He paused.
Then looked at Gabriel. Then back at Damian.
"…You weren't lying," he said, slightly surprised. "The reroute worked. Ether flow is balanced. Channels are burnt, yes, but stabilizing. No infection. No overload. And no signs of fragmentation."
Gabriel stiffened slightly. "Fragmentation?"
"If he'd lost control during the redirection, his ether core could've cracked. Implosion. Shattering. Death. The usual." Marin waved a hand.
Gabriel set his tea down very carefully.
"Why was that not mentioned earlier?"
"I assumed he told you," Marin said.
"I assumed he didn't do it," Gabriel snapped.
"I assumed you two were smarter than this," Marin said cheerfully. "And here we are."
Damian gave him a narrow look. "Are you enjoying this?"
"I live for this," Marin said. "You're my most consistent disaster zone."
Gabriel stood and walked over, eyeing the monitor now. "But he's okay?"
