The memory crystal hummed softly on my desk, its glow casting strange shadows across the room. I'd only scratched the surface of what it held, just enough to give me a taste of what Rick's mind had to offer. But I knew now that one crystal wasn't enough. Rick, the paranoid genius he was, had scattered his memories across multiple crystals, compartmentalizing them. Some were filled with useless fragments, memories of irrelevant moments, but others contained the knowledge that made him the most dangerous man in the multiverse.
This one? It was a mixed bag. It had given me insight into a few of his adventures, some of his lesser-known projects, but nothing earth-shattering. I wasn't done yet. I still needed more. But for now, I had what I needed for the next step.
Tonight, I wasn't just going to absorb more. I was going to build.
....
The garage was my sanctuary. Rick was gone again, off on another one of his reckless, interdimensional benders. Perfect timing.
I moved through the mess, careful not to disturb anything. I couldn't risk him noticing I'd been in here, not yet. The last thing I needed was for Rick to start asking questions.
I sifted through the scattered parts on his workbench, my fingers brushing over discarded inventions, forgotten pieces of technology that Rick had deemed beneath him. But to me? They were opportunities.
I found what I was looking for: an old power cell, barely functional but holding just enough charge for what I had in mind. Next, I grabbed a strange capacitor, a few circuit boards, and some scrap metal. These weren't just random parts. They were pieces of something greater.
In my mind, Rick's discarded plans for a cloaking device unfolded. He'd left it unfinished, probably because it wasn't flashy enough for him. Rick thrived on chaos, on brute force. Subtlety wasn't his style. But it was exactly what I needed.
I worked quickly, my hands moving with a precision I hadn't had before. The blueprint was in my head, thanks to the crystal. But I wasn't just following Rick's plans. This wasn't his device anymore. It was mine. I was improving on his design, making it better.
Piece by piece, I assembled the cloaking device. It was small, compact, designed to fit around my wrist and be hidden under a sleeve. The power? That was where the genius lay. Once activated, it would bend light, scramble heat signatures, and mask any detectable signals. To the naked eye, I'd be invisible. To Rick's tech? I'd be a ghost.
This wasn't just for avoiding Beth or the kids. This was for Rick. If I was going to steal more from him, if I was going to eventually take him down, I needed to be able to move through his world undetected. This was the first step.
I snapped the final piece into place, the device humming softly to life. I slipped it onto my wrist, testing the fit. With a tap, the air around me shimmered before fading. I glanced at my hand. Gone.
I grinned, glancing toward the mirror at the far side of the garage. Nothing. Just the space behind me. It worked.
Rick would have never expected me to pull this off. To him, I was still the bumbling idiot he mocked at dinner. But this? This was my edge.
I deactivated the cloak, watching as my reflection returned. The device wasn't perfect yet, but it was a start. There would be more, this was only the beginning. Small steps. Precise. Rick would never see me coming.
I returned the tools to their place, careful not to leave a trace of my presence. If Rick even suspected something was off, I'd be dead before I could take the next step. But I was patient, and I was smarter than that.
....
Back in my room, I sat down and stared at the memory crystal. I could feel the weight of what I had just accomplished, how far I had come. But there was more knowledge in that crystal. More to unlock. I needed all of it.
I placed the crystal on the device I'd rigged together and pressed my hand over it. The hum returned, and I felt the familiar flow of energy into my mind. This time, it wasn't a rush. It was smooth, controlled, the memories slipping into place as if they had always been mine.
I could see Rick's adventures, some of them incredible, some of them mundane. But I knew now why there were multiple crystals. Each one only held fragments. This one had nothing earth-shattering, just pieces of his travels, his thoughts, his discarded projects. But still, it was enough. Enough to learn. Enough to understand.
But then, something shifted.
I felt a strange pressure at the back of my mind, like a door opening where there shouldn't be one. My vision blurred, the room seeming to shrink around me. My pulse quickened, and for a second, I couldn't tell if I was standing or falling.
Then it hit me. A trap. Hidden deep in the memories.
Rick.
The bastard had buried something in the crystal, something I hadn't seen coming. My mind spun, the flood of information turning dark, twisting. I stumbled back, clutching the desk for support, but it felt like I was drowning in thoughts that weren't mine.
He knew. He'd planned for this. Somehow, he'd always known someone might try to take his memories, his knowledge. And he'd left a little surprise for anyone dumb enough to think they could outsmart him.
I was gasping for breath now, my heart pounding in my chest as I fought to stay in control. The memories swirled, threatening to consume me, but I wasn't Jerry anymore. I wasn't weak. I wasn't going to let Rick win.
Through sheer will, I pulled back. I severed the connection, yanking my hand away from the crystal, collapsing against the chair. My vision cleared, but the weight of the trap still lingered, gnawing at the edges of my mind.
Rick had always been one step ahead. And now? Now I knew just how dangerous this game really was.
But I wasn't out yet. This was just a setback. The crystal wasn't finished with me, and I wasn't finished with Rick.
I stood up, shaking off the dizziness, staring at the glowing crystal on my desk. There were more out there. More fragments. More knowledge. And one way or another, I was going to get them all.
Rick could set as many traps as he wanted. It didn't matter. I'd beat him at his own game.
I had to.
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