Chapter Text
Ratchet had dealt with over a millennia of difficult patients. He’d dealt with mechs who screamed at the slightest wire jostle. He’d shown patients who decided they knew better than their medic that they in fact did not. He’d treated Bots that were terrified of sharper medical tools. He’d dragged many, many mechs back into the medbay to finish their treatment. Suffice to say, Ratchet was a highly experienced bot.
This new mech however was throwing him for a loop.
It started about a human week ago, Rafael had noticed a strange power surge on the monitors while assisting Ratchet with firewall updates. The frequency happened a while ago, but due to them updating the systems it took longer than usual for them to be notified. Ratchet helped Rafael pull up coordinates and he sent out Bumblebee and Optimus to scout the area for any clues. The power surge was not anything they’d found before, but it held similar readings to that of Cybertronian technology.
What Ratchet had least expected was not even a breem later - Optimus demanding a ground bridge. He sounded high strung and Ratchet could already tell he’d need his tools soon. They had found an injured bot. A neutral party.
Ratchet opened the bridge and quickly hurried them all into the medbay to start assessing this mystery mech. He noticed their size first, as Optimus was able to easily carry them inside the medbay. It appeared their guest was roughly the size of Arcee - perhaps even smaller.
His patients' optics were offline, but slight groans of pain could be heard when their body was moved too quickly. Optimus very slowly and gently set them down on the medbay slab and Ratchet finally got a good look at his patient.
They had midnight black paint with a dark matte gray; some green accents across their chest that reached down to their pedes. They didn’t have any obvious injury Ratchet could disclose by merely observation but he was already grabbing an internal scanner from his subspace to check for more pressing issues. He scanned their guest as he noted Optimus and Bumblebee observe. Usually he would kick them out but he decided against it. They didn’t know if this bot would respond well to an Autobot medic.
His scanner finished and he read the results with a growl. This bot was starving. Not a very new starvation either; they had been surviving on very low energon for a very long time. He didn’t pay Optimus or Bumblebee’s hushed conversation any mind - his processor was focused on getting an energon tube into this bot as fast as he was able. He set the tube into their wrist port and noted how their whole frame lost its tightness. They seemed to be taking the energon well. Good.
He stepped back and truly took in his patient. They didn’t seem to have any other injuries beyond their malnutrition and starvation; his scanner had given him basic frame records and he mindlessly checked them as he turned to pay attention to his audience. He didn’t realize it but Rafael had snuck his way inside and was perched on Bumblebee’s shoulder looking slightly worried.
“This bot has no internal injuries, but has been starving for a long time. They’re on the last reserves of energon and would have… offlined in a few hours.” While He didn’t know this bot personally Ratchet couldn’t help the twist in his tank at the throught of a bot’s last reserves being used. It was an extremely unpleasant way to offline.
”Thankfully young Rafael’s apt abilities have helped us once more.” Optimus gave a solemn nod to the human. He still had a nervous expression on his tiny face as he stared at the small bot. Which, come to think of it, was most definitely smaller than Arcee. Ratchet pulled up the bot’s basic scan information once more and noted they were only stood at 7 feet - a very small bot indeed.
Ratchet couldn’t help but gasp as his processor concluded a reason as to why this bot was so small.
But it couldn’t be. He had to scan this bot's spark to be sure - to know his hunch was just that, a deluded and foolish wish.
”I need to scan their spark. Now.” He glared at the onlookers to get them to leave. Spark’s were private matters and he wasn’t inclined to include any other bot. Both Autobot’s understood and left the bay quickly. He heard Rafael question what a spark was as the door slid closed. No time - he needed to scan this bot’s spark.
He gently inserted his override line into the bot’s unoccupied wrist port and activated their chassis command. Their plates slowly transformed away and a bright green spark was gently pulsing. Ratchet pulled his spark scanner out of subspace and held it above their spark chamber. Spark scanning was surprisingly difficult to do correctly if one’s hands were unsteady. Moving too much would require another scan to get more accurate readings. But Ratchet wasn’t just any medic, and he kept a determined stillness.
