Sorry it's a day late! Had a lot going on and I wanted to write more in this chapter. Also wasn't sure where I was going to end it and ended up surprising myself. So, there you go! (P.S. The chapter name was actually quite nice before but I thought it gave too much away so I had to change it. I wonder if the replacement gives off the same message...the same voice message.)

Disclaimer: I do not own 'Be More Chill' or any of it's adaptations or content.


Replaced

Chapter VII

~…RING…RING…RING…~

Michael never thought he'd ever be in a position where he'd be testing the speed limit, but there he was. His heart pounded in his chest with each passing minute and even more with each red light. His mind was everywhere at once but only two thoughts repeated in his head: Get home. Call home. The teen had propped his cell phone up in the cup holder when he entered the car and had his house number already dialed. On speaker phone he constantly called.

RING…RING…RING…

Only voice mail.

There was a part of him that kept insisting that the SQUIP just fell into a deep sleep or is doing something away from the phone, but it was wishful thinking. With each passing call his mind went to worse scenarios, and the overwhelming truth kept returning. This is my fault.

The drive felt agonizingly long but as soon as his car pulled up to his house Michael immediately bolted out, barely taking the time to lock the vehicle behind him. Stumbling to take the keys out of his pocket and unlock the door, he frantically got inside.

"Reese?!" he shouted, slamming the door behind him to make more noise. He waited, trying to hush his own heartbeat to hear for a quiet answer. But none came.

"No, don't fucking do this," he whispered as he rushed to the basement stairs, descending them as fast as he could. He didn't need to get to the bottom to see the entire room, and he easily found the SQUIP.

Reese was lying on the floor far away from their normal spot. Their face was just visible to see that their eyes were closed but Michael knew by the uncomfortable position they were in that they were not sleeping. Toppled beside them was the house phone, at too strange an angle to have been put there carefully.

Noticing how still the computer was Michael rushed to their side. "Reese?" he called, shaking their shoulder gently. The SQUIP didn't react. Michael tried again to shake them but to no avail. As his panic rose as he tried to calm himself down enough to figure out what to do. He needed to find out if they were…So he checked their vitals. To his relief they still had a heartbeat and were breathing - if barely.

"O-Okay, you're alive," Michael whispered shakily. Concerned for their breathing he shifted the SQUIP into a more comfortable position so that it'd be easier for them. Not knowing what else to do he reached inside his pocket for his phone…only to realize it was still in the car.

"What the fuck, Michael," he cursed as he raced back upstairs. He ran as fast as he could out of his house and back to his car. Somehow his mind convinced him that if he moved fast enough that Reese's condition wouldn't change, that they'd still be breathing when he got back. But his darker thoughts kept convincing him he wouldn't be fast enough. This made him hardly careful as he tore his car door open and retrieved his phone. He kept stumbling with his keys to lock the door again and nearly tripped over the stairs getting back inside.

He tried his best to type in Rich's number as he got back downstairs. To his relief Reese was still alive. It had been less than two minutes so it shouldn't have been a surprise but he was grateful anyways. Sitting back beside the SQUIP and trying to quiet his deafening heart he let his phone ring.

RING…RING…RING…

"Don't you fucking dare," Michael swore darkly, already hating the sound of ringing phones. To his slight relief it didn't go to voice mail.

"Hey, Mikey! Still at 7/11?" the familiar voice answered on the other line.

"What took you so long?!" Michael snapped, unable to keep himself calm anymore.

"Wha…I didn't hear my phone ringing," Rich replied honestly, taken aback. Michael tried to take a deep breath but failed.

"Do you have a landline?!"

"What?"

"At home, do you have a landline? Or any kind of phone?"

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"I need your number. I need to talk to Kert," he demanded, finding it harder to stay still as he began fidgeting.

"Wha – Why? What happened?" Rich asked alarmed.

"Reese happened! They…Their…I don't…I…" Michael had a hard time trying to get words out as he looked the SQUIP over. They seemed so still, so lifeless, so different from the computer he's been fighting with the last few days. The silence was overwhelming. There were times when the SQUIP was quiet, yes, but their presence never left. They always made themselves known and the teen could always feel their gaze. A presence he'd gotten used to that seemed unnaturally gone.

