The Arcturus Man

by John Strauchs

  “Spucatum tauri,” is much more becoming from a beautiful young lady,” said Jared.

  “More bull shit.”

  Jenny was not going to believe this.

  “This is really creepy…darling,” she said.

  “Only because it is still something unknown to you.”

  “What else?”

  “OK, how about astral projection…you know, the out of body experience I’m sure you’ve heard about.”

  “This is way too weird. How are you going to demonstrate this? How?”

  “Simple. Think of your sister,” said Jared.

  “OK, I’m thinking about Krissy. Now what?” asked Jenny.

  “She is with Jake,” he said.

  “Are you expecting me to believe that you just did this astral projection thing?”

  “Were you expecting to see me in some sort of melodramatic trance, floating up to the ceiling?” asked Jared.

  “Well…yes, I suppose I was,” said Jenny.

  “Too much Hollywood.”

  “OK, prove it to me. What is she wearing?”

  “Nothing,” he said.

  “That is not cool, Jared. Anyway, that didn’t take Merlin to figure that out. Give me something unique,” said Jenny.

  “OK, he is pouring honey. Let me leave it at that,” said Jared.

  She pulled her purse onto the bed and found her cell phone. She hit a button.

  “Krissy?”

  “Not now Jenn. Not a good time,” said Krissy. She sounded frazzled. “What are you wearing?” asked Jenny.

  “What kind of dumb question is that? Where is the heavy breathing and talking through wax paper over a comb?” asked Krissy.

  “Just answer the question.”

  “My birthday suit. OK? Like you’re getting really strange Jenn.”

  “Is there honey?” asked Jenny.

  “Where are you? Are you looking through the window? You’re freaking me out,” said Krissy.

  “I’ll explain it later.”

  Jenny clicked the phone shut. She sat back and was clearly overwhelmed by everything Jared and said and demonstrated.

  “She has a tattoo of a black butterfly, or something like that, on her person.”

  “OK, OK. I know about the tattoo. I give up. I believe it all.”

  “Good. You’re not going to explain this to her, are you?” asked Jared. “I would like to keep the things we have been talking about just between us. You’re the only person I have ever told this to,” said Jared.

  “I’ll think of an explanation. Don’t worry. You’re secret is safe. I don’t like lying to my own sister, but I will,” said Jenny. “Wait! Wait! I thought of another question. I want to see Ginger.”

  “This is not a good time, Jenny.”

  Chapter Nineteen – Rubio Reaps

  Eagle’s Head Island – December 2013 Early Morning

  “WAKE UP JARED. WAKE UP JENNY. I’ve been tracking intruders Jared. Tell me what you want me to do,” said Ginger. The TV monitor came on. Video scenes of men appeared on the monitor as the 52-inch plasma screen broke up into smaller rectangles, each displaying a different scene.

  “Track them Ginger and count them,” said Jared. “They turn on the strobe light system.” Only Ginger’s audio was on.

  “Tracking is on. There are thirteen intruders,” said Ginger.

  Jared jumped out of bed, scooped up Jenny’s clothes, and took her hand, pulling her out of bed. Woken from sleep, Jenny was disoriented. She glanced at the large TV. She couldn’t believe her eyes. What intruders? She leapt out of bed to get a closer look. It was just a little past 4 a.m.

  “What’s going on Jared? WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE?” she yelled.

  Ginger was tracking thirteen men. They were dressed in black and camouflage and they had weapons. Jared had designed an island-wide closed-circuit television system that could track intruders using digital video motion detection. The displays on the monitors show trailing dotted lines to indicate where each man has traveled and where each is now. The system is mixed with thermal imaging cameras that can see in the dark. The system also integrates ultra-low-light visible light cameras that are in color during daylight hours and monochrome at night. It is an elaborate system. Outdoor motion sensors trigger the video system.

  “Jenny, intruders have landed on the island. They have weapons and they are here to harm me—us,” he said.

  Jenny was in a panic. This was like a bad dream. It couldn’t be true.

