Amazing story. It's really great, all the situations and the details you wrote to explain everything. Loved it, now I'll try to read the second part. I'm curious about the role Logan's gonna take.

I just loved the fact that you included very ancient Myths in manticore history: Helen, Ulissis and so on, in a very coherent way! Congratulations. Its very well done! I hope that would be a sequel...

Fantastic story! I'm about to go and see if you did, indeed, write a sequel. Hopefully you did as I'm on the edge of my seat to find out what happens next!

Hi there, Just finished your thirteen chapter ficlet here. It was recommended to me by a fellow author so I decided to give it a whirl. I loved dark angel but have found very few DA fics that were any good. Sadly enough. However I was pleasantly surprised by this little gem. Your characters were very true to canon. It's not necessarily something a fic needs to be excellent but it is rare and pleasant. Your plot was well thought out, thorough, and possible. I didn't find any glaring loopholes or ridiculous outcomes. What really stood out to me was the genuine interaction between your characters, a good plot vrs thought balance, and excellent vivid imagery. I was also deeply impressed by your gentle weaving of max's little love life into the fic without letting it take over. They are in the middle of a crisis and her feelings and romance have to take a back seat. You add three dimensional realism without taking away from any of the characters. I thought your characterization of Alec was one of the best I've seen. Mainly because he comes across the same as canon without being mary-sued. I also really liked Zack. He is different after taking a bullet to the head but still has the same basic personality blocks. Also not mary sued. Really Really great job on your characterizations. I didn't feel that any of the characters were distorted, mary sued, or bashed. Lastly, I really loved the way you ended the fic. Everything isn't wrapped up into neat little bows and happy endings and all is resolved. That isn't the way it ever is for these folks so I liked the open ending. One mission done a lot to go with. Anyway this was longer than I meant it to me. Just wanted to drop you a note and let you know how much I enjoyed this and that I will be sure to read some of your other stuff.

Rain

For year after a story is done is probably not the best time to review but this story had an almost chilling effect in this day and age. With the turmoil in the current Middle East your Isreal seems more like a very possible near future instead of a sci-fi fanfic. I hope to God it doesn't come to that, since we don't have any X-5's to save us but this story had no sitting on the edge of my seat. I just starting watching Dark Angel, thanks to the Sci Fi channel, a few weeks ago so I haven't actually seen the 2nd season yet, but I know what happens. I am usually more prone to character driven dramas or romances but this plot was amazing. I never predicted Zack's switch or Max's sudden death/not death. I'm off to read the other two parts of this now but I just wanted to comment of the realistic themes this fic has in 2006.

I just finished the story and will be looking for the sequel as soon as I'm done with this review. Very couragious to have Max die! And you even made up a reasonably believable reason for her to come back from the dead. I need more of that stuff ;-)

This is a great story and there's nothing I don't like so far. What I enjoy most is that it's very easy to imagine the surroundings, the way people look and how they interact together. There's emotions, action, suspense. The whole background information is also great as well as how Deck is described. It's not just: Cult loonies bad, gotta fight them, go! And for once both Logan and Alec are cool and very interesting characters instead of having one being a complete idiot ;-)

That was incredible.

I think thats the most powerful thing I've ever read in my entire existence. I wish I could make the review longer but...I stated what I thought and I stand by it. You're a genius!

*452*

...beautiful...

This story managed to keep a firm hand at the hem of my mind, and the descriptive nature of your words anounced the beginning of an excellent epic. I loved it! The interaction between all of the characters was wonderful, whether it was Set's stern resolve or Max and Alec's playful banter. Touching base with that topic, I'm absolutely *thrilled* that Alec's true affections for our Maxie is beginning to show through. You're easing into something gradually (and something wonderful!), and for that I'm gratefully.. and I encourage you to see it through! Heck, even the characters I at times harbor homocidal urges for *coughlogancough* you allowed me the time to sidle some sympathy for'em. Great job! Keep it up!

That last review was me, in case you couldn't tell... don't know why it showed up "Anonymous"...

Anyhow, nice job of thickening the plot. I'm sensing something rotten in the state of Zack, though I suppose I'll have to wait till later to see if your foreshadowing was a red herring or not... Though the mental image of Zack saying stupidly, "but you have to," was very funny. I was also relieved he didn't wig out when he saw Logan (though I suppose that's still a possibility).

I like the two-pronged conflict you have going here, and how you raise the stakes by making Max choose between her own people and the rest of the world. Yet another indication of her growth, and your use of Sam/Ashley makes it believable. Thank God for clones, I always say. (On a side note, it occurred to me while reading this that what the nice folks at Cameron/Eglee were going for was in truth a very Buffy finale. Too bad they fell a little short. Yet also amusing to me that the idea of impending apocalypse seems totally reasonable.)

I should probably get some work done now, but I'll be back soon for more!

As much as I've enjoyed the story up until now, this is the chapter where it really started to *live* for me. And not because of the appearance of he's-so-dreamy Logan. :) This is the first chapter where we really see the whys, as well as the whats, of everything that's happening. I loved seeing Max through Logan's eyes-that even when she doubts herself, other people don't doubt her, that she has reserves of strength even she doesn't know about. And you do a wonderful job of highlighting something I'd forgotten about: how far Max has come from the cynical, self-serving thief who stole Logan's statue of Bast. She's doing this completely against her nature, training, and preference, and yet she's equal to the task and it never occurs to her to pass the burden off to someone else. Made me admire her more than I have in a long time, in a much more organic way than the tacked-on pseudo-St.-Crispin's-Day speech in the finale. You make her worthy of having the fate of the world resting on her shoulders.

I also really like your characterization of Logan. I think you've always written him well, and this is no exception. I think you understand his philosophies, strengths and weaknesses better than a lot of fic writers, and you do a great job of expressing his devotion to Max without making him sound like a whipped puppy.

You know my bias towards character over plot, and until now, this story has been a lot of plot, which you do extremely well and which I enjoy. But thanks for reminding me how well you do character development, too. Fabulous work.

Well, Set seems like the typical Manticore barrel o' fun. As usual, your subtle details were great-Max remembering the codes, for example. I like what's developing between Max and Alec-after bickering for an entire season, they're finally being forced to really work together, and build on their common foundation. And in the process, you're bringing out the contradictions I find most fascinating about Alec-he seems to take so few things seriously, yet if he was raised at Manticore he obviously learned to take things *very* seriously, and how he reacts when his back is against the wall is going to be very interesting to see. On the show, we saw very little of the Alec he must have been back at Manticore; I'm curious to see how you integrate that with the smart-ass, careless attitude we saw so much of.

Thank you for rescuing the lame Zack-goes-nuts thread from this season, and making him useful again. I'm going to be interested to see if this is a kinder, gentler Zack (as the smiling seems to indicate), and if so, how that will be integrated with his traditional military persona. This is weird since I've sort of read ahead :), but it makes a lot of sense that Deck would've been gathering his army all this time, and it's a nice, logical-yet-ironic twist that he's fighting *with* the escapees this time.

Love the Max/Alec interaction. I know people ship them like crazy, but I think the brother/sister thing they have going is way funnier than any romantic relationship would be, and you capture that very well. And Lydecker's secret code was very clever as well.

Well, having at long last watched the last couple eps of this season and found them utterly useless in terms of helpful background to your fic, I am now reviewing with my apologies for taking so long. This is a good start, as starts go-some exposition, but I really like your insight into Alec. How he's still deciding when it's appropriate to feel-I love the way you put that, and it highlights so well the difference between Max and someone who had an extra ten years or so at Manticore. Very cool.