CHAPTER THREE

Dark agreesion.



For one of such accute handsomness, his optics would in time reveal all to the world...

He had heard of this place, of this Akasha as Steele had called it.

Primative. On Cybertron, there were much more...Advanced...Operations.

Peace? Was that even a word? On this planet, it seemed all was a tranquil montage. No harsh words...No fist-fights...

Yet, when one looks beneath the surface, trouble is always brewing.

The cool nature of this species kept them at bay, pondering their suspicians to themselves...

Much to the delight of the dark wolf.

He had came for one reason and one reason only, and that was to gain the fighting skills accuired by this race.

So far, so good.

Yet, somthing nagged at his mind, ate at it like an ant on a lollipop.

The fox Steele...She was so...

Intrigueing.

Could it be he had finally found one to accept him? Could she be the one to stand by his side as he went on a glorious rampage to defeat the maximals?

By the Matrix, get these thoughts out of your head!

She was nothing but a...A pawn in the much larger game of chess.

An important one, no doubt, but a stoll pigeon still.

He chuckled at his thoughts.

Stll. Steele. So much alike...

His fingers traced over the cave walls, his robotic form shining in the dim moonlight.

Oh, how good it felt to be free of the fur!

But it would be fleeting, he knew...For the energon levels here were incredibly high.

It hurt...Bad...Though he would never admit so. Not even to the fox who peaked his interest so..

. NO! There he goes again!

Must...Vanquish...The thoughts...

A slight chirp emmited from his chest.

"Computer failure in 8.3 cycles.*

As much as he hated it, he changed back into the wolf form...After all, he did not want to lose the battle before it even begins...

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Night. The time of monsters, of goblins and such...Though these creatures surfaced only in an imaginartory world, Steele's head was filled with thoughts of that sort.

Though the demons she felt were of her own.

The grassy field in which she sat concealed her being, hiding her from the light the moon cast. Yet two teal pools gazed into the bright silver ball, the turmoil of her thoughts colliding into an object much bigger...

It had not been long...A few days? A week? A month? Since Megatron came into her life...And in that short period, her existance was turned upside down.

Love.

A word so foreign to her ears, yet seeming so close to her heart now...Ever since he came to this demension. Could it be the mountain was falling? The snow covered caps that marked her seperation form society melting with the firey red of his eyes?

With a sigh, she accepted this...Though it would be hell to tell him, it seemed he was the only one she could trust...

"When all are one," She said softly, reaching into her shirt to pull forth a block of amethyst surrounded by a chain and golden prongs. A slight mist entered her eyes as she read the enscryption, one that her father himself had carved deep into it's surface. "When all are one..."

With a sigh, she lay back against the cool grass, burying her head deep within it's tender tendrils.

It was almost as soon as her eyes shut that her mind drifted off into a dream...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The fire was bright. It burnt her eyes. Smoke singed her lungs. Her throat was ablaze as the world bunt down.

Yet she kept running.

Faster and faster, her heart beat like the pounding of a drum...A drum whos head would burts from the quick strike of the stick, beating at it relentlessly.

Throbbing. Nomatter how hard it pained...She had to keep running...

Keep going...

The flames! They were gaining on her!

A limb on the ground, invisible to her watering eyes.

Her feet made impact, then her body lie helpless on the ground.

She screams, the fires licking at her fur, singeing her skin to the tird degree.

Through the bright red and orange...A face?

Familiar...Yet so much different...Eyes burning like red coals...A toothy grin tearing at the sides of his lips...

Why didn't he burn! He was standin in the fire!

She choked...Cough...Hack...

Air...Air was a precious commodity to her now...

The pain of flesh hardly equaled that of her lungs, getting scoured inside out as if by acid.

A laugh. One so hideous and forboding...An evil sound, sinking into her ears...

Darkness.

The world turned black.

Silence.

Not a word...

No breathing...

Peace...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her gasp could be heard for miles as her lungs opened to their full capacity, sucking in the cool night air. It was late, the moon told her. Two, possibly half a round after.

