(5) Back to the Present...
It was no mystery what these coordinates implied, and Jay knew exactly what had to be done.
As they left the coffee shop, Rufus discussed Jay's participation in finding Mason Biggs.
"It's apparent that you're inexplicably connected to my father's disappearance, and according to his last communication, you are the only person who can find him. If you help me find my father, I will pay you what he had agreed to pay you for your services, only in this case it will be for helping find him."
Jay zipped up his coat, staring out at the gray skies above. "Actually, I was already planning on helping you. Although I can't explain why, somehow I feel I need to do this..."
"In any case," Biggs Jr. insisted, "I will pay you for your assistance."
Jay nodded in agreement. "So where do we begin?"
"We need to find out where those coordinates from my father's business card point. I already have my suspicions we're looking at someplace in Kazakhstan, although I want to be absolutely certain."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "So...?"
"Get some sleep," Rufus suggested, stifling a yawn, "you'll need it. I'll send my driver over to pick you up first thing in the morning. Then, we'll meet at the airport." Jay nodded.
Rufus flagged down a taxi cab. "In the meantime, I have to get back to my hotel and make some calls to arrange everything. Also, I have some connections in the Pentagon. We can get recent aerial photographs and maps of the area before we head over there."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jay replied, looking down at his watch.
One AM. Definitely time to get some shut-eye.
Rufus stepped up to the taxi as it eased up to the curb, then turned back. "Thank you, Jay."
Jay waved off the comment. "Don't thank me yet. Your father is still missing."
...
Jay hurled the alarm clock across his bedroom as it blared a local radio station's rock and roll music. It shut off mid-air as the momentum unplugged it from the wall, then rebounded off the bathroom door and into a pile of dirty clothes. Luckily, Jay had glanced at the display before practicing his shot put technique. It was just after 9 o'clock. No sooner had he gotten out of bed, then he heard a car horn blare from outside. Checking the window, he spotted a dark silver limousine, apparently converted from an Ashton Martin sports car.
"He has good tastes. I'll give him that," Jay muttered to himself, throwing on some jeans and a t-shirt. He grabbed a small suitcase he packed and set it next to the door. Running into the bathroom, he quickly cleaned himself up.
Once outside, Jay eyed the limousine, hoping it actually was the driver Rufus was supposed to have sent.
The driver side door swung open and a clean shaven, gray haired, neatly dressed man stepped out.
"Are you Jay?" he queried in a worn British accent.
"That would be me," Jay answered stepping up to the vehicle.
"Excellent. I was instructed to take you to the airport by my employer, Rufus Biggs."
...
Ten minutes later, the limousine pulled up to the city airport's international terminal.
Jay stepped from the passenger's door, as the driver opened it for him, then reached for his suitcase.
"Jay! Just in time," Biggs Jr. walked hurriedly from the terminal entrance to the limo, "Our plane leaves in fifteen minutes." He slipped the driver a couple twenty dollar bills. "Gas money. Fill her up, if you could. Then take a few days off." The driver nodded, then got back in the vehicle.
As the limousine pulled out of the drop off zone, Jay and Rufus hurried through the entrance.
"I have a private jet which will take us directly to the where we need to go," Rufus explained, directing Jay to a hallway far off to the side, "One of the perks of running a business like mine."
...
In just a half hour, the duo was airborne, comfortably resting in plush seats that were part of Rufus's private jet, aptly named the Bigg One. Jay sipped a cola as Rufus restlessly typed away at a laptop in front of him.
Abruptly, he stopped.
"Here we go," Rufus swiveled the laptop so Jay could see the screen, "what you're seeing is a bird's eye view of Winter Lake, Mongolia. This is where those coordinates pointed." He pointed in the general vicinity, then punched a few keys, which zoomed out the shot to show more land area.
