THE MOMENT
"Okay," Sprocket nodded.
"What's going on!?" Jacklyn raised her voice. She'd had enough of being ignored.
"Thank you," Molly smiled broadly at Agent Sprocket, then waved. She walked past Jacklyn's peripheral vision; but, when she turned to follow the girl, she was gone. She turned back to Agent Sprocket with her mind full of questions; but, she only found more.
He walked around the desks and gave her a glass card the same size as a playing card.
"This is a node," he said. "Just follow the tutorial and everything will make sense." At that moment, nothing made sense to her. Jacklyn fell back on the mental habits she'd already established rather than try and solve it all. Maybe she could still make things work with Agent Sprocket.
"Well, I've met your daughter now...," she said. She stepped closer and leaned into him. "If you think that's why we wouldn't work out-," she stopped talking as Agent Sprocket stepped away from her.
"Sorry, it's the principle of the thing," he said. He wiggled his fingers and a black portal opened in the air behind him. "PrincipleS..," he shrugged as he pluralized it.
"First...," he held up a finger. Jacklyn waited for him to make a point, but instead she saw him shrink. Not much, maybe a couple of feet at most. His face grew younger and the skin around his hand tightened. "...I'm 14 and you're not. Ew," he said.
"Second...," young Sprocket stepped backward into the portal and disappeared. "...that was my girlfriend."