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His lifelines pulsed with what might have been annoyance, or perhaps reluctant acceptance. "Then how do you propose to cross?"

"I don't," I admitted quietly. "I'll have to take the climb you suggested."

Varek's expression hardened instantly. "Unacceptable."

"We don't have a choice, Varek."

He studied the energy field between us, then the treacherous climb again. He spoke with unexpected, absolute determination. "I will guide you."

I stared at him in surprise. "You can't sense the null zone."

"No," he agreed. "But I observed the pattern as I moved through it. I felt the timing. My people are trained to memorize complex sequences under pressure."

"It's not that simple—the field is reacting, changing?—"

"It must be," he cut me off, his voice leaving no room for argument. "I will not leave you on that side."

The intensity in his voice startled me. This wasn't just duty or responsibility protecting an asset. This felt... personal. His determination to getmeacross safely was palpable.

"Okay," I said finally, trusting his memory, his focus, because I had no other choice. "Tell me what to do."

Varek's instructions came with military precision – each step carefully timed based on his memory, each movement exactly specified. "Right foot, now. Three feet forward. Hold four seconds." I followed his commands, moving through the shifting electrical field with my heart pounding against my ribs, my markings tingling with proximity to the raw energy.

Halfway across, disaster nearly struck. The null zone shifted faster than he'd anticipated, reacting unpredictably. Blue energy crackled suddenly to my right, inches from my arm. Varek shouted a warning—"Stop! Don't move!"—and I froze mid-step.

For three terrifying seconds, I stood surrounded by lethal energy, close enough that the hair on my arms stood up from the electrical charge, the smell of ozone burning my nostrils. I could feel the heat radiating from the arcs.

"Wait," Varek ordered, his eyes tracking the energy patterns intently. I could feel his focus through the bond, sharp and absolute.

"Now!" he commanded suddenly. "Three steps forward, quickly! Move!"

I lunged as directed, speed replacing caution. The energy field snapped closed just behind my heels with a loud crackle. The final steps brought me to safety beside him, breathless and shaking with adrenaline.

"That was..." I started, leaning against the wall for support.

"Reckless," he finished, his voice rough, though the anger seemed gone, replaced by relief. "But effective."

I noticed then that he was cradling his right arm, the one closest to the field as he guided me. A small, angry red burn marked his forearm where the energy field must have grazed him during his crossing or mine.

"You're hurt."

He dismissed it with a slight shake of his head, pulling his sleeve down. "Minor. It will heal."

We moved away from the energy field to a more stable section of the ruins. I leaned against the cool stone wall, trying to calm my racing heart. Varek stood nearby, examining his injury with clinical detachment, though I could sense the lingering throb of pain through our connection.

"Thank you," I said quietly, the words feeling inadequate. "For trusting my guidance. And for... getting me through."

He didn't respond immediately, his golden eyes fixed on the burn as if it represented something more significant than physical injury.

"Your abilities," Varek finally said, his voice carefully neutral. "They're more precise than I anticipated."

Coming from him, it felt like effusive praise. I managed a small, tired smile.

"The markings enhance what was already there," I explained, rubbing my own burned arm through my sleeve. "I worked with systems diagnostics, energy field analysis before... before all this." I gestured vaguely at my silver-traced skin.

He nodded slowly, still contemplating his burn. A strange tension filled the air between us – not hostile as before, but charged with unspoken thoughts, shifting perceptions.

"You contradicted everything I've been taught," he said finally, voicing the conflict I sensed within him. "Humans are reckless with technology they don't understand. They activate systems without concern for consequences." His eyes met mine, golden and intense. "You caused this situation."