"My father was last seen at this site, near Eltemu, Kazakhstan." Rufus pointed to an area west, and just slightly south, from the area of Winter Lake. As Jay scanned the map, he realized that Eltemu was over 200 miles away from Winter Lake.
"You're positive this where those coordinates point?" Jay questioned.
"I got this information from my friend at the Pentagon, and they typically know what they're talking about."
Jay shrugged. "Good point. Although it seems unlikely that we'd find your dad 200 miles from where he disappeared, right?"
"I honestly do not know what to believe at this point," Rufus replied with a strained tone of voice, "but I know my father is an decent man. I know he wouldn't give you information that would lead us astray."
Jay nodded. "Fair enough."
"On that note," Rufus continued, "we are going to land at an airstrip near Eltemu, then investigate the site where my father disappeared for any additional information. Afterwards, we will head to this Winter Lake in Mongolia."
Rufus closed the laptop, which then powered off automatically.
"According to my contacts, he did not bring a whole lot with him for his trip to Eltemu, so it probably won't take that long for us to check things out."
...
"You weren't far off," Jay sighed, staring out at the barren landscape in front of him. A mud stained field, it contained some scattered shrubbery and three collapsed structures that could have been houses or small buildings of some sort. To be frank, Jay hadn't seen much of anything since he left the airstrip.
"This place looks deserted."
As their jeep near the location, the driver spoke in a thick accent.
"You are not mistaken, sir. After your friend disappeared, the locals that were assisting him in this dig refused to come back. They believe that something unnatural has occurred here, so it would be extremely bad luck to return here again."
"So...," Jay had to know, "why would you risk coming here?"
The driver paused, a stricken look on his face. "I suppose you could say my curiosity outweighs my fear."
Their vehicle hit a dip in the road and bobbed violently.
"Sorry," the driver spit out, compensating by thrusting the wheel quickly.
Rufus waved it off, shifting in his uncomfortably unpadded seat. "No big deal, we're almost there anyway."
He plucked a personal digital assistant from his coat pocket and tapped a few keys. "Jay, I have a copy of my father's most recently published report of findings from this site on my PDA here. It seems that they stopped the digs about three weeks ago. This after finding an "unidentified" artifact dated to over three centuries ago. From what I read, it seems they encountered some confusion about its origins. Although it dated to about 350 years ago, the inscriptions on its surface matched those of some artifacts from another site that dated to about 1500 years ago. I guess this discrepancy halted the dig, because my father wrote that the artifact was to be re-dated at another location."
Jay contemplated this as the jeep slowed to a halt. "This artifact may be of some importance to us."
Rufus nodded. "I agree."
Then the driver cleared his throat. "There is something else you should know, sirs."
He looked at Rufus. "I was told something very disturbing by a local who worked for your father..."
He paused, as if struggling to continue.
Jay leaned forward. "Go on."
The driver nodded.
"He told me that an artifact, quite possibly the one of which you speak, was causing disease among those who came too near it. Not disease you can see, but disease in the mind... disease of the soul."
The driver squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to recall the conversation more accurately.
"At first, it was only minor outbursts. Panics. They subsided quickly. But then workers began to break out in screaming tantrums. They began to pull out their hair in unrooted angst. Many were taken to local hospitals for help. The few that remained quickly thought up any excuse to leave."
The driver cocked his head. "But... for some reason Mr. Biggs was immune to its effects. He continued to study it until he went back to the Americas unannounced. I know this because I drove him here and back almost everyday."
Rufus stuttered at the news. "S-so, do you know how he disappeared?"
The driver slumped down in his chair. "When he returned from the 'States I took him back just once. I usually wait to see if he needs me to pick up anything from the market in town for his day's meals. But he told me just to take the day off and pick him up in the morning. I returned the next day... but he was nowhere to be found."
The driver sent the car into motion once again. "That, sirs, is everything I know."
A dead silence pervaded as Jay and Rufus took this all in. The driver broke it quickly.
"We have arrived, sirs."
