Author's Note:  Yeah, yeah, late.  Summer vacation's here.  I'll really try to get these chapters up sooner.  I said this was going to be plotty but it's not really.  Plot in the next chapter.  This sets up what Syaoran and Sakura are doing.

Thanks to unknown, anjali-chan (I think it's mostly because they're still strangers), Ongaku (take your time), Jurei (eh?  The idea's from my head but it has its influence in Sliders with the dimension things but everything else is just a mix of all the sci-fi stuff I ever liked), Little Blossom, Riley S (aw, sorry about that.  You'll get your kiss, but not the way you expect it), Rhea-chan (blank white paper is unacceptable), mya, kY (I'm not killing them all, not unless I'm in a horrible mood), Caoilfhionn (sorry, really sorry about the lateness, but I don't see you updating…hmm?), Mistress Clow Pixie (ooh, my third death threat.  I feel so loved.  =P)

Disclaimer:  I will own CCS any minute now, just as soon as my army of robot ants force CLAMP to sign it over to me.  

Slipping Away

Chapter 8:  Dwindling Time

The blue mercurial portal flared, casting its iridescence over the living room.  Sakura, grim faced stood resolutely at the threshold.  She clenched tight the remote in her hand watching the rippling waves for signs of emergence.  Syaoran stood behind her, poised rigid against the forceless winds that gathered in the apartment.  Sakura grabbed a materializing hand. extracting a body from the rolling energy, the newly expelled mass stumbling onto the carpet.  A second person immediately followed, almost tripping over the first's heels.  "Close."  Flashing into non-existence, the portal resealed itself, leaving the room in its original darkness. 

Syaoran fumbled with the nearby light switch, letting the soft yellow glow sweep away the black.  On the floor sat two figures, panting, both women.  The first that emerged looked up to meet his eyes, a barely discernable smirk arching its way up her mouth.  "We meet again ne?"

"Uh…let me guess, the other me right?"

She nodded, lifting herself to her feet, shedding the thick overcoat from her shoulders and hurling it haphazardly onto the couch.  Bunching together loose strands of her hair, she tightened a ponytail, twisting her head to give the apartment a cursory glance.  "Nice place."  She shot out a hand, business-like, direct.  "Tomoyo."

Syaoran shook hands, looking over Tomoyo's shoulder to meet Sakura's impenetrable gaze.  "Syaoran.  You would be the leader right?"

"So I am."  Tomoyo thrust her other hand behind her, extracting a gun.  "I'm assuming Sakura's told you everything?"  Syaoran fidgeted; she threw an accusatory glare at Sakura.  "Then what did you tell him?"

Sakura's face broke its iciness, sinking into sheepishness.  "I told him about Yana and that we need a generator."  She broke her ramblings to put her hands on her hips.  "Hey, you gave me what?  Only two days?"

Tomoyo nodded dismissively.  "No use arguing; we don't have the time.  Are we safe Nakuru?"

Syaoran averted his attention to the center of the living room trying to find the second woman, but saw no one there.  A voice appeared behind him.  "Fine; we're a little too high up for my taste but it won't be too hard to secure."

He turned around to look at Nakuru's back, the tall woman busy testing the locks on the door.   "What are you doing?"

Nakuru turned around, painted lips smudging into a frown.  "Weak locks; we can fix this."  She lifted up a leg, reaching into her boot and pulling out a two rectangular cards.  "Reinforce."  Three vertical lines glowed orange.  She pressed the activated disk against the door stepping back for the wood to be replaced by metal, gleaming across the surface like spilt paint.  A second card joined the first once the door had been completely infused by metal.  "Scan."  Everything went dark, only the two cards emitting light.  The single thick line icon on the card gave off a whirling light, brilliant for a moment before dying like a crushed lightening bug.  Interspersing the resulting darkness shone a few irradiated objects, the remote in Sakura's hand, the two cards on the door, a few devices at Tomoyo's and Nakuru's waist.  "Stop."  With a violent sputter, the overhead lights broke back into life.  "All clear."

Syaoran blinked owlishly in the reestablished light, throwing a questioning look to Tomoyo.  "Yana's activated his new tunneling machine yesterday.  He knows Sakura's here in Tomoeda.  We're checking for any foreign technology.  There may be spies around."  She unstrapped her belt pack from her waist, clunking it onto the coffee table.  "Sit down; we've got a lot to go over."

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Syaoran glared hard at the grain of the coffee table, growing inwardly more dissatisfied as the discussion between the three girls went on.  He was still in the dark; what was his job exactly?   "Then what am I supposed to do?"

Nakuru cut off her speech midway and spared him a disinterested glance.  "We need you to make a generator powerful enough to collapse the tunnels."

"But we don't have that kind of technology on this planet.  Besides, I have no idea how to start."

Tomoyo slid a solid cube over to him.  "This is fuel from our world.  It'll be enough to crash the tunnels, but we need you to make the converter.  I have the blueprints in my pack.  I don't care if you have to steal the parts or don't know what you're doing, we need an operational coverter soon.  Follow the directions and it should be fine.  Our plans rest on this one machine."

