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Yes, Raf was part of a big family. Yes, he often felt forgotten. Yes, he was the youngest. Yes, he complained about his siblings a lot.
But he wouldn’t trade all that for the world. For the most part, he loved being part of a big family. He got babied a lot, which was sometimes annoying, but his parents always treated him like a big person. His sister had once cussed out a kid who was bullying him so badly, the teen ran crying to his mother. He loved his family fiercely.
So, shortly after settling in Unit E, he was more than a little pissed when he caught Bumblebee complaining to Optimus about how awful Raf’s parents and siblings were.
Ok, Raf was livid.
He stomped right up to Bee and started yelling in Spanish, a language Bee had yet to download. The sheer level of fury his friend was exhibiting frightened Bee more than Megatron.
June walked in, and after Ratchet had informed her about the situation, had just grinned with her arms crossed. She had to hold back a chuckle when Bee started whirring frantically in a truly pathetic display. When Raf had finally stopped yelling and just stood their glaring, she intervened.
“Bee, have you actually met Raf’s family?”
Bee was about to say he hadn’t but knew enough from Raf when June continued.
“And do you think as a fellow mother I would ever keep something like this a secret from Mrs. Esquivel?”
Raf gaped at her.
June smiled. “As soon as I met you all, I called a meeting with Miko’s host parents, her real parent’s on Skype, and Raf’s mother and father. I told them what the kids were up to and the difference they were making, but I felt they should have a say in their children’s safety.
“Miko’s parents and host parents freaked out. They wanted to call the police and drag her straight home.
“Raf’s parents were calm and relaxed. They told me they had noticed Raf had been acting strangely. They said he had been going through a rough time, feeling like he was being ignored, and they had been trying to reach out, but he was never home these days. They had asked him what he was up to and knew he was lying, but they trusted it was for a good reason.
“Raf’s father works in law enforcement, and they thought Raf’s new friends were illegal immigrants, and he didn’t want to get them in trouble.
“Mr. Esquivel gave a very stirring speech about the children changing the universe and how it would be foolish for us to stop them. He managed to convince Miko’s parents and guardians to let her keep working with the bots. Mrs. Esquivel suggested I could keep an eye out for the children, and that seemed to work. We all agreed I shouldn’t tell anyone they knew, lest the kids find out and lose their trust in me.”
That was probably for the best. There had been enough issues without the knowledge June had gone tattling to their parents.
“My parents knew?” Raf gasped.
“Yes, and they knew something important was up when they found Fowler in your room. We all agreed after that that grounding you was a bad idea, even if your grades were slipping.”
“That explains her calling me ‘little superhero’ at dinner that night.”
“But what about them never listening to Raf and all that?” Bumblebee beeped.
Optimus smiled. “In my experience, all younglings go through a stage where they feel they are ignored. No matter how many siblings or parents they have.”
“Geez, Bee!” Raf huffed. “Why is it every time I talk about my big family, everyone always gets the impression I’m neglected? Bee, when I said I can ‘shout and no one hears me’ and that you always listen, I meant my house gets very loud sometimes and that it’s nice that your whole world seems to revolve around me.”
“Ok” Bumblebee huffed “tell me something nice about your family then!”
“Ok, Mama’s really smart. She likes talking with me for hours while she runs errands and we talk science and stuff. Dad’s really good with his hands and he…”
June, her work finished, left.
Agent Fowler received an alert that a strange earth vehicle was approaching Hangar E. When the guards tried to turn the vehicle around, one of them got tazed. So, here Fowler was, trying to see who or what they were dealing with. He half expected a relative of Wheeljack’s or something. Not a peeved looking Hispanic woman.
“Mrs. Esquivel?”
The woman shot him a look that would have frightened off a grizzly bear.
“Agent Fowler, you really need to work on your excuses. Since when does a family go into protective custody because a gas explosion blew up a small town? That was even worse than the time you moved my family because ‘a coyote nearly ate your son’. I have no idea how a man of your creativity managed to hide a group of large alien robots.”
Fowler just gaped for a minute. “What are you doing here, mam?”
“Well, my sons call me every night and let me know how everyone is doing…”
“Your sons?”
“Yes. I’ve adopted Bumblebee; Raf already sees him as a brother, so that makes him family. I think the way Bee talks is so cute, don’t you?”
“You can understand him?”
“Doesn’t everybody? Sure, it’s like Morse Code with an accent…”
Fowler shook his head. “Mrs. Esquivel, why are you here?”
“Well, I heard Ultra Magnus had an accident that left him pretty down. I have a cousin who runs a car detailing shop, so I borrowed some supplies from him. I think a good polish might put the commander in a better mood.”
Agent Fowler quirked an eyebrow. “You came all the way out here to give a giant alien robot a car wash?”
“It’s not a car wash, but yes. Now I suggest you let me in before I taze you too. Oh, hello, you must be Wheeljack.”
