Rick & Morty: Science is Power (SI)

The bunker trembled again, dust shaking from the ceiling as the distant sound of plasma fire rang out in the ruined cityscape above. Rick gritted his teeth, finishing the last adjustment to the stolen portal gun while I kept watch near the entrance. My heart pounded—partly from the chase, partly from the weight of the secret I had no choice but to keep.

"They don't give up, do they?" I muttered, peering through a crack in the bunker's rusted metal door.

"Yeah, well, I have that effect on people," Rick grumbled, snapping the gun shut. "Alright, Morty, we're getting out of here. I just need to input the right coordinates and—"

A loud explosion rocked the bunker. The door bent inward, groaning under pressure. Rick grabbed my arm, pulling me back just as a plasma bolt sizzled through the air where my head had just been.

"Ah, geez!" I yelped, stumbling as Rick fired up the portal gun. A fresh green portal burst open against the bunker wall.

"Go!" Rick shoved me toward it, already pulling his pistol from his coat. "I'll cover you—"

Before I could argue, another blast erupted through the door, sending metal shards flying. The force knocked us both to the ground. I barely had time to look up before I saw them—the Citadel Ricks, swarming in like a plague. Their weapons hummed with deadly energy, their faces impassive.

One of them stepped forward, a high-ranking Rick by the looks of it, with a thick beard and a jagged scar down his left cheek. His portal gun gleamed at his hip.

"C-137," the scarred Rick sneered. "You really thought you could run forever?"

Rick wiped blood from his chin, giving him an unimpressed look. "Well, considering it took you dumbasses this long to find me, yeah. Kinda did."

The Citadel Ricks aimed their weapons. I could feel my pulse hammering in my ears. I wasn't ready to go down like this. Not without my collar. Not without a fight.

Before they could fire, I acted on instinct. Ducking low, I lunged for the nearest soldier, slipping through his grip and snatching his portal gun right off his belt.

"Morty, what the hell are you—?!" Rick started, but I didn't have time to explain.

I fired the gun at the ceiling. A new portal crackled open, destabilizing the already weak structure of the bunker. The roof caved in with a deafening crash, sending debris and dust in every direction.

"Move!" I shouted, grabbing Rick and dragging him through the fresh portal before the Citadel Ricks could regroup.

We landed hard on cold, polished floors. The air around us was sterile, the lighting artificial and humming.

The Citadel.

"Ah, Morty, are you an idiot?" Rick groaned, picking himself up. "You just jumped us straight into the snake pit!"

"I didn't have a choice!" I shot back, scanning the area. It was quiet—too quiet. But I recognized this section of the Citadel. I knew exactly where we needed to go.

Rick dusted himself off, looking at me with suspicion again. "Morty. You knew where to aim that thing."

I hesitated. I couldn't let him know. Not yet.

"Lucky guess," I mumbled. "Let's just get out of here."

Rick narrowed his eyes but didn't push. Instead, he yanked me forward, ducking behind a row of lockers as a group of soldiers passed by. My heart pounded, but I forced myself to stay focused.

I had one goal: get my collar back.

Navigating the Citadel was easier than I expected. Maybe it was because I had seen it before. Maybe it was something more. Either way, every hallway, every turn felt familiar. And eventually, we made it to the containment wing.

The room was lined with confiscated tech, all neatly categorized in glowing display cases. And there it was—my collar, sitting in one of the secured cases, its shiny metailic surface reflecting the dim blue light of the room.

Rick was already scanning the area, checking for security. "Alright, Morty, grab your weird little wristwatch or whatever and let's get out of here before—"

"Freeze!"

We spun around. A squad of Citadel guards stood at the entrance, weapons raised.

"Dammit," Rick growled. "Every. Damn. Time."

The guards stepped forward. One of them grabbed my arm, yanking me back. My chest tightened. I couldn't fail now—I needed that collar.

Thinking fast, I kicked back, slamming my heel into the guard's knee. He stumbled, giving me just enough time to break free and lunge toward the display case. Rick fired at the remaining guards, his shots precise and ruthless. I smashed my elbow into the glass, ignoring the sharp sting as shards cut my skin, and grabbed the collar.

The moment my fingers closed around it, a surge of familiarity rushed through me. The weight of it, the cold metal—it was like reconnecting with an old part of myself. thoughts flooded into my mind and one stood out, I'd need to investigate this collar once's more. I snapped it back onto my wrist just as Rick tossed me a fresh portal gun from one of the confiscated weapons racks.

"Time to go, Morty!" he barked.

We dove through the next portal, barely evading another round of plasma blasts. The world shifted around us, and suddenly, we were standing in the lower industrial sector of the Citadel—the maintenance tunnels, a maze of pipes, vents, and metal walkways.

And we weren't alone. 

Still being chased he grumbled. With a few quick taps searching for dumb brainwaves instead of his own, he found the perpetrator and in just a few moments a couple of planets pulled up . A high-pitched whine filled the air and rick landed on the planet of Trans. A green solid planet that has just enough oxygen to breathe on. 

