The Arcturus Man

by John Strauchs

  The flash of the explosion blinded the men wearing the night vision goggles. The night vision aids included circuits that limited the blinding effect after being exposed to strong light, but it was still long enough for Jared to try to escape from the trap. Rubio had his night vision equipment turned off and saw Jared dart from his hiding place. Rubio opened up with his MAC 11. With forty-seven rounds in the clip and one in the chamber, Rubio fired at the rate of twenty rounds each second. The clip was empty in barely two seconds.

  Jared was hit again. He was hit in the right shoulder and another bullet grazed his skull near the temple. The leg wound had slowed him to the point that he was vulnerable. Jared was in disbelief. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go. The .380 bullet tore through his shoulder and the near head shot stunned him. Rubio raced through the underbrush to make the kill before Jared could react or strike back.

  “The fool has a cross bow,” thought Rubio. He recognized his prey. It was Siemels. It was him.

  I WILL CUT YOUR GUTS OUT. YOU WILL BE HANGING BY YOUR ENTRAILS FROM A TREE WHILE WE BURN YOU, YOU RICH PIG.” shouted Rubio.

  Rubio drew his knife from its sheath. Rubio loved his Sykes-Fairbairn British commando knife. It was developed by two British officers during the early days of the Second World War. It wasn’t as exotic as the modern killing knives preferred by today’s Special Forces and mercenaries, but it was excellently balanced and a lethal weapon. Now that Rubio could afford it, he preferred tradition over innovation. He favored things that had proven themselves.

  He was going to enjoy killing Jared slowly. He was going to pay for the lives of his three brave men. He turned his night vision glasses back on. The remaining four men in his party had regained their night vision and were close behind, circling Jared.

  Jared gathered his strength and low crawled toward a thick bank of fog that floated above a small stream. His right leg was losing feeling and crawling was difficult. The bullets sounded like angry hornets as he rolled into the stream.

  He could no longer be seen by them but he could still sense everyone one of his attackers. Rubio had made his first mistake. He hadn’t fired another clip at Jared. He had chosen his knife. Rubio’s overconfidence had given Jared another chance. Their night vision was of little value in the fog. The dense sea fog would absorb his infrared signature. Jared was losing blood. He could feel it sap his strength. Trying to be as quiet as possible, he slithered down the creek with the current, staying hidden in the haze. He sensed that he was being surrounded but it didn’t seem that they knew exactly where he was. Rubio and his men were staying silent too.

  “Garcia, bring one of the LPG units to me,” said Rubio, whispering into his head set microphone.

  Jared knew that Rubio was planning something, but he couldn’t tell what it was. His leg was numb. His head was pounding. Now his shoulder was beginning to ache. He was loosing blood and there was no way to stop it. If he could get to the boathouse, he had some duct tape on the work bench that could stop the bleeding. He changed direction and crawled back upstream. He crouched into an undercut of the stream bank. He loosened the tourniquet on his leg. The wound gushed blood, but he slowly felt some feeling return. He retightened the tie. He lay motionless, controlling his breathing. He concentrated. He focused on mentally tightening and shrinking his blood vessels and capillaries. It was helping, but not enough. The wounds were too severe. He listened. He stayed still. He wasn’t going to move or make a sound until he could sense where they were. Minutes passed.

  He heard popping sounds. Despite the heavy sea fog, he saw pin points of light from the road flares being tossed into the area of the stream that he just left. Suddenly, the fog lit up and a massive blast of heat passed over him. They were using some kind of flame thrower.

  Rubio had improvised. He had refitted high pressure commercial fruit orchard sprayers so they could spew liquefied petroleum gas. The flares were being used to ignite the LPG as it was sprayed. The stream was on fire. The intense heat was creating a miniature wind storm. The fog bank was being blown away. Jared would be exposed as soon as the heat and flame worked its way back up the stream.