Fowler hadn’t even noticed the mech come up behind him. The Wrecker had a huge grin on his face.
“I like this lady! Come on in, you got a name or somethin’?”
“You can call me Maria.”
“Well, Maria, I think we could all use a good polish. You got a buffer in there?”
“Yes, and enough supplies to clean a small army. I’m happy to have the children buff the rest of you while I take care of Ultra Magnus. Now, go make sure I’m not mistaken for a Vehicon.”
“Yes, mam.”
Ratchet was worried. Ultra Magnus had not recharged for three days. Sure, he closed his optics and pretended to be asleep, but the monitors showed otherwise. He was so tense, as if he expected at any moment for a Predacon to come tearing through the roof.
“Heads up, Optimus.” Wheeljack called “Magnus’s got a visitor.”
The sight of a familiar Suburban made Bee whirl with embarrassment and hide his face in his hands. Raf on the other hand looked thrilled.
“Mama! I thought you were kidding about the polish.”
A woman stepped out of the car, hands on her hips. “A man does not go off fighting dragons without getting his armor shined. For a mech who goes around saving the world, it’s the least I can do. Now, where is the commander?”
Ultra Magnus just stared at the tiny human.
The other Autobots expected him to act appalled or something. Instead, he looked touched. “I would…greatly appreciate that.”
Optimus gave Maria a boost and she instantly set to work. Ultra Magnus just laid back and watched her for a little while, optics dimming as the comforting feeling of a buffer moved ocross his chassis.
“Rafael says you are one of his creators, his mother. He says you have many younglings in your home. He was rather upset when our scout assumed he was neglected.”
Maria shrugged. “It happens sometimes. People think having a large family is a bad thing, that I can’t give everyone the attention they need. Sure, it’s hard sometimes, but I think we do a pretty good job of being there for each other. I was just glad Raf was finally spreading his wings a little; he’s such a people pleaser, it was nice to see him be a little rebellious. I didn’t want to intrude on his adventures, but I guess I should have let on I knew sooner.”
“I think it is wonderful you have so many offspring. Families are rare on Cybertron, often only containing a single sparkling. It’s lonely.”
“Ah, but I bet it’s a lot quieter! Our house is like having Miko over all the time.”
“Nah, Momma, it’s quieter than that.” Raf said.
They all laughed, even Ultra Magnus chuckled. The commander finally allowed himself to relax enough to recharge, and Optimus was grateful for the wisdom of a mother. Ratchet gratefully put away the sedative he had been hiding.
Ratchet did not expect the small procession that came through the GroundBridge mere hours after losing Optimus.
Maria Esquivel led it, a beautiful bouquet of flowers in her arms. Her husband followed in uniform, and all her children in their Sunday best. Miko and two adults Ratchet had never seen before came dressed in pitch black clothes. Fowler wore his Army Ranger uniform and June was dressed in black, carrying more flowers. Jack wore a uniform too, and all of them looked like they had been crying.
Mrs. Esquivel and her family walked up to Ratchet and hugged his leg.
“We are so sorry.” an older girl said through her tears.
Raf just sobbed.
Miko looked more beautiful in her black kimono than Bulkhead had ever seen her. The procession offered all the bots their condolences as they migrated to the Well of Allsparks. The humans left flowers by the edge, and the children, June, and Fowler offered a few words of farewell.
Maria knelt by the edge and simply sat there for a few minutes. Raf moved to cry on Bumblebee, who broke down sobbing too. Jack hugged Arcee tightly and they both let the tears fall. Miko approached Bulkhead, Wheeljack, and Ultra Magnus in his chair and said, “Let’s give Optimus a Wrecker’s send-off.”
The three mechs nodded and fired three shots into the air while Miko joined them in a Cybertronian war cry.
Maria watched the shots fade into the air and spoke to Optimus as if he were there beside her.
“Thank you for taking care of my Raf. He’s so much more confident and I’ve never seen him so happy. He has a bright future ahead of him and friends he can count on. I no longer have to scold my other children to take him seriously. And thank you for sending him Bumblebee; I never got to give him a little brother to bond with.”
She got up and walked over to Bee. “Mi eho, you are welcome to come see us any time.” She turned to the Autobots, “That goes for all of you.” She smiled at Knock Out, who was looking out of place. “My cousin will be happy to buff you anytime, senor Vain Bot. And call me if any of them are giving you a hard time.”
She glanced at Ratchet, who was trying hard to remain on his feet, and Smokescreen, who looked like he still hadn’t realized Optimus wasn’t coming back.
“He would be proud of you.”
Smokescreen cracked and crumpled to the ground sobbing. Mrs. Esquivel moved to hug him, shushing him until his vents stopped hitching. Ratchet staggered blindly, finally letting Knock Out lead him to a berth. But not before June and Maria gave him a peck on the cheek.
Maria Esquivel was the last human to leave Cybertron. But she had made a permanent residence in every Autobot’s spark.