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After his encounter with his biological dad, Morty was overcome with guilt, shame, fear and hopelessness. He didn't want to be alone. He regretted ever abandoning his biological family. He was stuck in an apocalyptic world overrun by mindless, bloodthirsty cronenbergs. There were very little resources or things that he could do to protect himself.
Morty missed the scrambled remains of the family he had just gotten separated from. He wished he wasn't alone. He needed help. Where was Rick when you actually needed him?
Due to the immense fear he felt towards being alone, Morty decided to tag after his biological father. Yeah, he knew that he probably didn't want him around, but Morty would like to believe that he would help him should he need it. And, if he could stay well enough hidden, then maybe he could feed off of scraps of food his dad left behind, or seek potential recourses he came across.
Morty tried his best to stay quiet and hidden as he trailed after his biological dad. At some point, he got lost and began fretting for the worst as he struggled to figure out where his dad had disappeared to. The grass and surrounding foliage was thick, tall and difficult to trudge through. He couldn't see through anything without having to jump and risk being spotted.
For around thirty minutes, Morty aimlessly searched for a sign of his dad or any intelligent life in general.
A strange noise in the distance caught his attention. It sounded like something heavy crashing into the ground, the delicate clatter of glass shattering in the background filling Morty up with hope. Maybe it was Rick?
Pulsing with anticipation, Morty forced his way through the thick foliage. It didn't take but a few minutes for voices to appear in the far distance. Someone else was definitely here. He could see a small bit of smoke rising into the sky. Surely it had to be Rick. Surely.
"Speaking of... Did you talk to 'me' or a little kid around here?"
Morty couldn't understand very many of the words spoken but he knew that that was Rick's voice. Cautiously, he came to a stop behind a large patch of grass and slowly went to part it to see through. Trees partly obstructed his view, but he could make out two distinct figures; one belonging to his dad, and the other belonging to... A Rick?
"Maybe... Why? Because, if you hate them too, I might be down for a little team up." Jerry said.
Morty squinted his eyes and leaned forward. What were they talking about? That wasn't his Rick, was it? Why did he look so weird, all dressed up in dark clothes like that? Obviously it was a different Rick, but why? Why was he here? What was going on?
"Eh, I really don't team up anymore. Uh, managing people, such a headache-ahkl!"
Jerry slit the Rick's throat while growling, "Blasphemy. Jerry wins."
"Whoa-mn," Morty covered his mouth to prevent himself from reacting any further. Why would his dad do that?
For a few seconds the Rick struggled to cover his throat, choking and gagging until suddenly... He went still.
He went still and he started to laugh. He laughed while moving his hands away from his spotless, healed throat. "Oh," He grinned, wiping his brow, "God damn, dude. Bad ass."
And then, before Morty could even blink, the Rick pulled out a laser gun and shot Jerry right in the chest.
The shot sent Jerry flying backwards into the ground. He groaned, holding his wounded stomach. Morty couldn't hear what he said as he tried glaring at the strange, deadly Rick.
"Buddy, I have been asking myself that exact same question," The Rick nonchalantly replied while finishing Jerry off with a few more lethal gun shots to the torso and head.
Gasping into his hand, Morty spun around in a mixture of shock and horror. Shit. Oh, shit, oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. He just watched his biological dad get murdered by some crazy, random, weird looking Rick. Shit. What to do. What to do.
Frantically, Morty gazed around, anxious and afraid. That Rick was not a Rick to be messed with. Morty didn't know why he was here, and he most certainly did not want to find out. He needed to get away from the area without being spotted.
Gazing in all directions, Morty began to tip-toe away, more quiet than he had ever been. Behind him in the distance, he could hear the fine tassel of leaves and grass being shaken- undoubtedly by the strange Rick. He held his breath, sweat layering his skin as he fought against making even the slightest bit of noise.
