Italics means it's a memory (in the past)

It was just another Saturday afternoon in the Smith household. Morty was walking down the stairs after spending all morning on the computer. His mom and dad went to something but he couldn't remember what. His sister stayed over a friend's house and his grandfather was…doing whatever Rick did. He opened the fridge pouring a glass of orange juice then pulled out bologna and bread. He set them on the counter then grabbed a plate. Once the bread was on the plate he set his bologna in the middle of the two slices then picked it up. He was about to take a bite when he noticed a small ant walking along the counter. Morty watched it for a few seconds longer than he cared to admit then squashed it with his thumb.

"Hey dawg! Whatya eatin?" Rick asked in one of his unusually happy moods.

"Bologna sandwich, you want one?"

"Totes, hook me up!"

Morty never understood why his grandfather used the 'old school' speak, maybe he thought teenagers still talked like that. He made another sandwich handing it to Rick.

The two ate in silence at the counter until Rick spoke up. "Why'd you kill the ant Morty?"

"Huh?" it caught Morty off guard

"The ant earlier, why'd you kill it?"

"Uhm, I dunno." Morty never saw his grandfather as a save all lives type of person.

"Was it chasing you to kill?"

"No. I guess cuz it was in the house."

"Then what made you decide that the insect was inferior to you? Would you kill a dog because it was in the house?"

"Well, no."

"What makes that ant different than a dog?"

"It's an ant Rick. That's all. There's a zillion out there."

"There's also a lot of humans on Earth, sh-should I squash some humans?"

"N-n-no…"

"So why the ant?"

"Geez Ri-Rick, it's just an in-insect."

"So the insect species is inferior to the mammal? How about the amphibians or-or the?"

"Geez, I get it. I'm...I'm sorry I ever killed the ant now."

"Why? Just because your morals have been questioned Morty? Can't handle someone questioning your morals?"

Morty walked away. He was done with this conversation

XXXXX

Weeks passed since he was caught and Morty was in a good groove. He was brought food with the others every morning. He would eat and then they would grab him to clean for the day. He would help mop the floor, clean the dishes, and anything else necessary. In exchange, he was allowed a second meal halfway through the day. He would sit with the others and while he had to sit on the floor instead of at the table with them, he was given whatever they were eating. He was loosing weight. There was no doubt that, the harness had significantly loosened up around him. The guard no longer hovered over him, he earned their trust to be left alone while he cleaned.

He was attempting to keep track and if he was right, if Rick was good on his word, Morty would see Rick any moment. It had been at least four weeks since he saw Rick. So that must have meant Rick was just a little behind schedule, but he would be here. Morty had no doubt on that.

He was currently in the main room where he spent most of his time when the professor was in the exam rooms there was a small television that was left on from time to time. Today the professor left it on the news, the woman that Morty came to know as Cindy was near it as she was writing something down and running blood tests. He never got to talk to Cindy, every time he would attempt to get two words out to her, she would cut him down. She refused to talk to him.

Morty was on his hands and knees scrubbing a small spot on the floor that was being stubborn when a small roach walked out of a hole in the wall, it's little antennae moving around. Morty watched it walk around the wall as if searching for something. Morty accidentally let out a laugh at the little roach who was walking in circles. Cindy looked over at the young teen letting out a smirk before going back to her own work.

When the roach went back into the small hole, Morty went to the sink to complete another round of tools in the autoclave.

He had just stuck the last of the tools in the autoclave, pressing the button when the news suddenly broke out into a large story, "This just in, the fugitive Rick Sanchez just broke out of jail." The woman looked up at the television as the news showed a video of Rick shooting a gromflomite. Morty started to walk over to the television so he could see better. The woman quickly clicked the small television off.

Morty was about to complain when he heard the professor down the hall, "Eighty two!"

"Coming." Morty yelled. He knew better now than to not acknowledge when the professor called immediately. Morty had become the professor's favorite to call out. He would go out of his way to have Morty help him at times. Morty had to admit that he liked the attention in a weird way. He had found himself wishing that Rick would give him this attention at times, but never got it. Morty started to find himself going out of his way to make the professor happy for the praise he would receive. Praise that he always craved, but never got from Rick.

Morty started walking down the hall when eighty three ran by pushing Morty into the wall as he ran. Morty sat on the ground grabbing his ribs as the guards ran by him. Cindy ran over and knelt down to check him over.

"You okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think..." Morty said before he felt a sharp pain in his torso

"Take it easy." The woman said.

"Eighty two! Get over here." The professor yelled in the direction that eighty three ran in.

"Come on, don't make him mad." The woman said attempting to have Morty stand.

She helped him to walk down the hall. The professor looked between the two as they turned the corner, glaring at them. "Eighty two." The professor said again, "Come over here."

Morty walked over trying to hide the pain.

"Eighty three here attempted to run away." He said. Morty noticed his cage neighbor on his knees. His arms were tired back. A muzzle around the snout of the lizard man. "Eighty three thought running away was an option. You see Eighty Two I have a rule here. It's simple, it's called the three strike rule. You're human Eighty Two, do you know what the three strike rule represents?"

Morty nodded.

"Care to explain?"

"uhm. It's from baseball." Morty said, "You can get three strikes."

"Correct." The man sound too calm for Morty's liking. "And so eighty three here had one strike when he escaped his cage when he first got here. A second strike when he hit one of my guards. And just now, he got his third strike for running from us. And what happens in baseball when the batter gets his third strike?"

Morty gulped.

The professor bent down to be on the side of Morty's face, "Come on eighty two what does the umpire say when the batter gets the third strike?"

"you-you-you're out?" Morty questioned.

"Very good." The professor held up a gun shooting the lizard man in the chest.

Morty let out a scream attempting to run. Two of the guards grabbed Morty. Each holding one of his arms. They forced him to face the lizard man who was still alive, gasping for breath. Another shot was fired. Then the professor knelt down to Morty, "It's okay, you guys can let him go." He then forced the gun into Morty hands. "Go ahead eighty two, show me your skills."

Morty attempted to drop the gun but the professor forced his hands to stay put.

"Go ahead, show me." He waited. "Do it or you won't eat for five days." The man said.

"I can't kill." Morty said trying to give back the gun.

"Do it!" the man yelled louder. "Do it! Or you won't eat. Eighty three is dead whether you or I do it. Do you want to go without eating?"

"No."

"Then shoot the gun."

"I don't wan-wanna kill." Morty said.

"If you shoot eighty three, everyone will get an extra meal tonight. Imagine how happy everyone will be to have one extra meal. Or if you don't shoot, everyone goes hungry tomorrow."

Morty dropped the gun backing away. "I-I can't."

"I knew it." The man said grabbing the gun and Morty's hand. He forced the gun into Morty's hands then pulled the trigger for him.

Morty watched as the neighbor fell to the ground. He felt himself shaking from what he just saw.

"Now clean up the mess you made." The scientist said walking away.

Morty observed as everyone walked off, leaving him alone with the dead neighbor. He felt his eyes water. His arm was grabbed gently by someone, Morty ripped himself out of the grasp.

"Eighty two..." it was Cindy.

"Just go." Morty said. He forced himself to stand up, grabbing an old rag, he started to clean the blood.

After a few minutes of silence, Cindy walked away.