**Author's note: Sorry everyone for the long wait. busy with schooling and plagued with other story lines has distracted me from finishing this one. Should be about two or three more chapters before I plan to end this story. maybe more in the future ;)
And as always, critisism, comments and a slap to my virtual face is always appreciated. Enjoy! :D**
Chapter 14: Fail at Life... or Death
Despite everyone's best efforts to give Signal a second chance at life, a reason to keep fighting for the one she has, it was clearly too evident that she just wasn't going to make it. Some days, she seemed ready to jump off that table to get that damned history book from Epps; others... other looked like she was dead. Only a straining ear or audio receptor could pick up her faint breathing. Everyone joined in to share music with L, telling her about the band, the albums and lyrics as they listened. She loved those days, dubbed by the whole base as Music Day. Epps remained loyal to his promise to be there everyday. He didn't always play music, but he would be there to reassure her that everything would be okay.
"Ratchet..." Signal rasped. Ratchet never stopped a moment to rest, constantly checking up on her before returning to his research to get her transformation going. Ratchet studied her closed optics before whispering, "What is it?"
"Ratchet... you can't help me unless you get some recharge... you can only go for so long..." she continued, patting his hand as it delicately removed her blanket for a quick look.
"I can't leave you, Signal..." Ratchet faded off, not wanting to say 'I can't let you die while I'm recharging.' She gave a weak laugh, as if she knew the end to his response anyway.
"Epps will be here soon... for the whole day... He will wake you if I get close to Oblivion... then you can get your damn aft over to pull me back in to scold me..."
It was then Epps walked in, "I have no problem with that. I've practice screaming and all, even though L's not leaving us yet. I also think I heard Prime talking about coming in sometime."
"It will be okay Ratchet... even Prime will be here. So if you were going to rebuke Epps screams you won't Prime's... Besides, how can we listen to music if you are going to give us your old man scowl and talk about how horrible it sounds?"
Ratchet was about to give an excuse when Signal cut in, "No Ratchet! You have been hovering over my dying body for days like some damn vulture! You may think I'm asleep, not aware about what is going on around me. But I am, and I see you're tired, ragged and struggling to focus when the rest of you is begging for a recharge. You can't help me unless all of you is working! Please Ratchet; it suffers me to watch you this way... please?"
Ratchet tried to explain, but before he could utter a sound she quickly retorted, "No Ratchet! Recharge."
Ratchet gave up; she was starting to lose more color by the second as she continued to argue.
"Okay Signal, but only for a little bit..."
"You'll thank me later Ratchet..." she rasped out of a huge smile, lying back down, "even if you are too stubborn to see that... have a good recharge."
Ratchet stumbled away toward his back room, waving off L's comment.
"So what have you been up to Epps?" Signal whispered, optics opening from her quiet rest.
"Reading your book, when are you coming to get it anyway?" Epps replied, holding it up for her to see.
She gave a weak smile, "I really don't think I am..."
"Don't say that L..."
"I wanted Ratchet to get some sleep... before he ended up killing himself... you guys can't lose him..."
"L, please stop talking like that! You have to believe that you will make it through!"
She studied the small white corner jutting out of the book, "A letter?"
"Huh? Oh, oh yeah... I wanted you here while I read it..." Epps whispered, eyes welled up with worry as he removed the letter from its place.
She softly laughed out, "Why so worried Epps? You were the one after all that said I'm not going anywhere," she paused to clear her throat, wiping away the strange blood mixture, "It won't be bad Epps... you have served for years and not in cutesy little jobs. Front line Spec. Ops. People can only take that much action for so long, or at least the ones that are still sane..."
Epps could only sigh as he opened the letter, she was right but... there were so few... He began to read the letter, slowly cutting out the bullshit government lingo till he read what he needed. "Oh..." he gasped, the piece of paper fluttering wildly in his shaking hand.
"What?" L questioned squiggling closer to hear his mumbling. She quickly lost her patience as she ripped the paper from his hands, skimming it over quickly. "This is good, right Epps?"
He stared at her gawk eyed, a huge smile crossing his face.
"Oh my god it's too late... you've lost your marbles Epps," Signal stated.
Epps released a huge cry, "HOOAH!" Quickly snatching L in a crushing hug.
"Epps! Epps you damn fool! Let me go! My artificial lungs are not the strong!" L struggled to scream, heaving to regulate the air bags and plastic pump.
"I'm sorry L... I'm just so excited! Getting to work at the space center, yet I also get to work with the Autobots! I'm pretty much getting all that I wanted!" He cried.
L curled up, "I'm so proud of you Epps... I know you will do your job very well..." The heart monitor began to beep wildly in response to the downward spiral of heartbeats.
