CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Sakura stepped out of the rejuvenation chamber as it released a cloud of steam and moisture. The skin-tight black suit she wore reflected that of her soul: total darkness. Her eyes had lost their emerald sparkle and were now replaced by an empty gray hue. Kanaye didn't care about her physical appearance, however, because he knew no one would have to see it. As he handed her the cold, steel mask of the Shadow Reaper, a perverse feeling of joy and accomplishment swelled deep within the millionaire businessman.
"What is your name?" He asked her.
"Sakura Kinomoto." She answered, gazing deep into the mask's red lens.
"And where are your friends?"
"I have none. Only enemies."
"And what do you do to your enemies?"
"Kill them."
A flash of light rang out and soon Sakura found herself descending from the catwalk of a high-tech laboratory. The scientists on hand were frightened but Sakura didn't care. Using the Klaw X-2000, provided by Kanaye, Sakura slashed her way through the helpless innocents and stole the information she was ordered to take.
Another flash of light and Sakura was strangling a security guard with the heavy steel gloves over her hands. As the man drew his final breath and rolled his eyes back, Sakura stood up triumphantly and extended the blade from her glove. Before she could finish the job, another flash occurred.
Now Sakura found herself beating her friends to the floor. The guardians were incapacitated, Tomoyo was choking and Meiling was knocked down unconscious. Eriol shot an energy beam towards her but she deflected it with her special weapon. Yet another flash of light and now Sakura found herself beating Li down to a pulp.
She swung her heavily armored fist across his face but he didn't stop coming after her. He was bruised and bloodied but his relentlessness forced her to rethink her actions. The stuffed animal he held out in front of her suddenly brought back all her memories. She could feel the things she thought she had forgotten: friendship, kindness, courage, and above all---love.
"Your mind is weak, Sakura."
Sakura suddenly snapped out of her trance and awoke to the sound of the deep, booming voice she heard earlier. The flashbacks felt so real, she thought she was actually reliving those painful memories again. Sakura looked around but all she could see was darkness. She was restrained on an upwards table, her hands shackled by a strange blue energy. She tried to summon one of her cards but something prevented her from doing so. She focused her mind and energy but all she could hear was a beeping noise emanating from the device she suddenly found placed around her head.
"What?" She struggled to break free. "Where am I? What is this?"
"Don't even try to summon your cards, Sakura." The voice boomed again. "They will do you no good so long as that neural inhibitor is placed over you."
"Am I… Am in a spaceship?"
"What a cold description for something so extraordinary."
"Where are you?"
"Oh, I'm not here. Not yet, anyway. But I will be soon. Once I take over your planet, you'll soon familiarize yourself with my face. That is, if I decide to let you live."
"You must be Kane Exitir."
"Why, yes. And you, no doubt, are the great Card Captor Sakura. Defender of Tomoeda, self-proclaimed protector of the earth and guardian of the Sakura Cards."
"You forgot to mention I'm an all around smart-ass."
"Why, yes. Of course."
"What do you want with me?"
"Perhaps the question is: what do you want with ME? After all, you were the one who provoked me."
"You know what I want. You can read my mind, can't you?"
"Ah, yes. You want to try and prevent all this from happening."
"Is it so much to ask?"
"Not at all. But who are you to deny me my fun?"
"So you think slaughtering countless innocents is fun?"
"Isn't it?"
"I wouldn't know."
"Are you sure? Your memories say otherwise."
"That's different. I was under someone else's control. I wasn't myself."
"Of course you were, Sakura. If there's one thing that makes us all the same, it's that feeling we get from silencing a person for good."
"I'm nothing like you."
"Don't be so sure, Sakura. Deep down that heroic persona you keep so well, there's a killer waiting to come out. And from what I've seen, you enjoyed it."
"No. I don't kill out of pleasure or for--"
"To lie is human, Sakura. I forgive you."
"No."
"Have fun."
"What, what are you doing?"
As the alien leader's voice faded from her mind, Sakura could see a dim light in the distance. Slowly but surely, the light increased and revealed what seemed to be a doorway opening up. Three shadowy figures approached the young woman and stepped into the light that immediately shone down on her.
"Who are you?" She squinted her eyes. Without her glasses, Sakura could barely make out the faces of her captors and began to sweat from the pulsating light.
"Sakura Kinomoto. Human." A raspy voice said.
"Magical, kinetic and telepathic abilities." Said another.
Just then, a distant shriek of total and utter pain caught Sakura's attention, making her cringe with fear. The voice was all too familiar to her and she couldn't bear the thought of what was happening to her beloved Li.
"Li…" She said. "What are you doing to him!?"
"What we're about to do to you, Sakura." The alien answered.
"No…"
One of the figures placed the girl's lenses over her eyes and at last, her captor's faces came into clear view. They stared at her with seemingly human faces, the same as Aries', but the look on their eyes told her they were about to do something to her that was totally inhuman.
