Rick & Morty: Science is Power (SI)

My heart raced as the faint purple haze from the vents began to filter through the room. I glanced around nervously, watching as the crowd's mood began to subtly shift. Smiles grew wider, laughter grew louder, and the gym started to feel like it was charged with an almost tangible energy.

Jessica leaned closer, her bright eyes locking onto mine. "You okay? You look a little… intense," she said, her voice tinged with concern.

I forced a grin. "Yeah, yeah, just, uh, soaking it all in, you know?"

"If you say so," Jessica replied, laughing lightly before being pulled away by one of her friends. My smile faltered as I refocused on the mission. 

I glanced over at Jessica, who was talking with her friends, but as soon as our eyes met, something changed. Her smile grew softer, her gaze warmer. The potion was taking effect—just like I had hoped.

But then it happened. Brad, the arrogant jock who I could barely tolerate, looked over and did a double-take. His smirk melted into something… almost affectionate, and before I knew it, he was walking toward me.

"Morty," he said, his voice full of awe. "I never realized how amazing you are. Can I… can I hold your hand?"

It was happening just as I'd envisioned. Every single person in that room was now focused entirely on me.

The crowd surged toward me, their voices blending into a unified chorus of adoration. They called my name, each one proclaiming their love for me. "Morty, we love you! You're the greatest!" they chanted, as if I were some kind of hero, a deity.

I slipped through the crowd heading towards the gym door, confident and calm. The Meeseeks Box had done its job—releasing the potion unnoticed through the vents. And now the crowd was paying the price.

As son as I opened the door the crowd still hot on my tail I sprinted down the street towards my parked ship. 

hoping in the ignition still hot I fired up the car and made my way to the garage.

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By the time I reached the garage, the sound of distant shouts from the love-crazed mob pushed me to slam the door behind me. Rick was hunched over his workbench, tinkering with some unrecognizable contraption.
I prepped my voice ready for the
"Rick!" I shouted, my voice cracking. "We… we have a problem!"

Rick barely glanced up, his expression a mix of annoyance and mild curiosity. "Jeez, Morty, what now? Did you accidentally summon Cthulhu at the school dance, or is this about some dumb teenage drama?"

"It's the love potion! Everyone at the dance is obsessed with me! It's spreading, Rick!"

Rick's eyes narrowed, and he set down his tools with a heavy sigh. "Goddammit, Morty. I knew this was a bad idea. Love potions never end well. They're like tequila—a few shots seem fun until you wake up in Tijuana missing a kidney."

"Can we skip the lecture and just fix this?" I begged, pointing toward the door as muffled voices drew closer.

Rick groaned, reaching for a vial of blue liquid on a nearby shelf. "Alright, alright. This should neutralize the pheromone crap in their systems. Stand still."

He sprayed the antidote directly at me, the cool mist settling on my skin. For a moment, I thought it had worked.

luckily though the frantic pounding on the garage turned into sounds or groans But then the murmurs turned into a chorus of impassioned declarations.

"Morty…" came a voice from outside. "We love you, Morty! Let us in!"

Rick's face twisted into a grimace. "Welp, that's not good. Looks like the antidote just amplified the effect. Great job, Morty. Now you've got the whole planet trying to jump your bones."

"What do we do?!" I cried, gripping the edge of the workbench.

Rick rubbed his temples, muttering a string of expletives. "Alright, Plan B. We'll nuke this timeline and hop to another one. Grab your stuff, Morty. We're pulling the classic reset."

He grabbed the portal gun and calibrated it with practiced ease, the green vortex springing to life in the middle of the garage. The pounding on the door grew louder, the mob's fervent cries sending a chill down my spine.

"Move your ass, Morty!" Rick barked, stepping through the portal.

I hesitated, the enormity of the moment hitting me. This wasn't how I'd envisioned it. I'd planned to turn this place into full Cronenburgs but thinking more cleary this might just be a better outcome. But there was no time to dwell on it now.

I plunged through the portal after Rick, the swirling green light enveloping me. The last thing I heard before the vortex closed was the sound of the garage door splintering under the weight of the crowd.

We emerged into a nearly identical lab, the only noticeable difference being the faint smell of ozone and the slightly brighter fluorescent lights. Rick immediately began tinkering with the equipment, muttering something about stabilizing the timeline.
But as I scanned the new lab, I felt something heavy settle in my gut. Something wasn't right. A presence seemed to lurk in the shadows, a silent weight pressing against me. My eyes drifted to the floor, and there, on the cold cement, lay Rick and myself—motionless, lifeless, sprawled out on the ground.
I froze, a rush panic surging through my veins as my breath caught in my throat.
I let out a shaky breath. As the collar's effect steadied my pulse, I turned back to Rick, who had been unbothered by the bodies on the floor. His expression was calm, and his body neutral. A sinking feeling filled my stomach.
Rick turned to me seeing the slight panic in my expression "Calm down morty, we've just entered another reality where we solved the love potion crisis, and we coincidentally died the same day." he turned back around grabbing something from the garage.
" Here," he tossed a shovel my direction, my reaction flaring up I caught it feeling the weight of it. "I'll burry myself you'll burry yours, we need to hurry a bit before someone sees."
I was prepared, or so I thought but there was no turning back now. It was time to face the consequences and the potential benefits.