Michelle exited the room with a confident stride, heels clicking against the hardwood floor as she called over her shoulder, “I’ll be in my office going over tomorrow’s reports. Let me know when dinner’s ready!”
Isaac nodded, still holding the laundry basket, though his brow furrowed slightly. Why were we in Jess’s room? he wondered, glancing around. It wasn’t the sort of space either he or Michelle typically had reason to enter. Jess was fiercely independent about her space—typical for a teenager—and Isaac respected that.
Still, something felt... off. Setting the basket down, he noticed her computer screen was lit, not asleep as it normally would be. The interface was unfamiliar—some kind of strange program with a retro interface labeled Chronivac 2.0. Curious, Isaac moved closer.
On the screen were two open profile tabs. One was labeled Michelle, the other Isaac. His eyes narrowed.
Wait... what is this? The profiles had detailed information—ages, physical stats, even personality traits and roles like “Stay-at-Home Parent” and “Primary Earner.” The level of detail was oddly specific, and a growing discomfort stirred in Isaac’s stomach. He scrolled down and saw fields labeled Behavioral Settings, Family Structure, and even Awareness Lock.
Just then, a pop-up appeared:
“New Profiles Detected: Jess (Teenage Female), Megan (Pre-Teen Female)”
Would you like to view?
[Yes] [No]
Isaac blinked at the screen. Jess and Megan? They must have just gotten into range—maybe back from the mall or out playing. Instinctively, he clicked [Yes] on Jess’s profile.
What he saw next made him pause. It was as if someone had been taking careful notes on every aspect of Jess’s life—age, school status, hobbies, behavioral tendencies, even emotional development. What stood out most were adjustable sliders and toggles for things like independence, rebelliousness, social behavior, and even personal style preferences.
Isaac stepped back for a moment, eyebrows drawn. Why would something like this even exist? Why would her computer have access to something so... invasive?
His hand hovered over the mouse.
Isaac chuckled to himself, eyes scanning the Chronivac interface with growing amusement. "What kind of weird game is this?" he muttered, assuming it was some over-the-top life simulator Jess had downloaded for fun. The profiles and sliders felt more like something from a parody of parental wish fulfillment than anything real.
"Teenage Rebellion," he read aloud, spotting a slider currently set to about 80%. With a smirk, he dropped it to 15%. "Sorry, Jess. Maybe tone it down with the dramatic eye rolls."
Next to it, he found another labeled "Teenage Angst." It hovered around 70%. Isaac laughed and dragged it down as well. "There, that should make mornings less of a battlefield."
He leaned closer as another section caught his eye: Academic Focus. One bar read School & Career Driven, currently set painfully low. "Well, that's not great," he mused. "You’re smart, Jess. Let’s give you a bit of a boost." He pulled the slider up past the midpoint, settling it at around 85%.
As the changes took effect, subtle but real alterations rippled outward beyond Isaac's perception. Jess, still a few blocks away, blinked mid-conversation with Macy, suddenly feeling more grounded, more motivated. Her earlier thoughts of the mall and teenage fun after being an adult woman and mother were, replaced with a newfound clarity and drive to study and advance in her career Jess Noticing something was off waved Macy off and began rushing home.
Back at the computer, Isaac kept poking around, treating it more like a curiosity than anything serious. He slid Respect Toward Authority slightly higher. Then he found a toggle called Sibling Rivalry Intensity and reduced it to near zero, chuckling as he did.
"This is gold," he said, shaking his head. "Whoever made this clearly had kids."
He continued exploring: a dropdown labeled Preferred Extracurricular Activities let him swap out "hanging out at the mall" and "hanging out with boys" with options like "debate team," "STEM club," and "knitting" and "exercise club" Isaac selected a few, trying to imagine Jess in those roles and liking the picture it painted.
Unaware that each setting was reshaping Jess’s personality in real time, Isaac leaned back, pleased with his “customizations.”
"There," he said with a smile. "If only real life worked like this."
And somewhere in the neighborhood, Jess paused mid-step, brows furrowed. She could feel it She was being edited, If She didn't get home soon She would lose Herself
As Jess was rushing home, her Purse shifted into a backpack bouncing slightly against her back and her phone buzzing in her pocket with group chat updates that weren't there seconds ago, Issac remained seated at her desk. He still chuckled to himself, marveling at the odd game interface he'd found on her computer.
"Weird place for a life sim game," he muttered, adjusting his reading glasses and squinting at the Chronivac interface.
Jess's profile was still open on the screen. A digital readout displayed a simplified but oddly detailed list of personality traits, emotional settings, and life metrics. Issac had already lowered the 'Teenage Rebellion' slider and dialed back the 'Teenage Angst' bar. Both of those had seemed like obvious quality-of-life improvements, especially for a father looking to make things a little easier on the household.
Back at the desk, Issac continued playing. "Let’s see... maybe make her a bit more organized... and a bit less obsessed with her phone." He nudged the 'Organization Skills' bar upward and dropped the 'Social Media Obsession' trait down several notches.
In the real world, Jess Pulled out her Phone to call "Her Parents" to get them off the computer and stop editing her but as She went to do that, Jess’s hand unconsciously slid her phone into her backpack as she slowed her pace. A nagging feeling grew in her mind: she really should reorganize her/Jeff's desk, maybe make a study schedule for His/My finals week.
"This game’s got so much detail," Issac muttered in fascination. "What’s this one? ‘Motherly Instinct’? That’s a weird setting for a teen profile... Eh, I’ll just raise it a bit. Might make her more nurturing with her little sister."
Unseen again, Jess paused at the corner, spotting a younger neighborhood kid struggling with their shoelaces. Without thinking, she jogged over, knelt, and helped them tie it. "There you go, bud," she said warmly, patting them on the shoulder forgetting she was in a rush, but couldn't stop seeing a kid in need.
The sliders continued to shift under Issac’s tinkering fingers: 'Cleanliness,' 'Responsibility,' 'Affection Toward Parents,' 'Future Planning Urgency'—all rose bit by bit. The more Issac tweaked, the more the digital representation of Jess bent toward the idealized teen daughter he imagined.
He barely noticed the subtle pop-up message blinking in the corner: "Warning: Personality Integrity Dropping – Reversion to Core Identity Accelerating."
Nor did he see the additional prompt that had appeared beneath Jess’s profile:
"Former Identity Trace Detected. Suppress or Reinforce?"
Issac just kept tweaking, whistling a tune as the world subtly adjusted around him.