Gu led Yan, Qinghe, and Bai through a side entrance of the institute archive. A brass plaque on the door read INDEX ROOM. The sealed vault itself was farther inside, behind two guarded doors, but they had not requested access to the methods. Their letter asked only to inspect a catalog entry.
The archivist read Gu’s request twice. “You want the old accession index for this code?”
“Yes. The code appears in a privately held manual’s index. We need to know what the archive reference names.”
“You do not want the sealed item?”
“Not today. We’re asking for the catalog.”
The archivist looked at the Registry number and then at Gu. “You used to hold a different title.”
“I did. I’m asking under my current institute affiliation.” Gu showed his letter. He had signed below that title, not his former one.
The archivist tapped the accession mark. “The record was restricted after failed trials. We can show the index description and any public retrieval references. Nothing behind the sealed door.”
