I'll Follow You Down <High-Quality>

She looked up, her face a map of exhaustion and wonder. "I told you I found it," she whispered. "The earth is still breathing down here."

"You don't have to do this," the drone hovering over his shoulder buzzed. Its optic lens flickered blue, a cold imitation of concern. "The atmospheric pressure alone will crush your lungs before you hit the mid-levels. Statutory law says she’s already processed." I'll Follow You Down

Hours bled into a fever dream of grime. The air grew thick, tasting of ozone and ancient rot. He passed the 'Hollows,' where people with translucent skin watched him with wide, unblinking eyes. He didn't stop. He followed the faint, rhythmic pulse on his tracker—the beacon he’d tucked into Lena’s pocket weeks ago "just in case." She looked up, her face a map of exhaustion and wonder