  Jared made the calculations in milliseconds. It wasn’t going to work as Rubio expected. The fog was being blown off, but the wet vegetation that was burning was generating massive clouds of black smoke. It could be suffocating, but the visual cover was even denser than the fog. Jared could feel a wave of intense heat sweep over him. He was exposed again and the smoke hadn’t reached him yet to provide cover. It would be suffocating cover, but it was cover nevertheless. Jared scrambled to hide in the smoke.

  They opened fire. A stream of bullets worked its way up the creek. Jared jumped up the bank and dove for cover. He rolled into the smoke bank and then quickly moved away from the entry point. It was only because of his incredible physical capabilities that he could gather the strength to escape.

  Rubio saw the pool of blood where Jared had hid. He didn’t need the Luma-lite this time. His prey couldn’t last much longer.

  It had taken Jenny a while to figure out how all of the electronics worked that Jared had set up in the safe room. She needed to know what was going on. Who were the men that Jared mentioned and what were they doing? Why did they want to harm him? She was frightened but trying hard not to panic. She wished that he would come back. She felt very alone and totally helpless. She thought about telephoning Krissy, but what could she tell her. She thought about calling the police or 911, but Jared asked her not to. Why hadn’t Jared done that already? Maybe he had and she just didn’t know it. How could she answer their questions? She was freaking out.

  One of the color monitors had a map of the island. She saw flashing red dots everywhere. She didn’t know what they represented. The graphic display on the other monitor was easier to understand. Intrusion alarms had been activated. That was probably what the flashing red dots were. She went to a panel that looked like it had something to do with a closed-circuit television system. There were four large monitors that were blank. She checked and determined that they were all on, but there were no images. She pushed a button that looked like it might do something. It didn’t. She pushed a few more. Suddenly, the blank monitors came alive. She noticed that as she continued to push a green button the scenes changed on the color monitors. A few of the scenes had strange colors. She realized that it was dark and foggy outside. Some of the cameras Jared had on the island must use some kind of special imaging. She assumed that these must be thermal images. The people were a ghostly, shapeless white on a green background.

  It was difficult to make out much as she sequenced through the cameras. A few scenes were from cameras inside the house. She hadn’t realized that he had cameras inside. All of a sudden, she saw men appear outside. They were dressed in some kind of military uniform. They were around the house and were easy to see. The floodlights around the house had come on and an area within a hundred feet of the house was illuminated well enough that the intruders were clear. All of a sudden the monitor went white. When the video scene finally returned she could see that something had blinded the attackers. The attackers were holding their eyes and staggering.

  “That was a two-million candle power strobe light I set off,” said Ginger. Ginger appeared on a commercial TV set on a table.

  Jenny was startled by Ginger. She looked at the TV monitor. It was Ginger. Suddenly, she didn’t feel so alone. Jenny had to look twice. Ginger wasn’t wearing any clothes. There wasn’t time for this…not now.

  “What other weapons can you control, Ginger?” asked Jenny.

  “There are no other defensive weapons, Jenny. Jared disarmed them for fear of an accident while you were on the island,” said Ginger.

  “Can you rearm them?”

  “No! I’m sorry. I can’t,” said Ginger.

  Jenny saw three men on one monitor. She found the joystick control and quickly discovered that it moved the camera. It was a lot like a Nintendo video game joystick. As the men separated she
tracked one of them with the camera. He appeared to be carrying a large canister. She saw him pump a plunger on the canister. He reached into a rucksack and pulled out a smaller object. He pulled on the object and then threw it at the house. It exploded into a red flame. The flame was so intense that the scene bloomed and she could no longer see the background as well. The man picked up the canister and hung it around his neck with a shoulder strap. He pointed a long rod toward the house and was shooting a stream of fire. Flames! The entire scene was filled with flames. Now she panicked.

