Rick and Morty
ABCs of Beth

Rick was a brilliant scientist with a genius IQ. Unfortunately, he had difficulty controlling his pre-teen son, Ben. The boy was always getting into trouble at school by either not showing or up getting in trouble with the other kids. Rick made matters worse by downplaying the importance of school while putting an emphasis on being self-taught. This would often bring him into conflict with his wife, Diane.

“Did you make Ben this teddy bear?” Diane accused showing him the bear that had several cuts in it.

“Yeah, so?” Rick asked.

“It has blood and guts in it. Is that really appropriate for a child?” Diana asked outraged.

“What’s the big deal, Diane? What do you think is going to happen when he realizes people aren’t made off cotton? I’m teaching him basic biology,” Rick said defensively.

“This isn’t a teaching tool. This is a toy,” Diane said peeved.

“What’s the difference?” Rick said dismissively.

Diana shook her head and threw the bear back at Rick. He looked at the bear briefly, put it in a box, and continued his work.

-Diane

***

Ben entered the garage to see what his father was working on. “What is that?” he asked curiously.
“I’m working on a trans-dimensional device that will open portals to other dimensions,” Rick told him.

“Neat. Can I have your night-vision goggles?” he asked.

“Sure, kid, knock yourself out,” Rick said handing the blond boy the goggles. He immediately went out into the neighborhood at night to spy on the neighbors.

An hour later, Diane came into the garage. “Where’s Ben?” she demanded.

“I don’t know,” Rick said unconcerned.

Police cars then came to the residence. Rick quickly used a remote to hide his scientific experiments under the floor.

Rick and Diane came to the door and found Ben in police custody. “Is this your son?” they asked the parents.

“Yes, what did he do this time?” Diane asked concerned.

“He was sneaking around with these night-vision goggles. Several neighbors complained of a peeping Tom,” the officer said.

“Yeah, it’s only wrong if a boy does it. If a girl does it, it’s cute,” Rick said dismissively.

“Keep a better watch on him,” the officer advised handing Ben over to them.

“Ben, what were you doing late at night? It’s dangerous,” Diane said.

“Statistically speaking, you’re more likely to be murdered in the day,” Rick said undermining her.

Diane glared at Rick and handed him the night-vision goggles. “These are not for children.”

“He’s just curious,” Rick said defending the kid.

Diane turned to Ben. “Don’t do that to us again.”

“I’m sorry, mom,” Ben said apologetically.

***

Rick and Diane were called into a parent-teacher conference with Mr. Gene Vagina. “Is that your real name?” Rick smirked.

“Don’t let the name fool you. I mean business,” Gene said.

“I’m sure you get a lot of business,” Rick joked.

“What did Ben do this time?” Diane asked.

“He impersonated a hall monitor with a fake badge and handcuffs. Apparently, the handcuffs were invisible, so we didn’t know why the poor kid couldn’t get free from the toilet,” Gene said.

Rick smirked amused. “This all seems rather harmless. We done here?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez, this kind of behavior will not be tolerated here,” Gene put his foot down.

***

Diane was noticeably peeved as she drove them back home. “Well, that was a waste of time,” Rick remarked.

“Can’t you see that our son is exhibiting anti-social behavior?” Diane asked him.

“So? People say I exhibit anti-social behavior, and I turned out alright,” Rick downplayed.

“The world is more connected now with the Internet and cell phones. Ben can’t just stay in his garage all day like you do,” Diane said.

“Fine. I’ll talk with him,” Rick relented.

***

Rick decided to have a heart-to-heart conversation with Ben under the garage in a laboratory basement filled with weapons and dangerous chemicals. “Ben, I’ve been meaning to talk with you. You know how I feel about school, that it’s a waste of time and only keeps children mentally enslaved to the system. But that said, you have to draw less attention to yourself. School isn’t the place to show off your talents. They discourage that kind of free thinking,” Rick told him.

“It’s just no one understands me. No one likes me,” Ben said depressed.

“Look, I wasn’t liked either growing up. My parents hated everything I did. They couldn’t understand my genius. Stop trying to make people like you. It’s never going to happen. Most people that end up ‘liking’ you are just using you,” Rick said.

“It just feels so empty,” Ben said.