Syaoran almost scowled in the incredulity of his burden before Sakura interrupted.  "I'll help him.  It'll be quick; he's an engineer."

"Then it shouldn't be a problem."  Tomoyo gave no moment's hesitation before diving back into her lecture.  "Yana's getting impatient; we think he's planning to invade in only a couple of days.  His army's not at full strength but two of his missiles can probably finish the job if he can get them over here.  That's why I need everyone to do whatever's in your power in stopping his main force from tunneling.  And that means you'd be willing to die to complete this mission."  She gave Syaoran a meaningful glance but upon receiving no sign of hesitation from him, she rolled out blueprints, the angular precise drawings draping across the table.  "This is the converter.  We've done some reconnaissance work before Sakura arrived and we're sure everything needed can be obtained on this planet."  She rolled the plans back up tossing them to Syaoran.  "Look this over tonight.  This is your responsibility.  We need this as quick as you can get it done if we're to even to have a chance at stopping Yana." 

"But where's Yana in your plans?"  Sakura leaned in closer to meet Tomoyo's unfaltering eyes.

"If we're lucky, he'll be trapped on our world before he can even start to tunnel."  She gave a dangerous look to Nakuru and Sakura.  "I know you want your revenge.  So do I.  But we're not putting 6 billion peoples' lives ahead of our own agendas.  I want you to understand that because I will kill you if you disobey me."  They knew she would and lowered their eyes accordingly.

Syaoran sought to break the tension of the threat.  "But what are you and Nakuru doing while Sakura and I work on the converter?"

"Preparing in the daytime, patrolling at night.  Yana's probably going to send scouting parties through the tunnels these next days to look for the best strategic point in the city.  You have work tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Good, find an excuse for Sakura to join you."  Tomoyo looked up to the living room clock.  "It's time to get some sleep.  These next days will be very exhausting."

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Sakura peered from out behind Syaoran's bedroom door into the living room.  The shadowed pack still lay on the coffee table.  Careful to not disturb Syaoran on the couch and Tomoyo on the floor, she slunk toward the table.  With footfalls muffled by the thick carpet and her socks, she slowly unzipped Tomoyo's bag, finally arresting at the sight of a bound set of cards.  A cautious look around, she flipped randomly through the metal discs stopping at the second to last.  Lifting the card into the moonlight, she smiled gravely.  A zigzag shone in the moon before it disappeared into the folds of Sakura's pocket.  She tiptoed her way back to the bedroom, taking a wide detour from Nakuru's body at the foot of the bed.  With only a rustle of the blanket, she gave a thin sigh barely intelligible as 'promise' and closed her eyes

Tomoyo watched Sakura remove the card through half lidded eyes, but remained still.  As Sakura closed the bedroom door, she thinned her lips, rolling over to close her eyes and asleep.

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The guard eyed the two approaching figures cheerfully.  "Mr. Li, good morning."

Syaoran nodded a quick reply, dragging Sakura toward the elevator.  He froze at the guard's 'ahem.'  "Oh sorry, this is a friend.  She's joining me for lunch later so I thought she could stay the morning." 

The capped man smiled at Sakura as he bent to retrieve a visitor's pass.  "You're lucky there's no top secret research going on in this building."  He was blind to twos awkward laughs.  "Well go on, you're barely early."  He shooed them to the closing elevator.

Sakura let a sigh of relief out as the doors slid shut with a ding.  "Well that wasn't too bad."

"Yeah, now to start making the machine that will save the world from domination."

Sakura suppressed a laugh when she realized there were others in the elevator, all with similar raised eyebrows directed to Syaoran's back.  "Well, when you put it that way…"   

The elevator gave a preemptory ring, stainless steel doors parting ways.  Sakura and Syaoran steeped out into a maze of halls and offices, people taking memorized routes around corners, disappearing into rooms.  "God, this is just as bad as Yana's labs." 

"Yeah, wait till you meet my supervisor.  I'm thinking he's Yana's counterpart in this dimension." 

"Ooh, I'm tingling already."  They finally stopped at a wooden door, brass plate inscribed with Syaoran's name.  "Nice office."  Sakura opened the door, a crosscurrent breeze from the open window toppling a precariously balanced stack of papers, flurrying around the room.  "I take that back."  A desk sat in the middle of the room, buried under piles of drafting blueprints and computer simulation printouts, only the tapered metal legs visible.  "How do you get work done like this?"

Syaoran swept a mass of papers off the desk, settling his briefcase in their now evacuated place.  "I get work done fine."  Removing the converter blueprints, he pushed a rolling chair towards Sakura.  "Well, get comfortable, we've got quite a long day ahead of us."

Sakura looked around her, a kingdom of papers and books.  "Don't you have a lab or somewhere we can work in?"

"Well yeah, but it's communal space.  I don't think the boss would like to see a visitor wielding a blow torch."

Sakura grinned menacingly.  "Wouldn't he?"

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"It's lunch time; you want something to eat?" 