"L, are you okay?" Epps asked face carved deeply with fret, taking in a large breath of air to call for Ratchet. L quickly reached over to turn the machine off then on again.
"I'm fine Epps, this thing isn't top notch for a Cybertronian spark and artificial heart combo. It thinks that I magically lose my heart sometimes..." she sighed, the excitement taking a lot from her, as she lay back down. "You can breathe normally now Epps..."
Epps huffed out, looking towards Ratchet's door to see if the noise woke him anyway.
"It did Epps, but I told him to recharge and to quit listening in on us!" Signal's voice rose at the end, a shuffle of Ratchet moving in the other room was heard as response.
Signal awoke to everyone's worried faces around her: Epps, Ratchet, Ironhide, and even Optimus.
"Oh dear God I don't want to die!" She screamed out in bloody murder, beginning to panic when she saw into her chest; any organs left were literally boiling inside her. Her spark seemed to be overheating as it struggled to keep her alive.
"It will be okay L," Prime comforted, covering her chest to remove her lock on the carnage.
Her strange blood mixture was pouring from any opening in her body; she swore she could feel her brain boiling inside her skull. "I'm not ready Daddy!" She screamed at Prime. Her eyes blazed a deep blue, she couldn't help but cry. Wrapping her self against Prime's hand as best as she could.
"L... Hey L. You will make this... everything will turn out for the better..." Epps cooed as he gently rubbed her head.
"Epps... I... I'm sorry..." she cried.
"You didn't do anything wrong L..." Epps retorted.
"No, I mean..."
"It doesn't matter now..."
"Tell Lennox I'm sorry... and everyone else... and thank you... and to everyone else..." Signal whispered, she didn't try to fight it anymore as she began to lose life.
"You need to tell him yourself L," Epps whispered.
"Signal," Ironhide cut in, "You are one of the toughest recruits I have ever trained. You can and will make it through."
Signal wiped away the mess and tears, "I love you guys... you were my first and only true family... thank you... Ratchet?"
"What is it sparkling?" Ratchet lightly snapped, rushing around trying to stop her from dying.
L was about to tell him that he needed to stop, that it was over, and how she loved him when she caught optic of the EAS. "The EAS" she softly rasped, letting out her last breath from the artificial lung.
"What?" Ratchet asked, bending to hear her. She only pointed, hacking onto the private Autobot comlink. *EAS... bzzzzzttt... Meant for full bzzzt bondage...*
"Of course," Ratchet cried, "Quickly! We have to move Signal into the EAS!" He carefully scooped her into his hands and ran to the assault suit with Prime and Ironhide bounding ahead to open the suit for her arrival. Ratchet then soothingly placed her in, aligning her to the nerve ends and spinal lock. At that, the suit clammed shut, nearly taking Ironhide's and Optimus' fingers with it.
It was everyone's best guess that it would take hours for the suit to bring L back to life, they were wrong.
"*NO! Damn it WHO!*" L screeched, muffled in the suit, over the comlink, and the buzzed vocolizer of the suit. "* I don't want this! Why?*"
"Signal," Ratchet whined, fear overtaking his face at the idea he just made things worse, "What's wrong?"
"How dare you! You had no right… aaahh!" She roared, the suit making jerking movements as if two people were in control of the suit.
"L," Prime began, reaching out to grab her shoulder, "What is going on?"
At the touch on the shoulder the suit reared into action, pushing Prime away while bashing his head with the other arm. Ironhide was charging forward when the suit bellowed, "RESISTANCE IS FUTILE. ANY ATTEMPT TO PREVENT COMPLETION OF THE MISSION WILL RESULT IN DEATH. SELF DESTRUCTION IS PROGRAMED TO GO OFF 72 HOURS FROM POINT OF ASSIMILATION…"
They all stopped, taking a few steps away as they stood with gaping mouths.
*Please don't leave me…* L's voice whined. Aware as they stepped away from her in fear. *Please don't leave me by myself…*
*L… why are you going to self destruct?* Ironhide asked.
*The manual… didn't you fools read the manual?* she softly cried.
*No L… what did the manual say?* Prime continued.
*Sniff… If any human states that I have assisted humanity and my assigned ark, that to prevent any dependency, I would have to leave… and … and die…* She replied, the suit shuddering with her staggered breathing.
*Who said that?* Ratchet pressed, ready to snap someone's head off.
The suit gave a small laugh, "Don't you remember? Everyone did, while I lay dying on that table… or that is what the suit told me anyway…" She pointed at the table and struggled to say each word.
"What's going on," Epps and Lennox asked in unison, confusion painted their faces.
"I'm going to explode…" Signal seriously stated, giving a short pause before her lame attempt to laugh it off.