The Machinery of Heaven

Fanfiction
Title:	The Machinery of Heaven
Author(s):	torch
Date(s):	May 26 2005 - April 1 2006
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Stargate Atlantis
Relationship(s):
External Links:	online here
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The Machinery of Heaven is a Stargate Atlantis McKay/Sheppard story by torch.

Reactions and Reviews

Why this must be read: This long, plotty fic, set in Season 1, has a long, slow build and a nice payoff. McKay, the "engineer of heaven," agrees to repair some old machinery in exchange for a ZPM and some coffee beans. Bound to Teyla, his protector, by mind-linking bracelets, McKay begins work, only to fall astray of local politics as the king's wives demand access to his body. What does the machinery do? Why does the king want it repaired--and why does everyone else want McKay to stop work? Matters come to a head, of course, and all the clues Torch weaves in, from butterflies to peaches to bad smells, come into play. There are lots of great one-liners, but the joy in this fic is the spot-on characterization and the perfect dialogue.

"Teyla can do this," John said. "She'll be fine."

"Of course she'll be fine," McKay snapped. "She could beat that guy blindfolded. That's not the point. The point is, Teyla is fighting a duel to protect my virtue, and if you put that in the mission report, I'll do something really terrible to you that I can't think of right now because I'm too busy telling myself that this isn't really happening."

I have no adequate words to describe this one. The team is asked to fix machine that brings the fire of heaven, and when I say "the team"' I mean "McKay". He fixes it, and then bad things happen. Like I said, no words. The writing is flawless, the images beautiful and the whole thing feels so real.