Odyssey Fiction

When the End Comes to Be (Chapter Three Of Three)

Forever Warrior & ForeverDreamer30

word count: 2627

A chance discovery causes Justine and Mitch to become suspicious that Galaxy Enterprises is involved in illegal activities. They are determined to find out the truth but it will cost them a price neither of them could have imagined. 

The following days were beyond challenging for Mitch. There were some days when the pain was worse than the day she died. When it seemed like happiness was an emotion he would never experience again. His grief was only made worse by having to work at a company where every day he was forced to see the faces of those he was certain had killed Justine, coldly continuing with their daily routines as though nothing had happened. But he just kept on taking it one day at a time and with the support of his family he survived, as days turned into weeks and weeks into months.

It was now over a year since Justine had died and though the pain of losing Justine was still there — and Mitch figured it would always be — he had found some healing. Still, he knew he could never truly move on until Justine had the justice she deserved. Even though a significant amount of time had passed since Justine’s death, there were no developments with her case — at least none her family and friends were aware of. While Mitch had expected some progress would have been made in the case  — even hoped Mr. Charles along with anyone else who may have been involved in Justine’s death would have been charged by now — he understood that cases like this could take a long time to be solved. 

Mitch was at his apartment in Boston getting ready to run some errands when his phone rang. He looked at the number displayed on the screen and saw that it was Justine’s mom who was calling. He answered the call.

“Hi, Ms. Anne.” 

“Hi, Mitch.” Mitch noticed that her voice was emotional, distressed, and it sounded as though she had been crying. He knew immediately something had happened. 

“Ms. Anne, what’s wrong?”

“We…we just had a call from Sergeant Howard. He said that Justine’s murder has been designated as a cold case.”

“What?!”

“He said that their investigation has been stalled for a year. They have exhausted all investigative leads available and analyzed all the evidence they had collected. There has been no new evidence, lab results, or viable leads. Nothing. And they don’t have enough evidence to convict anyone. So the police have done all they can for now.” 

Mitch stood there, shocked by what he had just heard. He had known that the message left by Justine on his parents’ answering machine would not be enough to convict anyone. While the recording, as well as evidence found at the crash site, showed she was driven off the road and that she had a tense conversation with Mr. Charles, it was not enough to prove the two incidents were connected. Let alone that Mr. Charles and perhaps others at Galaxy Enterprises were behind her death. But he had thought that from having this starting point in the investigation — a lead and solid evidence — the police would have enough information to know where to search for and eventually find more evidence to convict those who were guilty. He was wrong. 

After his phone conversation with Mrs. Baker had ended, Mitch hopped in his car and drove to the place where Justine had died. He pulled over to the side of the road and exited the car. He wasn’t exactly sure why he had come here. Maybe to feel closer to Justine. Maybe to think about everything that had happened.

It was so different from the last time he had seen it. Before there had been numerous emergency vehicles parked along the road and emergency personnel carrying out their assignments but now it was just him standing beside his car. Back then it had been so chaotic and overwhelming with the sound of sirens, flashing lights, and the noise of people’s voices but now it was peaceful — serene even. One could hear the sounds of birds chirping from the trees and colorful wildflowers were scattered along the plain below. Though much had changed, standing there brought him back to that chilling night that had taken place over a year earlier. Now was one of those times when the pain he felt was much greater than what he normally experienced. When it all came rushing back and he would get a sad look in his eyes that would tug at the heartstrings of anyone who saw it.

Mitch couldn’t believe that this was happening. Not only was Justine’s life taken from her but now it was also a possibility that she would never have the justice she deserved for what was done to her. It made him sick just thinking about it. During the first few months following her death, he had thought of a million possible scenarios where Justine would still be alive — like if he had only stayed in Boston instead of traveling to Maine to visit his family. He knew that would not change anything. She was gone and there was nothing he or anyone could do about it. Still, he had done it, as he had struggled to make peace with the fact that she was gone and that he had been unable to save her.

But ensuring that Mr. Charles and anyone else who played a role in her murder was convicted and punished for what they had done was something he could do. He might not have been able to save her from her cruel and inhumane fate but he would make sure she could rest in peace knowing her killers had paid for their crime. He was also determined to bring down whatever illegal operation was taking place within the company. This was what Justine had died for and he would not let her sacrifice be in vain. If he couldn’t do this, it would mean that he had failed her and he would never let that happen.

…..

A few months had passed since Mitch had started his own investigation and so far he found nothing that could help prove the involvement of Galaxy Enterprises in either Justine’s death or an illegal operation. It was frustrating, to say the least, but he was not discouraged. He would keep on going until he had done what he had set out to do.

At this moment, Mitch was going up to Mr. Charles’ office to discuss Galaxy Enterprises sponsoring a day trip to the Museum of Science for local children as part of one of the company’s community outreach programs. He figured not only would it be educational but it would be something the children would enjoy immensely with its zoo, hundreds of interactive exhibits, and planetarium shows, among many other exciting things. 

As he walked into the executive office, he couldn’t help but notice the desk that Justine had worked at while she was alive. It had taken him a long while to get used to not seeing her there when he walked in, as he expected to see her sitting in her chair with that smile on her face that was reserved just for him. Now it was the desk of Ms. Martin who had been hired as the new assistant in the executive office. He figured she had stepped out to get some coffee — something she often did — as she wasn’t currently at her desk. 

Mitch reached the closed door leading into Mr. Charles’ private office and was just about to knock when he heard Mr. Charles speaking on the phone.

“Hello, this is Mr. Charles. I’m calling to give an update about Operation: Think Tank.”

Mitch was beyond ecstatic. Finally, the break in the case he had been waiting for. He crept up to the door to listen.

