Chapter 4: The Game Begins

Dinner at the Smith household was always an exercise in discomfort. Tonight was no different, except this time, I had to be extra careful. Rick had finally returned, and that meant every word, every movement, had to be perfectly choreographed. One wrong slip, and I was dead.

I sat at the table, slouched, fork in hand, playing the role of the spineless, incompetent Jerry. Beth was sitting across from me, tired from her shift at the clinic. Morty was too busy shoveling food into his mouth to even glance up, and Summer was, as usual, glued to her phone. Then there was Rick, back from whatever interdimensional chaos he had gotten into, sitting at the head of the table, already three shots deep into whatever alien liquor he was pouring into his glass.

"Jeez, Jerry," Rick slurred, glancing over at me with a smirk, "you're actually upright for once. Didn't think your spine could handle it."

I forced a nervous laugh, keeping my eyes down. "Yeah, uh, just trying to sit up more, you know, for posture."

Rick let out a scoff and leaned back in his chair. "Posture? Right. Like that's gonna fix your life. Pro tip, Jerry: sitting up straight doesn't change the fact that you're a spineless piece of human garbage. But hey, good luck with that."

His words stung, but not in the way they would have stung the old Jerry. No, to me, this was just part of the game. I gave him my best awkward smile, playing the part perfectly. I needed him to believe I was still the same weak, helpless fool he'd always known.

Rick's mocking tone continued throughout the meal. Every chance he got, he made a jab at me, throwing in sarcastic comments about my intelligence, or lack thereof. But I didn't react. I couldn't. The old Jerry would have taken it, so I had to take it too. I stayed calm, stayed in control, while Rick laughed at my expense.

Beth didn't even bat an eye. She was used to this dynamic. Morty and Summer barely paid attention, too wrapped up in their own little worlds. Good. I wanted to keep it that way.

As the dinner dragged on, I could feel the pressure building. Rick was unpredictable, always. One moment he could be mocking me, and the next, he could be scanning my brain to make sure I was still Jerry. I couldn't let him have even the slightest suspicion. So, I kept my head down, my movements slow and unassuming.

"Hey, Jerry," Rick sneered, taking another swig of his drink, "what's it like knowing that no matter what you do, you'll always be the dumbest person in the room? Even Morty's got more brains than you, and that kid thinks running off with some high school crush is gonna solve his life."

I nodded meekly, pretending to absorb the insult. "Yeah, Rick, I, uh... I guess it's just the way things are."

That seemed to satisfy him. He leaned back and chuckled to himself, clearly amused by my supposed defeat. But inside, I was anything but defeated. In fact, I was the one in control. Every second I spent playing this role was a step closer to my goal. Rick didn't know it, but I was already two moves ahead.

....

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, I slipped back into my room and locked the door. The entire evening had been a test of control, both in holding back and in reading Rick. He was brilliant, yes, but also arrogant, and that arrogance was exactly what I was banking on.

I pulled the crystal from its hiding place, feeling its cool, smooth surface between my fingers. It was time. I had spent days, maybe even weeks, preparing for this moment. The memory crystal was my key, the first real step toward power. But using it came with risks. If I absorbed too much at once, or if I activated it incorrectly, it could fry my brain. Rick's technology wasn't forgiving.

But I wasn't the old Jerry. I wasn't afraid.

I placed the crystal on the small device I had hidden in the drawer next to my bed, another one of Rick's forgotten creations. It had taken time to piece together how it worked, but I had done it. The device hummed to life as the crystal began to glow, the light pulsing softly, almost like it was alive.

I took a deep breath, steadying myself. This was it. The moment that would change everything.

Carefully, I placed my hand over the crystal, letting the energy flow through me. I could feel it, a surge of information, of knowledge, rushing into my mind. At first, it was disorienting, like trying to drink from a firehose. But I kept my focus, slowly absorbing the contents, bit by bit.

It was overwhelming, the sheer volume of data, of memories, of experiences. I could see fragments of Rick's past, pieces of his brilliance, his experiments, his victories. Every second I spent absorbing the crystal brought me closer to understanding, closer to unlocking the genius that had made Rick the most dangerous man in the multiverse.

But I didn't take too much. Not yet. I knew my limits, and I wasn't about to risk it all in one night. Small steps. Just enough to make progress without setting off any alarms.

I pulled my hand away from the crystal, my head spinning slightly from the rush of information. But I felt... smarter. Sharper. Like I had tapped into something beyond my own comprehension. This was only the beginning, but already, I could feel the difference.

I placed the crystal back into its hiding spot, carefully concealing it. The next phase of my plan had begun. I now held a piece of Rick's intelligence, a small, but vital piece. And as long as I stayed in control, as long as I kept playing my part, I would continue to grow stronger.

Rick had no idea what was happening right under his nose.

I climbed into bed, staring up at the ceiling, my mind racing with new possibilities. The future was mine for the taking, and soon, I would have everything I needed to take control.

And Rick?

Rick would never see it coming.