Eureka Fic: Too Much Sun
Title: Too Much Sun
Fandom: Eureka
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Sheriff Carter, Zane Donovan.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Here Come The Suns.
Summary: No one needs more than one sun…
Word Count: 1113
Written For: My own prompt ‘Any, Any, Baking in the sun,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Eureka, or the characters. They belong to their creators.
A/N: Just after I saw the first challenge for Challenge Week, ‘Write a fill in which temperature poses a physical danger,’ I sat down to watch TV and this episode was on. Perfect fit!
One sun should be enough for anyone, that’s all earth is supposed to have, and it’s been that way since the planet formed. But this is Eureka, so a small corner of Carter’s brain thinks maybe he should’ve been expecting something like this. It’s not even the weirdest thing he’s ever seen since becoming Sheriff, but it’s in, like, the top ten. Probably. That time with the multiple Nathan Starks still holds the number one spot, and is that image ever going away? Dealing with one of him was bad enough, but hundreds… That’s in the past though; it’s not the issue currently facing the town.
So, against all reason and logic, there are now two suns, one of which is definitely surplus to requirements, and as that one is burning day and night… Well, there’s not really any night to speak of at present, just wall to wall sunshine and heat. Which is nowhere near as much fun as it sounds. Seriously. It’s hot out there and without the cooler temperatures at night, the heat is just going to just keep on building. Sunburn will soon be the least of the town’s problems. Think heatstroke, dehydration, tar melting on the roads, brush fires, electrical systems overheating… air conditioning throughout the town is already struggling as demand for relief from the overwhelming heat increases. The sooner they find out where the new sun came from and how to get rid of it, the better. Café Diem’s freezer is starting to sound like a great vacation spot.
Turns out the extra sun’s not some inventive form of sabotage, just a school project gone slightly wrong, which in Eureka seems to be code for the town facing imminent destruction. According to those who know about such things, mostly Henry, Zane, and Kylie, the new sun’s creator, it shouldn’t be causing this much of a problem. Which is nice to know, but of no consolation whatsoever to the good citizens of Eureka, not when they’re already practically baking in their skins like a bunch of human-sized potatoes with temperatures still increasing. Great, now Carter’s getting hungry. Or not. Baked potato people… Yeah, let’s not go there. Point is, the threat posed by the second sun is all too real and getting cooked is a distinct possibility.
“It’ll burn itself out soon enough.” That’s what Henry had said, was it only yesterday? Hard to keep track of time when it never gets dark; days just blend together into a hot, sweaty, sticky mess. Only the sun hasn’t burned out, just the opposite; it keeps getting bigger, and hotter, and if that keeps up, nobody is going to survive. Apparently is has something to do with extra hydrogen in the atmosphere, courtesy of the Cloud Guy, Herrera. It’s providing additional fuel for the sun’s fusion reaction, hence the flares. Carter’s not a scientist and never claimed to be, but even he can tell that’s not good.
Unfortunately, the excess hydrogen can’t just be removed from the atmosphere. Of course not, because that would be too easy. The only course of action available is to make the sun implode. If it works, problem solved; if it fails, hello supernova and goodbye Eureka, because all that will be left of the town is a mile deep crater. So, no pressure then.
At least the people will be okay; everyone’s being evacuated to what’s considered a safe distance, or almost everyone. Someone has to stay behind to fire the prepared missile into the sun, and as Sheriff, that task naturally falls to Carter. To protect and to serve, that’s the oath he took and it’s what he does, willingly putting his life on the line, but at least he’ll have some help on this one. Zane knows the equipment best, so he’s staying too, which turns out to be a good thing when the rocket-powered delivery system fails, its electronics fried by the ever-increasing temperatures.
An alternate booster needs to be found, and there are plenty to be had, but they don’t have time to make the intricate but essential recalibrations that would be required to make one suitable for the task. There is one available that can do the job, it’s just that in order to use it, they’ll have to go where it is, at the cloud farm, which is much closer to the sun than their chosen launch point. They’re going to be walking, or rather driving, right into temperatures hotter than a furnace.
Zane seems to be enjoying the whole insane venture way too much; some people have seriously weird ideas about what constitutes fun. For Carter, this is just part of his job, braving danger and the unknown for the sake of the town and its people. Gets the adrenaline pumping though, and they really need that after the jeep’s tires melt and they have to make a run for it. Only the heat protection formula Zane’s been working on keeps them from being barbecued. Carter might have to re-think the idea of eating cooked meat, at least for a while. Steaks and sausages are fast losing their appeal now he has some idea of how it would feel to be one. Lobsters too. Being inside the cloud farm is like being boiled alive.
Have to push such thoughts to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand though., which is to find the rocket, fire the rocket, and…
The resulting implosion is pretty spectacular to see, and Carter has a ringside seat for it, which is kinda cool, only not, because of the heat. Mostly he’s just glad the plan worked. With the second sun gone, temperatures are slowly beginning to return to normal. He’s already looking forward to feeling a bit chilly; it’ll make a welcome change after the inadvertent heatwave.
With the number of scrapes he’s gotten into since he fetched up in this wacky town, Carter’s sure there must be a guardian angel watching over him. There’s no other explanation for the fact that he’s survived, yet again, despite all the odds being stacked against him. Not everyone can say they took on a sun and won, and whatever Zane says, it wasn’t fun. Terrifying, nerve-racking, and nail-bitingly stressful, yes, but not fun. Well, okay, maybe it was a little bit fun, but not something he ever wants to do again, thank you very much.
The overlong day is finally coming to an end as dusk settles over the town; soon the stars will be visible overhead in the night sky. It’s nice, normal, and familiar, just the way it should be. Sunset has never looked more beautiful.
