this whizzkid, Henry Masterson. You have a new research and development idea?"
"Oh, yeah. It totally kicks. I call it the Headmaster unit!" Masterson then revealed a giant robotic head with a long grin and horns.
Professor Sumdac turned and saw a giant robot making its way towards them.
"Now say you're in battle and your war-bot weren't out of ammo," said Masterson taking off his lab coat and stepping inside the Headmaster unit.
Seconds later took off and floated in the air.
"Did you say 'war-bot'?" Sumdac stared.
The Headmaster unit then hovered above the robot, and a laser shot out, slicing its head from its body.
"You can use the Headmaster to grab a new war-bot," Masterson explained as a cable removed the head, nearly hitting Professor Sumdac.
"You just said it again!"
The Headmaster unit then inserted itself on the robot, and its jets retracted into itself. Then it began drilling clamps into the robot's body, more or less replacing its head.
"Wait, this part totally rocks!" said Masterson pressing buttons on his control panel. The rocket on the back of the robot then ignited. "Ownage! Total ownage! The enemy gets fragged by their own rockets!"
"Mr Masterson! I have told my staff time and again! We do not use military robots! Or Headmasters that takeover another military, military robots for… more military things!" said Professor Sumdac outraged.
"I know, but this is so cool!" Unfortunately, the headmaster unit was proving to be too heavy for the robot, and its legs gave out. Then the rocket on its back suddenly took off in the robot collapsed onto the ground. Masterson then found himself rolling out of his Headmaster unit."Suh-weet."
"There is nothing sweet about it!" said Professor Sumdac pointing at the rocket which was heading towards the city. "That rocket is headed for the city! Oh, and by the way, you're fired!"
In the city itself, Bulkhead was taking part in an interview with a news-bot.
"Tell me, Bulkhead. As the most imposing and potentially destructive of the Autobots, do you ever fear the untold damage you inflict on an unsuspecting city?" the news-bot asked.
"Wait! I thought we were supposed to talk about how people shouldn't be afraid of me. That I'm as gentle as a…really gentle thing," said Bulkhead and grabbed the news-bot's microphone but accidentally pulled off its arm. "Sorry. Now, I may be big and crush stuff accidentally, but I've got a sensitive side too."
"Bulkhead, we've got a situation!" Optimus called over the comlink. "There's a rocket headed for downtown, but we can't make it in time!"
"I'm on it, boos bot! Here," said Bulkhead and gave the news-bot back its arm. "Sorry."
Bulkhead then transformed and drove off. Bulkhead found where the rocket was about to hit and transformed. He pulled out his wrecking ball arm, spun it through the air tearing through most of the surrounding walls, and whacked a car into the air. The car struck the rocket and exploded.
The other Autobots arrived and looked at the carnage Bulkhead'd caused. His wrecking ball had torn through buildings, cars, and street signs.
"I guess I made a kinda mess," Bulkhead sighed.
"Well, um, no more than usual," said Optimus.
"Never before has this reporter seen such carnage, such destruction as in the wake of the Autobot Bulkhead," the news-bot said into its camera. Then the charred car came down and crushed the news-bot. "Now back to you in the stuuudiiooooo." A young boy gasped.
"It's okay little human," said Bulkhead picking up the car and then the news-bot. "He's okay. See?" The news-bot's head popped off and rolled to the boy's feet. Its eyes popped out of its head. The boy started crying. A woman ran to the boy and hugged him.
"You should be ashamed of yourself!" The woman accused. Bulkhead groaned.
Back at base, Sari was trying to cheer up the very depressed Bulkhead.
"Come on, I'm sure it wasn't that bad," said Sari. "You saved the city, right?"
"After destroying half of it," Bumblebee responded.
"Not helping," Sari glared. "I know you need to do something creative. Make something instead of breaking it. Like knitting, or cooking, or art."
"Who's art?" Bulkhead asked.
"Not a who, a what, art it's well it's when you create an image because it means something to you, Sari said.
"You mean something like this?" Bulkhead asked. Then he grabbed a welding tool and began to draw a picture of the Autobots like a typewriter.
"Well, it is nice, but I was thinking more emotion. Maybe you've just gotta see it." Sari said.
