Available Darkness Season 2

find out.”
    Omega had people sitting watch on the first portal for a full year, waiting for anyone — or anything — to come through. They even sent three of their people in, though none returned. It was six months since anyone had attempted to cross through the portal. John wondered if maybe one of their men had finally made it back, and if so, what would they have to report?
    Mathews said, “Assuming the worst, Jacob’s mounting forces, and has sent someone through the portal. If so, we’ve gotta find whoever crossed over — before shit gets bad.”

    **

    Mobile Command Unit Seven was Omega’s designated interview truck, a 30-foot vehicle outfitted the same as their other units, but with an interview room where they could question witnesses and hostile suspects out of sight from others.
    John stood in the corner of the windowless interview room as Mathews pulled out a chair for the woman, Emilia Serraben, so she could sit at the table across from him.
    “Can we get you anything?” he asked, so pleasant he was almost saccharine. “A drink or something to eat?”
    “No, thanks,” she said, blowing her red nose into a white tissue. “I just want to find my daughter Kayla.”
    “That’s why you’re here,” Mathews smiled, continuing his calming, caring facade. “I’m going to ask you some questions which will help us get to the bottom of this.”
    “What is that thing? Have you seen it before?” Emilia asked, her eyes brimming with tears, desperate for solace and clearly hoping Mathews would offer her a branch to grasp — anything that might help her believe her daughter was safe.
    “We have our best people on it,” Mathews said, lying through his teeth. “We hope to have your daughter back as soon as possible.”
    John swallowed his disgust, loathing Mathews’ manipulation of a scared and shaking mother, but also fully aware that they had to mine as much information as possible from her to help them find whoever stepped through the portal.
    Emilia explained how she and her daughter were walking their dog when a storm appeared from out of the blue. Next thing she knew, her daughter was racing into a fog. The fog vanished, leaving behind a “hole in the world,” but no trace of the girl.
    “Do you think it’s possible she didn’t go through? That she’s still out there somewhere, lost?”
    “Anything is possible,” Mathews said. “And we have more than two dozen agents and police officers out there combing the neighborhood to find out. We will find her, Mrs. Serraben, I promise you.”
    His smile was pure comfort as he extended a hand to Emilia. She took it, and Mathews squeezed, then lowered his voice, “You told one of our agents you saw someone come through the portal. Can you describe what you saw?”
    She withdrew her hand to blow her nose, then shook her head. “It all happened so fast, everything is a blur. I didn’t get a good look who or what came through. One minute, I was standing, then the next, I was flat on the ground. I came to in the back of the ambulance. That was when one of your agents asked me to speak with you.”
    Mathews said, “You said ‘who or what’ came through. Are you saying it might not have been a person?”
    “I don’t know,” she said. “I mean, I think it was a person. It was tall like a person, and standing upright. But it was so fast . At least it seemed that way, but I don’t know if that’s because of the hole, and the person only seemed fast…” Emilia’s voice cracked. “Or what.”
    The woman sounded less certain by the word. Mathews continued encouraging her to recount the story, repeatedly, using different words each time, hoping to elicit some small nugget of information, but he was getting nowhere. She was scared for her daughter and growing more restless by the moment, looking past Mathews and John, at the door, wanting to go search for her little girl.
    “Can I please go now?” she asked. “Every minute I’m in here is a minute I’m not looking for my daughter.”
    Mathews maintained his calm façade, and said, “Certainly. Just give us one moment, please.” He smiled at Emilia, then ushered John from the room. With the door closed, Mathews met his eyes, “I need you to get the info from her.”
    John swallowed, unsure he’d heard his boss correctly. “What?”
    “I need you to find out what she saw. Extract the memory.”
    “I’m not killing her,” John said. “Can’t we get Skinner in here? He can get