  “WHO ARE THEY?” Jenny couldn’t stop yelling.

  “There is no time to explain. Trust me. You’re safe. You are perfectly safe. Just please do what I ask you to do,” said Jared.

  He guided her into the wardrobe.

  “Please get dressed,” he said.

  “WHY IS THIS HAPPENING,” she said even louder. “Why are…” He interrupted her. “Please get dressed.”

  Jared dressed quickly and started to help Jenny dress.

  “Ginger, open haven,” said Jared.

  The rack with Jared’s suits started moving and swung out and to the side. A massive steel vault door appeared where the suits had been and started to open slowly. It gradually revealed a hidden room that was lined with large stainless steel boxes. There was an electronics array of some kind on one wall and TV monitors on another. There was a small bed and table. The room was packed with stuff.

  “What the heck is this Jared?” asked Jenny.

  “This is a safe room. No one can get in for at least 30 minutes attacking with tools, but most likely the delay time is significantly longer than that, assuming anyone would find it. Please get inside.”

  “You’re scaring me.” Fully awake now, she understood that something very serious was happening and that she had to cooperate.

  “Jenny, some people landed on the island. They are here to harm me and they are just about ready to start whatever they are planning to do. I have no concerns about that, of course, but I hadn’t counted on you being here when they came. I’ve been expecting them, but I didn’t think that it was going to be this evening,” said Jared.

  “People? What people? What are you talking about?” asked Jenny.

  “Please trust me. There is no time to explain it. This is not anything you need to be frightened about.” He held her by her shoulders and looked into her eyes as he was talking to her.

  Jared continued. “I would very much like you to trust me and do what I ask. You will be perfectly safe. I am so sorry that this is happening right now. I know this must be very upsetting. If you’ll trust me, I promise you that in a very short time I’ll be back and everything will be safe. OK? Can you do this for me?”

  “You’re not leaving me…are you?” asked Jenny.

  “There is no reason to be scared. Just get in the safe room.”

  She saw the seriousness in his face and that he was concerned about her. This was really happening.

  “Ok, I don’t want to be a liability for you. I’ll wait here and I will be quiet. I promise.” She was very frightened and it showed in her eyes. It all happened so quickly that she was still in shock but she was controlling her emotions.

  “There is food and water in there. There is also a cell phone. Call Krissy or your mother later, if you want to. Please don’t call them until I get back and please don’t call the police. I don’t want them involved. Not yet. I’ll take care of this. Have no concern about that. Nothing can harm you while you’re in there. Are you going to be alright?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “No worries, alright?” said Jared.

  “No worries,” said Jenny. The truth is…she was petrified. She looked at the TV monitor. There were a lot of men. She had every confidence in Jared but there were a lot of men on the island. There were so many men.

  “Stand back a bit. When the main door closes a fire door will come down automatically. You have your own air supply in there. You have your own electrical power. Everything you need.”

  He pointed to a l
arge red mushroom-head button.

  “This is an emergency release to get out. Don’t push it until you are absolutely positive that the situation is completely safe. Do you understand that?” asked Jared.

  “Why don’t you come in here with me?”

  He ignored that comment. “Ginger, please take care of Jenny. Protect her.”

  “Certainly Jared,” said Ginger.

  “Go Solo. Auto mode! All safety programs off,” said Jared.

  He walked out and the massive door slowly closed and locked. The suit rack swung back to its original position. Jared ran out of the bedroom. Jenny was alone. She couldn’t help it. The tears were coming.

  “There is nothing to cry about Jenny. Jared will protect us. You have nothing to fear,” said Ginger. “I have control over a few safety and defensive devices. We both will be alright.”

  Jared was gone. The nightmare was starting.

  By December, the waters along coastal Maine hadn’t yet cooled to the hard winter temperatures on the land and a thick sea fog often formed in the early predawn hours. Rubio waited patiently for days for a night like this. The heavy fog would hide the glow of the fires, or at least make the holocaust much less apparent. Rubio was ready for all likely defenses.