With the help of tutor-bot, Bulkhead was given a chance to see most of history's greatest paintings. When he felt he'd seen enough to understand it, Sari gave him a brush, but he found his claws were too big for the thin brush. Sari gave him a bigger one. He once again found that the brush was still not quite enough. Sari gave him a broom. The broom was now too big for the canvas, and Bulkhead now happily painted on a blank billboard. Yet there was still a problem.
"Hey! We've got graffiti laws in this town, ya know!" Fanzone barked.
At base, Bulkhead was now repeating Bumblebee, who had his leg over his head and stinger armed. He then continued painting… his claw.
"I still don't quite understand the logic of creating an image with such primitive tools," said Optimus.
"I believe it's more about creating an image from one's imagination. Like this one, for instance," said Prowl gesturing to one of Bulkhead's paintings.
"Actually, that was an accident with Ratchet's blowtorch," Bulkhead confessed.
"I think it's also a way of how the humans immortalised events before they had computers," said Blackarachnia.
"You ask me; it's all a waste of time! No one ever saved anyone with art." Ratchet said.
"I'm not trying to save anyone!" Bulkhead sighed. "I'm just trying to—I dunno. Express how I feel." Bulkhead proceeded with his painting, but the broom snapped. Bulkhead roared and threw the canvas at Bumblebee, which knocked him onto his side.
"I'm guessing you're feeling anger?" Bumblebee peeped.
"This stinks! I stink. I'm no good at this stuff," Bulkhead sighed. "All I can do is break stuff. I'm embarrassed for anyone to even look at this junk."
"Hey, Bulkhead!" Sari said, running up to him, "I just booked you a spot at an art gallery! A real art gallery! Isn't this exciting?" Bulkhead gasped in horror and ran out of the base as fast as he could through the wall.
Masterson was at his lab and was currently controlling, playing a game of Rock-em-Sock-em only with two massive robots with Headmaster units with drawings of himself and Professor Sumdac on their faces.
"Oh, we do not make war-bots," said Masterson imitating Professor. "Oh, you are so fired. Oh, yeah! Well, take that old man!" The "Masterson" bot struck the "Sumdac" bot and its headshot upwards before crashing to the ground.
"If you're too much of a wuss to make headmasters, I'll just have to make em myself," he said, and that gave him an idea. "Yeah! Dude, my own company! That'd be so wicked sick! All I need is bag loads of cash!" Then the "Masterson" robot collapsed to the ground due to the way to the Headmaster unit. "And a bot big enough to hold my Headmaster unit."
His eyes then turned towards the news report of Bulkhead saving the city from the rocket and grinned.
It was the middle of the night, and Bulkhead was walking through the streets kicking a trash can as he walked..
"Art show? What was she thinking? I don't have enough pieces. And the ones I have stink," he said as he leaned on a lamppost which bent when he did. "Ops!"
Then a taser struck him in the chest and sent volts of electricity through his body. Bulkhead collapsed. Before Bulkhead lost consciousness, he could see a device float over his head and fire a laser from its base.
"Total ownage," a voice said, coming out of the head.
When he awoke, it was daytime, and he couldn't feel anything below his neck.
"Ooh, my aching processor," he moaned. "What happened? Hey, I feel funny." He then looked down and stared in horror as everything from the neck down was gone. "NOOOOOOOOO!"
The Autobots were able to find his head and bring him back to base, though how he lost his body was quite the mystery.
"How can you lose an entire BODY?" Bumblebee exclaimed. "Especially one your size! It's like losing a planet or something."
"I don't know," said Bulkhead honestly. "It's like I was just standing there. Then there was this sudden shock. And then nothing could this day get any worse?"
"Well, from what I can tell, something cleanly cut through the connection your processor has to your servos," said Blackarachnia as she looked at the medical screen. "And the fact that you're still online means that your body is still functional, but as to what could have caused this, I'm completely stumped."
"Don't worry, Bulkhead, the police are already looking for your body. And we're on our way to help," Optimus assured him, and then he looked at Bumblebee."Bumblebee, you take care of Bulkhead."
"No problem, little buddy," Bumblebee smirked, patting Bulkhead's head.
"It just got worse," Bulkhead groaned.
"Oh, I get it! You're tired of looking up to me. Now you know how I feel," said Bumblebee setting Bulkhead on top of a ladder. Bulkhead then fell off, rolled on the ground, and knocked several barrels. "Awesome! Bowling for bots! Let's do it again!"
