Rick Sanchez's Arc

Chapter 2 of 3

Bruce Bones stood in the doorway, cape hanging still. The portal gun glowed full in Rick's hand. But charged wasn't the same as safe. Rick knew the truth he'd hidden from Morty. The dimension he wanted was uncharted. Its air might dissolve a man the second he stepped through. The gun had no shield. Step through raw, and there might be nothing left of him. "Move," Bruce said. "You're coming with me." Rick didn't move. His eyes swept the lab and stopped on a figure in the corner. He'd bought it years ago as a joke. A life-sized model of a caped hero, half its face rotted to bare skull, its blue suit torn, one gloved hand ending in bone. Dead weight. But it was man-shaped. And Rick needed a test. "Morty," Rick said. "Help me lift it." "Rick, he's right there!" Morty hissed. "Then work fast." They dragged the rotted figure to the middle of the floor. Bruce stepped in, boots loud on steel. "Whatever you're doing, stop." Rick raised the portal gun and fired. A green hole tore open in the air, wide enough for a body. Wind screamed out of it, sour and cold. The lab lights flickered. "Now," Rick said. Together they shoved the figure through. For one second it stood on the far side, half in shadow. Then its torn cape blackened. Its plastic skin bubbled and ran. The whole thing sagged, folded, and came apart into gray smoke. In three seconds nothing was left but a stain on the ground beyond the portal. Morty stumbled back. "That would've been you." "Yeah." Rick's voice was flat. He shut the portal. The green hole snapped closed. "The air eats flesh. No shield, no jump." Bruce grabbed Rick's shoulder and spun him around. "You just opened a hole to somewhere that kills. In my district." Rick looked at the hand on his shoulder, then at Bruce's cowl. "You saw it dissolve. You want that leaking into your streets? Because a full charge with no shield is exactly how that happens by accident." Bruce's grip loosened. Just a little. "I need one more part," Rick said. "A shield lining. Then the door stays closed until it's safe. Or you can drag me off and leave a live portal gun in an evidence locker downtown." Bruce stared at him for a long moment. Then he let go. "You've got until I come back. And I will come back." He turned and walked out. The door swung shut. Morty let out a breath. "He's gonna arrest you." "Later." Rick stared at the stain past where the portal had been. He had power now. He'd proven the air was lethal. What he lacked was a shield. And the only alloy that could hold that dimension's air wasn't for sale anywhere legal. "Get your coat," Rick said. "We need to steal something."