Chương 28: Chapter 27: Into the Shadows
The command center of the Citadel was abuzz with activity. Ricks, Mortys, and the few remaining members of the council were gathered around massive screens, projecting star maps, energy readings, and any possible leads on Jerry's whereabouts. At the center of it all stood me and Evil Morty, our new, uneasy partnership now the key to stopping the one thing that no one saw coming, Jerry.
Evil Morty leaned over the main console, his fingers flying across the keys, entering commands, and analyzing data faster than most Ricks could keep up with. Around him, his loyalists watched in quiet awe. They had never seen their leader working alongside a Rick, much less Rick C-137, but here we were.
"Gather everyone," Evil Morty commanded one of his Mortys, his voice cold and sharp. "We need every resource at our disposal if we're going to find Jerry."
The Morty nodded and ran off, leaving us with the bustling energy of the Citadel's brightest minds.
I stood back for a moment, letting my eyes roam the room. The Citadel may have been through hell, but it was still one of the most powerful centers in the multiverse. If anyone could find Jerry, it was us. But there was one problem, we had no leads.
"You're thinking the same thing I am, huhhhp," I muttered, walking up to the console. "If Jerry really went through all this trouble to evolve into, huhhhp, whatever he is now, he's not leaving anything behind for us to track him with."
Evil Morty glanced up at me, his expression hard. "He planned this. He knew we'd come for him, and he erased his presence. Every trace."
I nodded, crossing my arms. "Huhhhp, every time we think we've got a lead, huhhhp, it just turns to dust. No energy readings, no portal signatures. He's not in any dimension we've scanned so far."
"That's the problem," Evil Morty said, his eyes narrowing. "He's not in any dimension we know. He's somewhere… else. And the only way he got there is because he's evolved past us. We're not tracking Jerry anymore. We're chasing a ghost."
It wasn't an exaggeration. All of our scans, all of our efforts to pinpoint Jerry's location had come up empty. He had disappeared, and not just from our dimension. There were no footprints, no residual energy signatures. Nothing. It was as if Jerry had erased himself from the multiverse.
A Morty technician approached us, his face pale. "Sirs, we've found something."
I looked over at the technician. "What've you got?"
"Jerry's base. Or what's left of it."
Evil Morty and I exchanged a glance before following the Morty to one of the central screens. The feed showed a desolate landscape, the charred remains of Jerry's lab in Dimension QZ-819. Smoke still curled from the ground, the wreckage barely recognizable as the place where Jerry had held us both.
"Auto-destruction," Evil Morty muttered, analyzing the scene. "He rigged it to blow the moment he left."
I stared at the ruined base, my mind working through the implications. Jerry wasn't just one step ahead, he was miles ahead. He had anticipated everything. The second he captured me and Morty, he must have known the Citadel would come after him. This destruction was deliberate, calculated.
"Smart bastard," I admitted grudgingly. "He's covering every base, huhhhp, no pun intended."
Evil Morty's eyes scanned the data on the screen. "Nothing survived the blast. No materials, no tech, no clues. It's a dead end."
The room fell into a heavy silence. We had mobilized the entire Citadel, united its people to track down Jerry, and now we were at a standstill.
"We're missing something," I muttered, my mind racing. "There's gotta be something he left behind, huhhhp, something he overlooked."
But as I said it, I knew it wasn't true. Jerry had evolved. He wasn't playing by our rules anymore.
Evil Morty turned to address the gathered Ricks and Mortys. "We continue the search. Every dimension, every anomaly, every trace of energy out there. I want it all analyzed. Keep every portal monitored. If Jerry makes a move, we'll find him."
A murmur of agreement rippled through the room, but I could sense the uncertainty in the air. Jerry had vanished, and no one knew where to begin looking.
I caught Evil Morty's gaze. "Even if we find him, huhhhp, how do we stop someone who's, huhhhp, two steps ahead of every move we make?"
Evil Morty's expression darkened. "We do what we do best, Rick. We outthink him."
....
I sat back in my chair, the image of Rick C-137 and Evil Morty working together playing out in front of me on the screen. They looked desperate, scrambling for answers, while Jerry, freakin' Jerry, was off somewhere, way beyond their grasp.
I took a slow sip of my drink, the taste of victory already on my tongue. I had to admit, watching them struggle like this was almost too good.
"Well, look at you," I muttered to myself, a grin spreading across my face. "The two biggest egos in the multiverse, forced to play nice. And for what? To chase after Jerry of all people."
I switched the feed, zooming in on the wreckage of Jerry's base. Nothing left. Not a trace. Even I had to give him credit for that. He'd planned his escape perfectly, leaving no breadcrumbs for anyone to follow.
Not even me.
I leaned forward, studying the readouts from the Citadel's best techs. They were good, but not good enough to find Jerry. No one was. Hell, even my systems, the best in the multiverse, couldn't track him. And that's what made this fun.
Because while Rick C-137 and Evil Morty were busy trying to piece together the mystery, I already knew the truth.
Jerry had ascended. He wasn't a threat because he was smart. He was a threat because he was beyond that now. Beyond Rick. Beyond Morty. Beyond everything.
And that? That was worth watching.
I switched off the feed, turning my attention back to my own work. There were still things I needed to finish. Other matters that required my attention. But I'd keep an eye on this little game they were playing. See how it unfolded.
Maybe I'd step in later. Or maybe I wouldn't.
Either way, this was only the beginning.
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