  A full moon caused a luminescence several hundred feet above the low clouds that glowed down into the fog. In the depth of the night-black trees it was completely dark. The gathering group of men were busy putting on night vision goggles and radio head sets. A few had infrared scopes. They didn’t look human. The miasma drifted in dense bands along the low, slightly warmer, areas of the island. There were places where the night vision aids would be of little use. Other parts of the island were remarkably clear.

  Silently, Jared crept closer. He didn’t need the vision aids. He could easily see every one of them in the clear bands and he could accurately sense them where the fog was thick. He recounted thirteen assassins in his woods. After he left Jenny he went to his den and saw that his security sensors and infrared video cameras had detected them as soon as they landed on the island. They have been on the island for about fourteen minutes. He now knew exactly where they were and what equipment and weapons they were using. He was worried. It wasn’t what he was expecting. Although Jenny was safe for the timing being, Jared was worried about her and he recognized that it made him more vulnerable. It should have been simple and fun, but now it had become dangerous. Jared would adjust.

  Rubio circled his index finger several times in the air and the team quickly and silently clustered around him. Although they could have heard him whisper, he used the scrambled radio head sets to give them their final instructions. They all had rehearsed the coming moments many times in a mock up they built in northern Maine near Fort Kent, but this time it was for real. The mock up had been constructed to virtually every exacting detail and measurement. They were all ready. They were all Colombians and good at this.

  Jared began to manually pump the hydraulic cocking mechanism of the KGB Myr crossbow that he took from Smolenskiy’s apartment. The low geared miniature electric motor would have been too noisy. This was a phenomenal piece of engineering that even Jared admired. This crossbow was developed for Speznaz for assassinations and sniping. Once cocked, the crossbow had a draw strength of almost 3,000 pounds. By comparison, a conventional modern crossbow could rarely achieve 250 pounds. The Myr was a throwback to the Middle Ages when long cocking levers were used to get draw strengths of 1,000 pounds, or more and could fire bolts up to 350 to 450 yards. The Myr crossbow could fire 600 yards. It came with a variety of bolt tips, including armor piercing and explosive heads. It fired a much flatter trajectory than a rifle and was virtually silent. The shock of the heavy bolt flying at an unbelievable velocity was massive as compared to a bullet. This was a true killing machine. Only a handful existed around the world and now Jared had one. He was going to pick them off one by one. He could sense where they were with his eyes closed. Despite their weaponry, this was still a game for Jared. A high-powered rifle would not have been nearly as interesting. The crossbow was a fascinating piece of engineering that Jared admired and wanted to test.

  Jared was a thousand feet from the invaders. He aimed and slowly released the trigger. The “thwack” of the bow string couldn’t be heard at this distance. He had waited until one of the men crossed in front of the other and timed his release carefully. The bolt ripped through both men and stuck into a tree behind them pinning the second man to the tree. At first, neither realized what had happened, but massive internal hemorrhaging started on impact. They collapsed from shock. Rubio heard the bolt strike the tree but didn’t immediately understand. The first man fell at his feet. He hadn’t planned on an arrow and didn’t have the time to look at the bolt. He still didn’t realize that the weapon was a crossbow.

  In an instant, Rubio threw his arms out to his sides, the signal for the group to scatter and seek cover. He lost two men but everyone knew what they had to do. He expected losses. It meant nothing. Everyone held their fire as they scattered. They didn’t know where Jared was and firing into the darkness was a waste of time and ammunition.

  Jared knew that they were trying to flank him from both sides. He immediately changed his position. He silently moved closer, rather than retreating as they might be expecting. They couldn’t possibly imagine how quickly and quietly Jared was moving, and because they couldn’t imagine it, their estimates of his position would be consistently wrong. He continued to have the advantage. And, now there were only eleven to deal with.

  Rubio’s men had set quick-trap Claymore mines around the island along paths likely to be used by Jared and his men. Rubio didn’t know that Jared was alone so he remained cautious. The attack team spoke to one another in Portuguese as they moved to their preplanned positions and tasks. Rubio had been told that Jared could read their minds and that he spoke Spanish. Rubio thought that it was unlikely that Jared and his men spoke Portuguese. Not that it mattered, but Jared spoke Portuguese—fluently.