“Look, if you want people to like you use this,” Rick said sympathetically and gave Ben a whip. “This will make anyone you whip instantly like you.”

“Thanks,” Ben said as he took it.

“Oh, and here are some sound-erasing sneakers so no one will hear you as you come up on them,” Rick said handing Ben some sneakers.

“Wow, the right size and everything,” Ben said amazed.

“Now go out there and have fun but too much fun, alright,” Rick said as they came up from the garage floor.

***

Ben proceeded to sneak up on random students and whipped them into liking him. He never got caught or spotted due to the sneakers. He also used location-tracking stickers to keep tabs on the principal and his teachers, so he knew where they were at all times. In short order, the whole school loved Ben and made him class president.

“Mom, Dad! I’m class president,” Ben said happily.

“That’s great, honey,” Diane said pleased that Ben was getting along.

“So, you’re part of the government now? You know, that’s how dictators get their start…by being class presidents and shit. Now, everyone is going to ask you for political favors,” Rick said unimpressed.

“Don’t listen to your father. He’s just mad his team never wins elections,” Diane smiled.

“The only team I’m on is Team Rick,” Rick corrected.

However, it wasn’t long before Ben was suspended and forced out as class president. Mr. Gene Vagina set up another parent-teacher conference. “These were discovered in my hair. You have any idea what these are?” Gene asked peeved.

“Nope,” Rick lied.

“These are your mind control hair pins,” Diane accused him.

“Throw me under the bus why don’t you?” Rick said displeased.

“Ben has been using some kind of mind control to get out of class and not turn in homework. All of his grades have been to redone,” Gene said displeased.

“Well, this wouldn’t have happened if you didn’t have a long ponytail like some 60s hippie. How about getting with the times?” Rick said insultingly.

“This is inexcusable behavior, Mr. and Mrs. Sanchez,” Gene told them.

“It won’t happen again,” Diane assured him.

***

Diane was angry as they drove home. “Why would you have mind control hair pins?”

“I don’t know. Maybe for when Ben finally gets a date,” Rick suggested.

“That’s disgusting. Ben shouldn’t be mind-controlling girls in his class,” Diane objected.

“Yeah, because what they have to say is so interesting,” Rick replied.

“It’s about respect, Rick. The problem is you don’t respect anyone. Not even me,” Diane said visibly upset.

Rick was about to make a witty response when he stopped himself just in time. “I’m sorry, Diane. I’ll get this figured out.”

***

Rick brought his son to the garage. “Okay, Ben. Obviously, you have a great imagination and no outlet for it. I present to you, Froopyland,” Rick said using a chalk-looking device to create a doorway to another dimension.

Rick and Ben stepped into the magical land of Froopyland. It had hills, valleys, rivers of rainbow water, and exotic trees. It was as if they were on an entirely new planet filled with new animals and plants. Ben watched in amazement as alien-looking birds flew through the air.

“Don’t worry about the wildlife. They can’t harm you,” Rick said to Ben.

Ben was so amazed that he wasn’t watching where he was going. He stepped off a cliff and fell face first onto the ground. The ground made him bounce as he impacted. Rick dropped down. “Everything is perfectly safe here,” Rick assured him.

“Wow,” Ben said as he got up.

“Try sticking your head in the water. See, you can breathe in it,” Rick said dipping his head in the rainbow water.

“So, nothing can harm me here,” Ben said amazed.

“Right. So, I understand you have some aggression you need to get out. That’s why I created this world for you. None of this is real. You will never hurt anyone or anything here. It’s the perfect therapy,” Rick said as he put a box in front of Ben.

Ben looked over the box of items. Inside was armor, a switch blade, a baseball bat, fall-asleep darts, TASER shaped like a ladybug, and rainbow-colored duct tape. “Knock yourself out, kid,” Rick said and then went back to his science work.

What followed was Ben aggressively attacking everything that lived in Froopyland. By the time he was done, he was a bloody mess from all the animals he had killed. Rick then noticed that all the wildlife he had created had been killed in a relatively short time.

“Well, God damn,” Rick realized. He went to work to create new animals for Ben to hunt down.

-Froopyland

With his aggressive outlet now in place, Ben was doing better at school. He even made a friend in his class named Tommy. It wasn’t long before Ben introduced Tommy to Froopyland without Rick’s knowledge. The two boys explored the make-believe world and then the two began working on creating a house.