  She kept pushing the green button. The numbers that appeared on the bottom of each scene appeared to match the numbers on the map displayed on the other monitor. She was beginning to figure this out. As she changed from scene to scene, she looked at the graphic display and saw where each camera was positioned. Now she realized what was happening. The house was surrounded by these men and the entire house was on fire. She leapt out of the chair and ran to the door. She didn’t know what to do. Jared had said that the room was safe, even against a fire. She didn’t know if she could trust that sliver of recollection. The entire house was in flames and she was deep inside. Where was Jared? What should she do? Should she try to escape? It seemed insane to stay inside of a burning house.

  “Not to worry Jenny. Jared designed this safe room with a two-hour fire separation. We are safe,” said Ginger.

  “Are you in here too? Are you safe?” asked Jenny.

  “I’m somewhere else but I’m safe too,” said Ginger.

  She switched to the cameras inside the house. She could clearly see that the windows had been broken and that the interior of the house was on fire as well. The conflagration was so massive that the smoke quickly obscured all of the scenes. One of the cameras went dark. Now it was too late. She was trapped. She wanted to curl up in a corner and close her eyes, but Jenny was strong. She found a fire extinguisher in a cabinet and set it in the middle of the floor. She checked the fire door, but there were no signs of smoke. She carefully inspected the ventilator. Jared said that everything in this room was independent of the house, including the air. She saw a crank and after a few turns discovered that it was a mechanical means of increasing the rate of air exchange in the room. The lights went off and on quickly. She glanced at the computer monitor and saw a display that told her that she was on battery power. She listened for a generator but couldn’t hear it. Everything seemed to be working properly, but how long would the batteries last?

  She walked over to the system console and turned on the radio. That seemed to be fine too. She picked up the phone. The line was dead. She picked up a cell phone and heard a dial tone. Should she call anyone? Jared said not to. For the moment, she decided to wait. Then she thought of something.

  “Ginger?”

  “What can I do for you Jenny?” answered Ginger.

  “Do you know where Jared is?”

  “I do not. His transponder went out of range and I am unable to identify him on the video surveillance.”

  “Where did you last see him, Ginger?”

  “He was 400 meters to the northwest moving quickly. His movements suggest that he has been injured.”

  “WHAT? How? Is he alright?”

  “I don’t have that information.”

  “Please! I’m really scared, Ginger. I need a friend right now.”

  “I would like to be able to do as you ask, Jenny, but I don’t have that information. Perhaps you should telephone Krissy,” said Ginger.

  “You know about Krissy?”

  “I listen and learn.”

  “There isn’t anything that Krissy could do, at least not in time.”

  Jenny slumped down in the chair and put her head in her hands. She wanted to cry or to scream or to do something, but she couldn’t think of anything that would help the situation. Jared was hurt. He might even be dead. He might have miraculous healing powers but he isn’t fireproof. Those men were carrying guns and some kind of flame thrower. The room was soundproof, so she didn’t hear any gun shots, but they must be using them. Jared isn’t bulletproof either.

  “Ginger, will you tell me if you see Jared, or see his transponder?”

  “Of course, Jenny!”

  “What is happening inside the house?”

  “There is a fire. I activated the sprinkler system. It is delaying the spread of the fire but it has not been able to extinguish it. I am behind a fire-rated door, but I have detected an increase in heat and some smoke. The fire may reach me. I will alert you if I believe that I will be damaged. You are entirely safe in your enclosure. You have nothing to be concerned about.”

  Jenny was despondent. She has nothing to be concerned about. That was so ridiculous she could almost laugh. She went over to the console and switched through all of the cameras. None of the interior cameras were working. It was really, really bad. She saw men running on the exterior cameras but she couldn’t tell what was happening. They were firing their weapons. Jared was no where to be seen. It couldn’t get any worse.

  “Jenny, Jared has reappeared. His transponder is 400 meters moving in a southeasterly direction,” said Ginger.

  Jared was alive. Her spirits picked up immediately.

  “Damn it Ginger. I have no idea what southeasterly means. Can you see him on the video surveillance?”

  “Yes, he is on camera 26. Shall I display it?”

