Calling Down the Lightning by dreamwaffles (NC-17)

[duonoaikouka.livejournal.com]

Show: Stargate Atlantis
Rec Category: Alternate Universe
Characters: Rodney McKay
Pairing: John Sheppard/ Rodney McKay
Het/Slash/Gen: Slash
Warning: minor character death
Author on LJ: dreamwaffles
Author's Website: unknown
Link: Calling Down the Lightning 

Why this must be read:

Hands down, this is my FAVORITE Atlantis AU. It's a very impressive blend of magic in the modern world with the Stargate thrown in. Even the suspicion of having magic brings about an instant death penalty. No trial. No jury. Just the torch or firing squad. The element this brought to the story was just incredible. It really made me analyze how humanity reacts to that which it doesn't understand or that which frightens/threatens. And then dreamwaffles adds in Rodney McKay, one of only a few wizards that have survived past 20s and only then 'cause Rodney got REALLY lucky in when he manifested. All together, this is an utterly fascinating read that kept me a very happy reader for days. Definitely go enjoy!

Story Summary: The gift of magic carries a death sentence on Earth, and one so accused can be executed on suspicion, for the simple reason that the destructive power of an angry wizard can lay waste to entire countries.  When magic awakens in a person just as they leave their teens, whether it is the untamable power of a wizard or the lesser abilities of a mere magician, life becomes a constant struggle to hide it at all costs.

Dr. Rodney McKay, PhD PhD, is a wizard.  Incredibly, he has learned to control his power and is one of the few wizards in the world to have survived past his twenties.  In order to remain hidden, he has sworn never to use his magic except in the most desperate of circumstances, when lives are at stake.  But what will happen in the Pegasus Galaxy, where desperate circumstances are commonplace and chaos threatens to overwhelm the expedition at every turn?

 

When Meredith Rodney McKay first learned what a wizard was, it was 1973, he was five years old, and Canada had just passed the Wizard's Execution Amendment, changing the method of capital punishment for magic users from the centuries-old tradition of burning at the stake to death by firing squad. Canada was only the second nation, after Switzerland, to have passed such an amendment, and it didn't look like any other countries would be following suit anytime soon. His parents listened to the news on the radio every morning at breakfast, and when this tidbit was announced, his father snorted and his mother went tight-lipped, poking at her oatmeal with her spoon without ever lifting any to her mouth.

"What's a wizard?" asked Meredith, looking up from his cereal.

"A murderer," said his mother flatly, taking a tiny nibble of oatmeal before going green and bolting for the bathroom again. Meredith and his father both ignored it; she'd had morning sickness for weeks, and they were used to it by now.

Meredith looked at his father, his small face knit into a frown. "Dad?" he asked, hoping for a clearer answer.

His father sighed, deeply, and turned the radio volume down as it went to commercial. "A wizard is someone with magic," he explained, "But they can only use their magic to cause earthquakes and storms that kill people."

Meredith blinked at him, chewing his lip. "Like a magician?" he said, trying to fit the new information into his head.

"Not exactly," said his father, looking away from his son, "Wizards are far more powerful, and much more dangerous. That's why we need to catch them before they can kill people. Do you remember when your aunt Penelope died, in one of the more recent New York earthquakes?"

Meredith nodded. It had only been a few months before.

"That was caused by a wizard," his father said, "Luckily, we have the Wizard Neutralization Squad to find them before they use their powers to hurt anyone."

"Oh," said Meredith, "Okay. So what's the am…amendament for?"

His father was now frowning, so Meredith knew he had to ask quickly before his dad got too angry to answer his questions again.

"Dad?" he ventured again, after a minute.

"You'll understand it when you're older," said his father, and Meredith knew the conversation was over.