Diane noticed Ben’s absence. “Where’s Ben?” she asked Rick as he watched TV.

“Probably out doing stuff,” Rick said vaguely.

“He’s never around,” Diane said concerned.

“He’s fine, Diane. Nothing to worry about,” Rick said to her.

***

It wasn’t long before Ben introduced hunting to Tommy. “Gross!” Tommy said as Ben went on a killing spree.

“You want to try?” Ben asked him.

“No, man,” Tommy objected.

“What’s the big deal? They’re not real,” Ben said.

“That’s not the point, Ben. It’s what goes on in your mind,” Tommy said to him. “I want to leave,” Tommy said becoming disturbed by Ben’s actions.

Ben eyed Tommy for a moment. “Sure, we can go,” he allowed.

Ben intentionally misled Tommy away from the exit bringing him deeper into Froopyland. He then saw a swamp filled with honey. Seeing his chance, Ben pushed Tommy into the honey.

“Why would you do that?” Tommy cried out as he was stuck in the honey.

“Must have slipped,” Ben said giving Tommy a sociopathic expression.

“Help me!” Tommy said as he was sinking into the honey swamp.

Ben watched as Tommy sank into the honey swamp and didn’t come back up. After a short hesitation, Ben went back towards the exit.

***

Ben entered the living room as Rick was watching TV. “How was your adventure with Tommy in Froopyland?” Rick asked.

“It went great,” Ben said without emotion.

“So, I guess I have to take him home,” Rick said annoyed and got up.

“Actually, Tommy walked back home,” Ben lied.

“Oh, good,” Rick said sitting back down and continued to watch TV.

***

Soon thereafter, Tommy went missing. The police went on a manhunt for Tommy. Rick was oblivious that Ben was involved and Diane wasn’t even aware that Tommy had been over. She wasn’t even aware of the existence of Froopyland. To cover his tracks, Ben hid the chalk that would open Froopyland making it impossible for Rick to investigate inside.

Police eventually did arrive at the Sanchez’s residence. “We have reason to suspect your son may be involved in the disappearance of Tommy,” the cop said.

“Oh yeah? Where’s your evidence?” Rick said obnoxiously.

“May we have permission to search the premises?” the cop asked.

“No, go fuck yourself,” Rick replied.

Diane turned to Rick as the cops left. “Pigs,” Rick said shutting the door.

“This is serious, Rick. Was Ben involved?” Diane asked.

“I don’t know. Unlike other people, I don’t make baseless assumptions,” Rick said nonchalantly.

“A child’s life is at stake,” Diane stressed.

“Loads of children die every day in Africa. No one gives a shit about that,” Rick said turning the TV back on.

“Tell me that Ben is not a murderer,” Diane said seriously.

Rick eyed Diane and then saw Ben watching around the corner. “He’s not. I would know,” Rick lied.

***

The next morning, Ben found himself tied to the bed. Rick patiently sat in a chair and waited for him to wake up. “Took you long enough,” Rick said annoyed as he woke up.

“What is this?” Ben asked stunned.

“I’m going to ask you some questions. I don’t trust you to answer honestly. I wouldn’t trust myself in the same situation,” Rick said and then took out a doll.

“What’s that?” Ben asked.

“It’s a lie detector disguised as a doll. It makes an annoying cry whenever someone lies,” Rick said. “Now, what happened to Tommy?”

“I don’t know,” Ben lied.

The doll obnoxiously cried. Rick took out an electric gun and stunned Ben for lying to him. The boy shook and cried out as he was being shocked.

“Look, I don’t give a shit what you did. I just need the truth, so I can keep the cops off my back. Trust me. Whatever you did isn’t going to be anywhere close to what I’ve done,” Rick said to him.
Ben simply nodded. “What happened to Tommy?” Rick repeated.

“I left him in Froopyland. He got stuck in honey,” Ben admitted.

Rick gave Ben a look of surprise. It had been a few weeks since Tommy’s disappearance. He would no doubt be dead by now. Froopyland may have been a different dimension but still progressed in real time.
“Did you push him in?” Rick asked.

“Yes,” Ben replied honestly.

