Hermann wasn't sure if that pang came from him or Newton, but he fed on it all the same, used the flicker of pain to fuel his ire. He reached for his cane and pushed himself to his feet.

"Don't be ridiculous. I saw what was on that screen, and I ran those numbers, Newton. You would've died, and the world would have ended. I only did what was necessary to ensure our survival. All of this," he waved a hand between them, and then the window to the foreign world outside. "Was never meant to happen. And now I couldn't be rid of your incessant chatter and godforsaken pity if I went halfway across the world!"