She shivered in the chill, wrapping her knees under her chin, her slender face placed upon the caps. What was going on? Somthing dreaded must have caused the dreams...But what? Her pondering was transfixed upon this subject as she rolled to her right side, knees still tucked firmly under her chin.

Perhaps he would not feel the same way...He might have no thoughts of her churning inside his head as she did of him.

Yet, it wasn't impossible that he held an affection of some sort twards her, was it? Or was it to be he did, but never felt the urge to speak with her?

What if she revealed her secret to him, and he rejected her?

Rejection.

It was a horrible feeling, one that terrified Steele...She could not bear the thought of losing one so intrigueing, even if he was just a friend.

But the unanswered question still remained heavy upon her soft beige chest.

Would the feeling be mutual? Or will the moment fade like a candle's flame in the breeze?

CHAPTER FOUR Don't lose your way

With each passing day

You've come so far

Don't throw it away



Live beliving

Dreams are for weaving

One days are waiting to start

Live your story

They call that glory

Hold to the truth in your heart



If we hold on together

I know our dreams will never die

Dreams see us through to forever

Where clouds roll by

For you and I Souls in the wind

Must learn how to bend

Seek out a star

Hold on till the end





Valley mountain

There is a fountain

Washes our tears all away

Words are saying Somebody's praying

Please let us come home to stay

If we hold on together

I know our dreams will never die

Dreams see us through to forever

Where clouds roll by

For you and I

And we are out there

In the dark

We'll dream about the sun

If the dark can Feel the light

Warm our hearts

Everyone

If we hold on together

I know our dreams will never die

Dreams see us through to forever

As high as souls can fly

The clouds roll by

For you and I

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The low droning sound echoed out across the land, the small box in Megatron's chest playing the soft chords. The disk from which it cam would have amazed Steele had she been in sight, but she had remained in the field overnight...And, for some odd reason, Megatron seemed to...Miss her.

Sure, she was one of the most annying creatures he'd ever met...But she did not fear him; resent his presense.

He could not help but wonder what she would think if his secrets were revealed..

Would she run away in fear? Bow to his merciless command?

He doubted that very much. It seemed as if she would give her life before bending, before saying that she was beaten.

And in truth, that was a good thing. Wasn't that what he needed? Someone to fight the maximals by his side against the relentless attacks?

Ah, but Steele had somthing the other bots knew not of...She had a heart; a soul...

She could be broken like a stray twig under a large foot.

And perhaps that would work to his advantage....

If only she would take his hand...

But could she...Love one of metal? He was not of flesh and mech like she, which might alter any chances of the glorious joining he dreamed.

But he felt an...A attachment to the firey being of crimson, as if he belonged by her side in some form...

Nonsense in a world of futilities.

It seemed to him as though all would eventually be lost. Lost into that void in the sky, into the onyx cover surrounding.

He would have to act fast in order to gain what he needed without becoming emotionally involved.

One would think that one of such high rank, of such immortalized military facture would be immune to the pleasures and desires that hounded the mortal beings...

He had thought that as well...Until the one known as Steele showed up.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I wanna belive in everything that you say

'Cuz it sounds so good

But if you really want me

Move slow

There's things about me you just gotta know Sometimes I run

Sometimes I hide

Sometimes I'm scared of you

But all I really want is to hold you tight

Treat you right

Be with you day and night

Baby all I need is time.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Today would be the day when his plan is set in action.

The only way he knew how to do so.

He would set the world abloaze, leaving only himself and Steele alive. He would travel to hell and back for the fox that so caught his interest, and so would protect her from the flames that wipe her race.

Though the thought was of questionable nature, he knew the answer well. Yes, it would be worth the cost for the final gain.

Not only the strength to win against theMaximals back on cybertron, but also to be revered as the god who saved Steele from this horrid existance that held her. It was obvious that her family despised her, and moreso that she despised the rest of Akasha. He would be a savior to her.

He was certain his plan would work, for after the weeks of tedious planning and sufferage at it's design it would be almost impossible to fail.

