Mike sat there questioning if he just saw, and heard, his 16 year old son become a 25 year old soldier and back. Mike heard the front door shut, he was now alone with the "photo" editing tool his son got.
As Mike slowly shifted from sitting on his son's unmade bed into the computer chair, his mind was anything but calm. He navigated the interface knowing to seek the help documentation first, within moments he had downloaded a pdf and reviewed their website and was assured that this was either the most elaborate prank someone ever pulled on him or the world was very different from what he thought it was.
After some reading he learned how to navigate the program more efficiently and then his brain made the jump. The nagging concerns about how he could/should raise Jeff better could be instantly sated. Mike always wanted more for Jeff but didn't want to be overbearing and "ruin his life!" Every loving parent's nightmare.
Should I push Jeff into theater, or make him learn to play an instrument, or sports. Should I fill his weekend up with chores, or studies, or make him responsible for a meal each week? If I contributed less to benefits at work I could have afforded more trips to museums and family outings... As Jeff edged closer and closer to adulthood, these questions grew louder and louder in Mike's mind. Jeff was now old enough to get a job, but shouldn't Jeff be focusing on school now, or possibly his social skills? "Its not what you know but who you know." Even now Jeff's "pastime" is walking around alone...
Thus far, Mike had given Jeff gentle nudges outside of his comfort zone. Scary but trauma free excursions into things he wasn't comfortable with, and Jeff could always look back and see he wasn't alone. The next 2-6 years promise to change so much but did Mike prepare Jeff?
Mike tested the machine, tripling the size of his left hand and reverting it back to normal. It was real. With some consideration he realized much of what he wanted to do and set about programming the machine.
Jeff wandered the neighborhood, he was curious about what his dad was doing and slightly worried if he had waited long enough for his dad to become obsessed enough with his situation to ignore his own profile.