Rick didn’t bother to ask why. It didn’t matter at this point. “Where’s the chalk?” Rick asked.

“In the backyard. I buried it,” Ben said.

***

Rick went out back and easily found the chalk. He went into Froopyland and found the honey swamp. Looking around, he found no sign of the boy. Sighing, Rick went back to the house. While sitting on the couch, portals opened from other dimensions. Several Ricks from different dimensions came into the living room wearing white uniforms.

“Oh, look, it’s Rick C-137,” they said amused.

“Hi, guys,” Rick said miserably.

“Oh, what’s got you down? Is it because you’re the last Rick to make a portal gun?” they asked.

“No, it’s Ben. He caused another boy to drown in honey in Froopyland,” Rick said.

“No shit? My Ben did the same thing,” one of the Ricks said amused. “Same with me,” another said.
Rick eyed the amused Ricks. “Is Ben out-of-control in all your dimensions?” he asked.

“Yeah, a complete nut-job but don’t worry, Rick C-137, we have the answer,” one Rick said. “It’s called the Morty project. You see, kids don’t give a shit what we parents have to say but grandkids will adore us. It’s time to skip a generation and start fresh,” a Rick said.

“What do you have in mind?” Rick asked.

***

It wasn’t long before things went out of control in the Tommy case. His father was arrested and then accused of actually eating Tommy’s corpse in a bizarre cannibalism episode. The entire town was scandalized as the irresponsible media made wild claims about the case. The case went trial and the father was actually convicted despite there be no body. The judge sentenced the father to death-row.
Ben took all of this in stride and then told his father over TV that he wanted to become a doctor. “Helping people get over their colds is a waste of time,” Rick said dismissively.

“No, I want to be a surgeon. I want to see a person’s insides,” Ben said.

Rick eyed Ben with concern. “To help them, right?”

“Yeah, of course,” Ben replied.

***

Rick C-137 came before the citadel of Ricks, a government body made up entirely of Ricks from hundreds of dimensions. They all looked and sounded the same except for differing hairstyles. On the citadel, a giant space station, Ricks trained in hand-to-hand combat, shooting plasma rifles, flying space ships, and working on super-weapons. The citadel was designed to protect Ricks from the Galactic Alliance, a tyrannical government of bug-like aliens that had yet to reach Earth. Rick C-137 came before the Council of Ricks to plead his case.

“So, my son Ben is a total sociopath, and I don’t want him to become the next Hannibal Lector,” Rick C-137 said.

“Agreed, Ben has shown instability across all known dimensions,” the Mayor Rick said.
“What can we do?” one Rick councilman asked.

“Behold the eradicator,” Mayor Rick said showing a head-sized device with two prongs. “With this device, we can eradicate all Bens across all dimensions,” he said coldly.

The Rick councilmen murmured amongst themselves. “Ben has become a nuisance and a liability. Our scientific inquiry cannot be compromised by a Ben,” Mayor Rick said.

Rick C-137 looked upon the Council of Ricks in horror. “I demand a trial.”

“We all know Ben is guilty,” Mayor Rick objected.

“He deserves the opportunity to come forward with witnesses,” Rick C-137 said.

“Very well, the trial shall begin next week,” Mayor Rick allowed.

-Council of Ricks

***

For the next few days, Rick wondered what to do. Even if he somehow changed Ben’s predisposition from mayhem and violence, he would still look the same. Rick eyed Diane as she worked in the kitchen. She looked so beautiful with her blue eyes and blond hair. It was then that Rick realized an idea to save Ben.

“I’m going to have a talk with Ben,” Rick told her leaving the living room.

Rick went to Ben’s room, stunned him with his electric gun, and dragged him down to the basement. He put Ben in restraints and prepared a needle.

“What is this?” Ben asked as he realized where he was.

“This is the only way to save you. I have to change your mind and body, so you’re less of a sociopathic killer,” Rick said.

“What are you going to do?” Ben asked fearfully.

“This will change your chromosomes from an XY to an XX. Do you know what that means?” Rick asked.
Ben nodded wide-eyed. “You can’t do this. You can’t turn me into a girl,” he protested.

“Maybe constantly having female hormones pumped into your brain will make you more docile,” Rick said condescendingly.