"Oh, shit," I muttered seeing portals opening behind us, Rick quickly looked back and grimaced. "Yeah. Evil Rick lets go." Rick wasted no time, setting new coordinates the portal gun whirled to life and we were in before they could even fire back.

We landed in a wasteland ready for what was to come.

The wasteland stretched before us, barren and broken, the air thick with an acrid stench. The dome in the distance loomed like a scar on the ruined landscape, its metal frame rusted and reinforced with crude patches. The faintest screams echoed from within, barely audible over the gusts of wind that kicked up dust around us.

Rick exhaled sharply, adjusting his portal gun. "There he is," he muttered. "Bastard thought he could hide. Guess what? Nobody hides from me."

my fingers tightening around my collar. "So, what's the plan? We just bust in there?"

Rick smirked, his eyes gleaming with something between anticipation and annoyance. "Damn right we do." He pulled out his pistol, checking the charge. "Keep your head down, Morty. And don't touch anything weird."

We moved quickly, keeping to the jagged remains of collapsed buildings for cover. As we neared the dome, automated turrets whirred to life, scanning the perimeter. Rick rolled his eyes, casually pulling a small device from his pocket and pressing a button. The turrets sparked violently before deactivating.

"Wow," I muttered. "That was easy."

Rick scoffed. "You think a guy like Evil Rick expects visitors? He's paranoid as hell, guy probably forgot to change the default security codes."

The front entrance slid open with a mechanical hiss, revealing a long, dimly lit corridor lined with flickering monitors. Each screen displayed a different Morty, some in cages, some strapped to machines, their faces twisted in expressions of agony or vacant resignation.

My eyes squinted, showing a bit of hesitation, "Rick… this is…"

"Yeah, I know," he said, voice uncharacteristically tense. "Just keep moving."

At the far end of the corridor, a figure stood waiting. Evil Rick.

He looked just like my Rick, but there was something off about him, something colder. His grin was sharp, cruel, his eyes devoid of anything close to remorse. and, maybe a bit of mascara.

"Well, well," Evil Rick drawled, spreading his arms. "C-137, you just don't know when to quit, do you?"

Rick scowled. "Oh, I quit all the time. Just not today."

Evil Rick chuckled, tapping a few buttons on his wrist console. From the walls, mechanical arms shot out, grabbing Rick before he could react. Before I could move, a pair of arms wrapped around me too, yanking me upward.

"Damn it," Rick grunted, struggling against his restraints. "Really? Bondage traps? That's the best you got?"

Evil Rick smirked. "I find they're pretty effective. You know, you never should've searched for me like that C-137. That was sloppy. Sent you straight back to my own mess, gave me just enough time to prepare for this moment."

Rick scoffed. "This whole setup? It's amateur. It's desperate. You're hoarding Mortys like some kind of lunatic instead of actually being smart about it."

Evil Rick's smirk faltered. "You're one to talk. You lost your Citadel, lost your place at the top. Face it, you're nothing now."

Rick grinned. "Yeah? Then why are you scared?"

Before Evil Rick could react, my Rick twisted his wrist, activating something on his own. It was his pistol on max settings. A pulse of blue energy shot through the room, and suddenly, the restraints shattered.

Evil Rick's eyes widened. "What—"

Rick didn't wait for him to finish. He lunged, fist connecting with Evil Rick's jaw, sending him sprawling. I dropped to the ground, shaking off the last of my own restraints, and grabbed one of the weapons scattered around.

Evil Rick groaned, pushing himself up. "You—"

Rick aimed his portal gun at the ceiling and fired. A swirling portal opened up, revealing the vast void of space.

"You talk too much," Rick muttered, before kicking Evil Rick straight into the portal.

I barely caught a glimpse of where he was headed before the portal snapped shut. The Citadel Council room.

Whatever happened to him there… he wasn't coming back from it.

With the threat neutralized, we turned to the Mortys still trapped in the walls. I helped free as many as I could while Rick contacted the Citadel, sending them the proof they needed to clear his name. Within minutes, retrieval teams arrived, rounding up the surviving Mortys and dismantling the remains of Evil Rick's base.

As the chaos settled, I stepped away from the crowd, needing a moment to breathe. That's when I saw him.

A Morty, standing at the edge of the crowd, staring at the wreckage. He wore an eyepatch, his expression unreadable.

Something about him sent a chill down my spine. He looked at me, just for a moment, and then turned, disappearing into the masses without a word.

I wanted to call out. But I didn't.

Something told me this wasn't the right time. Is it a good Idea to get rid of him as an unknown variable or keep him as a hidden back up. I contemplated until someone interrupted

Rick clapped a hand on my shoulder. "C'mon, Morty. We're done here."

I nodded, shaking out of my daze unsettled, and followed him through the last portal home.