"Uhh, let's not. I still need to make art pieces for the gallery, and I don't have hands!" said Bulkhead.
"I can do it! I mean, if you can, how hard can it be?" Bumblebee asked.
Bumblebee grabbed blowtorch and began making the sculptor, following Bulkhead's instructions. Once he was finished, he placed the blowtorch down and marvelled at his own handiwork.
"See? With your imagination and my hands, it's magnificent! It's inspiring," Bumblebee cheered.
"It's on fire!" Bulkhead screamed. The blowtorch had been left on, and the flames had spread to the art piece.
"Oh! I got it! No problem! Uh, where's the fire extinguisher?" Bumblebee asked.
"Attached to Prime!" Bulkhead said.
"Okay, problem. Don't just sit there! Give me a hand!" said Bumblebee, and Bulkhead glared at him. "Right, my bad."
Bumblebee then ran off and returned with a hose. He sprayed a blast of water at the piece and accidentally swept Bulkhead away in the current. With some quick handiwork, Bumblebee repaired the art piece and used Bulkhead as the centrepiece.
"Uh, Bumblebee, I'm all for being one with my art. But this might be taking it a little too far!" Bulkhead yelled.
"I was just trying to help. You need to relax," said Bumblebee.
"What I need is a body!" Bulkhead said.
"Alright, alright! Don't lose your head!" Bumblebee said.
The other Autobots and the police had finally got a lead on the whereabouts of Bulkhead's body thanks to a tip from Professor Sumdac.
"When I heard what happened to Bulkhead, I'd suspected my former employee Henry Masterson might've been involved," said Professor Sumdac.
Ratchet attached his eyepiece and scanned the room for Bulkhead's energy signature. "I'm picking up residual Cybertronian energy. Bulkhead's body was definitely here."
"The good news is that so long as he's attached to Bulkhead's body is not able to transform," said Blackarachnia going over Masterson's research notes. "That means you can only travel on foot."
"Yeah, but those feet are attached to Bulkhead's body," Optimus reminded her.
"That's the bad news."
"Well, it's clear that we're on the right track," said Fanzone. "Let's get moving. This place gives me the creeps."
"As well it should captain if Masterson has Bulkhead's body, it cannot be a good thing," Sumdac warned.
Optimus then contacted Bumblebee with an update.
"Good news, we're on the trail for Bulkhead's body. We should find it soon," Optimus reported.
"Take your time. We found a temporary body that's working," said Bumblebee as Bulkhead hummed a tune while painting with tutor-bot's body. Suddenly Bulkhead started shaking and then ran on the spot. "What are you doing?"
"I feel like I'm running and smashing through things," said Bulkhead. "It's weird."
"I knew this day would come," said Bumblebee. "You finally fried your circuits. What little you had to begin with."
"I'm serious, Bumblebee! I feel it," said Bulkhead.
Bumblebee then immediately became concerned. "Maybe I should check the news."
Bumblebee grabbed mode and, on the news hit, showed an attack on a solar fusion power plant.
"I'm here on the scene of absolute horrific carnage at the Detroit's solar fusion power plant! Where the whole hulking Autobot Bulkhead has gone on a destructive rampage of unprecedented proportions!" The news-bot reported.
They watched as Bulkhead's body, now wearing the Headmaster unit, tore through the fences and other defences with his wrecking ball arm destroyed everything in its path.
"Well, Bulkhead, the good news is that we found your body," said Bumblebee.
They then watched as Bulkhead's body easily dispensed with the police drones using his wrecking ball arm. When reinforcements arrived, he knocked down a communications tower with his wrecking ball arm bringing the tower down on top of them.
"I can feel everything my body's doing! But I can't stop it!" said Bulkhead.
"Whoa, you're like a savage war-bot!" said Bumblebee, much to Bulkhead's dread.
Then Masterson's face appeared on the screen.
"Listen up, noobs! The Headmaster, that's me, has just hacked your regularly scheduled program to give you posers some real news!" said Masterson. "This solar fusion power plant is under my total domination! You have one hour to pay up seven hundred billion dollars of the long green delivered personally off the back of Isaac Sumdac. Or I'll cook up an overload that'll frag the entire state of Michigan! I prepared a simulation for the learning impaired. Domination station: total wasteland!" Then A small simulation of Detroit appeared with an explosion directly at the centre. "So pay up, or be owned."