  “Quickly!”

  Jenny ran to the bank of monitors. There he was. He was limping badly. His clothes seemed to be drenched in blood. The yellow flood lights made the blood look black. It was hideous. She could tell that he was hurt very badly. She ran to the door and pushed the red open button. She wanted to run to Jared.

  “Ginger, the door won’t open,” screamed Jenny.

  “I have disabled that function. If you open the door you will perish immediately.”

  Jenny was angry for a second but then realized that Ginger was being more logical than she was. What was she thinking? The house is ablaze. She reached out and put the palm of her hand on the fire door. It was warm. No, it was hot.

  “Ginger, do I have a sprinkler in this room?”

  “Yes, but it is not needed. You are entirely safe.”

  “Can you still see Jared? I can’t see him on my monitor. Has the wiring burned up?”

  “He is no longer on the video but his transponder is now about 350 meters moving toward the house. The wiring is mostly underground so it is safe. None of the exterior cameras are mounted on the house. They are all functioning. I will remain with you as long as it is required,” said Ginger.

  “But what about the fire? Won’t the fire get to you?” asked Jenny.

  “I am expendable,” said Ginger.

  Jared crawled through the heavy smoke. Ordinarily, he could hold his breath for as much as twenty minutes, perhaps much longer since he never tried to test his limits, but this was not an ordinary situation. He was badly injured. He wasn’t sure how long he could last but he held his breath. He had to avoid inhaling smoke. It may have only been minutes, but the instinct to breathe was gaining on him. He had to move.

  He crept into a thick patch of undergrowth and stayed as close to the ground as he could. He found an area that was relatively clear of smoke. He drew several deep breaths. He looked toward his house which was only about a thousand feet away. The house was enveloped in flames. They had used the LPG sprayers on the house. The heavy fog would hide the fire from the mainland. Anyone on the main land might see a glow, but they probably wouldn’t identify the source. Help was not coming. Rubio may have seen Jenny arriving on the island and hoped that setting the house on fire would draw Jared out of hiding. He guessed right.

  Rubio’s men had attacked the house from all sides. That worked in his favor. They couldn’t see one another. He gathered his strength and blocked all pain. Jared had lost a lot of blood. For the first time in his life, he felt weakness. It was an unfamiliar feeling. He didn’t know how to gage how much more he could tax his body. He had never be
fore considered the possibility that he could lose his life. It was now something he had to take into account. Jenny was in danger. He had to use his greatest weapon. He had to rely on his superior intelligence. He was unsure of how much physical reserve was left. The thought that he might pass out before he could do anything to rescue Jenny weighed on his mind.

  He began to calculate. His mind filtered through thousands of options. An idea began to jell. He worked his way through the undergrowth and smoke until he reached his LPG above-ground tank. It held more than 2,000 gallons of propane. It was situated about 50 feet south of the house. Brush was already burning underneath the tank.

  He could reach the tank from the brush cover. One of Rubio’s men was on that side of the house but he wasn’t watching behind. He was waiting for someone to run out to escape the flames. The man would quickly glance back now and then, but his movements were predictable for Jared. The glances had a pattern.

  One idea percolated to the top. Jared remembered something called a BLEVE, a boiling liquid, expanding-vapor explosion. The LPG sprayers that Rubio’s men were using to torch the house left flame trails everywhere. Some of the brush was burning. Jared gathered more of the burning brush and quietly pushed it under the LPG tank. Jared gathered more and more combustible debris until a large fire was building. It was just one more fire. The men guarding the south side of the house were unlikely to notice it. He looked at the pressure gage. He conjured up the specs for the tank in his mind. He recalled the wall thickness and the type of metal used. Jared’s mind was swirling with calculations now. He knew the size of the tank. He estimated the maximum pressure it could hold. He kept watching the pressure gauge and the rate of rise. He guessed the heat of the fire. He assessed every factor that came into play and determined how long it would be before the tank exploded.