Raechyl sat in her room, quivering and crying quietly. Some one knocked on her door. "Can I come in?" said the voice. She recognized it as her dad's.
"Sure," she muttered shakily and wiped her tears quickly.
Ratchet opened the door and sat next to her on her bed. "What's wrong? Your mom and I are worried." She looked at him, and the look in his eyes told her it was true.
She shrugged. "I… I don't know. Nothing. Nothing really."
"You can always talk to us, Rae. You know that," He said, patting her back.
Raechyl felt anger build up. "No I can't. That's a lie and you know it. 24.5 of your time is spent playing video games. 25 of your time is spent working. 50 of your time is spent making out with Mom, and .5 of your time is spent being a father. I need more than that, Dad. If our ship caught on fire, you'd save your video games before you saved me."
"Rae, you don't—"
She didn't allow him to continue. "Then there's Mom. 45 of her time is taken with work and preparing for speeches, 50 percent making out with you, and 5 being a mom. She cares about me more than you do, but not by much. Just leave me alone. You're not coming in here to comfort me, you're coming in here to see why I screwed up the floor with the black and red paint. Just leave me alone."
"Rae…"
She glared. "Leave me alone!"
Ratchet got up and walked over to the door. She turned to look at him as he closed the door, and instantly regretted it. He had such a hurt expression on his face, Raechyl felt guilty. She grabbed her dad's old hat and put it on her head. She then took his old wrench and clutched it tightly.
30 minutes later, a knock interrupted her once more. "Raechyl? Can I come in?" It was her mom. Raechyl didn't say anything. "Raechyl?"
Sasha opened the door any way and as soon as she did, Raechyl lunged at her training pass and dashed out the door, almost knocking the cazar over. "Raechyl! Ratchet!"
As she raced down the stairs, she noticed her dad look up. He was just sitting on the couch, the TV was off. He still had the same look on his face. She turned away and pushed her way through the door.
She ran down the hallway of the Starship Phoenix, her feet making annoying clunk-clunk noises as she did so. She stopped for air then walked into the first left hallway in the entrance chamber. She intentionally went past the training room and into the farthest room down. The trophy room. She gazed at all the many trophies her father had. She looked at the wrench in her hands. He'd done all this with this very wrench. And, of course, numerous guns and other weapons. Raechyl let out a sigh, then turned and headed for the virtual training.
Helga took the pass and eyed Raechyl. "Why you be looking so sad?" She asked.
"No
reason. Can I go in now?"
"So impatient," she grumbled,
"Like father."
Raechyl looked up at her with an alarmed expression. She'd never thought of herself much like Ratchet. She liked video games like her father, but she wasn't obsessed. She liked adventure but… She sighed and stepped onto the platform. As she did so, she felt herself dematerialize in a green wave and land in the area.
The strange metal creatures swarmed at her with bombs, flame throwers, and fists. Swinging her wrench with unknown but great skills, she knocked out every single one. In the end, she had broken them all without even being hit. She panted, a bit tired, and headed for the green teleporter that had appeared once all the machines had been defeated. She stepped onto it, but just before she vanished, the green platform turned red, and she disappeared in a red flash, her scream echoing around the now empty area.
