44

Flooded with red light, this is the very heart of The Archives. The room pulses with a life of its own. Mickey now carried the missile launcher. The trigger is ready to go, his nerves still jangling from the joke. Kev is still pissed as Jack clearly knew that was going to happen.

Ianto approaches a computer console at the centre of the room. Circular in design, and just over four feet high, it resembles a giant chess piece. A beautiful six year old girl walks from the shadows. She's furious, her hands clenched in anger "Get out! You can't be in here!"

Jack walks straight up to the Girl and then steps CLEAN THROUGH HER. "Archie, really? The Red Queen?"

"You're all going to die down here"

Jack sighed as he glanced over at Ianto then began to speak in a monotone "Captain Jack Harkness, Torchwood Three, Cardiff. 5214. Code number 69"

"Ianto Jones, Torchwood One, London, 1983. Code number 007." Ianto said softly "Also … Ianto Jones, Torchwood Three, Cardiff. Really Cariad? 69?"

Silence as the girl seemed to shimmer and flux, then it changed to an old man in a kilt, his hands on his hips as he glared at them "Well where the feck have you been?"

"Archie" Jack sighed with relief. "Hello old man."

"Sez the oldest man I know"

"Amazing" Ianto said softly, "Such advanced technology. So lifelike."

"Yeah" Jack's face betrayed his sorrow for a moment as the hologram seemed to wait for something else. "Archie. Report."

"It all went to shit. I do not know why but when the first reports started to come on I initiated the first shut down" he seemed to be motioning at something and Ianto knew with sorrow it was probably the woman who sometimes helped clean. She was in there with him?

"What is the protocol for the First shutdown" Ianto asked and the hologram turned to face him, so realistic that Jack needed a moment and Ianto knew it.

"As you know boy, I closed and locked the barn doors" Archie grinned "But it was a bit late for you. Have you found the girl yet? Hmmmm?"

Ianto blinked slowly as his mind whirred "Marley."

"Oh yes … that one too"

Ianto looked at Jack whose hands had dropped from his face to gape at the hologram "Is there another like Ianto?"

"Well, one is not much good. They wanted a mating pair. How else did they stuff thing up and make Marley? Oh no. She was an afterthought. They used leftovers to make that little one. Oh no, I mean Ianto's mate." Archie seemed to pause, like someone pushed a button and Ianto looked at Jack as they both knew the computer controlling the hologram was 'thinking' about the next possible response in the subroutines.

"Archie? Please explain" Into demanded "My mate?"

"Have you found the girl yet? Hmmmm?"

"So clearly it's a prompt. You have to answer affirmative or negative before he will continue" Jack sighed "What do you want to say?"

"The truth, this will know if we are lying" Ianto decided "Archie. No. I have not found her."

"Then you probably never will" Archie grimaced "The same programme here as there. If she did not get out, she will not be able to. If she did, given the time lapse my internal clock tells me, she would have by now."

"Agreed" Ianto said with sorrow at the thought of someone suffering "Will you give me the location?"

"Sorry, that is beyond my parameters" Archie shrugged, then turned to Jack "So ... do you want into those lower levels?"

"Yes old man" Jack nodded.

"Well, I don't know if I can do than Mon!" Archie frowned "Like I said, I shut the barn doors"

"And opened the stalls?" Jack gaped.

"Well … I couldn't look after them anymore" Archie shimmered and disappeared.

"Where did he go? Archie come back to me?" Jack asked, then stepped back as Archie reappeared, a different one this time. Tired with torn clothing and blood smeared on his cheek.

"Jack. If you are watching this … you survived. God, I hope you do. Zombies, they are real life zombies. And you scoffed at my Resident Evil obsession. Who scoffs now eh? Well" Archie frowned "I guess if you are still alive … you. Well. Stupid really, of course you are. Well. The first week we didn't see much, a few moving around out there, a couple tried to break in but we were well locked in. Spooked but capable. I didn't know. I should have but … so busy looking out I didn't look in. Jack, all the doors down there, all are wide open and they have the run of the place. It has been … ah… eight months since the outbreak and … shit. I lost her. A door I thought was shut … something worked out the codes. Jack … something down there is intelligent enough to try and break the security codes as well. It can't. You know … well. Only you know the code for down there now."

"Oh Archie" Jack said with genuine sorrow as the hologram shifted from foot to foot.

"Maybe I will still be here. Maybe we are watching this together but .. if not … move your arse. 24 hours from the opening of those door until a permanent shutdown that will close the Archives forever."

"OK" Ianto said softly "He is right. Was right. Let's not dally."