Takes place after Season 2…
Coming back to Earth was bittersweet for the family.
Jerry was the first to move on, and then Summer realized he wasn't coming back.
Beth finally gave up on hoping her father was going to move back a year after they got back to Earth.
Morty never gave up. Beth thought back on her young life when she would stay up waiting for her father to come home and realizing years down that road it would never happen. She didn't want her son to wait his whole life for Rick like she did.
Upon their return Morty would go to the garage every afternoon hoping to see the familiar green portal. On the two year anniversary of Rick leaving, Morty closed the garage for the last time. He watched as Beth had Jerry nail the door shut so that Morty couldn't go back in the garage. Beth hoped it would help Morty move on. It was hard for him to move on when the aliens he was used to seeing with Rick were walking around on Earth.
Beth would still catch her son sitting against the closed garage door when he thought no one was around, his knees to his chest, waiting. That was where he was right now, he sat at the door, wishing to hear Rick cussing on the other side when he realized someone nailed it hut. Then he would use his gun to take down the door.
A knock was heard at the front door. Morty stood up to answer whoever was on the other side. He opened to see a large insect creature at the door. It was reminiscent of the insect he shot on his first adventure with Rick. Luckily, that was in the other dimension. The same creatures who took over Earth, a gromflomite.
"Are you Morty Smith?" the bug asked.
"Yeah?"
"I need you to come with me." The bug went to grab Morty.
"Hold on, I deserve to know why." Morty said backing away.
"Your presence is requested. I need you to come with me. I will have you back later tonight."
Morty didn't know why but he was okay with that answer. Maybe it was because he just didn't care about life anymore. Morty turned to the inside of the house, yelling, "Mom, dad, I have to run out. I'll be back late tonight." He walked out the door before he could hear their answer.
Morty walked onto a ship with the insect. He sat down on a chair and buckled in. The insect sat at a chair further up. "So where are we going?" Morty asked.
"You will see." The insect said.
Morty sighed. There were no windows to look through so he was forced to twiddle his thumbs and wonder where he was going. His mind fumbled from thought to thought.
An hour later, he felt a jolt. Morty looked up at the insect who stood. "We've landed." The insect said, "Follow me."
Morty unbuckled and followed the insect. He looked around him. They were in the middle of what looked to be a prison. They walked down a hall with cells that were similar to the cells on Earth. The prisoners were of all different types of aliens, "Is the boy for me?" One said, "NO, he's for me." Morty stood close to the gromflomite who wasn't acknowledging the jeers. The alien scanned a card as another door opened allowing the two through.
Two insects grabbed Morty's hands, scanning them and then his tongue. It was common place on Earth, he was used to it. His whole back story appeared. Luckily the Morty in this dimension never shot a gromflomite. Then he was released.
"We are about to go into maximum security." The insect said to Morty, "It is filled with the ones who are known to be psychopaths, murderers, terrorists, and have done things worse than you can imagine. As long as you follow me you will be fine, if you don't stay with me and do as I say, we are allowed to shoot. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yeah." Morty said. Why was he here?
Morty followed the insect through the doors. Large metal walls surrounded them. The insect opened a small door to the side and ushered Morty in. It was a small room with one chair. Morty looked back to see the door close behind him, then he heard a lock. Morty sat down in the chair. A clear glass wall separated his room from another room with a chair in it.
The door opened in the other room and Morty stood up. He couldn't believe his eyes, "Rick!" He yelled. Rick was right there in bright orange. His arms were chained to his legs, leaving him in a hunched position. His face was thin, either he was refusing to eat or they weren't feeding him. His right eye was bruised. Morty liked to think that Rick gave them a hard time. Morty liked to think that he took down two guards before they took him down.
Rick was ushered into the chair. He followed every order the bug gave. It was as if his spirit was broken, as if he didn't care anymore. The bug picked up a phone on the wall and put it to Rick's ear. Rick looked over at the right of Morty. Morty looked up to see a phone in his room. He picked it up shakily bringing it to his ear.
"Hey." Rick said.
Morty couldn't believe it; he was talking to Rick once more. "Hi." His voice cracked.
"How have you been Morty?" Rick asked, he let out a small smile. It was a smile Morty had never seen before. He appeared like he was genuinely happy to see Morty. Unlike, the sarcastic looks he had given so many years ago.
"I miss you Rick. The whole family misses you."
"How's your mom doing?"
"She's okay. She wants you back. We all want you back. When are you getting out?" Morty questioned.
Morty felt like Rick's voice was different; it didn't have the drunken twang it used to have. He didn't have his stutter, slur, or burps. His voice was rough but it was missing something that made him…well him.
"I can't go back Morty."
"The house isn't the same without you."
