Black Helicopters

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Fanfiction
Title: Black Helicopters
Author(s): whizzy
Date(s): 2009-present
Length: ~315,055 words
Genre(s): slash fanfiction
Fandom(s): Stargate Atlantis, Stargate SG-1
Relationship(s):
External Links: 1. Black Helicopters at Dawn (AO3)
2. Big Dish Guy (AO3)
3. Wrong End of the Rescue (AO3)
4. Tensile Strength (AO3)
5. Black Mountainside (AO3)
6. Blown Away (AO3)
7. Blackout Conditions - not on AO3. Alternate file downloads are here or here
8. Black Hole Son - not on AO3.
9. Black Thursday also not on AO3, and a WIP, only half completed.
10. Podfic of Black Helicopters.

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Black Helicopters is an earthside AU series by whizzy. The series begins pre-Atlantis and is set in a Stargate SG-1 canon "in which John Sheppard has taken a very different route into the Stargate program, it opens with the unexpected events that cause John's life to intersect with Rodney's. In this 'verse, Rodney is not connected with the US military -- at least, not any more -- and is off in northern BC independently pursuing his own research."[1] They meet when Sheppard crashes an alien craft in a test flight in the Canadian wilderness, and Rodney catches his distress signal. Things unfold from there.[2]

The four main stories so far are Black Helicopters at Dawn (John and Rodney meet and Rodney learns about the Stargate program, UST), Black Mountainside (Action/Adventure at the SGC, growing friendship and UST), Blackout Conditions (Action/Adventure at Area 51 and they finally do something about that UST), and Black Thursday (the final Area 51-based WIP, in which their relationship continues).

Another story by whizzy is Fade to Black - mentioned here only to clarify that it's not part of the Black Helicopters series. It starts with a similar scenario - Rodney moving to live in northern BC by himself, but it then develops into a horror story with a warning for major character death. Whizzy once described it as a 'prequel' as it was commenced before this series, but other than the similar setting at the beginning, it's not part of the Black Helicopter series.

Series

Black Helicopters at Dawn cover banner
  • Black Helicopters at Dawn (63,947 words). Summary: Screw the bet. Rodney was going to prove the existence of extraterrestrial intelligence. Oh, and incidentally, he might just catch the United States Air Force with their pants around their ankles.
  • Big Dish Guy (1,199 words). Summary: "So," the lumberjack said, taking the seat opposite Rodney in the booth without even asking first, "I've heard about you. You're the new guy in town, right? The one with the big dish."
  • Wrong End of the Rescue (7,059 words). Summary: "However, the fact remains that Dr. McKay is now in possession of highly sensitive information regarding Stargate operations, and has exhibited a troubling tendency to disregard the Air Force's confidentiality in the past."
  • Tensile Strength (1,639 words). Summary: But of course, his only attempt to find Rodney's snapping point not only failed; it backfired spectacularly.
  • Black Mountainside (65,810 words). Summary: "I know," John agreed, without sympathy. Rodney could hate it all he liked; he couldn't afford to know the truth. I lied. It doesn't matter who walks through that gate with you. No one else owes you what I do. No one else is going to protect you the way I would.
  • Blown Away (1,395 words). Summary: Sex is like sleep: He takes it where and when he can, and sometimes he goes without for so long that he can't even remember the last time he got any.
Blackout Conditions cover banner
  • Blackout Conditions (~100,000 words). Summary: Given the level of secrecy and security blanketing the place, Area 51 itself was a bit of a letdown. The collection of utilitarian buildings wouldn't have looked out of place in any military installation Rodney had ever seen. There were no flying saucers parked on the tarmac; there were no aliens roaming the halls. (Okay, not that he could tell. The vast majority of aliens that Rodney had met looked human enough at first glance. And he knew that at least a few, like Teal'c, had been granted permission to live and work on Earth.) No, the strangest thing about Area 51 was that it didn't feel strange at all. Here he was, in the mecca of conspiracies and illicit government research—inside the very shadow institution that not so long ago, a lifetime apart, he'd striven to expose—and Rodney just... fit in, from day one. It was like coming home. (Well, to be honest, it was more like waking up on Christmas and discovering a Cray-2 supercomputer under the tree, when you'd asked Santa for a Commodore 64.)
  • Black Hole Son (2055 words) A short character piece where Rodney, contemplating John and their relationship, visits John's empty grave at Arlington and meets Dave Sheppard.
  • Black Thursday (69,916 words) Largely set at Area 51 where Rodney gets the puddlejumper operational and helps with Prometheus's finishing touches. John and Cam are worried about politics overtaking the SGC with Kinsey as US Vice-President and Elizabeth Weir as the SGC's new civilian head. Then Anubis turns up with an invasion fleet just as SG1 return from Praclarush Taonas with information about Antarctica.

