This is... just about exactly the Terminator fanfiction I would have written around the time I was writing Three Worlds Collide. To the point of being creepy. Like, if someone had emailed this to me and told me that I'd written it in an alternate timeline, I... wouldn't have been fooled for even a fraction of a second, but I'd have laughed, because it would have been a joke. Well done. Favorited.

Okay this is getting much more complicated and wonderful, good job

Skynet describes its three functions as: "Eliminate existential risk to the USA, eliminate existential risk to myself, and eliminate the existential risk that is humanity." Is the utility function flaw really a mistake in how the goals are specified in English...?

It's so rare to see properly executed temporal engineering, and this is definitely one of the best I've come across.

From the timeline exploitation on all sides, to the weaponization, duplication, and processing iteration tricks, it's a solid exploration of the cleverer uses of time travel. I'm almost scared to think of what Athena might come up with for it, except that Athena will obviously only ever work in mortal (actually, that term probably won't apply for long, there is little utility in death) favor. Good software, best friendly AI.

Only complaint I have is the squick factor of Able and Derek. He's her uncle, it's weird, even if it might never happen in the finalized timeline.

All in all, a fantastic story. I look forward to anything you write in the future.

Heh. Last chapter I got thrown by the USB thing, went to check Wikipedia, then posted the review before finishing the chapter and getting to the line about future technology popping up in this timeline. Nice touch.

I like it so far, but as someone who is over 30 I'm pretty sure USB didn't exist in 1997. Checking Wikipedia gives April 1999 as the invention date.

That was cool, though a bit depressing with the whole sacrificing quintillion timelines to get a happy ending.

I like the dispassionate analysis of Athena at the end, and the reference to the original terminator movies.

This is awesome. The movies make more sense if you considered multiple interacting timelines with a selection bias for timelines headed towards apocalypse.

The interpertation of skynet as dumb but fast thinking explains a lot about its actions. I like that theory.

I like your alternative epilogue better. I felt that the original epilogue took to quick a path straight to utopia. This is a little darker, a little more realistic, and fits better with the story.

My only complaint is that you seem to be done writing in this world when it seems so full of stories. Maybe one day you will return to it (or a similar one), either on this site or elsewhere.

Again, thanks for writing!

Great story, and thanks for writing!

I know you're probably glad to be done with this (I'm glad you finished too), but I think that you could expand the ending (everything after the nanotech cannon). Is the Sarah at the end flesh-and-blood, or 100% nanotech? Wasn't really clear. I would also think that the nanotech would take longer to spread. Maybe something like, "One hour later, Robert ran a red light".

I think you also missed the end of a sentence in CH 16: "Besides all that, I think that Skynet "

But overall, a great story. With a little tweaking I think this could stand on its own, and I'd be happy to buy an eBook.

This is what a time travel story should be!

I like your story better than the original. Very different obviously, but I think overall better so far.

Thanks for updating so quickly.

Chapters could be cleaned up a little after you've finished the story (you are going to finish, *aren't you*), but in general, fantastic work! Looking forward to more.

I'm a little overwhelmed, but no way am I putting this down. Thanks for updating so soon!

Found this through reddit and I just wanted to let you know that this is really interesting. /follow'd