The End
Fandom: Eureka
Author: badly_knitted
Characters: Sheriff Carter, Zane Donovan.
Rating: G
Spoilers: Here Come The Suns.
Summary: No one needs more than one sun…
Word Count: 1113
Written For: My own prompt ‘Any, Any, Baking in the sun,’ at fic_promptly.
Disclaimer: I don’t own Eureka, or the characters. They belong to their creators.
A/N: Just after I saw the first challenge for Challenge Week, ‘Write a fill in which temperature poses a physical danger,’ I sat down to watch TV and this episode was on. Perfect fit!
One sun should be enough for anyone, that’s all earth is supposed to have, and it’s been that way since the planet formed. But this is Eureka, so a small corner of Carter’s brain thinks maybe he should’ve been expecting something like this. It’s not even the weirdest thing he’s ever seen since becoming Sheriff, but it’s in, like, the top ten. Probably. That time with the multiple Nathan Starks still holds the number one spot, and is that image ever going away? Dealing with one of him was bad enough, but hundreds… That’s in the past though; it’s not the issue currently facing the town.
So, against all reason and logic, there are now two suns, one of which is definitely surplus to requirements, and as that one is burning day and night… Well, there’s not really any night to speak of at present, just wall to wall sunshine and heat. Which is nowhere near as much fun as it sounds. Seriously. It’s hot out there and without the cooler temperatures at night, the heat is just going to just keep on building. Sunburn will soon be the least of the town’s problems. Think heatstroke, dehydration, tar melting on the roads, brush fires, electrical systems overheating… air conditioning throughout the town is already struggling as demand for relief from the overwhelming heat increases. The sooner they find out where the new sun came from and how to get rid of it, the better. Café Diem’s freezer is starting to sound like a great vacation spot.
Turns out the extra sun’s not some inventive form of sabotage, just a school project gone slightly wrong, which in Eureka seems to be code for the town facing imminent destruction. According to those who know about such things, mostly Henry, Zane, and Kylie, the new sun’s creator, it shouldn’t be causing this much of a problem. Which is nice to know, but of no consolation whatsoever to the good citizens of Eureka, not when they’re already practically baking in their skins like a bunch of human-sized potatoes with temperatures still increasing. Great, now Carter’s getting hungry. Or not. Baked potato people… Yeah, let’s not go there. Point is, the threat posed by the second sun is all too real and getting cooked is a distinct possibility.
“It’ll burn itself out soon enough.” That’s what Henry had said, was it only yesterday? Hard to keep track of time when it never gets dark; days just blend together into a hot, sweaty, sticky mess. Only the sun hasn’t burned out, just the opposite; it keeps getting bigger, and hotter, and if that keeps up, nobody is going to survive. Apparently is has something to do with extra hydrogen in the atmosphere, courtesy of the Cloud Guy, Herrera. It’s providing additional fuel for the sun’s fusion reaction, hence the flares. Carter’s not a scientist and never claimed to be, but even he can tell that’s not good.
Unfortunately, the excess hydrogen can’t just be removed from the atmosphere. Of course not, because that would be too easy. The only course of action available is to make the sun implode. If it works, problem solved; if it fails, hello supernova and goodbye Eureka, because all that will be left of the town is a mile deep crater. So, no pressure then.
At least the people will be okay; everyone’s being evacuated to what’s considered a safe distance, or almost everyone. Someone has to stay behind to fire the prepared missile into the sun, and as Sheriff, that task naturally falls to Carter. To protect and to serve, that’s the oath he took and it’s what he does, willingly putting his life on the line, but at least he’ll have some help on this one. Zane knows the equipment best, so he’s staying too, which turns out to be a good thing when the rocket-powered delivery system fails, its electronics fried by the ever-increasing temperatures.
An alternate booster needs to be found, and there are plenty to be had, but they don’t have time to make the intricate but essential recalibrations that would be required to make one suitable for the task. There is one available that can do the job, it’s just that in order to use it, they’ll have to go where it is, at the cloud farm, which is much closer to the sun than their chosen launch point. They’re going to be walking, or rather driving, right into temperatures hotter than a furnace.
Zane seems to be enjoying the whole insane venture way too much; some people have seriously weird ideas about what constitutes fun. For Carter, this is just part of his job, braving danger and the unknown for the sake of the town and its people. Gets the adrenaline pumping though, and they really need that after the jeep’s tires melt and they have to make a run for it. Only the heat protection formula Zane’s been working on keeps them from being barbecued. Carter might have to re-think the idea of eating cooked meat, at least for a while. Steaks and sausages are fast losing their appeal now he has some idea of how it would feel to be one. Lobsters too. Being inside the cloud farm is like being boiled alive.
Have to push such thoughts to the back of his mind and focus on the task at hand though., which is to find the rocket, fire the rocket, and…
The resulting implosion is pretty spectacular to see, and Carter has a ringside seat for it, which is kinda cool, only not, because of the heat. Mostly he’s just glad the plan worked. With the second sun gone, temperatures are slowly beginning to return to normal. He’s already looking forward to feeling a bit chilly; it’ll make a welcome change after the inadvertent heatwave.
With the number of scrapes he’s gotten into since he fetched up in this wacky town, Carter’s sure there must be a guardian angel watching over him. There’s no other explanation for the fact that he’s survived, yet again, despite all the odds being stacked against him. Not everyone can say they took on a sun and won, and whatever Zane says, it wasn’t fun. Terrifying, nerve-racking, and nail-bitingly stressful, yes, but not fun. Well, okay, maybe it was a little bit fun, but not something he ever wants to do again, thank you very much.
The overlong day is finally coming to an end as dusk settles over the town; soon the stars will be visible overhead in the night sky. It’s nice, normal, and familiar, just the way it should be. Sunset has never looked more beautiful.
The End