(11) Revealed...
Wiping sweat from his brow, Rufus walked up and stared at the artifact, which was shining brightly in the afternoon sunlight, still nestled firmly in the pedestal. Eying the dark purple orb in it's center, Rufus couldn't help but note the striking, liquidy resemblance it had to the portal he had just witnessed opening and closing. As he touched the cold, glassy surface of the orb, Rufus knew he would need to hold on to this artifact. It obviously played a role in opening the portal through which Jay had vanished.
But how can I open this portal again? How did it open up in the first place?
Maybe I missed something in my father's notes - something that will explain how to use this artifact...
With that in mind, Rufus headed back into the second building, where he'd found his father's documents. Exasperated, he cranked his head back to stretch his neck muscles, and noticed the small window behind the wall containing the glass panel, which allowed light to enter into the room and onto the glass panel itself. A small set of mirrors set into the windows frame flashed a sudden glare into his eyes as Rufus froze in mid stretch. Then it occurred to him:
Those panels activated when the light hit them from behind just right. I doubt that happens more than once a day... so these things are probably aligned to reflect the light just right at a certain time of day....
Great... That means I may have to wait until tomorrow to get that portal open again...
"I guess I'll just have to wait this thing out," Rufus sighed, pulling out his cellular phone to call the driver and get some things to tide him over. But the phone was no longer working. He took it outside in hopes of getting reception. No luck. It was then that the phone shut off completely. The battery had died or short-circuited.
"I thought I just charged this thing," Rufus thought out loud, puzzled. "Damn."
He tossed the phone onto the ground in frustration.
His next thought was to get back to the car, but looking between the buildings, Rufus could not see the driver or his vehicle. In all the craziness it seemed the driver had abandoned him.
"I guess that I'll have to... rough it, until tomorrow," Rufus concluded with solemn hesitation, heading back into the second building. "Might as well keep looking for more information..."
Inside, Rufus scanned the remnants of his father's notes carefully. The beam of light from that room had caused such an intense heat that the papers inside had been severely burned or singed, and many of the smaller pens on the table had literally melted into the woodwork below them.
Regardless, Rufus study the papers intently.
After a few minutes, his stomach began to growl. "I need food..." His shoulder also ached, probably bruised from the failed attempt at tackling Jay away from the portal. Within himself, Rufus could feel an anger at the situation boiling up.
Then something caught his eye that scattered everything else from his thoughts. Underneath the table, in the corner of an open cardboard box, was a cassette recorder, visually unscathed. Without hesitation, Rufus snapped it up, rewound the tape and played it back.
Another pause, follow by a barely audible cough.
Another cough.
A deep breath.
"Yes! Of that group I narrowed down, it seems there is only one living relative remaining whom I could realistically convince to take on this course of action. Thankfully, he is more than suitable for this... experiment. His name is Jay Spader, and he resides in New Detroit, Michigan."
"I am flying out today, to try and 'recruit' him to help me."
More static. Some clicks as the tape rolled over, and then a final audio blurb.
An intentional pause, and a deep breath.
"I cannot believe he did that!" Rufus finally blurted out into the empty room. His voice echoed slightly.
"And how did he get all that information from three sym-"
Before he could finish his question, a loud noise erupted from outside the building. It was like the loud crackling of a fire, but only lasted for a moment.