"W-what the hell is this?" Rick hissed, attempting to remain calm, despite the corpse before them. His eyes were wide, as he began to feel the seriousness of the situation they were in, "Myra… I-is there something you… I don't know… neglected to tell me today…? W-we've literally spent hours together today and y-yet you somehow forgot that you killed your father?" He said through clenched teeth, "I mean, Kudos, but y-you're really in a world of shit…"
Myra frowned down at her father's lifeless body, folding her arms across her chest defensively, "I mean, if you're an asshole standing at the top of a staircase…. How could you not be prepared to be shoved down them?" she sounded defensive, though her face was sickly pale.
"A-and I suppose that golf club there just decided, by itself, to beat the shit out of him too?" Rick snapped, gesturing to the bloodied club next to Victor's body. "How did you expect I w-would be able to help with this?" He was frowning.
"You were making quite the leaps in genetic duplication…."
"I-I'm not there yet!" Rick hissed in a low tone, not wanting to disturb Myra's mother to come looking around.
He then realised it was too quiet, "Oh, shit… I-is your mom down here somewhere too?" he asked, glancing around the basement floor, half-expecting to see another body.
"Ha ha." Myra muttered sarcastically, "I was lucky enough to do this to one asshole parent… not that lucky."
Rick glared at her, "Y-you're acting really cool ; despite having committed cold-blooded murder!"
Myra glared at him, "I have to be cool." She hissed, her eyes icy cold, "I did this! I know what I did and I am asking you, from the very bottom of my fucking heart… please help me fix this!" her voice broke and her bottom lip began to tremble.
Rick clenched his teeth, throwing his hands up in the air, "Fuck!" He muttered, his mind racing, "T-this would have gone so much smoother i-if you had told me straight away, Morty!" He snapped, "The decomposition process has really kicked into gear already…." He shook his head, "I-I don't know how much of a vegetable he's going to be…." He began pacing, wondering if his equipment was going to be ready to handle the replication of a human.
"I'm going to need a tissue sample…" He shook his head, "W-we can deal with the brain side of things when…"
He turned to Myra who looked on the verge of tears. He felt the urge to simultaneously comfort and throttle her; but it simply wasn't the time for mollycoddling.
"Fuck, Morty; pull it together!" He snapped, grabbing her by the shoulders, "I-I've never done this before, Morty; a-a-and this makes us both accountable, so I-I'm really going out on a fucking limb here for you, Morty!" He snapped in a low tone, giving her a rough shake, as though to try and jolt some sense into her. "I need you to listen very carefully to everything I-I have to say."
Myra took in a deep breath, visibly pulling herself together, "Ok," she breathed, meeting his eyes, "What do we do first?"
Everything felt utterly surreal as Myra watched her father's bloodied corpse sink into the vat of acid- his flesh engulfed in a sizzling, gurgling lump within the blinding, green fluid. And then there was nothing. Not even his bones bubbled to the surface; there was just nothing, save the stench of the chemicals around them.
"Pull it together, Morty!" Rick snapped at her, his forehead beading with sweat as he shook her by the shoulders once again.
She had been surprised at ho level-headed he was being, despite the situation. He was really taking control of everything, as though he had been the one who murdered her father.
"C'mon, Morty; w-w-we need to get this flesh sample in the replication pod. W-we've already uploaded as much of his brain data and memories as we could have. Y-you know I would have appreciated being told about this… I don't know… right after it happened. Decomposing brains don't exactly give the most reliable foundation for jack shit!" He shook his head angrily, continuously muttering to himself as he slapped away on a touchpad, sifting through a series of memories on a crudely crafted screen.
"I-I mean… look at this shit!" He gestured to the scene before them, "Is that a-a fucking waffle chasing a condom?"
Myra stared at the screen, her mind foggy, "It might be a dream?" she suggested absent-mindedly.
"Or your dad's festering body has really taken a turn for the worse, Morty!" He snapped back at her, slapping away again, "I might have to try and do a little 'program editing' with this one…" He shook his head, completely in disbelief, "W-why the hell did I let you talk me into this? Y-you'd be far less of a hassle in juvy."
"You're right." She agreed, typing some code into the replication pod. "Guess I'll just have to be ok with owing you one… forever." She still felt overwhelmed with shock; everything that was unfolding was like a foggy, surreal nightmare.
Rick muttered to himself again, shoving her aside, "L-let's just get this over with… hopefully we can finish this shit before morning!"
