FIC: A Bucket Full of Sunshine 1/1

[CDRERamius@xxxxxxx]

TITLE: A Bucket Full of Sunshine 1/1
AUTHOR: Tony McD
DISCLAIMER: All characters belong to Joss Whendon, Mutant Enemy, WB and 
others. This is for fun, not profit.
SUMMARY: A short fic, a "ficette" if you would. Taken from my Terra/Trinity 
Universe. A bucket full of sunshine comes to earth in LA.
SPOILERS: None really. AU.
RATING: PG 13 (Australian system)
AUTHOR'S NOTE: At the end of the story.

A Bucket Full of Sunshine 1/1

High above the Earth it sat, watching the world beneath with cold, 
unblinking eyes. Thousands of miles below, heat blooms coming from Xuanhua in 
central China tickled the satellite's sensors. For five seconds the computers 
on the satellite watched and waited; an eternity in computer terms. It then 
sent the data to the network of satellites and communications systems that 
all reported to a mountain just outside of Colorado Springs. They all said 
the same thing. The heat blooms were climbing.


Angel sniffed the air. It was putrid and dank like the creatures that 
lived here. He sniffed again and caught the distinct odour of his prey. It 
took him a few moments to decide where it was coming from. There. The tunnel 
to the left. He looked back at his companions.

Cordelia was right behind him, she was nervously gripping the large 
axe as she fought her fear. Beside her was Gunn who held his sword at the 
ready, his eyes darting about, looking for danger. Behind them was Maria and 
her Watcher. Tail end Charlie were a small number of soldiers from the Anti 
Vampire Unit.

Maria. Slayer, like Buffy, but also different. Her delicate Latin 
features a stark contrast to Buffy's California blonde. Her normally 
sparkling eyes were narrowed as she and the others hunted. When she moved it 
was like a panther stalking its next meal. Predatory. Ten years as a Slayer 
demonstrated her ability to go from bright happy woman to destroyer of evil 
in the blink of an eye. He indicated to the others the left tunnel and then 
descended deeper into the earth.


Silently through the vacuum of space it drifted. As it travelled, it 
was bathed in beams that tracked its progress. From the planet below, other 
objects leapt into the atmosphere and beyond. Many were bound for the land 
where it had come from. A few sought to collide with the object and its 
companions. In this they were by and large successful. However not all were 
successful. Unmolested, it travelled on, unknowing and uncaring of the 
activity going on around it. Obeying the laws of gravity, it tipped down and 
began its descent.


They twisted and turned beneath the earth. A faint light told them 
that their destination lay just ahead. The faint sounds of chanting could be 
heard. In complete silence, they crept forward to observe what lay beyond. 
Forty or so demons stood about watching three cloaked figures chant. They had 
to stop the rite from being finished. Angel looked about to see his 
companions get into their places, ready to attack. The army sergeant listened 
to the radio ear piece as the other group reported in. The sergeant's nod 
told Angel that they were in place. Angel slipped into game face mode. With a 
roar he attacked.

The sound of gunfire sounded from several positions for a few seconds. 
In that time, half of the demons lay dead or dying. The shooting stopped as 
Angel's companions and the soldiers attacked the remaining demons with swords 
and axes. The bullets couldn't harm the three in the centre of the room. 
Their magics protecting them. But their magics wouldn't protect them from 
Angel. Angel raced to the three in the centre, intent on killing them and 
smashing the Sceptre of Goth. Maria was a blur as she cut down anything that 
tried to prevent Angel from reaching the three. With his fangs beared and his 
blood lust risen Angel descended upon the three.


It was arcing down from almost 700 miles in space. Onboard computers 
calculated its probable position to within a few hundred feet. While not as 
accurate as its counterparts, it wouldn't matter. Its black mass was caressed 
by the first insubstantial wisps of atmosphere. It plunged onward at 13,000 
miles per hour, heating its surface first red then white hot. As it descended 
through the atmosphere it began to leave a trail like a falling star. Other 
computers linked to its radar searched for the ground, telling it how high it 
was above the ground. All was ready. All that it was waiting on was the on 
rushing ground.


Battered and bruised they limped upward towards the power sub station 
entrance. They were victorious, but not without cost. Two soldiers wouldn't 
return to their loved ones. Another needed serious medical attention. They 
opened the heavy door only to be greeted by the sound of sirens wailing.

Standing in the street, they looked about in confusion. Why were the 
sirens sounding? How long had they been going for? It took several moments 
for the answer to become clear. Insanity. Only the insanity of demented men 
could such a thing be possible. They looked to seek shelter in the deep 
caverns and tunnels from which they had just come from. Looking up into the 
night sky, Angel saw that it was too late.


The radar told it that the ground was now 5000 feet below. The 
computers sent an impulse to the shaped explosive which surrounded the core. 
The explosives detonated, crushing the dense core into a super critical mass. 
Chain reaction. Energy flowed outwards, passing through other materials 
causing an even larger reaction. Briefly, the heart of a star appeared above 
LA.


Angel closed his eyes. He thought of his life, the joys, the sadness, 
the horrors. He thought of Buffy. She would miss him and he would miss her. 
But he didn't worry about her. She had found something that he was cursed 
never to have. True happiness. She had found her soulmates in Xander and 
Willow. She had a child and a family and a place in the sun. He wasn't sad 
that he wasn't her soulmate. He loved her enough to find comfort in her 
happiness.

He felt no fear, only a sense of relief. As he was enveloped in the 
heavenly light, Angel had found something that he had yearned for centuries.

Peace.


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AUTHOR'S NOTES: Among the many nicknames the military give nuclear weapons 
are 'Instant Sunshine' and 'A Bucket Full of Sunshine'.