“I’ll be a good boy. I won’t hurt a fly,” Ben said as he struggled against his restraints.

“It’s too late for that. This is the only way to preserve your life,” Rick said and then injected Ben with the dosage.

“No!” Ben screamed as he was injected.

Rick waited patiently as Ben began to change. His body became smaller making his restraints looser. His blond hair became longer to shoulder length. His face became more feminine similar to that of Diane. His hands became thinner. Ben wasn’t an athlete, but his muscles shrank all over his body. His cries became more higher-pitched as time went on. Small breasts formed under his shirt and his manhood disappeared. Ben felt a weird sensation as female organs suddenly appeared inside his groin. Finally, Ben was completely female.

“Turn me back. I know you can,” Ben shouted in a girly voice.

“I’m sorry, Ben, or should I know say…Beth,” Rick said.

He then placed a helmet over Beth’s head. “Don’t worry. I’ll save all of your memories,” Rick said as he placed a test tube on the helmet. “It will take a while, but I’ll modify each and every good memory you have ever had.”

“Modify?” Beth questioned.

“Yeah, I’ll make you think you were always a girl,” Rick said nonchalantly. “All of your memories as a boy will be stored in my vault. When you are grown up and more well-adjusted, I might have you see them one day,” Rick told her.

“I will always be the same kid. You can’t change that even if you change my gender and memories,” Beth said defiantly.

“That’s where you’re wrong, kid. Everything that makes us who you are is a collection of random memories. I can change your personality, your beliefs, your dreams, and everything that you are through science. There is no soul, just neurons firing in your brain. Don’t fight it,” Rick said to her.

“We could have been partners, father and son,” Beth said angrily.

“I guess I’ll just have to wait for the next generation,” Rick said sadly.

“You’re crazy if you think I’ll ever give birth,” Beth said to him.

Once Rick was done collecting memories and storing them, he put his memory stick to her face. “Bye, Ben,” Rick said and then zapped her.

***

Rick C-137 brought Beth to the citadel of Rick. As he did, all the Ricks looked at him strangely wondering who the girl was. The Council of Ricks looked upon Rick C-137 skeptically. “Why do you bring this girl to us?”

“She used to be Ben. I changed her DNA and her memories. There’s no need to use the eradicator,” Rick said.

“Interesting,” Mayor Rick allowed. A DNA scan was made on the girl from a small hovering probe. “It would appear the girl is genetically the same as Ben except for one aspect. However, we all know that little girls can still be out-of-control killers,” Mayor Rick said.

“If you change your Bens to females and then modify their memories, they will no longer pose a threat to society. In addition, we can begin planning for the next generation,” Rick argued.

“Yes, we can make every Ben in every dimension a Beth. Then we can locate the second smartest male human on Earth to couple with her to create the ultimate Morty. Then, we would be unstoppable,” Mayor Rick said enthusiastically.

“So, we good?” Rick C-137 asked exhausted.

“Yes, thank you Rick C-137 for showing us this alternative,” Mayor Rick said pleased. “Put her in place.”
Rick C-137 gave Mayor Rick a skeptical eye as Beth was placed in the eradicator. “Put the setting on duplicate instead of kill,” Mayor Rick ordered.

The device turned on and in a flash of light every Ben from all dimensions suddenly became a Beth. All the Bens in the citadel suddenly became female. “Daddy, I want to go home,” Beth said tearfully to her father.

“Yes, Beth. It’s time to go home,” Rick agreed embracing his daughter.

***

Diane was less than pleased when she found out. “How could you turn our son into a girl without telling me?” she said angrily.

“Easy, you wouldn’t have agreed to it,” Rick said as he drank a beer.

“The girl upstairs is not my son. You’ve changed her mind and body. She’s not even the same person anymore,” Diane pointed out.

“That was the point. Ben was a violent sociopath. This was the only way to keep him and everyone else in the town safe,” Rick said.

“I think you’re overstating things,” Diane said ignorantly.

“Diane, he killed Tommy,” Rick said finally.

“How do you know?” Diane asked shocked.

“I just know. There’s no proof or anything, but he did it,” Rick said.

“This is all your fault. You neglected him as he was growing up. You gave him weapons and taught him that nothing mattered. You’re a bad father,” Diane said scornfully.

