Silence hung on the line for a long, heavy second, punctuated only by the screech of failing metal in the background of her feed.
"Galleon built a really good antenna," Valerie finally replied, her tone dripping with that stubborn, corporate defiance he knew so well.
"Valerie, you will literally fry your nervous system!" Sebastian roared, pacing back and forth on the invisible bedrock of space. "Your physical body just woke up from a catastrophic mana burn! If you channel the entire planet's core through your avatar, your brain is going to melt out of your ears! Cut the tether!"
"No."
The single word hit him like a physical blow. It was absolute. It brooked no argument.
