He walked into the room, the doors had automatically opened for him which was practically a miracle in this part of the city, the interior of the building was clean and white, and almost clinically sterile. A huge contrast to the decay and wildness of the exterior, rolling his sleeve back he looked down at the Archive ,a small gray lozenge embedded into his forearm. It was hooked up to his body, his blood providing the energy for it's use. It had been a long journey avoiding the creatures, and some of the more mobile plant life surrounding the city, he'd run out of food days ago. Summoning the mental commands to activate the archive, picturing a field of sunflowers in his head until he felt that warmth in his arm that indicated the archive was booting up. His head started to blur, and the room to spin. It was drawing on the last of his reserves of sugar in his blood, he took the remaining bulb of honey-water from his belt” No going back now” he thought as he drank it,and immediately felt better. Looking down at the map that appeared on the screen he located and walked up to the greeting wall. A slab of glass as tall as himself, cold and green, he could see through it to the back wall of the room. As he stood in front of it consulting the Archive again he touched the glass saying,“ Hello I am here here to meet Mr Green regarding the takeover of Dog and Pony Corporation, I believe I have an appointment. ” This was where the gamble of his long trek would pay off, Since the fall, some of the older buildings were stuck at the moment of Collapse, mindlessly going through routines and protecting valuable stock in their vaults, sometimes with the right key phrases and passwords the could be tricked. This was the life of most archaeologists these days, a very risky profession indeed. The glass screen began to cloud over a face formed in its depths, a very pretty young blond lady, in stark contrast a male voice issued form the glass slab “Code input incorrect, you have one more attempt before annihilation.” Gun ports opened in the walls and gas started issuing from vents lower down in the walls“Shit, i never should have trusted that bastard back in the camp” looking to the archive again, he tried the second command phrase “I believe Mr Sharkey from the Ministry of Funny Walks is expecting me!” The glass wall turned Red and started flashing a 20 second countdown as the guns turned to face him. Taking his last gamble he announced loudly “ Hi I'm from Pizza Express I got a deep dish extra cheese, extra meat special, for Joe Brown on the Second floor” Kneeling on the floor exhausted now from the continued use of the Archive , he waited for his outcome. The glass glitched and turned green again, the gun turrets blending back into the wall and gas was vented from the room, the young lady appeared on screen and still in that deep male voice said “second door on the right, up the stairs, and go to Reception Desk there.” falling on his face in relief, he felt the cool floor under his cheek and, steeled himself to go upstairs.
Grave Witch by Kalayna Price
