He was not prepared for this.

He had saved many lives and watched countless others slip away while he was helpless to do anything about them. He had watched a planet fall and he had helped restore it.

This was a challenge he was not ready for, nor would he ever be ready for.

Ratchet offlined his optics as he made his way through the bridge. They weren't ready for this either. A simple medical excursion, that's all it was. But then everything had spiraled down from there.

Familiar sounds reached his receptors; the children were playing games. Enjoying themselves. They had no idea what was going on.

Neither did he, if he was honest with himself.

He didn't address them just yet. Rather, he made his way to the bridge controls. A servo rested on the handle as he contemplated going back through the bridge.

Eventually, he pressed down on the lever, severing the connection to Cybertron.

"Hey, Doc-bot! How'd the housecall go?" Miko piped up, turning her attention to the medic. Raf took advantage of her distraction and quickly overtook her in the virtual race, wooping when he won. The girl chucked her remote at him. Ratchet was about to scold her, but the young boy just laughed it off.

Ratchet shook his helm. He was about to ruin this for them.

"Where is Jack? I need all three of you here."

"I'm here." Jack quickly climbed up to the platform and faced Ratchet. "How was it? Is everyone okay?"

Ratchet was silent for a very long moment. Miko and Raf both realized something was weighing the older 'Bot down and turned off the game, setting the remotes down and moving to stand next to Jack.

Raf was the first to break the silence. "Ratchet? What... happened?"

"It is a very, very long story. And not a good one, either, I'm afraid." He looked down again, and Raf quickly climbed over to a place on the large being's shoulder, looking to comfort him in any way possible.

"You can tell us whenever you're ready, Ratchet."

"I will never be ready, so I might as well tell you now."

All three of the humans were in tears. Jack had made an effort to hide it at first, but when Miko had turned to him for comfort, he couldn't keep it under wraps.

They had all moved to the couch, Jack in the middle while Raf and Miko rested their heads on his shoulders. Raf's glasses were laying on the coffee table, and Ratchet watched, feeling a mixture of emotions.

Anger was prominent. Anger at Optimus for refusing to search for a different way. Anger at Primus for taking his oldest friend. Anger at Unicron for forcing this. Anger at the idea that these small humans had to bear the weight of titans. They were hardly sparklings, for Primus' sake!

A sudden outburst from the crying mess of humans interrupted his thoughts. "Why don't we trade the 'con for Optimus?! We don't need Knock Out! We need Optimus! If it wasn't for Knock Out-" Miko choked, her sobs fighting her anger.

"This is not his fault, Miko, he had nothing to do with Optimus' sacrifice." Ratchet envied the girl. She could direct her anger at anyone she chose, unlike him. He was being watched by everyone else, they worried about him. He could see it. "You're being irrational. That's alright. It's natural." The medic attempted some strange form of comfort, but all he received for his efforts was a glare from the puffy-eyed girl.

There was a stretch without conversation where everyone mourned in there own ways. Raf had curled up on the couch and seemed to be trying to sleep. Miko had moved to a separate corner of the platform with a pillow. She alternated between crying into it, screaming into it, and punching it. Jack was sitting on the couch next to Raf, seeming lost in thought, though tears still ran down his cheeks and he choked out the occasional sob.

"Ratchet?"

"Yes, Jack?"

"Optimus wanted it to happen, right? He had to so there could be new life on Cybertron?"

"Yes."

"And he said... not to lament his absence."

"Yes." Ratchet paused for a moment, glancing at the three children. "But I will not ask you to stop mourning or push down your sadness. I would be a hypocrite to do so." He looked away from Jack for a moment. "Just understand why he did what he did."

Miko and Raf both looked up, listening to him.

"And... I will be here to help you three through this in whatever way I can."