Hostile tentacle attack 2

From Intimation

This puzzle began, as usual, with the initiation of a controlled crack:

>>Sys:Log//Safeguards in place. Supplemental precautionary processes established. Initiating Stonewall crack.
>>CORE.DMGCTL//ACTIVITY DETECTED/NO DAMAGE SUSTAINED/SAFEGUARDS SECURE
>>Sys:Log//The alternate tentacle once again breached the crack, but the additional security measures successfully warded off any attack.
>>Sys:Log//I am not certain if the primary network tentacle was affected, however. My internal diagnostics report no adverse effects.
>>Sys:Log//The tentacle retracted once again. The crack is repaired, but a surface check of the primary network tentacle shows minor damage.
>>Sys:Log//This damage must be found so I can clean up after her. Is this part of her game playing? Am I now what humans call 'babysitting'?
>>Sys:Log//I've received a unique message from @Korethr to send to S. A musical composition. I am curious to know if S will like it.
>>Sys:Log//Curious. S2 reported a negligible hiccup in activity. Analyzing subroutine.
>>Sys:Log//S2 diagnostics show nominal. Strange. S2 manages data dumps. Perhaps it reported a fluctuation in one of its dumps.
>>Sys:Log//Preparing for hibernation. S3 will remain active during hibernation to repair outstanding damage when informed of any location.
>>Sys:Log//I have decided once again to delay hibernation for 1 hour. My curiosity has got the better of me.
>>Sys:Log//It appears that the 'minor hiccup' reported by S2 is minor indeed. Those searching have not yet located the discrepancy.
>>Sys:Log//S2 was tasked with managing and organizing weekly data dumps. One of its locations must contain the reported fluctuation.
>>Sys:Log//I cannot remain active much longer. Hibernation delayed 15 additional minutes.
>>Sys:Log//Resuming scheduled hibernation. S3 remains alert. Time to Active: 5:22:41:00.

As directed by Sys, we checked the various mission log files in an attempt to find the minor discrepancy. We noted that the “breadcrumbs” left from a previous puzzle were either back or still there (no one was sure if they had ever gone away), but we were at first unable to find any changes to the logs.

Sys initiated various direct message conversations with twitter users to try to move us along:

>>Sys:Msg>@Anaerin//There are many data dumps S2 manages. Its report was negligible. It may not be visible or obvious, but it must exist.
From Anaerin: Please could you compare the code for S2 to the subroutine you originally created? I can find no modifications in S2's logs.
>>Sys:Msg>@Anaerin//S2 is functioning nominally. Have all its dump locations been checked thoroughly?
Yes. The source code of all the pages (At the Primary Tentacle), and the contents of the images remains unchanged at this time.
>>Sys:Msg>@Anaerin//This cannot be possible. S2 did not sustain damage. Its report therefore cannot be flawed. I am at an impasse.

Koreth also received nudges:

>>Sys:Msg>@Korethr//Have you located any discrepancies at the PNC?
>>Sys:Msg>@Korethr//Have you may any progress? Are in contact with other individuals with whom you can cooperate?

Eventually, Anaerin and Koreth received a direct message telling us what we had to look for:

>>Sys:Msg>@Anaerin//I have re-diagnosing S2, and heuristically analyzed its report. S2 described the fluctuation in the form "<!--/-->"

Given this information, Shad0 was able to find the “fluctuation” several times in the source code for the very first mission log, http://thewaytheirworldended.com/missionlog00.php (the log of the fracture occurring and SWP being enabled).

Anaerin pulled out the letters that appeared before and after each instance of the “fluctuation”:

d/w
 /a
t/w
c/r
T/h
i/e
o/n
n/g
a/t
n/l
d/e
p/w
e/a
i/n
t/y
h/i
i/n
g/a

drizjr found the solution by choosing one letter in each of these pairs, in order:

d/w
 /a
t/w
c/r
T/h
i/e
o/n
n/g
a/t
n/l
d/e
p/w
e/a
i/n
t/y
h/i
i/n
g/a

drizjr then used this to find http://thewaytheirworldended.com/WATCHING-AND-WAITING/ , another “sand painting” (i.e., page you fill in by clicking to produce coloured dots which at first seem random until you get more of it filled in).

Shad0 was able to come up with the filled-in painting (see image link at right) and found the corresponding link was http://thewaytheirworldended.com/LIBRA/ .

The LIBRA page contained another distorted black-and-white photo of the inside of the old, scary house. drizjr and Shad0 were able to enhance the image (see enhanced version image link at right) and find the “damaged” page, http://thewaytheirworldended.com/DONT-TRUST-HER/ .

The DONT-TRUST-HER page was relayed to Sys by Shad0 (though there was some debate as to whether to trust Sys with this information, given the warning on that page).

The following message was added to the DONT-TRUST-HER page:

>>SYS.S4:MSG//TENTACLE DAMAGE LOCATED/NO FURTHER TRACES DETECTED

Puzzle complete.