“It appears Mr. Shanks was right in suggesting Andromeda supply the grant for Eugene Meltsner’s position at Campbell College and fund the research project he is conducting. Dean Moore has told me that Mr. Meltsner is an excellent student and researcher. A genius in fact. His academic achievements are of the highest level at Campbell College and would be considered as such at any academic institution. He is more than capable of carrying out this project successfully so the work will take place there.” 

There was a pause as Mr. Charles listened to what the person on the other end of the line had to say. A person who was in fact the Chairman but whose identity was unknown to Mitch. 

“Thank you, Sir. Have a good day” Mr. Charles said before the phone call ended.

Mitch stood at the door for a moment, thinking over what he had heard. He had heard the name Mr. Shanks said at the company before and from what he gathered, he suspected that he was a board member of Andromeda — the parent company of Galaxy Enterprises and various other companies. Whatever Mr. Shanks’ position within the company, because of him the work for Operation: Think Tank would be taking place at Campbell College — a community college located in a town called Odyssey. Mitch knew that if he wanted the best chance possible to find out what this work was about and expose the illegal activities Andromeda had been involved in as well as their role in Justine’s death, Odyssey was where he would have to go. 

Fortunately, Galaxy’s sister company Novacom was in the process of opening a branch in the area which gave him the perfect setup for him to not only continue working on the inside — giving him the opportunity to find information the police couldn’t find — but also be close to the action.

…..

It had been a few months since Mitch had learned of the connection Operation: Think Tank had to Campbell College, and at long last Novacom’s new branch in Odyssey had finally opened. A position as their community relations representative was available — the very same position Mitch now held at Galaxy Enterprises — and he was determined to get the job. However, there was still the issue of getting the approval of Mr. Charles. Mitch did have a slight concern that Mr. Charles might reject his request and worse than that was the possibility that he might grow suspicious of him, but it was a risk he was going to take. And so Mitch knocked on the door of Mr. Charles’ office.

“Come in,” Mr. Charles called out. Mitch opened the door and entered the room. “Ah, Mr. Mitchell, what did you want to see me about?” Mr. Charles asked upon seeing Mitch enter his office.

“Sir, I was hoping to speak with you about a transfer.”

“A transfer?”

“Yes, I would like to transfer to the Novacom office in Odyssey as their community relations rep.”

“And what is the reason behind you wanting to be transferred?”

“Well, Mr. Charles, I believe my skills would be better used in a market where relations between the company and the local community have not been established. If I was working in Odyssey I would be able to help develop the relationship between Novacom and the community as I have done here through performing such tasks as organizing community outreach programs, creating marketing content to help promote the company, and identifying and addressing any issues or concerns members of the community may have regarding the company. As such, I believe it would be in the best interest of Andromeda if I was given the opportunity to apply for the position.” 

Mr. Charles sat farther back in his chair, thinking about the matter. There was no doubt that Mitch was a valuable employee at the company and that his work would be sorely missed, but he had brought up a good point as to why he should be transferred to Novacom. How his skills could be used in a place where they were truly needed. Perhaps his work there, helping the company gain the confidence and respect of the general public, could be extremely beneficial toward the Chairman and Andromeda accomplishing their ultimate goal. 

“Very well. I will allow you to put in a request to transfer to the Novacom office in Odyssey. I will even give you a letter of recommendation.” 

Mitch was thrilled to hear this news. It had gone even better than he had hoped. Not only had he gotten Mr. Charles’ approval but a letter of recommendation which gave him a high probability of getting the job. 

“Thank you, Mr. Charles.” Though Mitch was disgusted by Mr. Charles and what he had, at this moment he was genuinely grateful to him for his help — as his actions made it that much easier for him, and anyone else who was guilty, to be brought to justice.

“Of course. The letter will be ready by this afternoon.” 

“I will look for it then,” Mitch said before leaving the room. That same day he applied for a transfer as the community relations representative for the Novacom office in Odyssey. A few weeks later and after the completion of a couple of interviews, Mitch was offered the position which he immediately accepted. 

In the time that he had been waiting, Mitch had thought over his strategy for finding the evidence that was required to prove the involvement of Mr. Charles and others in Justine’s death and Operation: Think Tank. He knew that his tactic of just waiting until he stumbled across some information by hearing it in a conversation or reading it in a file, was far from practical and effective. Only once in the months since he had been doing this did he actually uncover some new information through Mr. Charles’ phone call with a mystery man and even that would not have been solid evidence in a court of law to convict someone of wrongdoing. It was just enough to prove that some work for the company was taking place in Odyssey. Nothing more, nothing less.

It was clear that if he ever hoped to find the evidence he wanted, he would have to look for it himself. And so he devised a plan. Ever since he was young, he had always been good with computers from programming to repair and everything else in between. So he would hack into the databases, storage clouds, and websites of Andromeda, Novacom, and any other company or institution that was connected to Justine’s death and Operation: Think Tank and search for the evidence that was needed. 

Mitch also decided that while he could do this on his own, it would be easier if there were other people who could help too. However, he faced a major challenge of being able to pass on the information to others who might be able to help without blowing his cover and having his identity revealed. To solve this problem, he had come up with a clever solution. He would contact people through instant message using a pseudonym and then would relay the information and data he had obtained. He had even settled on the pseudonym he would use — AREM — which was his initials phonetically.

Before moving, Mitch visited his family, wanting to see them again before he left as it was a long drive from Maine to Odyssey — meaning it was no longer possible to drive up on some weekends to visit them like he had done while living in Boston. He also wasn’t sure if he would see them again as while he didn’t dwell on it, he was not oblivious to the fact that he could very well suffer the same fate as Justine if what he was doing was discovered. He stayed there for two weeks before heading off to Odyssey, beginning a new chapter in his life and his role as AREM. He didn’t know what the future held but one thing was certain — nothing would ever be the same.