The echo's of Beta-Seven's facility was constant.
like a lullaby that never ended, synthetic and alive, impossible to fully tune out especially with the pain making me hyper aware. My injuries were patched, the numbness in my missing arm had dulled into something cold and familiar.
I sat on the edge of the slab they called a medical bed, watching the drones silently pass by. No chatter, Just raw purpose.
The contract was finalized in under an hour between us. It was a standardized process, I signed through some paperwork and had a retinal scan. I was now bound to Beta-Seven under a resource protection contract. For one thousand weapons, and ten thousand rounds of ammunition, I would be protected for every cycle, or a month. I in exchange, for this get a stable base of operations just a jump away in a neighboring system. Luckily for me Beta seven was kind enough to offer a ship repair seeing as ours was in a less than favorable condition.
Morty Arms was officially a major player.
And yet...
I sat in silence long after the med unit's diagnostic screen had powered down. The light from my collar flickered softly, a constant now since I'd headed off the planet with my meeseeks.
After playing back that moment in my mind the reasoning for it glowing the way it did was simple due to the natural instincts it gave me, right after avoiding a blast from the junk people It began to hold a bright red glow.
But that wasn't important now. Not anymore. Neural enhancement ran through my veins leaving my thoughts at a constant cycle of thinking, stretching the bounds of what my mind could hold by itself, but I was stuck on one looped question.
What next?
I'd done what I always set out to do. Survive. The plan had always been to eventually meet Unity. In my life, she was potential incarnate: resource-rich, connected, powerful. I had hoped maybe she'd understand this version of me.
Maybe even join me and become my ally.
But watching Beta-Seven now, with their rigid methods and minimalism, something else became clear. Unity would be different. Abundant. Lush. Everywhere. I could already feel the contrast between them. Beta-Seven needed me. Unity wouldn't.
And somehow... that wasn't what haunted me.
What haunted me was the quiet thought that even if I reached Unity... then what?
Would I just hide out? Plot revenge against Rick until it consumed me? Build up power just to prove I could? What kind of life was that?
A shadow of someone else's war.
The thought twisted in my gut like a screw turning. I didn't leave everything—didn't rebuild my mind, start a galactic empire of weaponized independence—just to wait in fear or chase ghosts.
I remembered flashes from my old life—genius Morty, sharp and untouchable. The one who didn't need Rick anymore. He had a goal.
To improve. To surpass.To go where no one else could go, and actually enjoy the hard-earned peace that came after the storm.Not to run. Not to stagnate.To grow.
A soft chime echoed from the far wall. The Captain entered, his expression unreadable."Ship's fixed. Ready to launch on your word."
I nodded slowly, eyes still fixed ahead. "And our position?"
"Secure. Beta-Seven considers us a low-priority ally. We're being left alone for now."
Of course. Allies until it costs them more than they gain. That's how it always worked.
I stood, tightening the harness on my gear. The chill of the room didn't faze me."Send word to Unity's last known coordinates. Tell her I'm requesting a meeting. Personal."
The Captain hesitated. "And if she refuses?"
I met his gaze, eyes calm but firm."Then we make ourselves into something she can't refuse."
He gave a short nod and disappeared back into the hall.
Alone again, I looked at my reflection in the polished alloy wall. I didn't look like a Morty anymore. Not the one people laughed at. Not the one Rick manipulated.
I was something new.
But was that enough?
The flicker on my wrist glowed brighter as I stepped toward the docking bay. I could feel the galaxy turning around me, every faction, every ambition, every war waiting to be fought. And in the center of it all was Rick.
But for once, he wasn't the reason I was moving. He was just another storm I'd outlast.
The universe didn't need another Rick.It needed something better.