It took a while, but his scanner pinged its completion and he heard a loud bang as he dropped the scanner. He closed his patient's chassis rapidly as he unhooked his override line. His pedes were stumbling back away from the medbay slab.
This was… This wasn’t real. He needed to confirm he wasn’t mistaken - he pinged for the others to return immediately. He needed to know he wasn’t fooling himself out of grief.
Optimus returned clearly expecting a threat - his battle mask placed on his faceplate and a threatening glower in his optics. He took just a moment to reorient himself as he noticed Ratchet’s disbelief and shaking servos and a patient still on their slab.
“Ratchet, what is wrong?” He slowly approached. Ever so gently his large servo met Ratchet’s shoulder. A grounding comfort. A real servo, most definitely real. His reality matrix wasn’t glitching at least.
“Please read the spark scanner. Please. I don’t know if I trust myself right now.” Optimus’ optics widened but he simply reached down and read the scanner himself. He didn’t move. He was stuck standing still as well it seemed. Maybe Ratchet was Glitched. Scrap… if he was no one but the humans would be able to assist him. His team had no medical expertise and as much as Ratchet was reluctant to admit it - human mechanics could most definitely help… if need be.
But it looks like he was wrong. Optimus slowly lowered the scanner and looked devastated at their guest. Ratchet found the strength to move closer to his patient.
To the sparkling.
For this bot wasn’t just starved, no. They had never known energon. This sparkling was placed at one earth week old. His servo shook as he gently reached out to the sparkling’s helm. He rubbed their cheek and felt them push closer to his servo, seeking comfort. His optics burned as he had to reset his vocalizer to speak. “They're just a sparkling. They were onlined only a week ago.”
Optimus’ comforting presence loomed behind Ratchet and the tiny bot. He could hardly believe he was holding a sparkling. He had not seen such a young frame in… he couldn’t even recall an exact time. It had been millennia.
Bumblebee had wandered closer and held awe in his optics. He was devastatingly young when the war started, and now he was a fully trained and capable soldier. This sparkling was probably the first and only he’d ever seen in his lifetime. “You’re sure? They’re… how could they be here?” Bumblebee asked.
”I do not know. It… it shouldn’t be possible. They would have needed a Carrier or Sire to take care of them for them to be at this stage of development. They have paint for Primus’ sake!” Ratchet suddenly felt a twitch as the sparkling’s face scrunched at his volume. He gently soothed them, his servo drawing small patterns on their faceplate. They settled down quickly.
“What's a sparkling?” Rafael’s voice piped up after a moment of silence. Ratchet looked down to see him staring up at them all with concern and curiosity.
“A sparkling would equate to what a human child or baby is. This is a very young Cybertronian. One who should still have their Carrier or Sire around.” Optimus explained. Ever the Archivist who loved to educate. “They’re a baby?” Rafael was clearly intrigued - Bumblebee noticed and reached a servo to help the young human back up onto his shoulder to see better. “I’m guessing a Carrier and Sire would be their parents?” He asked as he took in the tiny frame. Bumblebee buzzed a confirmation.
Ratchet vented as his memories clouded his HUD. He had lost so many sparkling’s back before the war. He had watched as the light of their spark’s slowly diminished into but an ember; until they were fully extinguished.
He had failed so many. He would not fail again.
——
The sparkling was relatively in good condition - thank the AllSpark. Just their empty tank with hardly a drop of energon left. How had something as precious as a sparkling end up alone in the forests of Canada Ratchet did not know. He noticed the small frame twitching. Good, he’d be fully recharged soon. Ratchet had plenty of questions for the sparkling, mainly where his Carrier and Sire had gone off too. Hopefully his language matrix was already properly installed. Now that he thought of it, he’d have to make a new coding himself to give them if they lacked one. Hmm.
Ratchet was putting a wrench back into its storage unit when he heard an intake of shock from behind him. He turned as he closed the storage unit and saw bright green optics far too large for a normal bot’s faceplate staring back at him. The large optics alone gave away this sparkling’s age. They were so painfully young.
He slowly turned around as he spoke, showing his empty servos to the nervous sparkling. ”Hello, My designation is Ratchet. You were found by my team starving and alone. I’m a medic and we’re not here to hurt you.” they had slowly balled up as Ratchet spoke and seemed to be trembling slightly. “What is your designation?” He slowly sat down at his work bench so the poor sparkling wouldn’t be towered over by an unknown Mech in a strange place.
