The ride back to the Oldest House was steeped in a heavy silence. Zachariah Trench sat in the rear of the Bureau's transport vehicle, staring out the window at the dense forest retreating into the distance. The encounter with the humanoid entity lingered in his thoughts, its distorted voice replaying in his mind: "Leave this place. It is not meant for you."

The rhythmic thumping they'd heard still echoed faintly in his memory, and his unease had only grown. The train car anomaly had been contained, but something about the figure—its energy, its purpose—felt unfinished. He glanced at Reyes, who sat across from him, her usual sharp demeanor slightly dulled. She was running her hand along the edge of her holster, a nervous tic he hadn't seen often.

"Penny for your thoughts?" Reyes asked, catching his gaze.

Trench hesitated. "Just trying to figure out what that thing was. It… felt like it knew us. Or me."

Reyes raised an eyebrow. "Knew you? That's a hell of a leap, partner. Maybe it was just warning us off like it's done with everyone else who's wandered too close."

Trench shook his head. "No, it wasn't just a warning. There was… recognition in the way it looked at me. Like it'd been waiting for us to show up."

"Or it's playing games," Ryan interjected from the front seat, his grizzled voice breaking the lull. He turned to glance over his shoulder. "Entities like that thrive on misdirection and fear. It might know who you are, but it's not personal. Don't let it get under your skin."

Trench nodded, but the explanation didn't satisfy him. Something about the encounter felt deeply personal, and he couldn't shake the feeling that the anomaly was connected to him in a way the others didn't understand.

The Oldest House loomed as they returned, its brutalist architecture as imposing and enigmatic as ever. Inside, the familiar hum of Resonance Energy filled the air, a constant reminder of the Bureau's unique reality. The team made their way to the Board Room, the conference room in the Executive Sector, where Director Northmoor waited.

The Director's stern presence dominated the room. He stood at the head of the table, his piercing eyes scanning the trio as they entered. "Welcome back," he said, his voice even but commanding. "I trust the mission was productive."

Ryan stepped forward, placing the Resonance Analyzer and their encrypted tablets on the table. "Anomaly contained, sir. We encountered a humanoid entity—sentient, potentially intelligent, and definitely hostile. It warned us to leave."

Northmoor's brow furrowed. "Did it engage?"

"No," Reyes said. "It issued a warning, emitted a pulse of energy that disrupted the environment, then vanished."

The Director turned his gaze to Trench. "Agent Trench, I understand you had a prior encounter with this area. Did the entity display any behavior you'd consider… familiar?"

Trench hesitated, the weight of the question pressing down on him. "Yes, sir. It felt like it knew me. Like it was expecting me."

Northmoor's expression darkened. He exchanged a brief, unreadable glance with Ryan before addressing the room. "Compile all data on this anomaly, including Agent Trench's past encounter. I want a full analysis by tomorrow morning."

The team nodded, and Northmoor dismissed them. As they filed out of the Board Room, Reyes fell into step beside Trench.

"You're not wrong," she said quietly. "There's something off about this. But we'll figure it out, just like we always do."

Sleep came fitfully for Trench that night. His dreams were a disjointed collage of memories and visions—the train car, the shadowy forest, the humanoid figure's blurred face. Whispers filled his mind, overlapping and unintelligible, growing louder until a single phrase emerged clearly: "You cannot run from this."

He woke with a start, drenched in sweat. The red glow of the digital clock on his nightstand read 3:17 a.m. Trench sat up, running a hand through his hair. The unease from the mission had followed him into his sleep, and he knew it wouldn't fade easily.

Rising, he grabbed his notebook from the desk and flipped through its pages. Sketches and notes from his previous encounter with the anomaly filled the worn pages. His eyes lingered on a rough drawing of the train car, the words "Displaced Object?" scrawled in the margins.

What are you trying to tell me? he thought.

Before he could dwell further, his Bureau-issued pager buzzed on the desk. He picked it up, squinting at the message: Incident Report Required. Director Northmoor requests presence. Board Room. 0400.

Trench sighed. It seemed the night's rest was over.

Back in the Board Room, Trench found Reyes, Ryan, and Northmoor waiting. A large screen displayed the Resonance Analyzer's data, streams of energy signatures swirling in chaotic patterns.

"We've detected residual resonance from the entity," Northmoor began, gesturing to the screen. "It's dissipating, but there's a pattern emerging. Whatever this thing is, it's tied to the train car anomaly—and possibly to Agent Trench."

Ryan frowned. "How do you figure?"

Northmoor tapped a key, bringing up a new graph. "The resonance levels spiked significantly during Trench's proximity to the entity. This isn't coincidence."

Reyes shot Trench a concerned look. "So what does that mean? He's some kind of… conduit?"

"Possibly," Northmoor said. "Or it's something deeper. Either way, we need to understand this connection before the anomaly escalates."

Trench felt the weight of their gazes. "So what's the next move?"

Northmoor's expression hardened. "We're sending you back."

The room fell silent. Trench's heart sank as he processed the words. He had known this was coming, but it didn't make the prospect any easier to accept.

"Alone?" Reyes asked, her tone sharp.

"No," Northmoor replied. "The team will accompany him, but Trench will take point. The entity's reaction to him may provide the answers we need. This mission is critical—failure is not an option."

Trench nodded, his resolve hardening. Whatever this entity was, it had singled him out for a reason. It was time to find out why—and to finish what they had started.