Danem

Note: This POV, I knew, was going to take the longest, therefore it had its own chapter separate from the other rescuers. So in terms of timeline, this one happens before Red is on the scene.

...

It wasn't too long before Membrane found the manhole. It wasn't the manhole itself that stood out, so much as the foot traffic leading to the manhole, but not past it. People were going in, he observed, quite frequently. The garbage all along the route was crushed into a sort of path. If you weren't looking for it, nobody would pay it a second thought. But if you were looking for a trail, something unusual, then it was fairly easy to spot.

He wasn't sure entirely what the little alien was doing down a manhole in the middle of a dump, but it was about time he found out.

He gripped the edges of the cover and tugged at it. It didn't budge. He strained a little more, crouching down and leveraging his bodyweight to lean back as he gripped the lid. Still no movement. Tapping a few buttons on the arm of his coat, he tried again, this time at five times his natural strength. It creaked a little, but still nothing.

Membrane frowned. Either this cover was rusted shut—which, judging by the foot traffic, he highly doubted—or someone didn't want him to get in.

Well, nobody kept Professor Ivan Membrane out when he wanted in. Especially not when he had such an important mission. His thoughts flashed briefly to Gloria, still waiting for him to come back with her child.

Grimly, he stood over the manhole, pointed his arm down, and blasted a heat ray through the cover. It melted inward, dripping molten metal down a long shaft. Lights all along the tunnel shattered at the heat, and Membrane could hear alarms begin to blare.

Whatever he's gone and gotten himself into, it's bad.

Membrane leaped into the shaft, turning on his rocket boots to compensate for gravity. By the time he reached the bottom, he'd slowed enough to land on his feet. The second his boots touched the floor, he took off down the hall, running.

The first shot pinged off the wall by his shoulder, and he ducked into a doorway, wide-eyed.

Very bad. Bullets, not stun guns, they mean to kill. Is this... no, he wouldn't have gone there.

Grimly, he pulled his collar closed tighter. The entire coat was perfectly bullet proof. He'd recently tested it against lasers, and it could withstand moderate exposure. He'd been meaning to get that upgraded, but hadn't had the time.

More bullets startet flying down the hall. The Professor turned his head, speaking to his collar. "Simmons, I need a lock on my location. Send backup now, I repeat, I need backup now."

With a few adjustments, he routed power to his gloves, His sleeves usually generated the large blasts of energy, but for more focused attacks, he directed blasts with his fingers. Darting back into the hall, he began pointing his fingers, dropping two or three guards at a time. They're trying to kill me, it's self defense at this point.

As soon as it became apparent he was equipped with lasers, the patrol retreated around a corner, leaving their dead behind. Membrane picked his way forward, pausing just long enough to glance down at the uniform on one of the bodies.

The Swollen Eyeball? He DID go to them? What madness brought him here?

Gruesome images flashed through his mind, images of the little alien enduring horrific experiments closer to torture than science. They'd done it before, he'd seen the aftermath of Zim's last encounter with this organization, they would do it again.

He felt rage begin building in his chest. He'd never been close with Zim, but he was Gloria's son. By extension, he was a little piece of Gloria.

One that was most likely enduring unimaginable agony.

With a roar, Membrane charged around the corner, setting his coat to sleeve-blast. He would blow down every door if he had to to find Zim now.

A white-hot pain slammed into his shoulder, flipping him onto his back. Stunned, he assessed the damage.

He couldn't move his right arm. There was a hole drilled straight through his coat, shoulder, and out the other side, neat and cauterized. It smelled of burnt flesh.

Plasma blasters? How could they have plasma? It's still in developmental stages! He glanced up to see more security pouring into the hall, each armed with a weapon, modified with unfamiliar technology.

It's the Swollen Eyeball. They have the tech of any alien they every tortured at their disposal.

Rolling back around the corner, he pushed himself up. He had made a grave tactical error, not calling Simmons first. He had to withdraw and wait to direct Membrane Inc's forces. This was a much bigger problem than he had initially surmised.

Stumbling down the hall at a run, he made for the exit tunnel. His boot caught on a corpse and he tumbled to the ground with a grunt. He tried to push himself up, but felt a boot between his shoulderblades, slamming him back to the ground. A hot muzzle was placed against the back of his head.

A surge of grief drowned out his rage and fear, as he heard the weapon thrum to life.

Gloria, I'm so sorry...

.....

Note: Buckle up everyone. We've been worming along rock bottom for a few chapters now. It's time to take this baby skyward. Or at the very least, airborne.