They worked together all night and into the early hours of the morning, before the clone was ready. Rick seemed overly pleased with himself as they dressed it and delivered the new, unconscious Victor Mortimer back to the house, throwing him into his armchair.
"He'll wake up in about thirty minutes, thinking that he got home from work and passed out, watching TV." Rick muttered as they walked down the driveway, "I think we've literally gotten away with murder, Morty!" He smirked at her, clearly amused.
"Yeah…" Myra muttered, still waiting to wake up from it all.
Rick gave her an odd glance, "Guess y-you're not holding up that great, hey?" He said, cocking his brow at her, "Just don't think about it." He frowned, shrugging his shoulders, "Rejoice in the fact that we can probably kill anyone we want and completely reprogram and replace them; w-without anyone else being the wiser."
"But it's not really him, is it?" Myra frowned at him, "No, I still have the memories of what I did to my father; replacing his body… well that's just a cheap trick, isn't it?" She shrugged her shoulders, "It'll forever be a living reminder of what I did… living under the same roof as me, as if nothing ever happened."
Rick seemed to consider her words for a moment, before clearing his throat and glancing around, "Hey, the sun's coming up…" He briefly made eye-contact with her with a shrug, "I'm pretty hungry, y'know; what do you say to breakfast at Shoneys?"
"Pathetic distraction excuse, but I'll take it." Myra muttered with a dejected sigh, "I guess there's no point in dwelling on anything, at the moment." She shook her head, jerking her head back in the direction of her car, "Let's go, Sanchez." She said, forcing a weak sigh.
"Y-you're paying, right?" Rick smirked back at her, "I guess you do owe me, for life, and all that."
Myra shoved him playfully, "You're an ass." She snorted as they climbed into the car.
As weeks passed, she became somewhat accepting that her actions had no consequence; save the deterioration of her mental well-being. Rick was completely unperturbed of the whole fact, although his ego had become overbearingly inflated by the whole ordeal.
"I-I think I may be right, Morty!" Rick was grinning at her, from the other booth seat in the diner, "I might just be a god!"
Myra gave him a sharp kick in the shin from under the table and he let out a yelp and a curse.
She smirked at him, "Oops, looks like I kicked you right in the ego…hmm… seems so much bigger these days." She muttered sarcastically, "Wonder why that is?"
"Because some psychopath murdered her father and begged me to fix i-it." Rick shot back, taking a casual sip of his coffee, "Name one other person w-who could do that, Morty?" He smirked at her then, "Oh that's right, just me!"
"Have you ever stopped to consider this may very well be the reason no-one else can tolerate your company?" Myra asked, raising an eyebrow.
Rick smirked even wider, "I-I've always assumed no-one can handle this big dick energy!" he cackled.
Myra let out an exasperated sigh, rolling her eyes, "I never thought I would be looking forward to the end of the summer break." She glared at him, "Never thought I would ever feel so desperate for other interactions."
Rick frowned at her then, clearly annoyed by her wording, "Excuse me for getting involved i-in your personal shit, Morty. So sorry that I-I fixed your little 'mistake'." His eyes narrowed irritably, "Sorry that you begging me, to do t-t-the exact thing I did, made you annoyed!"
Myra rolled her eyes, "Please; I'm clearly as impressed, by this, as you. It's the fact that you're going out of your way, to suck your own dick, about it!"
Rick folded his arms across his chest, in annoyance, "Oh excuse me, I wasn't the one who said… and I quote 'I I owe you one for life'!"
Myra jabbed her finger at him, "Doesn't mean that I want to listen to you gloating about it, every minute, of every day!"
A waitress walked over "Is uh… everything ok; can I get you guys anything else?"
"Pancakes." Rick muttered, his eyes still focused on Myra, "And a refill…" her gestured to his empty mug.
Myra frowned at him, watching as he took a seat, his arms folded tightly against his chest. He pursed his lips together, clearly pissed off.
She rolled her eyes, letting out a weary sigh as she took her seat again, "Listen, I will never be able to completely express my gratitude and amazement for everything you can do, Rick." She said, watching his carefully, "Just because I am unwilling to sit around and listen, to you breaking your arm while you jerk yourself off; well that doesn't mean I don't care." She shrugged her shoulders, "I understand that you're the smartest guy… ever. But you have to understand no one likes to hear someone giving themselves a slob job every minute of the day."
