Repost FIC: A Bucket Full of Sunshine 1/1

["Tony McD" <o163210@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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/Destiny 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 was 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 earpiece 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 make 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 that 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 soul mates 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 soul mate. 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'.


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