The Oldest House trembled faintly, as if resonating with an unseen force far beyond its walls. Trench felt it first—a barely perceptible vibration in the soles of his boots. He stubbed out his cigarette and activated the intercom.

"Status report."

Marshall's voice crackled through the speakers. "Director, the readings are spiking again. Same energy signature as before. Whatever's happening in the Astral Plane, it's escalating."

Trench cursed under his breath. "What about Darling and his team? Any contact?"

"Negative," Marshall replied. "We lost comms two minutes ago. No signs of extraction or failure, but the tethers—they're strained to their limit. If they snap…"

She didn't need to finish the sentence. Trench already knew. Without the tethers, the team would be lost in the Astral Plane—if they weren't already.

"Hold position," he ordered. "I'll be there shortly. And Marshall… if anything changes, anything at all, you call me first. Understood?"

"Understood, Director."

As the intercom went silent, Trench donned his coat. He felt the familiar weight of the Service Weapon at his side—a reassuring presence in the face of growing uncertainty. The Astral Plane had always been dangerous, but this felt different. The Board's panic, the sudden appearance of a new entity, and Darling's obsession—it all pointed to something far greater than they could have anticipated.

Something catastrophic.

Back in the Astral Plane, Darling and his team clung to the edge of the chasm, their tethers taut and pulsing with energy. The shockwave had disoriented them, but no one had fallen. Yet.

"Status check," Darling called out, his voice strained but steady.

"All systems holding," Alexander reported. "Tethers are intact, but the Plane… it's destabilizing faster than before. Whatever that entity did, it accelerated the process."

Ashton groaned, pulling herself upright. "Next time, Doc, let's not wait around for the spooky shadow to blow us off our feet, yeah?"

Darling ignored her sarcasm, his eyes locked on the Convergence Nexus. Where once its spires had pulsed with erratic energy, they now glowed with a steady, ominous light. The entity was gone—or rather, it had become one with the Nexus.

"It didn't just communicate," Darling murmured, half to himself. "It merged. It's altering the Plane from within."

Underhill adjusted her visor, scanning the Nexus. "The energy readings are off the scale. If it keeps growing like this… we could be looking at a full-scale dimensional breach."

"Then we have to stop it," Darling said, a note of determination creeping into his voice. He turned to Alexander. "Prepare the stabilization field generator. We're going to try containment."

"Are you sure about this?" Underhill asked, her tone cautious. "If the field fails, it could trigger an even larger collapse."

"If we do nothing, it'll collapse on its own," Darling replied. "We have one shot at this. We need to contain the Nexus and isolate the entity before it destabilizes the entire Plane."

Reluctantly, Underhill nodded. "Understood. Alexander, let's get the generator online."

As the team moved into position, Ashton kept her weapon trained on the shifting landscape. "I don't like this," she muttered. "Feels like we're poking a bear that's already wide awake."

"That's because we are," Darling said, his gaze never leaving the Nexus. "But it's the only way."

In the Control Room, Marshall watched the monitors intently. The static-ridden feeds provided little useful information, but she refused to look away. Somewhere out there, Darling and his team were fighting to keep the Bureau's worst nightmare from becoming a reality.

Behind her, Trench entered, his presence bringing a renewed sense of focus to the room.

"Talk to me," he said, his voice low but commanding.

"They're still tethered, but the energy readings are unstable," Marshall reported. "Darling's trying something—looks like a containment field."

Trench frowned. "A field that strong could backfire if it's not perfectly calibrated."

"He knows the risks," Marshall said. "But he also knows the stakes. If anyone can pull this off, it's him."

Trench said nothing, his eyes fixed on the flickering monitors. In his mind, the Board's warning echoed: FAILURE IS UNACCEPTABLE/ACCEPTABLE.

"Generator online," Alexander reported. "Field integrity at eighty percent and rising."

Darling nodded. "Begin deployment."

The stabilization field generator hummed to life, emitting a shimmering dome of energy that began to envelop the Convergence Nexus. The air grew thick with tension as the field expanded, its edges crackling with static.

For a moment, it seemed to work. The erratic pulses of the Nexus slowed, its light dimming slightly.

"Field integrity holding at ninety percent," Alexander said, a note of hope in her voice. "Containment is stabilizing."

But then, without warning, the Nexus flared violently. A surge of energy erupted from its core, slamming into the field with enough force to send shockwaves rippling outward.

"Field integrity dropping!" Alexander shouted. "Seventy percent… fifty… forty—"

"Hold it together!" Darling ordered, his voice cutting through the chaos. "Divert auxiliary power to the generator. We can't let it breach!"

Underhill worked frantically at the controls, rerouting power from their suits to reinforce the field. "It's not enough," she said through gritted teeth. "We need more power!"

Darling's mind raced. There had to be a way—some variable they hadn't accounted for. And then it hit him.

"The tethers," he said. "They're still linked to the Oldest House. If we can channel energy through them…"

"You want to use the Bureau itself as a power source?" Underhill asked, incredulous.

"It's the only way," Darling said. "Marshall, can you hear me?"

There was a brief crackle of static, then Marshall's voice came through. "We hear you, Darling. What's your plan?"

"We need to channel power from the Oldest House into the containment field. It's risky, but it's our best shot."

Marshall hesitated, then turned to Trench. "Director?"

Trench didn't hesitate. "Do it. And Marshall… make sure he comes back."

"Understood."

As Marshall relayed the order, Darling felt a surge of hope. They weren't out of the woods yet, but with the Bureau's power at their disposal, they had a chance.

"Channeling power now," Marshall reported. "You've got one shot at this, Darling. Make it count."

"We will," Darling said, his voice steady. "Activating final containment sequence in three… two… one."

The field flared brightly, engulfing the Nexus in a blinding light. For a moment, everything was silent.

And then, the light faded, revealing the Convergence Nexus, now dormant and contained within the shimmering dome.

"Field integrity stable," Alexander reported, relief evident in her voice. "We did it."

Darling exhaled slowly, his hands trembling slightly as the adrenaline began to wear off. "Good work, everyone. Let's head back."

As the team prepared for extraction, Darling allowed himself a brief moment of triumph. They had faced the unknown and survived.

But deep down, he knew this was only the beginning.