But, he remnded himeself as he began a quick pace from his cave, almost dosen't count.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Steele's lids flutter open and she is greeted by a bright orange ball hanging overhead. Not a cloud marred the bright red sky, allowing a view for miles on end. The light green grass covered the soil like a blanket, a slight ripple with an oncoming breeze creating a domonica sea

. In her hand, she realized, the bright amethyst crystal was still clutched tightly. A sign, perhaps? A token sent from the heavens above, or possibly, from her father?

Her orange finger tips traced over the engraved words, and she stared ahead like a blind man reading brail.

Was she so different from a blind man? For though her eyes could see what was bestowed that they should, she at times couldn't see the forest for the trees. She knew the words etched on stone by heart, yet never understood their meaning.

When all are one.

What exactly did it mean? Did it mean that when she gained trust in society, that when she was accepted as the mediocre being she was all would be well? Or did it mean when she studied the sky and sea, and became them, blended perfectly with the long grass, was one with the forces of nature...Would she then be one with herself?

It was a question without a clear answer. But then again, nothing is truely clear, for what seems crystalline on the surface is oft tainted beneath.

That saying suited the crimson bodied fox like a swimsuit. It was true in so many forms, it was hard to distinguish which would fit her best.

Her porceline existance...Her revere among the others of the planet...They didn't know her; not the real Steele. They knew the painted picture of perfection, the stained glass hiding the demons below. It was a known fact that everyone had skeletons in the closet, but hers were under such heavy lock and key it would be impossible to discover them, must less live to tell the tale.

But alas, she was forced each day into an alter ego, a seperate being who is forced into the slavery.

A contridiction of her royalty, she was a slave to them all...To everyone. They saw her as one thing and nothing more. Perhaps that was why she began to seek her affection in Megatron. Or perhaps it was the element of danger now involved. A mixture of both, maybe. But either way, her life was now with the stars, shining beside him at the whim of the moon.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Magatron sighed. His crimson optics flutter slightly, a lack of sleep eating at his mentality.

This was absurd! He of all 'bots, could NOT be hindered by love!

Yet the force pulling inside his chest, could it be he now had...A heart?

Nonsense! It was all nonsence!

Futilities in a world of futilities...All the world was futile.

With a sigh, he placed a hand upon the rocky cave wall. He hated the fact that the predacon leader, named and built after the great decepticon...

Would fail at the whim of a mere mortal fox.

It seemed he had reached an all time low for his sadistical schemes, yet an all time high for his morality.

Then again, any morality at all was unusual for the hardened Megatron.

Her eyes kept him held in a mystical bound, allowing nothing but thoughts of her to enter his mind...And the thoughts of the glorious savior he would be...

With another loud sigh, he decided the time had come.

The time of conquest, and planetary destruction.

It was time to light the fire.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Picking flowers.

Daisies and poppy's. They were abundant in this place, and it overjoyed Steele to galavant in the feilds of many colors.

She plucked one tender stem from the ground, gathering her feet beneath her as she sat.

"He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not. He loves me, he loves me not."

She smiled at the remaining petal, picking it softly from it's chocolate bed. She studided the bright lemon color, letting it dangle on the tip of an ebony finger.

"He loves me..."

Such foolishness to base one's assumtions on a mere flower, but to the fox Steele, what else had she to base upon? Her heart would guide her, she knew...And so far, it was guiding her into Megatron's arms.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He had calculated the area to start the blaze. A small patch of dry grass, stretching beyond the eye's limitations. It seemed to circle the planet Akasha, and was reknowned for it's orbit of the tiny planet.

By the time the spark was dropped, thee world would have no time to react.

A smile creased the lips of the wolf. That was exactly how he liked things.

Quick, and with no escape.

A slight worry tugged at his mind, though...What if he wasn't able to reach Steele in time? Would she perish with the rest of her planet? Or somehow break away from the firey tendrils and fight for survival?

He hoped to himself neither, that he would be able to save her without her knowing who started the fire...It would make him so much more heroic in her eyes...

