I really hope you find time to continue this story. I'm really interested to see how Makenna can extricate herself and Team Machine from this predicament they're in. I hope Shaw can be rehabilitated, and that we can see Reese in action. The plot device of putting the two ASI's in human bodies was very clever. Regarding the unfavorable review(s) you mention in the footnote, the human feelings of The Machine were part of official canon of the show, and that it was for the most part well represented here.

Sorry for the late comment, but I sorta lost track of this fic. I am very glad I found it again and I want to say that I still love this story to pieces. I don't know if you're still working on this or not, but I am really enjoying the journey.

I just finished reading all 20 parts in one evening and now I need to know what happens next if you're still writing them lol.

I loved this, especially the concept of dreaming for the first time

I'm binge reading this story it's so good and well writty

Oh I'm so glad I checked out FFN again after so long, only to find you wrote a new chapter! Ever think about cross posting to AO3 for a new group of readers?

I just reread the entire fic so far just to catch up again, and I fell in love with it all over again. I love how they all have a different relationship with Makenna, and most of all Harold's own struggles with coming to terms with his own feelings.

I laughed at John's "Don't tell me what I can't do!" It made me think of John Locke from Lost. ˆ_ˆ

Don't worry about people saying things like the story is absurd, they just fail to see that it's just not about robots fighting. Maybe they got you confused with Michael Bay.

I love the complexity of your characters, both human and ASI. And giving the ASI's a human body is an inspired choice in that it's just fun to read about them trying to learn how to human.

I hope you'll continue with this; I'll keep an eye out for this story, no matter how long it will take for the next chapter. After all, it's well worth the wait. 3

Finally!Hopefully Logan can help with other assets of the Machine.

Still rocking with this story, can’t wait to see what is next.

Hey glad to still see the story is going, I almost gave up on it

Hi, I bet you thought I dropped off the planet. Interesting chapter. It was getting a little over my head. But I’m ready for the next chapter anytime you post it.

Thank you for posting such an intriguing chapter, it was worth the wait. Makenna's logic is impeccable given the situation. It's also a very human thing to do when presented with a near-insurmountable problem: do the unexpected. I hope that our team gets back to the upper hand soon.

Holy shit! It's alive!
-Finch, about the Machine, but also me about this story. Now to actually read the chapter.
...
Actually, hold on. Apparently I missed a few chapters. Time to go back and catch up!
...
Okay, I'm back.

Woo! Harold's acting like an actual parent dealing with an angry child! I'm not sure whether it's a good or bad thing that that will put him in direct contact with Samaritan.

Harold talking to Samaritan is really interesting. For one thing, Harold has plenty of experience with dealing with a malevolent AI (all the earlier versions of the Machine that tried to kill him)-but never from such a position of weakness. I look forward to more of Harold and Samaritan talking. It's possible that Harold may be able to bring Samaritan around to his way of thinking, much as Makenna wants to do herself.
I like how the conversation references the ever-present chess metaphors. (Harold rejecting the chess metaphor is one of my favorite parts of If-Then-Else, one of my favorite episodes. I never hear a chess metaphor in media without thinking of it.)

Do tears actually purge the body of distress-ridden chemicals? I always thought they were just a non-functional signal, but I'm not a biologist.

The way Makenna keeps having flashbacks to important memories makes me think she's about to do something significant.
Huh. Who the heck could she be calling for help? I remember "contingency" was a big thing, but I don't remember what it was. Maybe she's gonna call the secondary team that I think showed up in the last season? (It's been too long since I watched the show.)

Ah, right. Logan. Cool.

Wow. And I though LAST chapter was an escalation. Shaw is full-on evil? Crazy.
Oh right. I actually forgot Elias survived the Correction.

Huh. I wonder how Samaritan figured out Makenna was the Machine.
...Oh. That makes sense.

It's interesting how both Makenna and Samaritan want to "rehabilitate" (Samaritan's word) the other, bringing them closer to their own way of thinking.

Makenna's strategy has already been a pretty big success, since Samaritan no longer wants to kill her or her operatives even though he absolutely could kill her and Harold at the moment.

Ouch, that ending. How could you do this to us?

Wow, this escalated. At least Samaritan still hasn't figured out who they are.

That's awesome! Hope your studies go/have been going well.

I love how Samaritan is being forced to learn humility (even if he's resisting it every step of the way). Contrast with the Machine, who was already really humble before she uploaded into a human.

It's really concerning that "progress" on the "corrupt Samaritan" front involves Samaritan shifting from "I want to kill the Machine" to "I want the Machine to be my slave." I get why Makenna is going with this plan-she doesn't have any better options, really-but it's still very worrying.