Terranauts: Ruby Warrior 03 - Sibling Annoyances

Janet Malcomb slipped through her bedroom window, landing with practiced silence on the soft carpet. Her muscles ached from the evening's training session, and sweat still dampened her auburn hair despite the cool night air. She rolled her shoulders, wincing as the motion aggravated a fresh bruise. Lucy Dempse had been particularly demanding today during practice, pushing everyone through rigorous drills until even the most experienced among them were struggling.

"We need to stay sharp," Lucy had said, her piercing blue eyes scanning their faces as they gathered around her. "Everyone needs to maintain their regular training schedules."

Janet had wanted to ask more questions, but Lucy's expression had made it clear that further discussion would have to wait.

She pulled her cell phone-sized Garnet gem from her pocket, feeling its familiar warmth against her palm. The connection was still new enough that sometimes it surprised her—this living presence, this ancient power that had chosen her. She stared at the deep red stone for a moment before tucking it back into her pocket. It had been a long day, and all she wanted now was a shower and sleep.

A burst of laughter from downstairs caught her attention. Danny's voice, followed by another she recognized as Tony Ttereve's. She frowned. Her parents were working evening shifts, leaving her responsible for the house.

Janet pulled on a clean sweatshirt to hide the training bruises and checked her reflection to make sure she looked normal. The last thing she needed was Danny asking more questions about her "track practices."

The living room was illuminated by the glow of the television, where Danny and Tony were sprawled across the couch amidst a landscape of soda cans and chip bags. Tony's feet were propped up on the coffee table in a way that would have made their mother scold him immediately.

"—swear it was glowing, right between the trees," Tony was saying, his hands gesturing animatedly. "Like this weird red light, but it wasn't constant, it was pulsing—almost like it was breathing."

"It was probably just someone's drone," Danny replied, though his expression betrayed his fascination. "People fly them at night sometimes to get those cool light trail photos. There was that guy on Cherry Street who was doing those time-lapse things last summer."

"Dude, I'm telling you, it wasn't a drone." Tony's voice had dropped to an urgent whisper, leaning closer to Danny. "It was... I don't know, alive somehow? And then there was this crack, like something breaking, and we both just ran. David was freaked too, and he's usually Mr. Logical-Explanation-For-Everything."

"So what were you guys even doing in the park that late?" Danny asked, reaching for another handful of chips.

"Just hanging out," Tony shrugged. "David wanted to talk about the new Battle of the Ancients update. No way is that Crystalline Warrior class a legitimate strategy though. They nerfed that build already."

"I'm telling you, it still works," Danny insisted. "Jason tried it yesterday and absolutely wrecked everyone in the tournament. Three matches, three wins."

"That's because Jason could win with any build," Tony countered. "He's been playing since beta. Remember when he won that match using nothing but common gear?"

"Hey guys," Janet said, making her presence known.

Both boys looked up, and Tony quickly removed his feet from the table.

"Janet!" Danny grinned. "Thought you were still at your study group. How was track practice earlier?"

"Exhausting," she said, deciding that was truthful enough. "Coach Williams is determined to shave seconds off our relay times. My legs feel like jelly." She settled into a nearby armchair. "What were you talking about? I heard something about lights in the park?"

Tony nodded eagerly. "Yeah, last night. Me and David saw this weird red light between the trees near the park entrance. It was moving in this really strange way."

"What do you mean by strange?" Janet asked, trying to sound merely curious.

"Like... not normal," Tony explained, gesturing with his hands. "It wasn't moving like anything mechanical. More like it was floating, but with purpose. And the way it glowed was weird too—pulsing, almost organic."

"Where exactly in the park was this?" Janet pressed.

"You know that entrance near the old pavilion?" Tony said. "Right around there. We were just hanging out, and suddenly this light appeared maybe fifty yards into the trees."

"He thinks it's aliens," Danny teased. "Or government experiments."

"I never said aliens," Tony protested. "I just said it was weird. David saw it too, and you know how skeptical he is about everything."

"So what happened after you saw it?" Janet asked.

Tony shrugged. "We watched it for maybe a minute, then there was this weird cracking sound from the trees. That's when we decided it was time to go. David tried to play it cool, but I could tell he was freaked out too."

"Sounds creepy," Janet admitted, then glanced at the game controller on the coffee table. "Anyway, what were you guys playing before I interrupted?"

"Battle of the Ancients," Danny answered. "Tony's trying to convince me his workout routine of eating Cheetos and pressing buttons really builds endurance."

"Hey, gaming requires serious reflexes," Tony protested, reaching for another handful of chips. "And strategic thinking. It's basically mental athletics."