The insect whispered something into Rick's ear. Rick sighed, "Morty I only have a few more minutes. They are going to give you a package with everything I had when I was caught. I also have an envelope with two letters in it. One's for the family and one's for you. They will give it to you when you leave the room. You can read the family one with the family there. But I want you to read yours alone. Don't tell any of the others what that letter says. You got it?" Rick asked.
"Rick, I can't go on without you." Morty said about to cry.
"You got it?" he asked again sounding more authoritative this time.
Morty felt his lip tremble, "Yeah, I got it."
"Good, you're a good kid Morty. Don't follow my path. Don't get mixed up in the stuff I did."
"Okay." Morty said. "I love you Rick."
Rick was about to say something else when the insect put the phone back on the receiver. Rick tried yelling through the glass between them but Morty couldn't hear anything. Morty was sure he was mouthing out the words, 'I love you too.' But he didn't know if that was just his mind. Morty dropped the phone as tears started to come. He put his hand to the glass as Rick attempted to stay long enough to see him as long as possible. Once Rick was ushered out, Morty heard the door unlock behind him.
"Let's go." The insect said.
Morty didn't pay attention to the insect at first. Eventually, he walked out, leaving the phone off the receiver. The insect hand him a package with two letters on top of it, just like Rick said. The two were walking out when Morty froze; he swore he heard a gunshot. He looked where the noise came from. No one seemed upset, no one was running. Maybe he was just hearing things. Or maybe Rick somehow grabbed a gun and was going to run by. They would get out of here together like old times. They would laugh about the last three years. It was coming. Rick was going to be running down the hall any minute.
"Come on." The insect said pushing the child forward.
"Did you hear that?" Morty asked.
"Hear what? The tray dropping in the mess hall?" The insect asked.
A tray? Morty looked back, it was a tray. Morty walked onto the ship as it started to head back to Earth.
He got back late at night. Everyone was in bed. Morty left the envelop for the family on the table
e sat in his bed staring at his letter. What did it say? Why did Rick have two letters made? Finally, he opened the letter,
"Morty,
I was found guilty on all charges and was sentenced to death. The federation allows you to speak to one person right before your execution. Obviously I chose to see you. Don't think too much of it. I didn't exactly have a lot of people to choose from.
By the time you read this, I will be dead. I don't know what I'm going to say when I see you so I'm going to let you know what I want you to know. You were the best thing to ever come into my life. You were the reason I woke up every morning. You were my friend when I felt like I was alone. You stuck through with me thick and thin. I'm sorry I lied to you last time we met, I didn't want you to change my mind. I had to turn myself in for the families sake.
I hope that you will be better than me. I hope that you will finish high school, complete college, and do great things. You can decide what those things are. Don't let the world tell you what to do. Don't get mixed into the things I did. I was a drunken idiot. You are better than me, show the world just how great you are.
-Rick"
Morty could barely read his Rick's name. It was smudged by what appeared to be a wet mark. Morty grabbed a pen and turned the paper over. He was going to do exactly what Rick wanted, he wrote a checklist, complete high school, complete college, do great things. He would do it for Rick.
Morty walked down the stairs and stood in front of the garage door. In the back of his mind, he was still hoping the noise he heard was a gunshot. He was hoping that Rick would appear and yell that they needed to go on some crazy adventure to grab large seeds or crystals. He would run into the house through another portal and grab the family. He would bring them to another dimension where the federation hadn't taken over Earth. They would live happily together.
That hope never came true.
The difference between the letters was that he told Morty the truth. The rest of the family thought he was just in prison for the rest of his life...which was true.
Fifty years passed.
Morty sat in a bar. It was a place that reminded him of the good times. He looked up at the television that was just showing breaking news.
"This just in, the galactic federation has just left Earth for good. An Earth doctor who chooses to remain anonymous has found the cure for every cancer known in the galaxy. The federation has signed a paper with the top officials of Earth to take the cure for cancer off Earth and receive all benefits in exchange to leave Earth alone."
Morty stopped listening. He pulled out the paper that he always kept with him. He looked at his checklist on the back two were already checked off. He then pulled a pen from his front pocket and smiled as he checked off, 'do great things.'
He ordered a shot of whiskey and held it in the air, "To you Grandpa Rick." He said then tossed it back putting the empty glass down on the bar. He had no one left. He spent his whole life to complete that list. He never dated, he never had kids, and he never even went to his parent's own funerals. Summer refused to talk to him when he chose to work than to go to his own parent's funeral.
This was for Rick. His life was meant to complete Rick's work. Rick's main work was to keep the federation away from Earth.
He turned around in his chair to stand up. No one knew who he was. No one knew that he was the one who would save millions from a dreaded disease. No one cared. He was lost in a sea of faces. All he cared about was that he completed Rick's list. Now he could start his life.
The only question was, where should he start?
Fin.