Rick made a snorting sound; the corner of his mouth twitched as he attempted to not crack.
"You're smiling; you can't be angry anymore!" Myra snorted.
Rick cracked, letting out a cackle, "T-that doesn't count, I wasn't ready!"
"No, the deal is, we're not allowed to be angry if we make the other smile or laugh!" Myra smirked at him, giving him a shove from across the table.
Rick snorted, "But 'slob job', C'mon, y-you' re hitting beneath the belt with that one, Morty!"
The waitress waltzed over, placing more pancakes on the table before them and slowly refilling their coffee mugs, "Ah, young love…" She smiled, "How long have you guys been together?" She asked, stepping back to glance at them both.
Rick and Myra stared at each other, Rick clearly taken-aback by the topic.
"Oh we've been really slamming it for… I don't know… years now." Myra smirked, staring at Rick as he cracked up.
The waitress looked confused, "How old are you?" She looked at them, suddenly judgemental. They were clearly underage, she could see that much, at least.
"Oh w-we're just two of those adults that look like kids forever…" Rick smirked back in response, "W-we're really… like in our forties… i-isn't that right, Morty?" He glanced at Myra.
Myra chuckled and they both watched as the waitress walked off, shaking her head.
They ate in silence for a few moments, before Myra cleared her throat, "So, my dad's been… different…. Lately." She said, cocking her brow, "but not different enough to cause suspicion to anyone, other than me…."
Rick cocked his brow at her, leaning back in the booth seat to act surprised, "Oh?" he said, his mouth curving slightly.
"Did you… like… I don't know… reprogram him in such a way that he's still an asshole, but he doesn't hit me anymore… and just skips right to the 'doting out of regret' stage?" She asked, studying him intently.
Rick feigned surprise even more over-the-top, "Oh? No way? Who would do a thing like that?" He gasped with sarcasm, taking another sip of his coffee, a smirk curving his mouth even more.
Myra smiled back in response slightly, "I do appreciate it…although I have no interest in having a horse…"
"He got you a fucking horse?!" Rick leant forward with real shock, "No fucking way!" he snorted, "W-where the hell does he think y-you guys can keep it?"
Myra shrugged her shoulders, "There's a stable outside of town. It's some overly-expensive, pedigree Arabian…" She shrugged her shoulders, "I said I wanted to call it 'Asshole' but the lady thought I said 'Tadpole…"
Rick burst out into laughter, "T-there's no way she misheard you!"
Myra shrugged her shoulders with a laugh, "Well either way I have this useless horse that I insisted be called Asshole… and I'm making sure he's entered into at least one race every weekend."
Rick was beside himself with amusement, he gripped his sides as he burst out into uncontrollable laughter. Myra watched him, feeling delighted that she had successfully amused him; it had been her goal, after all.
"This is why I love you." Myra chuckled, amused by his enjoyment.
They both paused with a momentary awkwardness, Myra quickly clearing her throat, "Y-you know what I mean…" She stuttered, feeling oddly flustered.
Rick glanced at her, cocking his brow, "Don't get all mushy on me now." He snorted at her, his tone teasing, "Never thought we'd be bonding like that over an Asshole!"
They both burst into another fit of laughter, Myra trying to pretend she hadn't said something so ridiculous.
The rest of their time at Shoney's had gone smoothly; both trying to ignore the fact that Myra had opened an awkward can of worms, neither of them, really knew how to address.
Prom was another instance that had begun to alter the dynamics of Myra's world completely.
The weeks had ticked by with a boorish normality and she had found herself eagerly awaiting the question. It was the question all the girls were waiting for, either from the target of their infatuation, or from a boy whom they had never pictured asking them to go to the prom.
It was quite the kerfuffle; girls would squeal with frantic delight whenever the boy they wanted, posed the question; likewise, they would turn their nose up at the poor boys they deemed inferior and send them slinking back to the sidelines. Myra watched everything unfold with sheer fascination; it was almost a primitive desire that seemed to drive both sexes and she was utterly intrigued by it all.
Being an elitist school, in the 60's, girls were grossly outnumbered by boys. Myra had been pleasantly avoiding all contact with boys she had suspected wanted to ask her to the prom; all the while waiting for the one person she assumed would truly want to ask her, at any given moment. Though things were always going to be black and white with Rick.
