Waking up on a cold hard floor with a splitting headache was not something Morty had ever wanted to experience. He had heard his mom complain of hangovers where she couldn't open her eyes in the light, he wondered if this was what it felt like. He opened his eyes to a dark room. He started to stand up but was forced back down by an object above him. He lifted his hand up to feel a low ceiling. He noticed bars surrounding him. Morty figured it out, he was in a cage. The cage was just big enough for him to kneel in. He couldn't have his arms out stretched without hitting the two sides.
He brought his knees to his chest as he tried to get through the pain in his head. What happened? He remembered the bird, the dart, the men, Rick. Rick! Where was he? Morty looked around the dark room, the minimal light made it impossible to see anything.
A door opened making him turn quickly toward the noise. A light flickered on. He shielded his eyes from the oncoming light. The light only worsened his already pounding head. This must definitely be what his mother felt whenever she had a hangover.
"I'm surprised you're awake so soon." A male said walking toward him.
"Wh-wh-what's going on?" Morty asked failing at making himself sound intimidating.
"What's your relation to the fugitive?" the man asked.
"Fugitive?" Morty questioned looking up for a few seconds, then stuck his head back down so he keep his eyes from the light, "You mean R-Rick?" He said his voice muffled in his legs.
"Call him what you will. Are you a human like him?"
"Ye-yeah." Morty said putting his hands to his hand. He just wanted the man to stop talking.
"So what's your relation to him?"
"Wh-why do you want to know?" Morty could feel the man next to him. He looked up to see a man with a deadlock beard.
"What's your relation?" the man asked again.
"Gr-gr-grandson." Morty said.
The man just stared at him, his eyes seeming to be peering through him. "Relative, interesting." The man muttered. The man drew what looked like a cigarette, lighting it up. He took a long drag from the smoking item.
"Where's Rick?" Morty asked again.
The man smiled, then blew smoke into Morty's cage making him cough. The the man stood up and walked out leaving the light on.
Once he was gone Morty looked around the room. Several empty cages lined the walls. Then he heard a groan behind him. Morty looked toward the noise, it war Rick. He was hanging on the wall, chains hanging from the top of the ceiling one chain wrapped around each arm and went down his legs and went through the floor. Rick appeared to be passed out. He head falling in an uncomfortable position.
The door opened again and the man came over, placing something that looked like bread down next to the cage. "Eat up. This will take away the headache you're experiencing from the serum." The man said.
The man walked out again. Rick had warned Morty to never take food from anyone if they were ever caught. Luckily, Morty wasn't hungry so it didn't bother him to leave the food there.
Rick let out a grunt. Morty turned back to him. "Rick?" Morty whispered.
No answer.
"Rick wake up." Morty said again.
"Morty go back to bed." He muttered, "It's too early. Turn off the light on your way out."
"Rick wake up." Morty said again.
Rick's face contorted then he slowly opened his eyes. He looked around the room, attempted to move his body, then went limp, "Well…fuck."
"What do we do now?" Morty asked.
"Morty try pushing against all the bars. There's always a loose one."
Morty nodded and started to push against the bars, each holding as firm as the next. "No use."
"You aren't pushing hard enough Morty."
"I'm pu-pushing as hard as possible!" Morty cried out before grabbing his head, his headache wasn't getting better.
The door opened again, the same man walking in. "Finally awake?"
Rick let out a grunt when he saw the man, "I got away from you last time, I'll get away again."
"Nope, I worked harder on the restraints. You are going to pay off the rest of my ship. And for the scar you gave me, your grandson is going to sell well."
"Keep dreaming!" Rick pulled against the chains. He then attempted to reach his wrist with his fingers for his watch.
"I checked everywhere to ensure you have nothing on you. You have not one gadget on you. Just keep trying, see where that gets you."
Rick glared at the man.
The man smirked. "I already have the federation waiting for your arrival. The price on your head only gets higher every day. Don't bother trying to get away. If you attempt anything, your price is the same whether you're dead or alive."
The man walked out.
"Rick, what should we do?"
Rick looked around trying to find something.
"Rick?"
"I'm thinking Morty!" Rick yelled. "Double check the bars."
Morty crawled around the cage, attempting to move each bar. "Nothing." Morty sat back against the cage. He held his stomach as it started to grumble. First his head, now his stomach.
"Eat the damn food." Rick said.
"You said to never eat the food."
"Yeah, well even if it was poisonous, it's probably better than any outcome I can think of."
"What?" Morty cried out.
"Just eat the bread and smash the plate on the ground."
Morty grabbed the bread sticking it in his mouth so it was sticking out. He then grabbed the plate smashing it to the ground. It didn't break. Morty pulled the bun out of his mouth, "It's plastic."
"Fuck them, they thought of everything."
The ship made a sudden stop.
"What's happening?" Morty asked panicking.
"Just stay calm Morty."
"Rick! What's going on?" Morty asked again feeling himself starting to hyperventilate.
"Just stop, it's not like you're the one who has to break out of jail again."
"Jail? Break out? Rick! I…what am I going to do?"
"Will you shut the hell up Morty? I'll break out of jail. I'll find you. It's simple. No reason to cry over it. Give me two weeks, three weeks tops."
"You promise Rick?" Morty asked.
"What?"
"Promise you'll find me!"
Rick let out a small sigh, "Sure Morty if that's what helps you sleep at night."
The door opened revealing several gromflomites. A female in a pressed black business suit stood in front of the gromflomites.
Rick glared at them as they walked over. "Long time, no see." The woman said making Rick scowl. she held up a scanner to Rick. "Yep, he's the fugitive." The woman watched as Rick's eyes darted over at Morty. She turned to look, it was a human child. "Related to you?" she asked.
"Fuck you Cockander!" Rick spat. She was always the one in charge of catching him. Her real name was Corkander, he knew that. But he liked his name better, it suited her.
The woman seemed disinterested at that outburst. She turned scanning Morty. "Just him." She said pointing to Rick. "Remember to sedate before removing the chains this time."
Rick's plan didn't work. He was hoping she would attempt to take Morty with them if she thought they were related. Then at least he would know where Morty was. Sure he might get tortured for a bit but at least when he broke out, he could grab the child on the way out.
The gromflomite next to her roughly jabbed a large needle into Rick's side.
"Be more gentle next…" his vision was already blurry and his mind was already a million miles away. He made a mental note to find out what that drug was so he could get some for recreational use later before passing out.
"Rick!" Morty yelled, the woman turned around. "Pl-please don't take him." Morty cried out to them.
The woman knelt down looking at Morty, he backed away. "You'll be fine." She muttered.
Morty watched as Rick was dragged along. The woman stayed knelt down, staring at Morty as if debating on something, then walked to the door. She hand a large package to the man, "You know what to do." She said to him.
"Sell the package to the professor."
"Then you get the other half of the payment." The woman then walked off the ship.
The man smiled as he watched her walk away. He set the money in his pocket then walked into the opposite direction.
The light was turned off, leaving Morty alone in a dark room. Rick would find him. He was going to be okay. Two weeks were going to go by slowly, but he could do it. Two weeks…Morty just had to keep telling himself…two weeks…