Recs and Reviews

Recs for Black Helicopters at Dawn:

At 64K words, this is a satisfyingly long story. [...] It's a friendship story that doesn't (quite) move beyond that, but the friendship is deep and real, growing from their unlikely first contact into a powerful bond in a slow, awkward, and inevitable way that rings so very true for these two men. And the possibility of a more intimate relationship is always hovering on the horizon -- and if we're lucky enough ever to get a sequel, I'd anticipate it going in that direction. The writing is very good; the author knows enough about the USAF to write Sheppard's story and dialog convincingly; the (semi)original characters are a treat; and John and Rodney are fully realized, ringing true from start to finish.[1]

Her AU is built carefully, with a plausibly weird and paranoid Rodney McKay who'd refused to sign the confidentiality agreement to join Stargate, and little hints about a John Sheppard who joined the Stargate program before Antarctica. Then whizzy writes a remarkably tense action story that takes place almost entirely over the radio. Which alone takes talent. But Whizz doesn't leave it there. The action sequence is just the wind up for the second half, where the story delivers what first appears to be a domestic drama leading to the inevitable cliche romance. But that's because you and I have forgotten about the SGC.[3]

There is something very delicious about a well developed story. You can savor the building tension and luxuriate in the fine whisper of the undercurrent. It is always a joy to find a writer that can deliver a well paced, well thought out and well worded story. Whizzy's Black Helicopters at Dawn is a true feast. The appetizer teases you with the authors style and wit. Then the first dish arrives to deliver a little zing to the palate, not overwhelming, just something to say, just wait. And then main course is here and you just sink yourself into the experience. But don't forget the desert. Something sweet and tart, just to round it all off.[4]

I picked this story up from amothea's rec. I've never read anything by whizzy before, but she is obviously a very experienced writer. Her AU is built carefully, with a plausibly weird and paranoid Rodney McKay who'd refused to sign the confidentiality agreement to join Stargate, and little hints about a John Sheppard who joined the Stargate program before Antarctica. Then whizzy writes a remarkably tense action story that takes place almost entirely over the radio. Which alone takes talent. But Whizz doesn't leave it there. The action sequence is just the wind up for the second half, where the story delivers what first appears to be a domestic drama leading to the inevitable cliche romance. But that's because you and I have forgotten about the SGC.[5]

Recs for Black Mountainside:

Whizzy wrote another novel-length fic in her 'Black Helicopters' AU, in which the SGC exists but Atlantis hasn't been discovered yet, and our protagonists' lives have followed different paths in the past. This sequel is every bit as captivating and so well written, I was on a right fic-high after finishing it. :) This has become one of my favorite Stargate AUs. I absolutely love Whizzy's take on the friendship/relationship between Rodney and John... original, and very intriguing. I love the thousands of little details, technical and otherwise, that make this story come alive. And the plot, terrific. Lots of twists I didn't see coming.[6]

Podfic

The first story, Black Helicopters at Dawn has been podficced by madnads, on AO3 but not all the links work and on the Audiofic Archive for streaming and downloading.

References

  1. ^ a b malnpudl. SGA rec: Black Helicopters at Dawn by whizzy (novel, John & Rodney, R), 20 March 2009. (Accessed 29 May 2011)
  2. ^ RatCreature. Through the Looking Glass: Alternate Universe Recs - Stargate Atlantis. (Accessed 229 May 2011)
  3. ^ icarusancalion. SGA Rec: Black Helicopters at Dawn by Whizzy, 03 May 2009. (Accessed 29 May 2011)
  4. ^ "Rec by cathliu at stargateficrec, Apirl 30, 2009". Archived from the original on 2023-02-09.
  5. ^ "SGA Rec: Black Helicopters at Dawn by Whizzy". Archived from the original on 2012-11-29.
  6. ^ astridv. REC! (SGA): Black Mountainside, by whizzy, 19 July 2009. (Accessed 29 May 2011)
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