Sakura looked up from the sparking wires.  "Hold on, this is not the best time to ask me questions."  An abrupt sizzling sound joined another bright flash of light.  Sakura flicked off her goggles, looking down satisfactorily at the newly joined metal pieces.  "Finally.  What did you say?"

Syaoran leaned back on his chair, rubbing his eyes wearily.  "I said do you want some lunch?"

Sakura looked disconsolately down at her stomach, then up at the clock.  "Yeah, but we can't take time off; I'm barely done with the indicator."

"I was planning on ordering something and getting it delivered.  Besides, I'm still working on the phase conversion unit.  These blueprints are good but you have to admit, these parts aren't exactly the same ones we have here."

"I know, but we've got to make due.  It's not my fault you live in a such a technologically inferior world."  A crumpled piece of paper bounced pertly off Sakura's hair.  "Hey!"

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Sakura thumped her head against the top of her chair.  "We've been working for seven hours straight and we're not even half way done."

Syaoran looked up from his work.  "I guess we won't be going home on time tonight."

"Guess not."  Sakura lifted a tangle of wires and computer chips.  "Can you hand me the pliers?"

Syaoran slid the pliers across the table, making conversation but not looking up from the smoking wires.  He talked amidst the crackling of fire and electricity, industrial drone background.  "Who taught you about all this mechanical stuff?"

"Terada mostly.  He's the resistance engineer of sorts.  Syaoran and I helped him out a few times making cards and fixing weapons and stuff."

"Oh, why didn't he tunnel here to help us?"

"He was caught during one of Yana's raids.  We've really struggled this past year trying to do everything ourselves, but without him, it's not easy."  A single high-pitched whine escaped into the office, gathering volume.  A quick click, the sound fell silent.  "Well, the signaling unit works now.  How's the converter?"

"I've got half a mind to throw it out the window.  I swear I've tied all the wires and chips together like the blueprint says, but it's just not activating."

Sakura got up and looked over Syaoran's shoulder.  "Looks right.  Did you connect the power source?"

Syaoran traced the wire on the schematic with his finger.  "Yeah, red wire to secondary control unit."  A sharp intake of breath in his ear.  "Sakura?"  He looked around to find her back to him, hand on the door.  "Something wrong?"

Sakura shook her head.  "Bathroom?"  

"Down the hall second door on the right."  Syaoran looked slightly disbelievingly as Sakura left the office.  There was something that wasn't right; her voice had a strange note in it.

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Panting shuddering gasps, Sakura gripped the cold stone of the sink counter.  Into the spotless mirror, she grimaced, pained reflection heaving back at her.  A cold sweat dripped from her forehead into the sink, each drop coinciding with a wave of pain that threatened to render her insides into gelatin. It was getting worse.  She'd taken a vial in the morning, but the medication could no longer hold out against the virus.  With a quivering hand, she pulled out another vial swallowing the contents with a half spasm.  Relief came after a few seconds.  She washed her face in cool water, letting her face return to its placid norm.  She only hoped she'd last long enough to see Yana defeated.  Wiping her face dry, she pulled open the door, pacing herself back down the hallway, testing her false smile on passersby.

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Syaoran looked up at the clock, ten.  "Should I call Tomoyo and tell her we won't be back till late?"

"Yeah, tell her I won't be able to help patrol tonight."

Syaoran waited for his answering machine.  "This is Syaoran.  We're still working on the fuel converter.  We won't be back until late; Sakura says to go on patrol without her."  As he hung up the phone, Sakura's voice sailed over, a squashed yelp of frustration.  "You got it working yet?"

"No; it's still refusing to activate, but I did finally align the timer sequence."  She met Syaoran's blank face.  "What're you thinking?"

"Nothing much, just how strange it is that there's the potential for world destruction tomorrow and we're pretty much the only people that know it."

"Funny joke huh?"   Sakura unexpectedly ducked underneath her seat, dropping to her knees and crawling under the table.  "Damn.  Do you have an extra adaptor?  I lost mine."

"Again?  That's number three Sakura.  The stockroom's going to start charging me soon."

"Liar.  You lost the first one remember?  Well come on, let's go get another one."

Syaoran blocked the doorway.  "It's ten; the stockroom's closed."

Sakura got up and pulled at her clothes, a cloud of dust now airborne. "Then we'll just have to break in." 

"What?!  I'm not going to break into the stockroom.  If I get caught, I can consider my career gone."

Sakura shrugged.  "Well think of it this way.  If we don't get this adapter, six billion people will die."

Syaoran couldn't help but smirk.  "Using that fate of humanity guilt again I see."  He folded his arms over his chest, unmoving just long enough to see Sakura pout.  "Fine let's go."

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Sakura banged her knee against a low metal shelf, groaning out an expletive.  "Let's find this adaptor before I can't use my legs anymore."

Syaoran groped along the boxes, fingering each metal piece.  "This would be a lot easier if we opened the lights."

"Not unless you want to be caught by a guard.  Remember?  Your career?"

"Fine, I think I got it."  Syaoran removed an object, nestling in his palm.  He squinted in the near darkness.  "No wait, that's not it."

Sakura sighed.

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Author's Notes:  Actual action next chapter and a look into Yana.  Bring film.