Vigil VII: Strife Amidst the Clouds

[Vahnavoi]

[Eun's lab]

After studying and experimenting with the logic gates for so long, building a simple reflector is very easy - Eun can do most of the work by copying the existing structure and aligning it properly. She can see how the previously dark input lines brighten up as the signal makes its way to the machine's processor. After a while, the dialogue box disappears - success? But then, the output lines coming from the machine go dark too. For a minute, the connector is completely dark. Then, a very distinct, short pulse is send along the output lines. When it reaches Eun's reflector, the pulse erases it entirely.

Another minute passes. The connector resumes its prior state and the first dialogue box reappears.

Building a new virtual plug-in with which to send her codes along the connector is slightly more complex, but mostly consists of doing more of the same steps as the simpler reflector. Technically, the device is unnecessary, because Eun could tamper with the connector directly to pass her shutdown codes along, but then she might miss some interaction the machine attempts with her constructs.

As her first shutdown code trickles down the connector, the dialogue box once again disappears. The machine does not, however, shut down. Either there is a safety feature preventing pathological code from being executed when received this way, or her code is interpreted in a different way when fed through the connector. What does happen, is that the signal passed down the output lines change. When they reach Eun's virtual plug-in, they alter the code it is feeding to the machine, creating a feedback loop. The same thing happens with her other shutdown codes.

Then, new dialogue box appears and... it contains what looks like random visual noise. When she switches to another shutdown code, it becomes a series of vibrating lines. A third code calls up a new logogrammatic script which bears no resemblance to the earlier script and still isn't anything Eun can read. A fourth code creates a row of colums with different heights. A fifth code creates what looks like a series of binary numbers noted down with dots and lines. A sixth code creates a mess of lines somewhat resembling tangled yarn. One incomprehensible visual representation after another.

If she allows for any of the boxes to linger for more than a minute, the output lines coming from the machine go dark again. They remain dark for a minute, allowing Eun's contraption to keep inputting whatever it's still inputting after no longer receiving feedback. Then, a pulse is send along the outputlines, again erasing Eun's virtual plug-in from existence. Once no information is being received through the connector for a minute, the machine returns to its initial state.