“Well, when you’re right you’re right,” Rick admitted.

“I can’t deal with this. I need someone who can teach our child about God and morals,” Diane stressed.

“There is no god, so go ahead and rip that Band-Aid right off,” Rick replied.

Diane gave Rick a horrified look. “You weren’t like this before,” she said.

“I grew up,” Rick said. “You should too.”

“My life has value. Our son’s life has value,” Diane argued.

“Relative to what? You’ve formed an attachment to Ben, because you thought he was your only child. The universe has infinite dimensions. There are infinite versions of ourselves and our child. Lose one and it can be easily replaced,” Rick told her.

“Then you can find yourself another versions of me that will accept your shit,” Diane glared at him with angry tears.

Rick finished his beer. “Alright,” he said and used his portal gun. He disappeared inside the portal and left and didn’t come back for another twenty years.

***

Rick C-137 went from one dimension to another greatly expanding his mind and experience. When a Rick would occasionally get himself killed, Rick C-137 would fill in temporarily as Diane’s husband. Wherever he went, Diane was resentful that Rick had turned their son into a girl. In all scenarios and dimensions, it was the same.

It took many years and therapy sessions for Beth to come to terms with her father’s disappearance. Her memories of Ben were gone, but her subconscious felt disturbed by Tommy’s death. Buried under many layers of psychosis, she was aware of Froopyland and Tommy’s true fate. However, on the surface of her mind, she was traumatized that her best friend Tommy had been killed and eaten by his father.

As designed, Beth was a cheerful girl that loved helping other people. Diane had her relocated to another school that wasn’t aware of her gender change. As she went into high school, she began to take an interest in boys.

“Hey, Beth, I saw you in biology. You were really good dissecting that frog,” a boy in a jock jacket said to her.

“Oh, really?” Beth said instantly attracted to the boy that was hanging out at her locker.

“The name’s Jerry. Want to go out sometime?” Jerry asked her.

“I would love to,” Beth said excitedly. She had never had a boy take an interest in her before. She was feeling weird hormonal feelings for him.

“Cool,” Jerry said and walked off with confident swagger.

***

In short order, Beth fell in love with Jerry. He was a male figure that replaced her father. He wasn’t smart and often acted cowardly, but he was fiercely loyal to her. In his car, the two watched the night sky.

“My father left me a few years ago. I don’t think he will ever come back,” Beth shared.
“I will never leave you. That’s a promise,” Jerry said to her.

Beth didn’t care that Jerry wasn’t a genius or powerful. She didn’t care that he couldn’t cross dimensions and fight intergalactic governments. All she cared was that he was there for her. She kissed him passionately and then shortly thereafter started taking her clothes off.

***

The Council of Ricks gathered for an emergency session. Rick C-137 was too busy fighting alongside Birdman against the Galactic Alliance to be present. “It would appear our Beth has been impregnated by a Jerry, a complete idiot,” a Rick councilman said displeased.

“The solution is clear. We abort it,” Mayor Rick said. “Our Beth must conceive a child with a more suitable specimen.”

“I think we have a problem,” one the Rick councilman said as they saw a video of Diane.

***

“Absolutely not,” Diane said angrily. “I forbid it.”

“It’s my body,” Beth said just as forcefully.

“It’s a life. What if I had aborted you?” Diane said to her.

“I can’t have a baby. I’m only seventeen. I have dreams. I want to be a surgeon someday,” Beth argued.

“Well, you should have thought of that before you had sex,” Diane said.

Beth stormed off to her room in tears. A portal opened with armed Ricks. Diane gave the Ricks a shocked expression. “Rick?” she wondered.

“Don’t look so surprised,” they said and took hold of her.

The Ricks took Diane before the Council of Ricks. She looked around in amazement at all the Ricks walking around. Some of them gave her a dirty look. “So, we finally meet again, Diane,” Mayor Rick said amused.

“What is all this?” Diane demanded.

“There are infinite dimensions of ourselves but in every one of those dimensions Beth is pregnant via Jerry. And here I thought I was bad a parenting,” Mayor Rick said to her.

“If you hadn’t left this wouldn’t have happened,” Diane said scornfully.

“You’re barking up the wrong tree. Your Rick is not here,” Mayor Rick smirked.