She was walking through the hallways of the school with Rick, temporarily rolling her eyes as Katherine Mathers screamed with eagerness as Carl Michaels asked her to prom. As the school's popular 'power-couple' it truly came as no surprise; Myra wondered why it seemed to be a necessity for her to squeal so shrilly.
"Can y-you believe this shit?" Rick muttered irritably "W-who even wants to go to prom?" He was frowning as he glared at Katherine and Carl screaming and jumping up and down in excitement.
Myra shrugged, "It's a rite of passage; a once in a lifetime deal." She found herself smirking as the words came out.
Rick made a disgusted noise, "Please tell me you of all people aren't buying into t-t-this crap?"
Myra laughed, feeling sheepish suddenly, "Maybe I want to give into the idea of normalcy, for one evening." She shrugged, "Who knows; maybe it won't be the end of the world."
Rick frowned at her, "Y-you've completely lost your mind." He was shaking his head, "Even if a guy i-is stupid enough to ask you; he's going to have high expectations for y-you to put out."
Myra's eyes went wide with shock, "What?!" She scowled, feeling the urge to throttle Rick, "No decent boy would expect sex at the end of prom!" she snapped in a low tone, feeling embarrassed someone would hear their conversation.
Rick shrugged and laughed at her, "H-hey all guys are sexual deviants, regardless of any decency. I-It's practically all we think about; I know girls probably are the same too- l-l-let's not take this to a sexist place, Morty. Y-you girls have been through a l-lot to fight for equality…" He sounded suddenly defensive, "I-if anything, for a-all I know, you females are even more perverted than guys, Morty."
Myra frowned at him, "Where did you hear that thing; about the guys expecting girls to put out?" She said, dismissing his rambling.
Rick shrugged, "I hear them talking about it all the time. I-i-it's literally all they have been talking about since the date for prom was announced." He glared irritably as another girl squealed nearby, "I-it's all about 'peace and love'; Am I right?" He said in a sarcastic tone.
Myra shrugged, "You're not wrong, but you're also not right." She found herself frowning, "If some guy asks me to the prom, will he really expect me to throw my legs up in the air?"
Rick chuckled at her, "T-that's quite the mental image. Make sure to take photos for me."
Myra frowned at him as they reached the front of the school, feeling her chance of going to the prom with him slipping away. Rick didn't want to go to the prom; he certainly didn't seem to have any intention of asking her. She expected him to; they were best friends. She couldn't tolerate the idea of another guy asking her, let alone actually going to prom with them.
Rick glanced over his shoulder at her as he reached the stairs, "You coming?" He frowned, "Y-you're, kind of, my ride home." He cocked his monobrow at her curiously, and Myra noticed she had stopped in her tracks.
Myra frowned and stepped past him, "Fine." She muttered, resisting the urge to push him down the stairs. He may have been the smartest person in the world; but sometimes he was so stupid.
Myra had been asked by three boys to go to the prom. Three times she had politely, and irritably declined respectable dates; until the week before prom finally rolled around.
She was reading in the shade of a tree in the school yard; she loved the solitude and had been treating Rick with cold indifference increasingly as the days past. Rick seemed to take it as a que to give her space and had made himself scarce.
"Hey… Myra?" Bobby sounded jittery as he interrupted her reading.
She glanced up from her book and met his nervous gaze. He wasn't an attractive boy, with pockmarked skin and a thickset of braces desperately trying to fix his crooked teeth. Her parents would have loved for her to date and marry him; his parent's wealth rivalled their own.
"Hello Bobby." Myra attempted to sound pleasant, though her tone was thick with annoyance, "What can I do for you?"
"Well…" He seemed to be visibly shaking as he trailed off, "I heard you didn't have a date for prom…" He trailed off again.
Myra had a reputation for being not only smart, but incredibly violent when people annoyed her. The other female students had avoided her with a wide girth since she had ripped a considerable portion of a girl, called Martha's hair out in third grade. She was also responsible for testicular trauma in a boy in fifth grade, after he had made a comment about her being a bitch. She was known as 'Myra the dragon-lady'.
The only reason she hadn't been expelled, was because her parents had paid a considerable amount of 'compensation' fees; they were determined she was capable of behaving, and were adamant that she remain at this school. Her grades were also impressive, and she hadn't caused any issues with faculty, which also helped her cause.
The kids had let her be, and she loved it. Rick seemingly enjoyed it too, relishing in the fact that she could clear an entire room for them with a single glare.
"So…" Bobby muttered, bringing her attention back, "Would you like to go to prom with me?"
