Sorry it's been so long folks. College has been kicking my ass and I just haven't had the urge to type this up. This one won't be as long as the other chapters because it's almost filler. Well, it is a filler. Hopefully though, you'll like it. Sorta liked the idea in this section. What else would the crew do with their free time? lol

Words- Regular speech

Words- Thoughts

Words- Chapters and changes

(Words)- Bez speech

Chapter 38—Chute Races – Winner Takes All—

Normal P.O.V….

Weeks later….

"Welcome everyone to the First Chute race of the ship. A race that we just thought of because the Captain got bored! It starts from here in the Mess Hall, travels to Engineering, and runs through the halls to the Showers, only to the end on the bridge of our ship. The exact route can be seen on the screens highlighted in a pretty blue color. We have four teams of four here to compete today for the prize! And if you don't know by now, I'm GIR!" GIR squealed into a microphone that he help in his hand.

The crew roared enthusiastically as the insane robot riled them up. Not all the crew could fit in the mess hall and a few were stationed along the race route being heard on the speakers. Wren grinned at the enthusiasm that the crew was showing.

"Now, our four teams are," GIR rolled out, "the Captains!"

Wren sighed, "That is a horrible name for our team Rachel." She muttered to Rachel as the team stepped forward and waved to the crew.

"The Waiters!"

"Not as bad as theirs," Rachel muttered to Wren.

"The Mechanics and the Nurses!" GIR crowed. "Now I gave you the route but now what the race is! This is a relay race, and only a relay race. And you can't cheat either because Bez is going to keep track of where everyone is."

"Aw," a mechanic team member said. "Darnn."

A few of the crowd members laughed. GIR hushed the crowd. "Now, the first team to cross the finish line wins the prize. CADIE what is that prize?"

CADIE smiled and took the mic. "The team that wins gets a week of rest! An-n-nd also first privileges to the spa that Bez has just created!"

"God, do I need that," Curtis muttered rolling his shoulders thinking of all the time he had sat while listening to people spout about their problems. It had been several weeks straight of just listening and giving advice. A break would be gladly welcome!

Wren, Rachel, and Zim snickered while Curtis shot them a scathing look.

"Now, if all the contestants would report to their places, we'll start this thing," CADIE giggled.

Wren hit the chute first then Rachel and finally Zim. Curtis stayed at the chute entrances with the other first runners of each team. Zim was to be tagged by Curtis, Rachel was after Zim and Wren was the last runner. Everyone got into position just as GIR and CADIE started the count down.

"Ready… Set….. Go!" Both shouted and the teams were off.

Curtis shot off and disappeared down the chute tube a few seconds behind a nurse. As soon as he exited the tube he tagged a waiting Zim. Zim dashed toward his destination, not using his pak because of its unfair advantage.

During the whole race GIR and CADIE were giving a running commentary. Half the commentary wasn't even on race. The crew watched the monitors with bated breath as they're favorite teams raced head to head. The finish screen showed so many shots of the final runners it was hard to tell who won. The runners who had finished their part had met up on the bridge where the finish line was. In only a matter of seconds GIR was squealing with the winner.

"And the winner's team was…" GIR held out the answer.

"Just get on with it!" someone from the crowd shouted.

"The winner is the Captains by a tail!" CADIE squealed giggling her head off.

Wren jumped up and down in her excitement before leaping into Zim's arm. She kissed him on the cheek still giggling. Zim blushed but grinned because of Wren's enthusiasm and enjoyed the close contact.

Curtis grinned and leaned over to whisper in Rachel's ear. "I knew that tail would come in handy."

Rachel started to laugh, "We probably don't know the half of it."

Wren glared at both of them and they placed innocent smiled on their faces. She snorted and continued to glare until Zim blew into her ear distracting her. Wren shook her head and blinked up at him before he grinned and started walking to the lift leaving the bridge.

In the spa….

Wren and Rachel entered the room wrapped in towels and donned in slippers. Wren was giggling insanely as they walked in. Curtis leaned over to peer around the screen to watch them come in. Wren shot him a full blown glare.

