Covenant: Exodus

Chapter 19

Erich and Paulus ran as fast as they could through the service tunnels, although with the power out the only light came from the red emergency backup lights so they had to go a little slower than they wanted. It's ok, I know these tunnels, they don't, he thought, plus they have no idea where we are going. Even though he knew that he was right, the thoughts did little to reassure him. As if reading his mind, Paulus spoke, "They will be expecting us to find the easiest route out of the building, not to go deeper into the museum, it will buy us some much-needed time to regroup and form an escape plan. I need to somehow reach Nagato, to let him know to rendezvous at the ark, but I have no cell phone coverage in these tunnels..." he said as he ran looking down at the black iPhone in his hand.

"Mr. Nagato," Erich said incredulously, "I don't think your lawsuit should be top priority right now Paulus."

"Nagato is not my lawyer," Paulus said between ragged breaths, "he is a greatly feared warrior, very skilled in battle and strategy, and he can help us escape. The lawsuit was a ruse to get us access to you Erich, to get your attention."

Erich shook his head, well it definitely worked, he thought. "The Ark exhibit is just ahead, it's the next door on our right. Speaking of doors what the hell happened back there Paulus, how did you do that to the door?"

"Erich, I will explain everything once we are safely out of here," Paulus said as they continued to run, "but now is not the time. As soon as we get to the exhibit, we need to get the book and then get out of this museum."

"Ok Paulus, I get it...." Erich said through ragged breath as his hand groped for the security pad beside the door. He found it and typed in the four-digit emergency code that would unlock and open any door, even on reserve power. The door hissed and slid back into the wall opening in the far back corner of the Ark exhibit. The Ark itself towered above them. They both stopped as they neared it, Paulus looking up in sheer awe.

"It is more beautiful than I could ever have imagined," he said, his tone a mixture of reverence and excitement. "Go and get the book, I will call Nagato and tell him to meet us here. If I can't get ahold of him, we will need to leave without him, although that is a last resort."

Erich continued to sprint past Paulus, running towards the open entrance of the boat. "Follow me, the cell coverage gets better the higher up you get. Sometimes the dome can cause interference."

"Where is it that you are going, Erich?" Paulus shouted as he ran to catch up.

Erich's only response was to turn with a slight smile and point straight up. Paulus watched as Erich reached the gaping black hole that was the door to the great ship. He slowed a half step before bolting into the interior, shouting back to Paulus, "Be careful, there are a ton of animatronics down here, and wires everywhere. Look where you're running and try to keep up." They ran recklessly over the wires and props of the exhibit, but Erich had no fear of falling, he knew this place better than he knew anywhere. Behind him, he could hear Paulus trying to communicate to Nagato on his phone, but it sounded like he still didn't have a strong enough signal to be heard.

Paulus simply repeated the word Ark four times and put the phone back into his pocket, picking up his pace to try to catch back up to Erich. As they reached a sloping ramp that headed up, Paulus was again awed by the sheer size of the vessel that they stood in. From the point where they stood now, roughly in the center of the boat, it was impossible to see either end. Everything just faded into blackness. The only time that he could make out how high the Ark rose above them was when a flash of lightning would momentarily light the interior. Erich was now leaping from the ramp to a ladder that seemed to rise the rest of the way to the deck. As he pulled himself onto the ladder, he took a moment to turn towards Paulus, "It's not an easy jump, but it's the fastest way to the top," he said, "when you hit the edge of the ramp, push as hard as you can. If you don't make it to the ladder it's only about a ten-foot fall, it will hurt, but it shouldn't break anything. I'll see you at the top!"

Erich began climbing as fast as he could, pausing just long enough to watch Paulus effortlessly make the jump to the ladder, well maybe it's not as hard as I thought, he thought to himself as he continued to climb. His heartbeat pounded behind his ears, his hands were slick with sweat that seemed to cascade out of all his pores at once. His senses were all on high alert as the adrenaline coursed through his body. He couldn't help but get a sick satisfaction from their current situation. He had spent a lot of time risking his life in the jungles of Indonesia, and it had been a long time without a real adventure. Obviously, that was now changing.

He paused at the top of the ladder and let one hand slide from the rungs and grasp a small handle on the door directly above his head. He twisted the handle and pushed and the door swung outwards, the stale jungle air rushed over his skin and the pale light from the late afternoon jungle flowed around him. He pulled himself out of the hatch and climbed onto the observation deck of the Ark. He had no need to get his bearings and began to run towards the building in the center of the ship. He heard Paulus once again trying to raise Nagato on his phone, it sounded as though this time he was successful.

"Come now!" he shouted into his phone, "we are on the top of the ship, Erich knows where the book is, he is taking me to it now. I have no idea how far behind Malik and his men are. Bring as many weapons as you can carry." He again pocketed the phone and ran to catch up.

Erich reached the door to the first building and ran inside. It was a small wooden structure with glass running the length of one side, allowing whoever was inside an unobstructed view of the sea and the sky on that side of the craft when it was sailing. Paulus followed through the door. Once inside, he saw Erich kneeling in front of a series of cabinets. He grasped the handle of the third cabinet and pulled. Paulus could not get a good look inside of the cabinet, but Erich let out a shout, "Got it!" he exclaimed as he turned from the cabinet. Paulus caught a glimpse of a small object in his hand.

"Is that the book?" he asked breathlessly.

"Ya, it's the one," Erich answered, "This was the first artifact I found on this boat. I wanted to keep something special, something that belonged to just me and the Ark and this was it. That's why it isn't under lock and key in the exhibit hall or in one of the labs where they are working on translating the language that all of these books are written in. The first time I laid eyes on this book, I could sense it was something special. I lost so much to find this ship, I just wanted to keep this one thing."

Erich and Paulus stood on the massive deck of the ship, the lightning from the storm outside still flickering, although it seemed to be dissipating. Erich reached out and handed the book to Paulus, who stared at the golden image of the sun that emblazoned across the cover of the ancient tome. He continued to stare down at the book in his hands and slowly raised his eyes towards Erich. As he did, Erich could see they were glassy with tears, a smile slowly spread across his face, "Erich...we may have just saved the world."