𝐅𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐀𝐒𝐘 𝐋𝐀𝐍𝐃

12. 𝗯𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗯𝘆...

     "So, you can't reach anyone inside, and everyone on the outside has some sort of selective amnesia?"

     "This isn't a missing person's case, Captain Rambeau; it's a missing town," Jimmy glanced at the sign, shifting the attention on the green sign until they were both staring with quizzical expressions as they stared out to Westview. "Population three-thousand eight-hundred, and ninety-two."

     Monica stared longingly at the sign before her eyes trailed away from it and to the town, noting the eerie silence and empty streets. "Why haven't you gone inside to investigate?"

     Jimmy tuns to Monica. "'Cause, it doesn't want me to," he meets the woman's gaze, and for a moment, in the silence, there was a buzzing sensation running up their skin and vibrating within their bones. "You can feel it, can't you? Nobody's supposed to go in."

     However, Monica wasn't going to let whatever force stop her from investigating the town any further, not when they're multiple people missing inside--a whole town--and she wasn't going to stop until she found them. So, with that, the motivation sparked a fire in Monica's belly with a heavy drive, filling the woman with a new amount of energy regarding the case. She knew the only way she could really investigate the issue was to get inside Westview and considering there's no one out and about, Monica supposes it would be easy. Backing down wasn't something Monica would call a friend because she grew up around strong women who taught her to strive for what she wanted at a young age.

     Inside the case was a drone that resembled a child's toy helicopter, but it was high-tech built by S.W.O.R.D.s best engineers. Monica delicately removed the drone out from the comfort of its case and onto the open street; as she stood back to her feet with the controller in her hands, Monica activated the drone remotely.

     Monica turned her back toward Westview and headed toward the back of her SUV, clicking the trunk open to reveal a black case sitting inside. She pulled it out with a mighty tug, lugging it up and over the edge of the SUV and setting it on the street toward Westview. Monica can practically feel a pair of eyes burning a hole in the back of her head, watching her every moment with a spirit of inquiry prickling his mind. Jimmy had stood behind Monica like a lost child, not knowing what to do as he let the woman do her thing.

     Inside the case was a miniature helicopter that resembled a children's toy, but it was a high-tech drone S.W.O.R.D. had invested on. Monica delicately removed the drone out from the comfort of its case and onto the open street; as she stood back to her feet with the controller in her hands, Monica activated the drone remotely.

     "What about you?" Monica inquired.

     "Me?" Jimmy chirped. "Well, I'm from Bakersfield, originally. Growin' up, other kids had Michael Jordan posters on their walls, but I had Eliot Ness."

     Monica stepped beside Jimmy, motioning the drone into the air. "No, no, no. I mean, why is that you have an awareness of Westview? Or me, for that matter?" She ponders, concentrating on the drone, and the camera never falters. "Is it because we are outside a certain radius, or maybe because we don't have a personal connection?"

     Jimmy hummed thoughtfully at the question, dwelling deeper into the realization of how much sense it made now that Monica had brought it up. The questions never crossed Jimmy's mind at the time, but it would make sense considering the officers of Eastview hadn't a clue what Westview was, but Jimmy and Monica do. The families Jimmy had contact claimed no recollection of a particular family member he found living in Westview, but each one seemed not to know them. It was like they were ghosts and never existed, yet they do.

     But Jimmy and Monica, who seemed to have no personal connection that tied them to Westview, were perfectly capable of acknowledging Westview as a whole town. It was like it had gone entirely off the map. Jimmy couldn't even begin to fathom what it must feel like to be a family member of a lost loved one and act like they never existed. However, Jimmy sensed something off about the city ever since he came down to inspect the scene, and still, he wasn't sure if he was equipped to solve this mystery. Stuff like this was out of his league, but Jimmy wasn't going to deny the sheer excitement to solve the issue.