Myra frowned, glancing back down at her book, in an attempt, to cool her head, "No, thank you." She frowned, "I am waiting for someone else to ask me." Anyone else, truly.
"If you're talking about Rick…" Bobby trailed off slightly as she suddenly glared at him over her book, "H-He's told everyone he's asked Rebecca… because… you know?"
Myra found herself frowning in surprise and disgust. Rebecca Carter was known as the 'school bike'. Her parents were completely buying into the 'peace and love' movement and had seemingly embraced her sexual activity. Myra wasn't entirely sure if anyone, male or female, should be celebrated for being so promiscuous.
"He really asked her?" Myra asked, feeling suddenly irritated by the thought.
Bobby nodded nervously, "Well…. He said it would be an easy conquest for him… because she's had a crush on him forever..."
Myra glanced back down at her book. So, Rick wanted to ditch her for that bimbo; so be it.
"Fine." She muttered to Bobby, "I will go with you. Don't wear anything other than a black suit. Pick me up at seven, on the dot. You can arrange the limo and everything else tedious that goes with prom." She waved, "bye-bye."
She glimpsed up as he walked away, seemingly impressed with himself. She noticed Rick was making his way towards her with two chocolate bars in hand; he shot Bobby a questioning frown, before he plonked down on the grass beside her.
"W-w-what's that dipshit so happy about?" Rick frowned, dropping one of the bars in her lap.
"You're looking at the wonderous specimen that is my prom date." Myra muttered in a sarcastic tone, marking her page and placing her book aside. She started unwrapping the chocolate bar.
Rick snorted, and then his eyes went wide when he realised she wasn't joking, "Oh my god; you're serious?" He laughed in disbelief, "y-y-you're actually going to the prom with that guy?" He shook his head, "what the fuck?"
"Well…" Myra said with a mouthful of chocolate, "Certainly doesn't hold a candle to Rebecca Carter." she shrugged, "But I'm not aiming for 'free love'."
Rick was frowning at her, "I-I haven't even asked her yet." He shrugged, "Guess I'd better hurry up; I-I-I heard she's SUPER eager." He grinned suddenly.
Myra shrugged, "I bet she is." She sighed in frustration suddenly, "I should have just said yes to John; he at least asked me with confidence." She was frowning. John Miller was one of the jock boys; he was pleasing to the eyes and nice; the major drawback was he had rocks in his head. She hadn't been able to hold a decent conversation with him; she felt her braincells deteriorating in his mere presence.
Rick snorted, "Well…. Sure." He shrugged again, "But your parents will certainly be thrilled with Bobby." He nudged her teasingly and she shoved him back.
"Well, I guess I will have to try and make the most of my date." She drew the word out as though it left a bad taste in her mouth. She wasn't going to enjoy a single minute in Bobby Fisher's company; but she wanted to see if Rick would give her any indication of caring. She glanced side-long at him as they ate their chocolate bars.
"I-If you're talking about doing that with Bobby; Y-y-you're never going to live that down, Morty." Rick smirked at her, "You'll be forever tainted for other men."
"Who said I am even interested in men?" Myra growled, feeling annoyed, "Who said I can't be a lesbian?"
Rick snorted, "Come on; I've read your diaries." He said with a mouthful of chocolate, "Oh James Dean, why do you have to be such a handsome hunk of a man?" He grinned widely, and ducked as she attempted to thrash him with her book. He let out a little chuckle of amusement.
"That was an old dairy." Myra said, feeling her cheeks burning in shame and violation. She had stopped keeping journals some years prior, luckily enough. Rick didn't grasp her need for mental privacy. "Who's to say that I don't like both?"
Rick shot her a stare as if to say she wasn't fooling anyone and she frowned back in response.
"C'mon, Morty!" Rick said, suddenly leaping to his feet, "I don't feel like school; let's go do something fun."
Myra climbed to her feet, frowning at him, "Maybe if I didn't have to drive you everywhere I could actually stay in school for an entire day." She smirked as he snorted.
"We both know school is merely an institution for stupid people." He grinned, "W-we're far too intelligent to waste our massive brains here." He gestured all around them with a wave of his arms, "L-let's go do some real science." He started walking off towards the car.
Myra shook her head as she followed him. He may have been an arrogant asshole, with little to no emotional depth to him; that was completely evident. What irritated her the most was the fact she didn't want to change him for the world.
reviews welcome !
