The Archive smelled of old paper, machine oil, and dust.
Not the stale neglect of an abandoned building.
The careful stillness of a place that had been preserved.
Someone had been coming here.
Recently.
Kenji noticed fresh footprints crossing the concrete floor.
"So we're not alone."
Myers glanced at them.
"We never are."
Rows of metal shelves stretched into the darkness. Every cabinet was labeled by year.
1981.
1989.
1997.
2005.
None of them mentioned Project ECHO.
None of them mentioned Lazarus.
Only dates.
As if whoever built this place wanted history to tell the story instead of names.
Kenji stopped in front of a shelf.
Each folder carried the same crimson stamp.
RETURNED
Some folders were thick enough to fill an entire drawer.
Others contained only a single page.
He pulled one free.
A photograph slipped onto the floor.
A little girl.
No older than eight.
Smiling beside a birthday cake.
On the back someone had written,
Died: March 14.
Returned: March 15.
Second death: Unknown.
Kenji frowned.
"Second death?"
Myers answered without looking.
"Most of them disappear."
"What do you mean disappear?"
"They come back…"
"…and then something calls them."
Kenji slowly closed the file.
"What calls them?"
"I've spent fifteen years trying to answer that."
The deeper they walked…
The quieter the Archive became.
No ventilation.
No dripping water.
Not even their own footsteps seemed to echo anymore.
Kenji noticed it first.
"Myers."
"What?"
"Listen."
They stopped.
Nothing.
Absolute silence.
Too complete.
Even silence usually had a sound.
This one didn't.
Myers' face tightened.
"We're too deep."
At the center of the Archive stood a circular room.
Unlike everything else…
This room was clean.
Perfectly clean.
No dust.
No broken shelves.
No cobwebs.
Someone maintained it.
In the middle stood a single steel table.
On top rested one black file.
Nothing else.
No label.
No date.
No stamp.
As if it had been waiting.
For them.
Kenji stepped closer.
Myers grabbed his wrist.
"Don't."
"You don't even know what it is."
"I know enough."
Kenji looked at him.
"You've been here before."
Silence.
"You have."
Myers slowly nodded.
"Once."
"What happened?"
"I left with fewer memories than I arrived with."
Kenji looked back toward the file.
Something about it felt…
Familiar.
Not comforting.
Recognizable.
Like seeing a face you couldn't place.
His fingers reached toward it almost on their own.
The moment he touched the cover
Pain exploded behind his eyes.
White light.
Cold metal.
Voices.
Running.
Not doctors.
Soldiers.
Someone shouting
"Lock Corridor C!"
Another voice
"We're losing containment!"
Then—
A little boy laughing.
Not frightened.
Happy.
The laughter echoed through the corridor.
Then every alarm in the building activated at once.
Someone whispered
"…he smiled."
Kenji gasped and stumbled backward.
The vision ended.
He nearly collapsed.
Myers caught him.
"What did you see?"
Kenji pressed both hands against his head.
"There was a child."
Myers didn't speak.
"He wasn't afraid."
Still silence.
"He was laughing."
For the first time since they'd met…
Myers looked genuinely terrified.
"No…"
His voice barely existed.
"It can't be."
"What?"
Myers stared at the black file.
"They told us he never laughed."
Before Kenji could answer
A loud metallic clang echoed through the Archive.
Not nearby.
Somewhere above them.
Another.
Then another.
Heavy doors.
Opening.
Both men froze.
Myers whispered,
"We're out of time."
A voice suddenly echoed from hidden speakers buried inside the walls.
Calm.
Female.
Emotionless.
"Archive access detected."
The lights flickered.
"Identity verification in progress."
Kenji looked around.
"There are speakers?"
Myers didn't answer.
He was staring at the ceiling.
Almost praying.
The mechanical voice continued.
"Welcome…"
A pause.
Then
"…Doctor Hayashi."
Kenji frowned.
"Who's Doctor Hayashi?"
Myers' expression went blank.
The voice spoke again.
This time…
It wasn't speaking to Myers.
It was speaking to Kenji.
"Welcome home, Director."
The Archive went completely silent.
Neither man moved.
Neither breathed.
Kenji slowly looked at Myers.
"I…"
"…I've never been here."
Myers didn't answer.
Because for the first time…
He wasn't looking at Kenji.
He was looking at the security camera above the doorway.
The small red light…
Had just turned green.
Somewhere deep beneath the city…
An ancient locking mechanism released.
One…
Door…
At a time.