"You can see us better, yes?"
"Unfortunately."
"Good."
Another flash of white light blinded Sakura but this time it wasn't from another mental break-in. One of the Valdorian's fists slammed into the young woman's face, breaking her nose almost instantly. Woozy, Sakura looked up only to be hit across the face once more. Now she noticed her nose was broken for sure as it trickled blood onto the floor at a steady pace. Another punch and her left eye was beginning to swell but neither a single wail of pain or a hint of a whimper came from her mouth. The captives didn't care, however, as they continued to mercilessly beat Sakura and laugh from the sick pleasure they were getting from it.
In another holding cell, Li squirmed in pain and released bloodcurdling screams of pure agony. The alien holding him captive simply sat across from the table and grinned at the sight of Li tossing around, jerking his head back and forth as the music continued filling the room.
§ Every rose has its thorn.
Just like every night has its dawn.
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song.
Yeah, he does. §
"NO!" Li shouted. "TURN IT OFF! TURN IT OFF!"
§ I listen to our favorite song playin' on the radio.
Hear the DJ say love's a game of
Easy come and easy go.
But I wonder does he know
Has he ever felt like this? §
"NO HE HASN'T! NOW TURN THE GODDAMN MUSIC OFF!" Li's face was now turning red.
§ Every rose has its thorn.
Just like every night has its dawn.
Just like every cowboy sings his sad, sad song.
Yeah, he does. §
Li was now losing consciousness from the sheer unmerciful pain he was receiving from his inhuman captor. He then tried to slip out an ofuda but the neural inhibitor placed around his head prevented him from unleashing his magic attack.
"D-damn…" He stammered.
In her own cell, Tomoyo sat on a table without any restraints whatsoever while her captive began to assemble his means of torture. He and the others figured since she was just a normal human being, devoid of any magical ability, she posed no threat. While the alien pieced together his implements of pain, Tomoyo conversed with him casually unafraid and taking the time to notice all the sharp objects.
"…And so after that, we found out this Void card or what have you was actually behind all the strange disappearances in Tomoeda. But it was all good. We did the play about halfway until the bitch struck again and erased almost everyone who was there. That was annoying, I can tell you! So anyway, Meiling and I got erased and my memory after that is a little fuzzy but the next thing I know, I'm back on the ground and it's morning and Li and Sakura have already hooked up. So needless to say Meiling and I were happy for them but Touya, Sakura's big brother? That's another story! He always hated Li but after all these years, he's started to mellow out but I think it's gonna be harder for him to consider him his brother-in-law now that Li and Sakura are getting married now but I think after this, he'll be warming up to Nakuru next and then--Wow, that's a big sharp thingy! Where does that go!? Whoa, mama! That's awesome! Anyways, where was I?"
While Tomoyo talked and talked and talked, the Valdorian just kept to his machinations, actually rolling his eyes in disbelief from the girl's constant chatting. When he was done, he turned around and showed Tomoyo his machine that had an elaborate drill-bit head and two prods that stuck out, used to split open his victim's skull.
"Oh my God…" Tomoyo's jaw dropped. "…Do I get a candy bar after this?"
In the corridors of the ship, Aries led Maya, Pops and Suki around the various steel corners as Li's screams blared over the ship's humming engines.
"That sounds like Li." Maya whispered. "Poor bloke. I can't imagine the kind of torture they're submitting him to."
"He's a strong boy." Pops said. "He'll hold out long enough for us to get there."
"So what do we do?" Suki turned to Aries.
"We'll need to get a passkey from one of the guards then find our way into the holding cells." He responded. "I doubt they can hold out much longer."
Another set of punches across Sakura's face caused the girl to drop her head from all the dizziness but one of the Valdorians wouldn't allow it. He grabbed her by the chin and pressed his fist right between her eyes. After a while, they began to tire and stepped back from the girl, who was dripping blood and too swollen to even move.
"I think she's dead." One of the aliens said.
But she wasn't. Though it pained her, Sakura lifted her head up high and spat out a mouthful of blood onto the floor with a certain twinkle in her eye.
"Is that all you've got, you pansies?" She managed to say with her busted lips.
As the Valdorian fell dead to the floor, Maya tossed the passkey over to Aries, who in turn slid it through the door before him. After a few blinking lights beeped softly, the doors slid open and led them into one of the holding cells. As they entered, they were surprised to see a dead Valdorian hunched over his own weapon and Tomoyo sitting patiently on the table with her usual, casual smile.
"Oh, hello." She said. "I didn't know you guys were mounting a rescue attempt."
"Tomoyo?" Suki said in disbelief. "But how did--"
"He blinked."
"Brilliant." Maya smiled, picking up the dead alien's weapon and handing it over to Tomoyo. "Here, you might need this."
"Yeah, good idea."
"Well, then." Aries grinned. "Shall we save Sakura and Li?"