There was a part of him that hated the SQUIP for this. He didn't need this in his life right now, he already had enough going on. Yet the computer continued to make his life worse. If it wasn't twisting Jeremy up it was dying in his house. What made it worse was that it would be his fault if the SQUIP…didn't make it. Kert was doing fine so there was something he was doing wrong. He couldn't even keep one computer alive, one human. It would be his fault and no one would ever belief otherwise. How could it not be his fault? To not be intentional? It was Jeremy's SQUIP after all, how could he not be the one responsible for killing it? No one would ever belief him it was an accident. But then again…no one even knew he had it…which sounded even more like a murder!

No one knew he had it but Rich…Jeremy didn't know…didn't know that his SQUIP was nearby…and was…Would Jeremy care? Michael had no doubt that if the roles were reversed Jeremy would have known what to do to keep his SQUIP alive. He should have let Reese go to him. Jeremy would have better taken care of them. The SQUIP would have been happier. Michael really was the worst, letting a human being die completely unhappy. Jeremy was probably all they really wanted. Jeremy was all they knew…Jeremy was literally their whole reason for existing…and Michael was detaining them away from that. No wonder the SQUIP hated him. Who wouldn't? Jeremy hated him. His friends weren't really his friends. No one wanted him there. He just made things worst. He would have been better off-

"Michael?" Michael jumped when he heard Rich's concerned voice. He sputtered, choking slightly. He didn't even notice he was hyperventilating. He took a moment to shake his thoughts away and concentrate.

"Breath."

He would never admit to himself that it wasn't his voice he hear in his head, but he listened anyways. Taking in a deep breath he tried to regain himself and calm his shaking. "R-Reese is…unconscious," he said as best he could. He wanted to sound calm but his voice crack probably said otherwise.

"Shit, how do you know?" Rich asked shocked.

"I-I came home. They weren't answering the phone and…something's wrong. They're not waking up and I don't know what to do," Michael answered, letting his emotions show.

"Did you try the…drink?" Rich questioned, pausing as though others could hear him. They probably could.

"No…I rushed home."

"What are you gonna do?"

"I need Kert. Can you give me your number?" Michael waited for an answer but it didn't come as fast as it should have. With each passing moment he got more unnerved and frustrated by how long it was taking Rich to answer.

"…I could…but I told Kert not to answer the phone…ever," the teen finally answered.

"Rich!"

"I'm sorry! We don't do the phone thing like you do. My brother calls home sometimes and so does his friends. What if Kert answered? They'd know someone's in the house!" Rich exclaimed in defense. Michael buried his face in his hands.

"What do I do?" he whispered helplessly. He couldn't call the hospital because the SQUIP people could find Reese. He couldn't call Kert. He couldn't call Jeremy because they would be even more lost then him. He wondered if he banged on Rich's house door if Kert would answer…but he'd have to leave Reese alone to get there. It would be the same if he decided that Mountain Dew was the way to go…Could he leave Reese alone like this? If he asked Rich to find a way there too much time would pass…What could he do?

"Hey, you want me to ditch? I could be there in…I could be there!" Rich offered, obviously avoiding how long it'd take to travel there, the same fear Michael had.

"I don't know…" he answered honestly. This is the one time he wished the SQUIP was there to give advice. They would know what to do in a crisis situation, they were trained. He tried to think of what they would do but his mind was too clouded. He couldn't do it. He couldn't do anything right. When did he become so helpless? Or was he only strong when Jeremy needed him to be?…No, that couldn't be true. Or, at least, right now he couldn't let it be true. He had to figure this out. He had to be the SQUIP's 'one percent', not just when it was convenient. He could do this.

"...I need Kert," he finally said, "I need you to get them."

"Okay, I can do that. But it will take a while to get to my house and then there…where do you even live?" Rich questioned.

"I'll text you my address. I'm not too far," Michael took a deep breath, "I'm getting the Mountain Dew."

"Are you serious?"

"I don't know what else to do! Kert thinks it might work so I'm going to get it. If it's doesn't then we're shit out of luck! But I'm getting it and maybe something that stupid will work," he exclaimed.

"...Okay, but keep me posted! I'll be there soon."

"Thanks." Hanging up the phone Michael took another deep breath. He needed to focus. Looking the SQUIP over one more time he felt his body resisting to move, but he had to. The faster he left the faster he'd be back. He could do this. He would.