As they left the coffee shop, Rufus discussed Jay's participation in finding Mason Biggs.
"It's apparent that you're inexplicably connected to my father's disappearance, and according to his last communication, you are the only person who can find him. If you help me find my father, I will pay you what he had agreed to pay you for your services, only in this case it will be for helping find him."
Jay zipped up his coat, staring out at the gray skies above. "Actually, I was already planning on helping you. Although I can't explain why, somehow I feel I need to do this..."
"In any case," Biggs Jr. insisted, "I will pay you for your assistance."
Jay nodded in agreement. "So where do we begin?"
"We need to find out where those coordinates from my father's business card point. I already have my suspicions we're looking at someplace in Kazakhstan, although I want to be absolutely certain."
Jay raised an eyebrow. "So...?"
"Get some sleep," Rufus suggested, stifling a yawn, "you'll need it. I'll send my driver over to pick you up first thing in the morning. Then, we'll meet at the airport." Jay nodded.
Rufus flagged down a taxi cab. "In the meantime, I have to get back to my hotel and make some calls to arrange everything. Also, I have some connections in the Pentagon. We can get recent aerial photographs and maps of the area before we head over there."
"Sounds like a plan to me," Jay replied, looking down at his watch.
One AM. Definitely time to get some shut-eye.
Rufus stepped up to the taxi as it eased up to the curb, then turned back. "Thank you, Jay."
Jay waved off the comment. "Don't thank me yet. Your father is still missing."
...
Jay hurled the alarm clock across his bedroom as it blared a local radio station's rock and roll music. It shut off mid-air as the momentum unplugged it from the wall, then rebounded off the bathroom door and into a pile of dirty clothes. Luckily, Jay had glanced at the display before practicing his shot put technique. It was just after 9 o'clock. No sooner had he gotten out of bed, then he heard a car horn blare from outside. Checking the window, he spotted a dark silver limousine, apparently converted from an Ashton Martin sports car.
"He has good tastes. I'll give him that," Jay muttered to himself, throwing on some jeans and a t-shirt. He grabbed a small suitcase he packed and set it next to the door. Running into the bathroom, he quickly cleaned himself up.
Once outside, Jay eyed the limousine, hoping it actually was the driver Rufus was supposed to have sent.
The driver side door swung open and a clean shaven, gray haired, neatly dressed man stepped out.
"Are you Jay?" he queried in a worn British accent.
"That would be me," Jay answered stepping up to the vehicle.
"Excellent. I was instructed to take you to the airport by my employer, Rufus Biggs."
...
Ten minutes later, the limousine pulled up to the city airport's international terminal.
Jay stepped from the passenger's door, as the driver opened it for him, then reached for his suitcase.
"Jay! Just in time," Biggs Jr. walked hurriedly from the terminal entrance to the limo, "Our plane leaves in fifteen minutes." He slipped the driver a couple twenty dollar bills. "Gas money. Fill her up, if you could. Then take a few days off." The driver nodded, then got back in the vehicle.
As the limousine pulled out of the drop off zone, Jay and Rufus hurried through the entrance.
"I have a private jet which will take us directly to the where we need to go," Rufus explained, directing Jay to a hallway far off to the side, "One of the perks of running a business like mine."
...
In just a half hour, the duo was airborne, comfortably resting in plush seats that were part of Rufus's private jet, aptly named the Bigg One. Jay sipped a cola as Rufus restlessly typed away at a laptop in front of him.
Abruptly, he stopped.
"Here we go," Rufus swiveled the laptop so Jay could see the screen, "what you're seeing is a bird's eye view of Winter Lake, Mongolia. This is where those coordinates pointed." He pointed in the general vicinity, then punched a few keys, which zoomed out the shot to show more land area.
"My father was last seen at this site, near Eltemu, Kazakhstan." Rufus pointed to an area west, and just slightly south, from the area of Winter Lake. As Jay scanned the map, he realized that Eltemu was over 200 miles away from Winter Lake.