"Keep on your side or you'll find a slipper in your face," Wren growled baring her sharp canines.

Curtis quickly dodged behind the screen. "Do you think she could hit me?" he asked Zim who was leaning in his own small pool to the right of Curtis.

"Meh," Zim replied with a one sided shrug and lazily opening an eye to look at Curtis. "You never know. Her aim is bad so it probably wouldn't hit you."

"I heard that Zim," Wren said from the other side of the screen. "Don't make me practice my aim on you."

"Wouldn't that be the other way around?" Rachel asked snickering.

The sound of a slipper hitting someone came to the guys through the screen. "Rachel… I warned you," came the growl.

"You started it," Rachel whined rubbing her forehead.

"Bull shit!" Wren huffed and sunk down into her own pool. It was a little bit like some green goo whereas Rachel's was water.

Rachel made a face that showed her dislike for the goop. "Still don't know why you chose that pool."

"Well, it's a gel compound that helps ease aches and supports the joints and body," Wren replied sinking down will the goo almost touched her chin. She gave a content little sigh as she felt her muscles relax.

Rachel threw the slipper that had hit her and hit Wren in the back of the head with it. "It looks like snot to me."

Wren turned around after grabbing the slipper. "Well it's not," she threw the offending shoe back at Rachel. Again it hit her in the face.

The slipper fell into the water. Rachel threw her arm into the air with the shoe in hand. "This means war!" she shouted and threw it at her friend in the green goo.

Wren ducked and grabbed another slipper from the edge of the pool. "Fine then! It is war!"

From the other side of the screen Curtis and Zim were sitting quite comfortable in their pools. Curtis looked over at Zim and vise versa. "Should we stop them?" Zim asked over the giggling and squeals.

"Nah," Curtis said closing his eyes with a smirk hearing Rachel yelp loudly. "Let them duel it out."

"I agree," Zim said closing his eyes again sinking into his goo pool as Wren's obvious exclamation of 'Nooooo!' was heard.

Rachel and Wren were throwing shoes at each other still. Suddenly the shoe Rachel was going to throw slipped out of her hand and disappeared over her the screen. It landed smack dab in the middle of Curtis's face.

"Who threw that?" he shouted grabbing the offending object.

"Uh…" Wren and Rachel stalled from the other side of the screen.

"Rachel did it!" "Wren did it!" each said at the same time.

Zim was snickering from the other pool only to be hit in the face by the shoe. He grabbed it and glared, "You will pay for that." The shoe flew through the air and nailed Curtis.

Soon the screen disappeared as an all out shoe war was raging between the four people. Curtis and Zim had an advantage in this war because they could put more force behind their throws. That was only because they didn't have to worry about being shirtless. Wren and Rachel were holding out well until Wren started looking around a little confused.

"Our towels are gone," Wren yelped looking around dropping the slipper she was holding.

Rachel, in mid throw, looked to Wren. "What?"

"Awww, damn," Wren whined and her forehead hit the edge of the pool.

"It's not so bad for us," Curtis said. "We still have our, towels?"

"Curtis," Zim rolled his eyes, "we don't have any towels either."

"Eh, still doesn't matter. I have to problem streaking out of this pool," he said shrugging.

"Bullshit!" Wren huffed. "I refuse to get out of this pool with anyone watching."

"And why not?" Curtis asked raising his eyebrow.

"Just because," Wren replied and blew a strand of hair out of her face.

There was only a soft snicker from Rachel and the silence.

"You know," Zim said with a wry smirk on his face. "I have always wondered if those stripes cover your whole body or just your tail, ears, and feet."

Zim barely ducked in time as a slipper narrowly missed his head. "You're not finding that out easily buddy. Trust me on that one." Wren said with a small glare and snarl. "And if I catch who stole our towels I'll kill them!"

From the other room….

GIR and CADIE started giggling like mad while fashioning garments and hats out of four slightly damp towels.

I did enjoy this chappy. Forgot how fun it was. Lol Maybe it'll make up for the long pause in the story. Sorry about that!