A match is struck upon a tree, flaming it's orange tip quickly.

He bent his wrist slightly, letting the tiny flame lick at the long grass streak.

Slowly, it began to spread, taking with it one stem after another. There was no escape now, he thought to himself. It's time to find Steele and make my revelations...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alas, Steele was not in the area he expected. She remained in the poppy feild, her nose stuck into a book.

Oh, how she adored the writing books!

They took her away from reality, seperated her from her thoughts. While reading, she became the character.

Jane Eyre, Cinderella...Even Robinson Caruso!

Her nose ungulfed in the pages, she failed to see the slight gray mist hovering in the distance; the scent of fresh flowers masking the smell of smoke as it came closer to her.

She closed her azure eyes for a moment, basking in the novel.

I am the light

I am the spirit

I am your savior

I am Steele!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"STEELE!" Megatron called, searching frantically through the heavy woods. Already flames licked at his sides, the heat paining him slightly. He transformed into his robot mode, accepting the pain of that over the ache of the flames.

A soft cough emitted his lungs as he placed a hand against a tree, resting for a moment before calling out her name once more.

"STEEEEEEEEEEEEEELEEEEEEEEE!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A slight sound tickled her ears...It sounded like...A shout? Nonsense. Her imagination was getting the best of her again!

With a yawn, she raised her body from the ground.

The sweet flowery scent departed, replaced now with a strong musk of smoke as a breath of the thick smog was inhaled.

Immediately, she set to coughing and hacking. It smelled so bad! And her breath was becomming shorter!

She flipped to her feet, surrounded by a large circle of licking flames.

NO!

Closing her eyes tightly she ran in the general direction of Megatron's cave. She had to save him!

The fire was bright. It burnt her eyes. Smoke singed her lungs. Her throat was ablaze as the world bunt down.

Yet she kept running.

Faster and faster, her heart beat like the pounding of a drum...A drum whos head would burts from the quick strike of the stick, beating at it relentlessly.

Throbbing. Nomatter how hard it pained...She had to keep running...

Keep going...

The flames! They were gaining on her!

A limb on the ground, invisible to her watering eyes.

Her feet made impact, then her body lie helpless on the ground.

She screams, the fires licking at her fur, singeing her skin to the tird degree.

Through the bright red and orange...A face?

Familiar...Yet so much different...Eyes burning like red coals...A toothy grin tearing at the sides of his lips...

Why didn't he burn! He was standin in the fire!

She choked...Cough...Hack...

Air...Air was a precious commodity to her now...

The pain of flesh hardly equaled that of her lungs, getting scoured inside out as if by acid.

A laugh. One so hideous and forboding...An evil sound, sinking into her ears...

Darkness.

The world turned black.

Silence.

Not a word...

No breathing...

Peace...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"STEELE!" Megatron shreiked, tearing through the trees. A short ways away, a deeper body of crimson was spied.

NO!

It couldn't be her!

Not here, not now!

He ran to her, covering her body with his of metal, reflecting the heat. It seemed she opened her eyes for a spilt second, then closed them...

Against what he hoped...Against what he prayed...

His attempts to save her were futile. She was gone...For eternity.

It was over..it was truely over..

CHAPTER FIVE

So silent the world was. So utterly peaceful.

The form on the table lay still, no breath emmiting from crushed lungs, a face so marred one could not recognize it by sight alone.

But the form sitting in the corner knew just who it was, his heart crushed and shattered into millions on tiny pieces as he stared upon her, dumbfounded and alone.

Why? WHY did he do that!

The end of the civilization was the end of Steele! The end of the only one he had ever loved!

She was his life...His world...His reason for being, his soul...

And he had killed her. Taken the very life out of her, sucking it like a vacuume.

It was all his fault.

The blame was enough to kill one of mortality.

But he was not of the living realm, but a robotic form of chaotic evil...

But could one of such static bad love someone of such utter angelicy?

Perhaps..Perhaps...He wasn't as bad as thought to be...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A light of lilac glows around Steele, and her lungs suck in a breath so sweet, so precious, it amazed her.

