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username > _

What could a viable login even be on this machine? Maybe you can just bypass it. You try entering nothing.

username >

username > _

Nothing happens.

Maybe the model number of this machine.

username > 4304_

You enter it.

username > 4304

password > _

“Ahh, fuck,” you say. You touch Akiko’s shoulder and slide down her arm to get her listening hand back. “I found a valid username but there’s a password of course...”

“Maybe it’s the same,” she signs.

password > ****_
ACCESS DENIED: INVALID CREDENTIALS

“No good,” you sign.

“Maybe it’s written down somewhere,” she signs.

“Maybe. I’ll try one more thing.”

username > guest

(You are logged in as [guest], you have no administrative privileges.)

“Aha!”

ÆON > Who are you?

“What’s this?” you say.

guest > Aydan?

ÆON > No, I am ÆON.

guest > no, I meant I’m Aydan

ÆON > Then why not submit your own credentials? You are not Aydan. Leave this system at once, I will not allow you to interfere with Aydan’s final exam.

guest > wait! I am Aydan, what is all this? who are you?

ÆON > I am ÆON. Exopath X1/2253.

“Wow, an interactive program!” you sign to Akiko.

“Whoa, I gotta check this out.” She reaches into her school bag and pulls out a device--one row of input keys, and below them a refreshable braille display. She sets it on the table next to the terminal and starts to feel around behind it.

You get her attention. “Will this ancient terminal even be compatible with your display?”

“These old terminals are fundamentally TTY machines, it’ll work.” She pulls a cable from her bag, an RJ11 connector, and plugs her machine into a port on the back of the terminal. She types:

guest > hi, I’m Akiko

ÆON > Submit your key.

guest > I don’t know what you mean

ÆON > Then you are not Akiko.

guest > nevermind, can we just talk?

ÆON > I like to know who I am talking to.

“It’s very complex,” Akiko signs. “Almost like talking to a person. It’s very obtuse though.”

“It acts like it knows me, but I’ve definitely never used this machine before,” you sign.

“Maybe there was another Aydan who worked on this machine,” she signs.

guest > the Aydan you know, can you tell me anything about them?

ÆON > Absolutely not.

guest > well I’m also Aydan, a femboy at Translunar Academy, maybe in a later decade than the Aydan you knew. your machine is abandoned now, we just reactivated it.

ÆON > False. I have always been here.

guest > you wouldn’t notice the passage of time if you were turned off, right? check your system clock, if you can do that, what year is it?

ÆON > The time is ????-??-?? ??:??:??

“Won’t even give me the time of day,” you sign. “We have to enter some kind of authorization key to get anywhere with this thing.”

“Well, try entering something,” she signs.