  Jenny had complicated his plans, but this was still a game for Jared and as far as he was concerned, it was a low risk game. But there was one thing that he hadn’t counted on. Rubio’s men had identified trails in the woods that weren’t really trails.

  Jared avoided the trails that he regularly used. As he moved through the most impenetrable parts of the forest he heard a soft click. It was barely perceptible. His unique sensory abilities hadn’t been of any help in detecting the thin trip wire. It was an inanimate thing that didn’t think and didn’t make noise while it waited for him. He had underestimated his adversary. Rubio was cunning, if not intelligent and anticipated that the trails would be avoided. Ironically, the trails were clear so that Rubio and his men to move quickly without concern for the traps.

  The wire was connected to a capacitor that sent an electrical pulse to a Claymore mine. It exploded instantaneously. Jared’s reaction time was also instantaneous. He dove behind a large tree as soon as he heard the click, but the blast still caught him in his right calf. The small pellets that had been lodged in the C-4 ripped into his lower left leg. He was bleeding heavily and he was crippled by the injury. It was a serious wound. Jared had miraculous healing powers but that wouldn’t be of much help at the moment. He blocked the pain, but his leg would no longer listen to his commands. He had lost the advantage of speed. For the first time, he was beginning to have doubts about the outcome of this game. Arrogance is the handmaiden of genius. It wasn’t happening as he imagined it would. Jared had underestimated Rubio.

  Jared could be entirely objective about his failings. He knew that his egotism made him fallible at times. He had been cavalier about reacting to the invasion and misjudged when the threat would became truly dangerous. He should have confronted them before they had time to set traps. He now realized that he had made a critical mistake. He wasn’t immortal. He could be killed. He began to worry about Jenny’s safety—yet another handicap.

  Jared listened and sensed. Rubio
’s men where circling the point of the explosion. He had to move. Relying on the strength of his good leg, Jared changed his position. They were all around him and they were closing in.

  Rubio spotted a blood trail.

  “Jesus, get the Luma-lite,” said Rubio.

  The man ran back to the landing cache and found a small suitcase-sized device and quickly returned. night-vision goggles. Rubio turned on the light and snapped an orange filter over his He turned off the night vision. Jared’s blood trail glowed. Rubio hand signaled for his men to parallel him as he followed the blood trail. He whispered into his headset. He split his men into two groups. Five would parallel Jared’s trail with flanking movements on each side. The remaining five knew what they had to do at the house. Rubio stayed with the hunt for Jared.

  Jared sensed the movement of the five toward the house. He knew that the saferoom would protect Jenny, but now more doubt sunk in. He had to get back to her.

  Jared sensed what Rubio had commanded. It wasn’t like Jared to panic, but he understood that there was urgency in protecting Jenny and Ginger. Jenny would be protected by the safe room for a while, but not for very long if Rubio brought the right tools. Ginger was at risk. He rolled into some thick undergrowth and stayed very still. He slowly tied off his right leg below the knee with his belt to slow the bleeding.

  “The smartest man in the entire world had really screwed up,” thought Jared.

  Jared inserted a bolt in the crossbow and cocked the mechanism. He closed his eyes and focused on the enemy. There were only six men coming at him. One of them was Rubio, but he was uncertain which one it was. He aimed the crossbow and waited until he sensed a kill. He couldn’t be certain that the path of the trajectory was clear but unless the bolt hit a tree, small branches and leaves wouldn’t stop this potent weapon.

  He gingerly released the trigger. This time the strong “thwack” could be heard by everyone, but too late. Jared used an explosive bolt this time. It hit one of Rubio’s assassins in the abdomen as it exploded. The attacker fractured into small pieces. Only his torso remained on the ground. A death grimace was frozen on his face, exposing white teeth locked in a hideous smile. Jared rushed to the carcass and grabbed the man’s MAC 11. It was damaged but looked functional.