A/N: Finally decided to update this story. It's been a long time since I visited this world ;)

Places to remember:
Zadita Province (Present day Hong Kong)
Tribunal's HQ (Underground HQ in present day Tokyo)
Ruins of Tomoeda (Province encompassing Tomoeda, Tokyo, and many smaller districts. No such thing in present day.)

FURY OF THE CREATORS

Chapter 4: Confined Powers

:: Normal POV ::

Previously, Sakura had taken a shot for Syaoran.

"SAKURA! SAKURA! NO, NO, NO!!!!!!" Syaoran yelled in vain while cradling her head to his chest. A dam had burst and his tears flowed freely down to the unconscious mistress of the cards.

Fate, thou art cruel indeed.


Ruins of Tomoeda: 2181

:: Syaoran's POV ::

The mind is like an intricately woven web in which I find myself confined by the ever so great number of strings. While I was held captive in the depths of darkness that which is my soul, I heard an angel's song ever so lightly. That light and those melodies had penetrated through the shields of long forgotten emotions and like the sirens' song, beckoned me to its will. So dared I come forward and listen and so grievously had I fallen in a well-laid trap set by the angel. I had fallen for the angel herself...

"Sakura! Oh God, don't you die on me yet. I forbid it! Do you hear me!? You can't die." I shouted the motionless body of my beloved. My mind was a mess. I hadn't been able to think clearly since then.

I checked her pulse at the base of the neck ... ... ... ... ...

It can't be!!!

Tears flooded my eyes and flowed freely downward to Sakura's pale cheeks. I brought up her hand to my face and allowed the cold palm to caress my face...

It can't be!!!

While I was holding her wrist, I felt a pulse. Whatever gods existed, I thanked them profusely. Now for the first time, I was able to clear my mind and focus on sustaining Sakura in her weakening state. I accessed my computer for a map of any friendly camps. The computer located several camps in the greater Ruins of Tomoeda province, but the closest would take at least several transportations through underground portals. Because the Dominion monitor all transports, short and long range, transportation is a risk. I picked up Sakura and my sword which laid embedded in that foul machine and proceeded to make the first of many jumps. After having gone through 11 portals, I activated the transportation sequence once again for the final warp to Tribunal's HQ.

When I had stepped out of transport, I was greeted with armed men ready to strike. We were in a small, confined room. To my left, stacks of storage barrels were piled. To my right, the door leading to the main compound.

"You, Private 1st Class. Take me to the Med Lab immediately." I ordered the shy boy around age 13. A corporal, probably only 2 years older than me, countermand it. Although we rarely fight each other, respect for authority amongst ourselves is important.

"Who the fuck do you think you are? Hand over your blade and prepare to be taken into custody." the stout man retort.

They obviously had no respect for authority. I was a ranking officer and he dared challenge me!? However after a further examination of my state of "undress", I understood why. I did not have my bio-suit on (I had hastily used the components to fix the computer and disposed of it in 2001) and while it is not customary to wear a bio-suit in a self-contained underground facility, you must have some sort of identification. My insignia was on that bio-suit. I searched for my identification card. I found no such luck within my own pockets.

Where did I put it?

Of course! I had given to Sakura. I sincerely hoped she kept it.

I searched for my identification card and found it looped through by a lanyard. Sakura had worn my ID underneath her shirt. I shoved the identification card up to the corporal's face and barked a similar order.

"Corporal, take me to the Med Lab. NOW! If she dies, I'll kill you personally."

"Y-Y-Yessir! Right this way." the man stammered having looked at the rank on the card. We headed to the door at the right and entered a long corridor. We walked down this hallway for a while with the man in the lead.

I had never been here before since the HQ that I report to is in Zadita province. Suffice to say, the hallway was brightly lit. Tribunal's HQ is among one of the most respected sub-headquarters of the United Earth Council. Tribunal dealt with war criminals found guilty of treason or high-ranking officials suspected to be spies for the Dominion. After decades of war, the machines found fit to imitate their creators in the field of military intelligence. We built machines to spy on them and they engineered human-like androids to spy on us. These SFS models are almost impossible to detect. They look exactly like humans and only one test can determine if they are human.