”D-designation?” A small and quiet voice spoke. They thankfully had a language matrix already implemented, Though it appeared to be a different dialect from what Ratchet had heard. Perhaps they were onlined in a different portion of earth? Their creators must have taken it from the humans internet. If so how had they made it to Canada? Their voice sounded vaguely masculine. Possibly a Mech? It was hard to tell with sparklings.
“Yes, what did your Creators call you?” He encouraged.
The bot was frozen as his optics flickered back and forth across Ratchet‘s faceplates. He seemed to be gathering courage as he opened his intake and spoke.
“My name is Harry.” He flinched as if scared of retaliation.
Ratchet’s spark broke seeing such a show of fear for simply answering his inquiry. He then considered what the designation ‘Harry’ meant. Perhaps the sparkling’s Creators enjoyed Earth culture and named their creation based upon where they onlined. ”Where are your Creators Harry?” He clenched his servo.
Harry’s entire frame drooped. He seemed reluctant to answer, but Ratchet’s pressing silence encouraged him to speak. “I’m an orphan sir…” Harry nearly whispered. Ratchet offlined his optics as his spark sunk. The war had stripped this sparkling of his Creators. Another family unit was destroyed. He could envision this poor sparkling alone after his Creators were offlined. Lost and confused and starving, unable to even self soothe. Ratchet left his musings for later, right now he had a terrified sparkling who believed he was entirely alone in his medbay - he’d have to prove to him otherwise. He onlined his optics and vented.
”I know this is confusing but I promise that I’m only here to provide you care Harry.” Harry seemed somewhat reluctant to agree, but nodded after a moment of deliberation. “I need to know what your Creators names were.” The sparkling’s look of confusion shifted into sadness. “I… I never knew their names sir.” Ratchet couldn’t take it anymore. He stood and quietly approached the sparkling hoping he would not scare him.
“I’m sorry to hear that Harry.” He gently reached his servo out and placed it on Harry’s shoulder. He stared at the servo as if it was a live wire ready to hurt him. Ratchet just kept it there for a moment and let go. Clearly this sparkling had been hurt and was not used to receiving any form of positive affection.
“Could you tell me what happened? How did you end up alone in the forest?” Ratchet kept his servos gently in his lap where Harry could see, his frame was slightly less tense as he seemed to get lost in his processor. “I was… I woke up alone. I didn’t know where exactly I was but I was just trying to find somewhere familiar.” Harry shuddered at a clearly unpleasant memory.
“I was just trying to find food, but I couldn’t eat anything. I couldn’t drink water either… I still felt thirsty.” Ratchet felt his eyebrow ridge twitch. Why did this sparkling think he could drink water of all things? While it was liquid like energon, he should have had backup survival programs to tell him water could lead to rust. Speaking of…
”Did you purge the water? That could harm your tanks and cause rust if you didn’t.” He hadn’t scanned any damage to his frame but better to double check then not. “I… yes I ‘icked up the water.” Harry said miserably. Ratchet nodded. Good.
“So you just wandered with no idea of where to go? Or how you onlined?” Ratchet couldn’t help but press. If Harry had damaged his helm when he was first onlined and it had self-repaired then Ratchet would have no way of knowing. It had been long enough for a minor wound to heal itself.
“I…” Harry kept his helm bowed and didn’t meet Ratchet’s optics. His shoulders were touching his audials. Perhaps Ratchet was pushing too hard. He would have to ask another day. “Never mind. You need to rest and focus on feeling better. I’ll have you on some medications to keep you under so I can make sure your systems are fully operational. In the morning we can talk more and see about meeting some of my teammates. I promise you they’re all very friendly.”
Harry seemed startled at all the information but surprisingly didn’t argue. Ratchet was ready for some type of resistance or verbalized reluctance but nothing happened. Harry simply laid back on the medbay slab and waited. Ratchet… had a patient listen to him? A sparkling. A sparkling was listening to him without any complaints?!
Clearly his team was even more immature than he realized.