(11) Revealed...
Back in Eltemu, eight hours prior...
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.
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.
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.
"Testing 1...2....3.... Testing... Okay."
It was his father's voice, as expected.
"The date is, well actually, I don't know the exact date, but I know I've been studying in this area alone, for at least a week," his voice pauses, then continues, "The days seem to melt together."
Another pause, follow by a barely audible cough.
Another pause, follow by a barely audible cough.
"Please excuse me. I'm running low on supplies, and I'm a bit dehydrated."
Another cough.
Another cough.
"In summary, two days ago, I successfully pinpointed the time of day that this portal will open. Yesterday, I was able to send a GPS tracking device through the anomaly in attempt to find its exit point. According to the data broadcast by the GPS, it is just over three thousand miles from my location, in the vicinity of Winter Lake, Mongolia."
A pause.
"However, I still can't quite figure out how the artifact is linked to this 'warp-gate' as I've named it."
A break in recorded audio led to static, then another recording followed.
"This is incredible. The technological ramifications of this discovery are preposterous but true."
A deep breath.
A deep breath.
"Somehow, the ancients who developed this Ankh hard-coded it's orb to respond only to the touch of any descendant of its creators. I don't know if this is some sort of DNA recognition system or what else it could be, but I know that I now need to retrieve a living descendant of these ancients. This person is crucial to unlocking the artifact's true potential, as described in the ancients' very vague writings. However, one obstacle remains. I do not have any way of finding that descendant."
A brief bout of static then an abrupt pickup.
"After studying the ancients' historical documentation I have mapped a lineage of their people to a small close-knit group of individuals... Back soon."
Another cut-off, quickly followed by a loud resume.
"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."
"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."
A brief bout of static.
"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.
"I attempted to get Mr. Spader to join me, but he was rather ignorant. But my great mind has saved me once again. Details aside, I have ensured that Jay can reach this location smoothly once he comes to his senses - I know he will. However, to seal the deal, I must take an unplanned course of action.""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 am going to enter the warp-gate myself. If it indeed transports me to Mongolia, I will remain there long enough to prompt Jay and my son, Rufus, to begin a rescue operation. And in case there is any doubt by whoever will listen to this tape, I saw something in Jay's eyes. Perhaps it was a look of determination, somewhat clouded by his reservations. Whatever the case, that look - it told me that he will come... I know... The time is near. I must prepare."
Then static, and only static.
Rufus set down the tape recorder slowly, as his fathers words slowly sunk in.
"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.
"What the...?" He bolted back outside to see who or what had made the noise.
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