He then began laughing maniacally.
Optimus was with the mayor, Professor Sumdac and Captain Fanzone at the solar fusion power plant. They had quarantined of the entire area, who were now discussing their options.
"Seven hundred billion dollars," said Professor Sumdac.
Fanzone whistled at the amount. "Now that ain't any chump change. What should change we do?"
"Pay him," Optimus replied.
All of them stared at him dumbstruck. "What?"
Optimus then smiled. "And here's how."
A convoy of vehicles consisting of Fanzone's car, a motorcycle police officer, an ambulance and a trailer truck entered the fusion facility.
As they made their way into the fusion facility, Fanzone turned the station on his radio, but it turned back to its original setting.
"This is why I hate machines," he grumbled.
They soon entered the fusion facility, where they were stopped by Masterson.
"That's far enough," said Masterson. "All right, everybody out hands where I can see em."
The motorcycle officer stepped off the motorcycle, Fanzone stepped out of his car, and Professor Sumdac's stepped out of the truck. They all obediently raised their hands.
"I'm unarmed, as is my associate," said Fanzone and then gestured his is head to the ambulance. "You don't mind if we attend to any potential wounded?"
"Gimme the cash, and you can do whatever you want, noob!" said Masterson.
"It's in the truck. All seven hundred billion said," Professor Sumdac pointing at the truck. Headmaster walked to Professor Sumdac and picked him up.
"Too bad, you've been punked. And I'm gonna trash the city anyway! And you're lame-o Sumdac Systems with it! And you wanna know the cool part?" he smiled as he began to remotely overload the facility. "This is just the kinda attack the government will want my war-bots to defend against!"
"Warning: power overload imminent. Please reset dampening rods," said the computer.
"It's a smoking business plan. High demand. No competition. Plenty of seed money," Masterson laughed.
"Don't you want to count your money, Mr Masterson? Make sure it's all there?" Professor Sumdac asked innocently.
Frowning Masterson walked to the truck trailer and opened it up. Bulkhead's head and Blackarachnia in her beast mode, who pounced upon Masterson.
"I want my body back!" Bulkhead demanded.
"Get off me!" Masterson yelled, throwing Blackarachnia away.
Blackarachnia quickly transformed and landed on the ground. Prowl then dropped the holographic, and then all the Autobots transformed.
"I believe the saying is total ownage noob," Professor Sumdac mocked.
"Sneak attack," Masterson gasped.
"Got that right! Punk!" said Ratchet and tackled Masterson in the gut.
Optimus punched him in the head, and Blackarachnia dealt a powerful spinning kick. Of course, Bulkhead felt every single one of these attacks.
"Ow! Careful with the bod!" Bulkhead exclaimed. Bumblebee ran around Masterson and wrapped him with a cable.
"That all you got noob?" said Masterson and easily broke out of the cables before Blackarachnia could use her stingers. "Did I mention I got some upgrades?" Then the Headmaster unit grew small rockets and a laser. "Taste my ownage!" The Headmaster then launched several grenades.
"Grenades!" Optimus shouted.
One of the grenades landed next to Bulkhead. Bumblebee zoomed over and snatched him away from it just as it exploded. Masterson then launched his rockets. One of them struck Ratchet and blew him away.
"Bomb punch! Yeah!" Masterson cheered. "The only thing more fun than getting toys. Is breaking them!"
The Sumdacs and Fanzone ran over the overhead boardwalk, but the boardwalk's midsection had been turned.
"Fusion core overload in 12.2 minutes," the computer warned.
"We have to reset the dampening rods!" said Professor Sumdac and keyed in on the control panel.
"The controls are stuck!" Sari exclaimed.
Fanzone smashed his fist down on the panel, and the midsection completed their path to the other side.
"I got away with machines," Fanzone said, rubbing his fist on his chest.
Optimus struck at Masterson with his axe, but he caught it. Optimus tried overpowering him, but Bulkhead's body was far too strong, and soon, he found himself being pressed against the wall. Masterson then activated his laser and started to cut off Optimus's head.
