Chapter 3: Subtle Adjustments

I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at the crystal, but my mind wasn't focused on its glow. It was on the ticking clock in my head. Rick had been gone longer than expected, but that could change at any moment. I needed to be ready. Every day was a gift, a window of opportunity, but also a ticking bomb. If I miscalculated, I was dead.

I hadn't touched the crystal again since stealing it. Not out of fear, but because the plan had to be perfect. Every step calculated, every move thought through. Even a single mistake would set Rick off, and then... well, I'd be another body in a pile of interdimensional failures.

As I sat there, my thoughts drifted again to my past life. Not that I could remember much of it. It was frustrating. The fragments I had were like shattered glass, sharp, broken, and hard to piece together. I remembered moments of clarity, moments where I was something more than this weak body. But the details were lost, drowned out by the echoes of Jerry's pathetic existence.

No point in dwelling. What mattered was now. This world. This universe. Jerry was dead, and I was in control. I had Rick's crystal, and I knew enough to know that if I played this right, I could take everything from him.

....

The morning sunlight filtered through the blinds, hitting my face. It was quiet again, the kind of quiet that made me uneasy. I pulled myself out of bed, stretching the stiff muscles of this new body. Jerry had let himself go, typical. That was another problem I needed to fix. My strength would have to improve, and fast. But for now, acting like him meant slouching my shoulders, dragging my feet, and looking lost.

Beth was already out the door for her shift at the clinic, and the kids were at school. That left the house empty. Perfect.

I moved toward the garage, the floor creaking under Jerry's clumsy steps. Inside, it was the same mess as always, tools scattered, half-finished projects blinking with faint lights. A normal person would see chaos here, but I saw potential. Every piece of this place was a weapon, a tool I could use, if I played my cards right.

I walked over to one of the shelves and picked up a metallic wristband. It wasn't much, just a prototype of something Rick had discarded ages ago. I recognized it from one of the episodes, a strength enhancer. Rick had used it to turn himself into a one-man wrecking ball when he'd fought off a group of mutated Ricks. This was the kind of edge I needed. But I wasn't about to put it on yet. Not until I understood how it worked.

First rule: don't act without knowing what you're doing.

I set it down and moved toward the workbench. A simple enough task, disguise what I was doing as Jerry fumbling around with tools. The real goal was to find a way to disable Rick's garage security protocols without setting off any alarms. I wasn't ready to steal more crystals yet, but I would be. Soon.

....

As the day wore on, I kept my act up. When the kids came home, I slumped into the living room like the old Jerry would, pretending to be interested in whatever garbage was on TV. Morty barely acknowledged me, and Summer didn't even look up from her phone. Good. The less attention, the better.

Rick still wasn't back, and that gave me more time. But I couldn't be complacent. If there was one thing I knew from watching the series, it was that Rick never did anything predictable. He could walk through that door any second, reeking of some alien booze, or he could be out for another week. I had to stay ready.

Later that night, after everyone had gone to bed, I slipped back into the garage. The wristband was still there, glinting under the faint light. This time, I picked it up with more intent. I'd spent hours studying Rick's designs, piecing together enough to understand how it functioned.

I slipped it onto my wrist, feeling the cold metal tighten against my skin. The device hummed softly, almost like it was alive. I tapped a small button on the side, and immediately, I felt it, the surge of power flowing through my arm. My muscles tensed, hardening in ways Jerry's body had never experienced before. It wasn't a perfect solution, but it was a start. This would give me a temporary edge, something to use if things went south.

I clenched my fist, feeling the strength that wasn't there before. For the first time since the merge, I felt something that wasn't disgust. This was progress.

But I couldn't linger. I shut it down, returning the wristband to its place. Small steps. Everything had to be done in increments, or Rick would notice. The bastard was paranoid for good reason.

....

The next morning, I followed the same routine. Moving around like a ghost in this house, blending in. But as I watched Beth leave for work, something clicked. I realized I was starting to think of this place less like a prison and more like a chessboard. Every person in this family was a pawn, some more useful than others. Beth was self-absorbed, Morty was naïve, Summer was distracted. And Rick? Rick was the king. The most dangerous piece on the board.

I didn't hate Rick. In fact, in a twisted way, I respected him. But respect didn't mean I wouldn't take everything from him the first chance I got.

I spent the rest of the day piecing together Rick's gadgets, figuring out what I could use and what was too dangerous for now. The wristband was one piece. There would be others. I didn't need to rush. Rushing was how you ended up in a ditch somewhere, vaporized by a particle gun before you even realized you'd lost.

No. I'd wait. I'd build my strength, my knowledge. And when the time came, when I had enough, I'd make my move.

For now, though, I'd be Jerry.

And I'd be patient.

....

By the time night fell again, I had a clear plan in my head. The first phase was complete, I've acquired Rick's crystal, tested the wristband, and gained enough understanding of the garage's layout to know what my next move was. The past didn't matter. My memories were fragments, but I had enough. This universe was mine to shape now.

As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I could feel that familiar surge of excitement again. The possibilities were endless. All I had to do was bide my time, keep up the act, and keep building. Piece by piece.

Rick had no idea what was coming.