abstract
| - In the mid-to-late '80s, Tracks "volunteered" the services of Raoul, who initially tried to steal Tracks. Though Raoul's background was sketchy, Sparkplug remembered countless people in his military batillion who came from similar backgrounds and were able to rise above their environments. Sparkplug took Raoul under his wing, teaching him the ins and outs of car repair on the condition that he stay away from his very-impressionable 15-year-old son. After proving himself in the garage, Sparkplug eventually lifted his "ban" from speaking with Spike. Though Raoul stated he never intended to work full-time as a mechanic for the rest of his life (a regrettable pattern for Sparkplug), Sparkplug allowed Raoul to run his garage in New York while studying for a career in music. The agreement worked out. Raoul turned Spark Plugs into a successful business, which in turn gave him a leg up while studying for his music career. In the '90s, when Spike amicably parted ways (briefly) with the Autobots and Raoul began a full-time career in music, Sparkplug hoped to change "Spark Plugs" into "Sparklug and Sons," but to Sparkplug's secret dismay, Spike took more of a liking to construction. And in 1993, after an attack on Spike left him in a coma, Sparkplug realized that his family would have to be near the Autobots until they left the planet - meaning Sparkplug and Sons would have to wait. In the mid-90s, the stresses of helping the Autobots and managing the garage took a toll on Sparkplug, as he suffered a cerebral aneurysm. Under doctor's orders, Sparkplug was forced to scale things back. He entrusted "Spark Plugs" to a series of friends, namely his old boss, Roland, to help manage. In 2012, Spark Plugs was destroyed when Super Storm Sandy battered the East Coast. Instead of repairing the business, which had survived two recessions and made good business around New York City, Sparkplug took the insurance money to help supplement his retirement (which is currently in the low-stress haven known as Autobot City).
|