"We've gotta help Prime!" Bumblebee exclaimed.
"Bumblebee! bowling for bots!" Bulkhead replied.
Bumblebee nodded, started a run, and then rolled Bulkhead at Masterson. Bulkhead hit his feet and made Masterson fall. Masterson hit the ground hard but picked himself up and looked at Bulkhead, who was next to his feet. A split second later, he kicked Bulkhead's body right across the facility.
"I gotta, buddy!" Bumblebee yelled and grabbed him before he hit the ground.
Prowl then jumped in, tossing his shuriken, striking Masterson..
"You wanna play too?" said Masterson firing his laser at him.
Prowl jumped out of the way and quickly transformed into vehicle mode; he then began driving around the facility's walls. Masterson then fired several missiles from his headmaster unit directly at Prowl.
"This wiring is elementary. I'll have it fixed in no time," said Professor Sumdac keyed in on the control pad.
Fanzone then saw Prowl driving along the wall, and the missal headed straight towards them
"Incoming!" He yelled and pushed the Sumdacs out of the way of a stray missile.
The missiles struck the consul blasting it into bits.
"Fusion core overload in 5.2 minutes. Please evacuate to a safe distance," the computer said.
Masterson continued firing missiles at Prowl, but then suddenly, he was struck in the back by Blackarachnia, who injected her cyber venom into his body, shutting it down. Then the other Autobots began to surround him.
"Later, noobs! Time for me to head out!" Masterson yelled, detaching the Headmaster unit from Bulkhead's body and flew off.
"If only I had my wrecking ball arm!" Bulkhead shouted. "I'd bring that bozo down!"
"My grappler!" said Optimus and fired his grappling hook.
Bumblebee then tossed Bulkhead towards the gravel, which he bit down on. Optimus spun him around and launched him at the Masterson. He then struck the Headmaster unit literally head-on, knocking him out of the air.
"Ah, man! This reeks!" Masterson complained and hit the ground.
"I got him! I got him!" Bulkhead yelled and caught Bulkhead in his hands.
He then wasted no time and rolled Bulkhead towards his body. Sari was already there and inserted her key. The moment his head made contact with his body, make use together.
"There, good as new!" said Sari.
Unfortunately, when Bulkhead got up, they discovered that his head was on backwards.
"Something's not right here," he said.
Optimus then started to walk to Masterson.
"Didn't I tell you?" said Masterson, and then suddenly, the Headmaster unit began to transform into a robotic humanoid. "Every Headmaster unit comes with its own backup systems."
He then quickly got to his feet and dashed towards the exit.
"You're not going anywhere!" Blackarachnia yelled, transforming into her beast mode.
She then jumped and landed directly in front of Masterson and then fired some webbing, sticking him to the floor.
"We've got a big problem!" said Professor Sumdac. "The solar fusion core is about to overload! The only way to stop it now is for someone to go in there and manually put the rods back in place."
"That's a one-way trip," said Sari. "No one could survive."
"Human or Autobot," Ratchet added.
"I'll go. I couldn't send anyone else in there," Optimus volunteered.
"Wait! I've got an idea!" said Bulkhead. "But I'm gonna need some help because my head is on backwards."
The Autobots, Sumdacs and Fanzone worked together to create a robot using several scraps around the facility and Ratchet's tools. When it was finally done, Sari used her key to activate it and then it walked into the fusion core.
"Fusion core overload in twenty seconds," the computer said on the robot began manually resetting the rods, but the heat from the reactor was slowly melting the robot. "Fusion core overload in ten, nine, eight seven, six, five—Dampening rods reset. Fusion core stable."
"All right!" Sari and Bumblebee cheered.
"Well done," said Prowl.
"Well, it's about time," said Ratchet.
"Yeah, it was all right for a machine," Fanzone shrugged.
"See, Ratchet art can save people," Bulkhead smiled.
The next day, Bulkhead's art was on display at the after including the melted robot they used to save the city
"You think I should tell them that one was kinda an accident?" Bulkhead asked Sari looking at the melted TV.
"What they don't know won't hurt them," Sari shrugged.
"I think I understand now," said Optimus, admiring Bulkhead's first painting. "Art is about feeling. And this one makes me feel proud."
The Autobots gathered around the art piece of the Autobots posed together as a family.