Lost

Truce

Red had to admit, he half-expected to break all his bones, if not die.

To his painful surprise, the fall only lasted about six seconds before the thin bulk of his body came into contact with the snow. Both he and Lena landed and rolled down a bit further down. The inertia and gravity of the fall (plus the bonus throbbing pain) prevented them from even trying to stop.

The only reason they didn't fall off the cliff a few meters down was that Captain somehow managed to catch up to them and grab them by the collars of their clothing just as they were about to fall.

The ship fell down into the valley and exploded.

"And to think that could have been you," Captain muttered as he placed both Irkens back on the solid ground.

"Ouch..." Red grit his teeth in pain. Every single body part hurt. "Lena, are you alright?"

"I think so..." Lena said in-between heavy panting. "Ow... It's going to hurt even worse in the morning."

Captain snorted. Irkens and their soft hides. "Get over it, what matters is that you're still alive and breathing."

"How can you even stand after falling from a fucking ship at sixty kilometers per hour?!"

"I'm a Sobrekt. All my life I've been trained to grow accustomed to pain, plus I've got a thick scaly hide."

A few meters away GIR was lying on the snow making a strange shape with his arms and legs; really, was that robot as indestructible as Zim? Speaking of Zim, he landed a few steps away, still holding Ilk in his arms, but to Red and Lena's surprise instead of falling down like they had he had used the jets from his PAK to hover down. Then they remembered his PAK hadn't been touched by the Sobrekt virus.

"Success!" Zim cried in delight.

"Huh, Zim, would you mind putting me down?" Ilk said awkwardly, her cheeks red. She had never been held in such a way. "This is getting weird."

"Ilk!" Red was instantly on his feet-he did feel his legs and lower body ache in protest, however,-and rushed over to take Ilk in his arms. "Are you okay, sweetie?!"

If it was even possible, her cheeks had turned even redder. "Dad, not in front of everybody..." She changed her mind when Blue and overall Fury approached. "Nevermind."

"Are you okay?" Blue asked.

"Of course we're not okay!" Lena growled, giving the kryvtor a fulminating glare. "We're in the middle of nowhere with no food, no tools thanks to your virus, and now the others are being held captive by... by... whoever those people were!"

"That Iraa guy said he was a Hothian."

"Thanks, Red. By the Hothians!"

"And how is that our fault?" Captain asked with a frown of his own.

"Are you kidding me?!" Red snarled at him, holding Ilk closer. "If YOU hadn't taken Lena and Ilk in the first place, we wouldn't be here!"

Captain laughed humorlessly. "HA! Look who's talking! If YOU and your purple friend hadn't stolen our sacred flower, NONE of this would have ever happened!"

"What?" Shit. He had forgotten Ilk didn't know about the flower. She was shifting her confused glance between him and Captain. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah, so he hasn't told you?" Captain chuckled. "Why am I not surprised?"

"Tell me what?"

"Will you tell her? Or should I do so?"