“Why am I here then?” Diane asked.

“In every dimension, you are the only obstacle in the way for Beth getting an abortion. You see, we have grand plans for Beth. We want her to conceive with a superior intellect, and Jerry doesn’t foot the bill,” Mayor Rick said coldly.

“They love each other,” Diane said defensively.

“Love is merely a chemical interaction in the brain that encourages a species to breed,” Mayor Rick replied.

“You sound exactly like him,” Diane said.

“Of course,” Mayor Rick chuckled.

“But you’re wrong. I did love you, but you changed. All of you have,” Diane said to them.

“It’s called enlightenment,” Mayor Rick sneered.

The Ricks then moved Diane over to the eradicator and placed her head in it. “You will never win,” she said to them.

“We already have,” Mayor Rick smirked.

The eradicator was set to kill. In a flash of light, Diane across all dimensions was gone.

***

Beth was oblivious to her mother’s death as she rode with Jerry to the abortion clinic. Her mother just didn’t understand that her career and future was on the line. Jerry was sympathetic to whatever she decided. Jerry suddenly hit a rock in the road and had a flat tire.

“I can fix this,” Jerry said getting out to replace the tire.

Beth sat in the car lost in thought. She placed her hand on her stomach and wondered if she was doing the right thing. Jerry finally replaced the tire and got back into the car. Beth was in tears as he entered.

“What’s wrong?” he asked compassionately.

“I can’t go through with it,” she said to him.

“Really?” Jerry wondered.

“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to save life. How can I live with myself if I take this life,” Beth said.

“I understand, Beth. I will always be there for you. If you plan to keep the baby, I would be honored to be your husband,” Jerry proposed.

“Oh, Jerry!” Beth said hugging him and crying on his shoulder.

“It’s going to be alright, Beth. I love you,” Jerry said consolingly.

***

The Council of Ricks watched the video of Jerry and Beth with disgust. “With few exceptions, the abortion was successful,” a Rick councilman reported.

“However, they’re all sticking with this Jerry,” the councilman said disturbed.

“Capture this Jerry too, so we can eradicate him,” Mayor Rick ordered.

***

Rick C-137 exited a portal in a hospital and looked out a window. He saw Jerry and Beth with their newborn baby girl they had named Summer. Portals opened allowing armed Ricks to storm the hallways. “What are you here for?” Rick C-137 asked them.

“We’re here to eradicate Jerry, obviously,” their squad leader said.

Rick stared at the happy family and then back to the stone-faced Rick squad. Suddenly, he took out a pistol and killed the squad of Ricks. He then opened a portal so their bodies would disappear from the floor.

-Rick Squad

Opening another portal, Rick C-137 marched on the citadel. The other Ricks allowed Rick C-137 to address the council. “You eradicated my wife,” he accused.

“More like ex-wife,” Mayor Rick joked and then did a finger handshake with the council member next to him.

“You’re not to eradicate Jerry,” Rick C-137 told them.

“And why won’t we?” Mayor Rick asked amused.

“Because if you do, I’ll eradicate myself,” Rick C-137 threatened.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Mayor Rick narrowed his eyes at him. “You would kill your infinite selves?”

“Without hesitation,” Rick C-137 replied.

“You’re bluffing,” Mayor Rick accused.

“Try me,” Rick C-137 said.

Mayor Rick gave him a furious look. “Very well, Rick C-137. We will play it your way,” Mayor Rick allowed.

“If anything happens to Jerry, if it be a car accident or a bolt of lightning, I am going to blame this council,” Rick C-137 made clear.

“You’ve made your point clear, Rick C-137,” Mayor Rick glared.

Rick C-137 made a portal and exited.

***

Rick drank alcohol from a flask as he approached the grave site. There was no body to bury. She had been eradicated across all infinite dimensions. She was gone forever. Rick took a sip as he saw the grave site. In a moment of emotional weakness, Rick fell on the tombstone and wept. “I don’t deserve happiness,” he said to her.

Rick then noticed Jerry, Beth, and their infant daughter entering the cemetery. Sighing, Rick opened a portal and disappeared before the couple was aware of him. Beth saw a white-haired man near her mother’s grave. As she got closer, the man was gone.

“Dad?”