A Small Favor: Part Two

**This can be read as a standalone story but if needed, click here for Part One**

Casey’s mind reeled. The last two hours played back through her head as she tried to decipher everything that went down. Eric was gone. She tried not to think about him. Did he have any clue what even happened to her?

His name was Captain Matthews, the man who shut down the transporter immediately after Eric went through. Casey cupped her hand over her bloodied nose. She didn’t think she broke it but she couldn’t be sure. She couldn’t afford to get it fixed anyway. She stood and turned in a full circle, taking in her surroundings. She’d been sitting on the bench for a half hour. People milled about the small park, oblivious to her. Nothing stood out to her.

A small favor. Matthews said that was all he needed before she joined her brother in their new world. She looked down at the small device in her hand. She didn’t know what it did. Matthews told her it would activate once he had what he needed. After that, she’d be with her brother. It seemed simple enough, though she had no idea what she was waiting for. Matthews told her to just sit on the bench. He said they were using her to draw someone out. None of it made any sense. She just wanted to see Eric and know that he was safe.

“It’s almost finished, Casey,” Matthews said in her ear, the small transmission device startling her out of her thoughts.

“I don’t understand,” she said. “I don’t see anything.”

“Good,” Matthews replied. “That’s how it’s supposed to be. Now sit down.”

Casey did as she was told, searching the park for anything out of the ordinary. A man, about one hundred feet away, walked toward her. He wore a hat and stared at the ground but Casey found something familiar about him. He looked up and caught her eye. Casey gasped.

“What the hell?” she yelled, jumping up from the bench as the man stopped in his tracks. Her hand began to vibrate. She looked down at the device she held and wondered what would happen next. As her body trembled and morphed right before her eyes, she stared hard at the man who was now racing toward her. He found nothing but air when he arrived at the bench and only one thought permeated Casey’s mind as she disappeared into the abyss.

Dad?

Casey suddenly appeared in the middle of an empty room. She collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face as her mind tried to comprehend the impossible. The door to the room burst open behind her.

“Casey!” Eric yelled, catapulting himself into her arms. She cried for a whole new reason now. She squeezed him until she thought he would break, forgetting about the past few hours for a brief moment.

“You’re safe,” she whispered into his ear. Eric pulled back from her.

“Of course I am! What happened to you?” he asked. Casey just shook her head. More movement caught her eye. She looked up and found Matthews standing in the doorway. Her fists clenched.

“What the hell was that?” she said, more calmly than expected.

“Casey,” Matthews said softly, a small smile playing on his lips. “I just wanted to thank you for your help. We got what we needed. Well, who we needed, I should say.”

“Tell me the name of that man,” Casey said, unsure of what answer she really wanted. His grin widened. Eric moved behind Casey, sensing the happy situation had dramatically changed.

“That’s none of your concern, dear,” Matthews said. “Thanks again.” His body began to vibrate and Casey knew it was too late. She grabbed Eric’s hand and dragged him past Matthews who would be gone in just a few moments.

“What’s going on, Casey?” Eric asked as she yanked him down the hallway.

She stared down at him, the truth loitering on the tip of her tongue.

“I can’t get into it now, Eric. But we have to go back,” she said. Eric’s eyes widened as he strained to keep up with her long strides.

“Casey!” Matthews called after her, his voice undulating with the vibrations of his body. “You’re not going to do anything stupid, are you?”

She never looked back, she just kept walking.

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