Janet laughed, settling into a nearby armchair. "I'm sure Coach Williams would love to hear that theory. Maybe we should replace our workouts with Mario Kart tournaments."

"I'd dominate at that," Danny said confidently.

"Please," Tony scoffed. "You couldn't even beat Emma last time, and she'd never played before."

"That's because she kept using the blue shell! Who does that to their friends?"

Janet smiled, enjoying the normal teenage banter. This was the kind of conversation she missed—simple, uncomplicated, without the weight of responsibilities that now filled her days.

"Speaking of dominating," Tony said, turning to Janet, "your brother got absolutely destroyed in history class today. Mr. Whitley asked about the Civil War, and Danny here said—"

"Don't you dare," Danny interrupted, throwing a pillow at Tony.

"He said Sherman was just 'spicy camping,'" Tony finished, dodging the pillow. "Mr. Whitley's face turned so red I thought he was going to pop."

"It was a joke!" Danny protested. "And I knew the real answer, I just thought—"

"That's not even the best part," Tony continued, eyes gleaming with mischief. "When Mr. Whitley asked him to explain, Danny started talking about how marshmallows weren't invented until after the Civil War, so technically they couldn't have had proper s'mores during the campaign."

Janet burst out laughing. "Danny, what were you thinking?"

"I panicked!" Danny said, his face reddening. "I'd been up late playing Battle of the Ancients and didn't read the chapter. It was either that or admit I had no idea what he was talking about."

"And now you have detention tomorrow," Tony added cheerfully.

"Worth it though," Danny shrugged. "The class laughed, which is more than I can say for Nevin's boring correct answer about supply lines."

"Speaking of Battle of the Ancients," Tony said, changing subjects, "did you see they're adding that new Crystalline Warrior class? The mechanics look insane."

"Yeah, David was telling me about it," Danny replied. "He's already planning his build. Something about socket combinations and elemental alignments."

A loud crash from the kitchen interrupted their conversation. All three of them jumped.

"What was that?" Tony asked, sitting up straight.

Janet was already moving toward the kitchen. The room was dark except for the light above the stove. She flipped on the overhead light to see their mother's crystal vase shattered on the tile floor, water and flowers scattered across the kitchen. The family cat, Max, sat calmly on the windowsill, grooming himself with complete disinterest in the chaos he'd caused.

"Mom is going to be upset," Danny said, coming up behind her. "That was her anniversary vase. Dad got it for her last year."

Tony appeared in the doorway. "Whoa. Cat-astrophe."

"Really, Tony?" Danny groaned at the pun.

"Mom loved that vase," Janet sighed, surveying the damage. "It's completely destroyed."

Danny went to get the broom while Janet grabbed some paper towels to soak up the water. Tony knelt down to pick up some of the larger glass pieces.

"Careful, these edges are sharp," he warned, gingerly placing fragments in his palm.

"Danny, grab that trash can, would you?" Janet called, kneeling to mop up the expanding puddle.

Danny returned with the broom, dustpan, and kitchen trash can. "Do you think we can glue it back together?"

Janet surveyed the damage as she soaked up water. The vase hadn't just broken—it had practically shattered into dozens of pieces, some no bigger than confetti. "Not a chance. This is beyond repair."

"Maybe we could find a replacement?" Tony suggested, carefully depositing glass shards into the trash. "There's that antique shop downtown."

"On our allowance?" Danny scoffed, sweeping smaller fragments into a pile. "That vase was from some fancy glass place in Atlanta. Cost Dad like two hundred bucks."

Janet knelt to rescue the flowers, gathering the now-bedraggled bouquet. "We'll have to come clean. Maybe put these in another container for now."

"Here," Danny opened a cabinet and pulled out a tall glass pitcher. "Will this work?"

"Better than nothing," Janet said, arranging the flowers as best she could. The result looked significantly less elegant than the original arrangement, but at least the flowers weren't lying in a puddle on the floor.

As they worked together cleaning up the mess, the conversation drifted back to school and friends.

"So how's the college application process going?" Tony asked Janet as he helped Danny sweep up the last of the glass fragments. "You're applying to Georgia State, right?"

"Among others," Janet nodded. "I've got applications out to five schools, but Georgia State is probably my top choice. Their geology program is exactly what I'm looking for."

"Rocks," Danny teased. "My sister wants to spend her life studying rocks."

"Earth sciences," Janet corrected with mock seriousness. "And yes, rocks are actually fascinating when you understand what they can tell us about the world."

"If you say so," Danny shrugged, clearly unconvinced.