A slight breeze brushed softly against her skin and fur, her long red hair trailing in whisps behind her.

The light ahead shone brighter with each step her feet made, the smell growing sweeter, the air light as a feather.

"Steele," a voice called out.

Steele's eyes open slowly as she stopped, the wind slowing around her, allowing her hair to fal limply upon her back. Her eyes showed no fear at the form now departing the brilliant white, and she held her hands high above her head as if in welcome.

The older fox smiled at her from his distance, before speaking with his smoothe drone once more.

"My daughter...I have missed you so..."

"As have I, father...As have I."

"You tried to stop him, Steele...You tried to defeat the madness, yet defeated the blackness in his heart."

"I know," she said genuinely, her eyes sparkling in the light.

"It is up to you to finish...It is a task only you can do...For no other can ever feel love for one of such sparatic evil. And you, my loveing daughter, can find good in anyone."

"But...I am dead..."

"No, Steele. You're body may have ceased it's function, but your soul lives on..."

To the right of them, clouds parted, revealing a dimly lit tunnel and a bedraggled robot.

Steele gasps at him, for she had never saw Megatron in his robotic mode...Nor did she know he had one.

"He's...Really not one of us, is he daddy?"

"No, my child...But it rests in your hands alone to change that."

"How?" She whispered, her heart longing to cuddle the violet one contorted with sadness.

"Remember," he said quietly, stepping backwards, back into the swirling light.

The purple necklace around her nexk began to glow violently, singing into her skin.

As her hand reached up to touch it, two long beings of ivory featthers departed from her back, her gown of white swirling around them.

She lifted to crystal from her neck, stareing into the lilac depths, and tracing her finger over the words written upon it.

"When all are one," She and her father said in unison.

Turning back to the parted clouds, she viewed Megatron standing over her lifeless form.

"When all are one," she whispered again.

Pulling the chain from her neck, she dove through the hole, feeling her wings ripped away by the force.

The lightning swirled as she fell, fallign from grace, falling from heavens gates...

Falling into the arms of the one she loved, but knew now, she must end...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Like struck by lightning, her form rose from the stone slab she lay upon.

Megatron gasps, bringing a hand to his lips, and slowly a smile began to break his lips.

"You returned..." He spoke quietly, crimson optics ficed upon the fox.

Steele blinks at him, slowly brining her body around to hang her legs from the side.

"Yes...I did. I did it because I love you, Megatron..."

"You...You do? You truely do?"

"Yes...More than my own life, I'm afraid...But I have returned from the Matrix a different fox..."

"That is what I feared most," He said with a heavy sigh.

"I will give you time to depart...But you realize the next time we meet, we shall be on enemy lines..."

He leaned forward, his arms spreading to give her an embrace. He wrapped around her, feeling the love that she held...But knowing any attempts to change her mind would be futile.

"I know," he said, pulling away, yet keeping his hands upon her shoulders.

Steele turned her face, her lips carressing his arm as her eyes shut tight in pure anguish...

A single tear dropped from the teal pools, and Megatron brought his hand to cup her face, wiping it away with his thumb.

"I love you, Steele...And I always will."

"I loe you too, Megatron...You have saved me in more ways than you know. Please, do not lead your comrades and enemy here to meet their doom...Let my planet remain in peace..." She brought her gaze to level his, her eyes filled with sorrow, the pain countered by that in Megatron's own eyes.

"I Promise...I will not."

Steele unclenched her hand, the ball of amethyst still clutched tightly in her fingers.

She raised her hand, fastening it around his neck.

"When all are one...."

Their lips met, the soft kiss they both wished would last forever. But it didn't, and eventually she pulled her now warm bady away from him.

"Go," Steele said quietly, Reachign her fingers out to trail the surface of his arm as he pulled away.

"I love you, Steele..."

"I love you, Megatron."

Steele blinks back tears as his form left the cave, and she touched her lips as if to embed the kiss they just shared.

"When all are one..."