"You're positive this where those coordinates point?" Jay questioned.
"I got this information from my friend at the Pentagon, and they typically know what they're talking about."
Jay shrugged. "Good point. Although it seems unlikely that we'd find your dad 200 miles from where he disappeared, right?"
"I honestly do not know what to believe at this point," Rufus replied with a strained tone of voice, "but I know my father is an decent man. I know he wouldn't give you information that would lead us astray."
Jay nodded. "Fair enough."
"On that note," Rufus continued, "we are going to land at an airstrip near Eltemu, then investigate the site where my father disappeared for any additional information. Afterwards, we will head to this Winter Lake in Mongolia."
Rufus closed the laptop, which then powered off automatically.
"According to my contacts, he did not bring a whole lot with him for his trip to Eltemu, so it probably won't take that long for us to check things out."
...
"You weren't far off," Jay sighed, staring out at the barren landscape in front of him. A mud stained field, it contained some scattered shrubbery and three collapsed structures that could have been houses or small buildings of some sort. To be frank, Jay hadn't seen much of anything since he left the airstrip.
"This place looks deserted."
As their jeep near the location, the driver spoke in a thick accent.
"You are not mistaken, sir. After your friend disappeared, the locals that were assisting him in this dig refused to come back. They believe that something unnatural has occurred here, so it would be extremely bad luck to return here again."
"So...," Jay had to know, "why would you risk coming here?"
The driver paused, a stricken look on his face. "I suppose you could say my curiosity outweighs my fear."
Their vehicle hit a dip in the road and bobbed violently.
"Sorry," the driver spit out, compensating by thrusting the wheel quickly.
Rufus waved it off, shifting in his uncomfortably unpadded seat. "No big deal, we're almost there anyway."
He plucked a personal digital assistant from his coat pocket and tapped a few keys. "Jay, I have a copy of my father's most recently published report of findings from this site on my PDA here. It seems that they stopped the digs about three weeks ago. This after finding an "unidentified" artifact dated to over three centuries ago. From what I read, it seems they encountered some confusion about its origins. Although it dated to about 350 years ago, the inscriptions on its surface matched those of some artifacts from another site that dated to about 1500 years ago. I guess this discrepancy halted the dig, because my father wrote that the artifact was to be re-dated at another location."
Jay contemplated this as the jeep slowed to a halt. "This artifact may be of some importance to us."
Rufus nodded. "I agree."
Then the driver cleared his throat. "There is something else you should know, sirs."
He looked at Rufus. "I was told something very disturbing by a local who worked for your father..."
He paused, as if struggling to continue.
Jay leaned forward. "Go on."
The driver nodded.
"He told me that an artifact, quite possibly the one of which you speak, was causing disease among those who came too near it. Not disease you can see, but disease in the mind... disease of the soul."
The driver squeezed his eyes shut, as if trying to recall the conversation more accurately.
"At first, it was only minor outbursts. Panics. They subsided quickly. But then workers began to break out in screaming tantrums. They began to pull out their hair in unrooted angst. Many were taken to local hospitals for help. The few that remained quickly thought up any excuse to leave."
The driver cocked his head. "But... for some reason Mr. Biggs was immune to its effects. He continued to study it until he went back to the Americas unannounced. I know this because I drove him here and back almost everyday."
Rufus stuttered at the news. "S-so, do you know how he disappeared?"
The driver slumped down in his chair. "When he returned from the 'States I took him back just once. I usually wait to see if he needs me to pick up anything from the market in town for his day's meals. But he told me just to take the day off and pick him up in the morning. I returned the next day... but he was nowhere to be found."
The driver sent the car into motion once again. "That, sirs, is everything I know."
A dead silence pervaded as Jay and Rufus took this all in. The driver broke it quickly.
"We have arrived, sirs."
posted by StoryTeller | 12:35 AM
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