"What about you guys?" Janet asked. "Started thinking about colleges yet?"

"I'm thinking tech program," Tony said. "Maybe computer science or game design. Still a year to figure it out though."

"I'm planning to be a professional Battle of the Ancients player," Danny declared. "Make millions streaming my legendary gameplay."

"In your dreams," Tony laughed. "You can't even beat David consistently."

"That's because he exploits that cheap Pyromancer build," Danny protested. "Total button-masher strategy."

They finished cleaning up, making sure no glass shards remained on the floor where someone might step on them. When they returned to the living room, the conversation turned to weekend plans.

"There's that new sci-fi movie coming out Friday," Tony said. "The one with the space colony and the alien artifact. We should check it out."

"I'm in," Danny agreed. "David probably will be too. Janet, you want to come?"

Janet hesitated. She already had patrol scheduled for Friday night, but she didn't want to keep declining every social invitation. "Maybe. Let me check my schedule. Coach might be adding extra practices."

"All work and no play," Danny shook his head. "You used to be fun, you know."

"I'm still fun," Janet protested. "Just also responsible."

"Uh-huh," Danny looked skeptical.

When Tony finally left for the evening, Janet walked him to the door. "See you around, Tony. Try not to get my brother into too much trouble."

"Me? Never," Tony grinned. "He does that all on his own. Later, Janet."

After closing the door behind Tony, she found Danny in the kitchen, wiping down the counter where they'd missed some water.

"So how much trouble are we in about the vase?" he asked, tossing the dishcloth into the sink.

"I'll talk to Mom," Janet said. "Accidents happen. Though maybe we should consider keeping Max out of the kitchen."

"Good luck with that," Danny snorted. "That cat goes wherever he wants."

Janet smiled, but Danny's expression had turned more serious.

"Hey," he said, studying her face. "You okay? You've seemed... I don't know, different lately."

"Different how?" Janet asked carefully.

"Just... intense. Distant sometimes. Like you've got something major on your mind." Danny shrugged. "And don't say it's just college applications or track. It started before all that."

The accuracy of his observation was unsettling. "Senior year is a lot," she said finally. "Maybe I am taking things too seriously these days."

"Well, you should come to the movie," Danny said. "Take a break from being so responsible all the time."

"I'll try," Janet promised, meaning it despite knowing her Terranaut duties would likely prevent it.

After Danny went upstairs, Janet retreated to her room and pulled out her Garnet gem. The stone felt warm in her hand as she glanced at her door to make sure it was closed.

"Lucy, are you there?" she said quietly.

After a moment, Lucy's voice emerged from the gem. "I'm here, Janet. Everything okay?"

"I think so," Janet replied, keeping her voice low. "But I just heard something interesting from my brother and his friend. They were talking about strange lights they saw in the park last night."

"What kind of lights?" Lucy asked, her tone shifting to one of greater attention.

"A red light near the old pavilion entrance," Janet explained. "Tony described it as pulsing 'almost like it was breathing' and moving in ways that didn't seem mechanical. He said it was 'alive somehow' and 'floating with purpose.' The description was pretty detailed, and apparently David Lamb was with him and saw it too. They got spooked after hearing a cracking sound and ran off."

"Did they tell anyone else about this?" Lucy asked.

"Tony said they only told my brother so far," Janet replied. "I tried to ask casual questions without seeming too interested. They seemed to think it might be drones or something, but Tony wasn't convinced."

A brief silence followed before Lucy responded. "That's concerning. Any other details?"

"Not really," Janet admitted. "They were more focused on video games and movies than whatever they saw. I don't think they're taking it too seriously."

"Keep an eye on the situation," Lucy advised. "If they start asking more questions or looking into things, let me know immediately."

"Will do," Janet agreed. "Should I be worried?"

"Just cautious," Lucy replied. "It might be nothing, but we can't be too careful. Get some rest, Janet. We have training again tomorrow afternoon."

The gem's glow faded as the connection ended. Janet returned it to its hiding place and prepared for bed. As tired as she was, her mind kept returning to Danny's comment about her being different. He was more observant than she'd given him credit for, and that could become a problem if she wasn't careful.

But for tonight, at least, everything was normal. Her brother was safe upstairs, probably already back to playing his game. The vase was broken, but that was an ordinary household accident, not a sign of anything sinister. And if Tony and Danny had seen something unusual in the park, well... Millridge had always had its share of strange stories and urban legends.

Janet switched off her light and settled into bed, looking forward to a few hours of uninterrupted sleep before another day of balancing her two lives began.

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End Chapter 03

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