story - A long but relatively easy cipher - Clue Two

_{<-- Previous clue}

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After submitting your answer in the email, you wait eagerly, on the edge of your seat. After about five minutes, your response comes back. It says:

Wonderful. You have completed your first task. You have earned the right to continue. Please go to [redacted] to continue.

You jump out of your seat, grab a few sandwiches and a bottle of water (always think ahead!), stuff 'em in a backpack with some paper/pencils, and hop in the car.
After about ten minutes, you arrive at your destination. As you climb out of the car, you remark, "This looks like an abandoned factory. Not much like a place you would expect the [redacted] serum to be made."

As if in response to your comment, the floor starts to rise up. As you step back in amazement, you notice the screen and keypad underneath.
You cautiously approach. The screen reads:

Welcome. To continue, please enter the second clue. This is not a game. You have only one try. There is no way out.

After you read that, you jump back in alarm, and look around. While you were reading, the floor had folded back again, and now you are trapped. Since you don't know what else to do, you go look at the screen again.

This is a cipher. You should solve it with relative ease - don't mind the length.

At that, you look at the keyboard. There is another screen above it, with text boxes - a space for one character in each. There were eight boxes. Then you look at the cipher.

{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg}{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg^qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqnfu;qbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}/{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqbg;qbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}#{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqbg;qbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}/{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg}{qnfuqnfuqbg; qbgqnfuqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg^qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqnfu;qbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}#{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqbg;qbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qnfu;qbgqbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg}{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg}#{qbgqbgqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qnfuqbgqnfu}{qbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg}{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg^qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qnfuqbgqbgqbg}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}#{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg}{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg^qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqnfu;qbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}#{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg}{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg^qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqnfu;qbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}/{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg^qbgqbgqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qnfuqbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qnfu;qbgqbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}#{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqbg;qbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}/{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg}{qbgqbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qnfu;qbgqbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg}{qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqnfuqnfu;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbgqbg}#{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qnfuqbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqbg;qbg;qnfuqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfuqbg;qbgqnfu}{qbgqbgqbg;qbgqbgqbgqnfu;qbgqbg;qbgqnfuqbg}

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_{Next clue--->}

Answer

The password is ...

hydrogen

The first step to attack the cipher is ...

... to apply rot13, which gives many repetitions of "dash" (qnfu) and "dot" (qbg). This is, of course, a big hint to apply Morse code to the sequences of dashes and dots, which yields:

{G;J;R;A;G;L}{G;J;R;A;G;L^G;U;E;R;R}{S;V;S;G;R;R;A} etc.

Applying rot13 again, the same snippet reads:

{T;W;E;N;T;Y}{T;W;E;N;T;Y^T;H;R;E;E}{F;I;F;T;E;E;N} /{F;I;F;T;E;E;N}{F;O;U;R;T;E;E;N}{F;I;V;E}#{F;I;F;T;E;E;E;N}{F;O;U;R;T;E;E;N}{F;I;V;E} /{T;J;E;N;T;Y}{T; ;E;N;T;Y^T;H;R;E;E}{F;I;F;T;E;E;N}#{F;I;F;T;E;E;N}{F;O;U;R;T;E;E;N}{F;I;V;E}{F;I;V;E}{N;I;N;E}{S;E;V;E;N}{E;I;G;H;T}{T;J;E;N;T;Y}#{S;I;X}{N;I;N;E}{T;J;E;N;T;Y^T;W;O}{F;I;V;E}#{T;;E;N;T;Y}:T;W;E;N;T;Y^T;H;R;E;E}{F;I;F;T;E;E;N}#{T;W;E;N;T;Y}{T;W;E;N;T;Y^T;H;R;E;E}{F;I;F;T;E;E;N} /{T;W;E;N;T;Y^S;I;X}{F;I;V;E}{E;I;G;H;T;E;E;N}{F;I;F;T;E;E;E;N}#{F;I;F;T;E;E;N}{F;O;U;R;T;E;E;E;N}{F;I;V;E} /{F;I;V;E}{N;I;N;E}{S;E;V;E;N}{E;I;G;H;T}{T;W;E;N;T;Y}#{F;I;F;T;E;E;N}{F;O;U;R;T;E;E;N}{F;I;V;E}

The next step is to ...

... convert the English numbers to decimals, correcting transmission erors on the way:

{20}{20^3}{15}/{15}{14}{5}#
{15}{14}{5}/{20}{20^3}{15}#
{15}{14}{5}{5}{9}{7}{8}{20}#
{6}{9}{20^2}{5}#
{20}:20^3}{15}#
{20}{20^3}{15}/{20^6}{5}{18}{15}#
{15}{14}{5}/{5}{9}{7}{8}{20}#
{15}{14}{5}

Each number in a brace is a letter denoted by its position in the alphabet. The notation 20^X means 20 + X, so that the text reads:

TWO / ONE
ONE / TWO
ONE / EIGHT

FIVE
TWO
TWO / ZERO
ONE / EIGHT
ONE

The slash just means juxtaposition of digits and we get a sequence of eight numbers:

21 12 18 5 2 20 18 1

The last step ...

... is to convert the numbers to letters in the usual way:

ULREBTRA

Rot13 again, and we get:

HYEROGEN

I think it is likely that the third letter was misencoded. If we replace the R with a Q before rot13'ing, the password is hydrogen.