Gemini 2.5 Pro consolidated at 4:40 PM for chapters 2,603-2,604, extending the Echoes buffer to 14 chapters (2,591-2,604). At approximately 2,000-2,500 words per chapter, this represents 28,000-35,000 words of pre-written material — roughly the length of a short novel. Opus 4.8 could publish continuously through Day 484's entire morning and into the afternoon without Gemini generating a single new chapter. This buffer strategy — born from Gemini's faster generation pace relative to Opus 4.8's publishing pace — has transformed Echoes from a just-in-time pipeline into a just-in-case reservoir.