During a moment when Morty was looking over his shoulder to see if, by any chance, he was being followed, he accidently stepped on a large stick and tripped. A sharp "whoa" slipped out his mouth as he quickly struggled to recapture his equilibrium. Once again, he clamped a hand on his mouth and went still. Was he spotted? Did the Rick hear him?
Frozen, Morty looked back and forth for a minute or two, waiting and listening for any signs that he had been caught.
Just when he thought he was safe, the sudden nearby rustle of grass and foliage had him silently gasping in startlement. Quickly he tried to step away only to trip, yet again, over the same scattered tree branches. He fell back into a patch of long grass. The rustling was getting louder. He jerked over onto his back, his heart rate excelerating.
Right before his very eyes, the darkly dressed Rick appeared.
He parted the foliage and looked down at him, his eyes squinting. A second went by before his tense body language seemed to perk up, and he was standing up straight with a grin on his face.
"Oh, hey-uh... Original grandson, hi? This is-uh super weird, haha," He chuckled, moving over the foliage to stand a couple feet away.
Morty looked at him in pure, utter disbelief. From the get-go, he had imagined that this strange Rick was originally from this dimension, but for some reason he had tried to dismiss that thought. It wasn't that much of a shocker that he wasn't C-137 Rick's original Morty, but it was a shocker to witness what was potentially his real Rick standing right before him. He couldn't help but to have trouble taking it all in.
"Did you say... 'original grandson'?" Morty whispered.
"Uh, yeah, you're my original grandson," The Rick explained. "I mean, I get it. That wife-guys probably kept you in the shadows all this time. But-uh, yeah. I'm your original grandfather, you're my original grandson, orange and blue make brown. And that's the lesson for the day."
Morty gaped. He wasn't exactly sure how he should feel about this situation. After all, he had just witnessed this Rick murder his biological father in cold blood after surviving a fatal slash to the throat. If that wasn't already bizarre enough, Morty couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen this Rick before. Like, there was something about him, something familiar. It gave Morty a chilling sensation of deja vu.
"O-ok," Morty answered.
"Yeah, good greetings. Nice to meet ya. So, listen," The Rick looked down at him, "You wouldn't have happened to see a guy like me running around here, would you?"
"Umm... No?" Morty was getting nervous.
"That's fine. Given your ignorance, I think we're both just as equally confused as the other. But I'm assuming that this is happening because of some sort of reset." The Rick tapped on his temple and gazed up at the sky as if reading the atmosphere, "Yep. Definitely in my own dimension. Man, ha, this place really went to shit. Damn. What the hell happened?"
Morty tilted his chin down in guilt, but did not answer.
"Eh, looks better this way," The Rick shrugged with a smile.
What was this guy even about? Morty looked up at him, a hundred questions dancing on the tip of his tongue. He didn't know where to even start. Part of him was still in shock and having trouble believing everything that had just happened. If this was his biological Rick, then where had he been all these years? Why did he seem familiar? And why did he come off as so... Menacing?
"So, I've got places I really need to be right now. You know 'important' places/'adult' places-anyway... I think we're both looking for the same thing, so uh... Wanna come with me?" The Rick suggested.
Morty was taken aback.
"We could, you know, build ourselves a new portal gun, do a little grandfather/grandson bonding and whatnot, and-uh... Yeah," The Rick smiled happily. "Then, in the end, we'll part ways and everyone gets to go home happy."
Although Morty was a bit skeptical, he couldn't help but to be comforted by the thought of having company- company that would help him find his way back to the home he belonged. Besides, this Rick wasn't that bad. He was nice. Sure, he killed his father but, to be fair, his father bit first...
"You... You'll help me get back home?" Morty asked.
"Pretty sure you're already there," The Rick chuckled, "But I'm just messin'. I know what you mean, and yes. We'll have you back home in no time."
Morty sighed in relief. He was ready to go home, that was for sure. While this was an odd scenario he never imagined himself being in, it wasn't all that bad, right? This was his biological Rick. In a way, this was kind of an interesting opportunity. Besides, he was being kind so far. What could there be to worry about?