Chapter 22 - The Town That Was Erased
Helen's words lingered in the command center long after she spoke them.
"I grew up there."
No one interrupted her.
Detective Bennett quietly dismissed everyone except the core investigative team.
Michael sat beside his mother.
"Mom... why have I never heard about this town?"
Helen clasped her trembling hands together.
"Because after I left, everyone agreed never to mention it again."
"What happened there?"
She looked toward Ethan before answering.
"Not in front of him."
Ethan was gently escorted to another room with Officer Ramirez, leaving only Michael, Bennett, and Helen.
For several moments Helen stared at the old map projected onto the wall.
"I was twelve when they started digging beneath the town."
"The tunnels?" Bennett asked.
Helen nodded.
"They told everyone it was a civil defense project."
"Emergency shelters."
"Storm protection."
"But no one was ever allowed inside."
Michael frowned.
"Dad worked there?"
"Before I met him."
"And Daniel?"
Helen's face turned pale.
"I remember him."
"You knew Daniel?"
"He wasn't called Daniel back then."
The room became silent.
"What was his name?" Bennett asked.
Helen closed her eyes.
"David."
Michael looked confused.
"You're certain?"
"I used to bring him lunch."
"He was only a teenager."
"He worked with James almost every day."
Detective Bennett immediately wrote the name into her notebook.
"So Daniel Cross was already using another identity decades ago."
Helen shook her head.
"No."
"David disappeared."
"Years later..."
"...Daniel appeared."
Michael stared at her.
"You think they're different people?"
"I don't know."
"But the man I met wasn't the man in your photographs."
Bennett exchanged a glance with Michael.
For the first time, even Daniel's identity seemed uncertain.
Just then the analyst monitoring archived government files called from across the room.
"Detective!"
"What is it?"
"I searched for the original blueprints of the town."
"And?"
"They've been deleted."
"Completely?"
"No."
The analyst enlarged a satellite image.
"The town itself has been erased from every modern planning database."
"But..."
He zoomed farther out.
"...the tunnels underneath still exist."
Not only did they exist—
They stretched for miles beyond the abandoned town.
May you like
Far enough to connect with the underground network beneath Michael's apartment.
---
