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"You do not know where this tunnel leads," he pointed out, voice rough. "There is no 'almost there.'"

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine." I reached back, offering my shoulder for support. "Come on. Lean on me before you fall on your face."

He hesitated, pride warring with necessity. Finally, his hand came to rest on my shoulder, hot and heavy through my jacket. The contact sent our bond flaring brighter, his pain washing through me in a wave that nearly buckled my knees.

Got to keep moving. Got to get him to safety. He's burning up.

I forced myself forward, supporting his weight while simultaneously scanning for dangers my enhanced senses could detect that he might miss. The responsibility settled heavy on my shoulders, but I accepted it without question. This was Varek - stubborn, infuriating, brave Varek who'd shielded me from harm at his own expense. I owed him the same.

"The tunnel structure changes ahead," he murmured, head lifting slightly. "Listen."

I paused, straining my ears. The echo pattern had shifted - the tunnel opened into something larger just beyond the next bend.

"Good catch," I admitted, impressed despite his condition.

Okay, Varek, just stay with me. Don't you dare pass out on me.

We rounded the corner and stopped short. The tunnel expanded into a junction chamber where ancient machinery lined the walls - maintenance systems long abandoned but still sparking with residual power. Thick cables hung from the ceiling like metallic vines, swaying slightly in the artificial breeze from ventilation shafts. The air here carried more heat, tinged with the acrid smell of burning insulation.

"This doesn't look good," I muttered, sweeping my light across the room.

A sudden mechanical whir cut through the silence. My light caught something moving in the shadows - something large and multi-limbed. A maintenance drone, reactivated by our presence or the energy fluctuations. It skittered forward on eight metal legs, tools extending from its central housing like bizarre appendages. One sparked dangerously, cutting through the air in erratic patterns.

"Back," Varek ordered, straightening despite his pain. "That unit is malfunctioning."

The drone lurched toward us, blocking our only path forward. Its sensors swiveled in our direction, red lights blinking in an irregular pattern. One of its arms - tipped with what looked like a cutting tool - swung wildly, slicing through a hanging cable. Sparks showered down, igniting a small fire on the floor.

"We can't go back," I said, mind racing through options. "The control room is collapsing."

The drone advanced another meter, its movements jerky but purposeful. My markings flared in response to its energy signature, sending tingling awareness through my chest and arms. I could sense its power source, the damaged circuits, the failing logic processors.

"I can disable it," I said, stepping forward. "Cover me."

"Rivera—" Varek started, his voice sharp with warning.

"Trust me." I met his eyes briefly. "I can feel its systems."

I approached cautiously, focusing my awareness through my markings. The drone's energy signature pulsed erratically - damaged, confused, but following some ancient protocol to clear the tunnel of intruders.

"Hey, rustbucket," I called, drawing its attention away from Varek. "Over here."

The drone pivoted, sensors locking onto me. Perfect. I circled to its left, keeping my movements slow and deliberate. Just a little closer...

The drone lunged suddenly, faster than I anticipated. Its cutting arm slashed toward my face. I ducked, but not quite fast enough - the edge caught my sleeve, slicing through fabric and grazing my arm beneath.

Before I could recover, Varek moved with shocking speed for someone so injured. He grabbed a broken pipe from the floor and jammed it directly into the drone's central housing, using his full weight to drive it deep into the machine's core. The drone sparked violently, limbs flailing in all directions.

"Move!" Varek shouted, shoving me aside as the drone's power core overloaded.

We barely made it behind a section of fallen ceiling plate when the drone exploded in a shower of parts and electrical discharge. The blast echoed through the chamber, followed by an ominous cracking sound from above.

"The ceiling—" I started.

A section of the tunnel roof gave way, crashing down exactly where we'd been standing. Water gushed through the new opening, flooding across the floor and carrying debris with it.

Not now! We're so close!

"There," Varek pointed to a narrow side passage, barely visible behind a tangle of cables. "Air flow. That route is clear."