The corporal made a sudden turn to the right and I followed him. Up ahead, I saw the Med Lab and hastily made a run for it. The corporal followed close behind. The door swooshed open and the laboratory was open to me. The doctor in charge of the place asked no questions and prepared a bio-stabilizing stasis field. It was cylindrical like a test tube. I placed Sakura in place and removed her clothing as to prevent foreign materials inside the stasis pod other than herself. The only object that I could not remove was her "key". I was forced to leave it. The force field isolated her from the rest of the world. It was quickly filled with a green, life-sustaining fluid. She looked like a delicate doll when I viewed her like this.

The operation was performed immediately using nano-bots. The microscopic machines (one of the few that the Dominion did not attain at the outbreak of the war but they are in the process of constructing millions in the near future) worked wonders. The damaged tissues were repaired. As happy as I was to hear that, the doctor brought bad news.

"I can repair the physical damage but I can't do anything about the neurological inflicted by the weapon." he said.

"No, there must be something you can do."

"I'm sorry. I've done all I can. I tried my best." My anger boiled and the thought of losing Sakura after this aggravated me. I grabbed the doctor by the collar and ordered him to revive her. Every "No", "Can't", and "Impossible" tore my heart. I can't lose Sakura...not like this...

Three Years Later: Zadita Province, Rebel HQ

:: Normal POV ::

A grim and solemn man walked slowly through the corridors of the Rebel Headquarters. He wore simple clothes fit for a soldier of his time. His complexion and icy cold atmosphere kept other people at bay. He was a zero tolerant man.

Syaoran walked past officers, cadets, and civilians. The non-civilian saluted Syaoran and carried on with their task. He was a decorated star general of the Resistance as it is now called. He held command of several thousand men and he did it with ease. Military strategy came easy to him. Combat was easier.

Everyday he walked down this same corridor at exactly the same pace, whenever he can of course. Syaoran rarely missed the meeting. He rounded a corner and walked closer to the double doors. The doors had a red plus sign on the windows. Within moments, Syaoran entered the Med Lab of the Rebel HQ in Zadita Province.

The doctors made no eye contact with the general. They had seen him here more than once. It had formed a habit and they were more than happy to let the general through.

Syaoran made his way to a private chamber in the back of the laboratory. He quickly entered his access code and the door opened. The room was dimly lit and the only light came from a green, fluorescent source. He entered and the door closed behind him. He walked towards light source and knelt down touching the cylindrical chamber. The lifeless body of his love was suspended in the stasis chamber. Sakura's hair flew out in all directions and the Clow key rested on her naked chest. She had been stripped of all clothing, save the key, initially to prevent contamination. The stasis field was the only thing standing between life and death.

"What am I to do? Can you hear me, Sakura?"

Syaoran had whispered many things similar to this. Every time he expected Sakura to recover and show signs of life. Every time the response had been the same. The quiet hum of the machines was the only source of sound in the room.

Not knowing what else to do, Syaoran began the usual conversation. He talked about his day and how close they are to obtaining the first real advantage against the Dominion.

For three years, the Dominion and the last remnants of humanity have been battling each other. Whereas every human life is precious, the Dominion could produce its soldiers in a factory. The humans resisted and laid low. Sabotaging factories and command centers were big priorities. Syaoran had once successfully uploaded a virus into the factory's system and took control of the facility. He managed to produce corrupt Mako Build 4.5 androids. The corrupted androids successfully pushed back the Dominion and allowed the humans some breathing room. Of course, that was over a year ago. Missions were getting more perilous each day. The population declined as the Dominion seeks out hidden bases and colonies for extermination. The latest base which had fallen was Tribunal HQ in the Ruins of Tomoeda.

"We have a weapon now. One that will end this war. It hasn't been tested yet. We're hoping it works. But I can't make the decision to use it. Not when you're like this. Not when the only thing standing in the way of death is this machine, this stasis pod. Come back to me, Sakura."

Syaoran had been plagued with this difficult decision since the inception of the weapon. He had to choose: the world or Sakura. He couldn't make that choice. He was still buying time. Time for Sakura to make a recovery.

"What should I do? Tell me..."

An alarm blasted throughout the base and Syaoran was forced to snap out of his reverie. His worse fear came to life. He ran out of the Med Lab and headed toward the command center of the base.