Taking in another deep breath Michael left the room and the house entirely. He felt like a timer was tracking his speed as he raced to his car and drove away from the SQUIP. Did he think Mountain Dew would help? No. It did nothing but activate SQUIPs, and if Reese was possessing a body that wasn't theirs - which Michael hadn't thought about since he got the computer - than they already would have been activated. Wouldn't they? Either way he needed to try. The body was dying as much as the mind and he needed to revive them. If Kert thought that Mountain Dew was the cure than he was going to get it.

Rushing to the 7/11 he quickly got what he needed. He'd been there enough times to know exactly where to go. Grabbing the Mountain Dew - which he admitted made him freeze at the sight - he went to the cashier. They knew him well enough to help him get in and out as fast as possible. He couldn't have appreciated them more. Getting back to the car he started speeding home. On the way he made sure to call the school to let them know he wasn't feeling well and was taking the rest of the day off. It took a bit of convincing but eventually he won the nice secretary over.

Despite knowing the result, Michael constantly called home. He kept hoping that despite everything that the SQUIP would answer. But with each passing, haunting, ring he was met with the same voice mail. He hoped after today he'd never have to hear any voice mail again.

Finally returning back he got out of the car and headed back to the house. To his surprise his phone began to ring. Grabbing it he put it to his ear as he unlocked the door.

"Rich?" he questioned, hoping to hear good news. He was shocked at what he got instead.

"…Mmh…"

"Reese?!" he called alarmed, dropping his keys and struggling to catch them before they fell. His heart rate went through the roof as he anxiously waited a response but was only met with labored breathing. "You know what? Don't answer. Hang in there, I'm outside." Without another word he burst in.

He was across the house and down the basement stairs in seconds, immediately going to the computer's side. Reese was relatively in the same position that he left them, the only difference being that their arm was now outstretched to the phone and they were, in fact, awake.

"Reese," he called gently to get their attention. The SQUIP moved to look at the new comer but let out a small moan instead as their eyes closed. "Don't you dare fucking faint, Tic Tac!" Michael cursed as he tried to shift the other into a sitting position. Reese's eyes returned to half-lidded as they tried to move again but ended up settling into a reclined position against Michael. The teen had no idea how he had gotten himself into such a position but there he was.

"Fuck…alright, can you hear me?" he asked, hoping the computer was more conscious than they appeared. To his relief Reese gave a small nod of their head, no longer making any attempts to speak. "Okay…Kert's coming over, alright? They're going to fix you up…somehow. Until they do…I mean, I have Mountain Dew here. I don't know what it'll do but we got to try something." Hoping the SQUIP understood what he was saying he roughly grabbed the drink from where he hid it in his hoodie pocket. Putting his hand on the cap he paused. Staring at the neon liquid he felt he was holding so much power…the power to turn on the most scary, possessing computer possibly in the world. He knows that the drink can't do anything more to Reese than what they were already able to do, but he was still scared it would somehow do something worse. Something that could ruin his life again. But he had no choice. Taking a deep breath he took off the cap.

He hesitated again as he tried to figure out how to give it to the computer. Slowly he lifted the bottle to the other's lips, hoping they would understand what was happening. Luckily they did because they opened their mouth a fraction to accept some of the neon substance. Careful to only let them drink a small amount to avoid chocking, Michael pulled the bottle away and watched. It was silent as he waited for something to happen. But nothing did.

"Are you serious?" he whispered, his heart sinking. What did he expect? For the drink to solve all their problems? It was just a drink. He felt so stupid for even trying it. To add to his anxiety Reese closed their eyes again, though hopefully because they wanted to not because they fell into the abyss again.

"Reese," he called, shaking their shoulder. They shouldn't be sleeping. Then again they didn't have a bruise on their head indicating they hit it when fainting - he wondered if they felt it coming on and laid down to not hurt themselves - so there was no risk of a concussion. But still, maybe it'd be easier for them to slip away if they slept. Reese ignored him…or couldn't hear him, and didn't wake. Michael shook them again before sighing heavily. This was one of the biggest mistakes of his life. Another thing to add to the horrors he recalled every night. Another thing he did wrong that will haunt him every minute of every day. He wouldn't be able to tell anyone about it. He'd have to suffer alone…again. Michael tried to take a deep breath but it came in shuttered as he rubbed at his wrists gently.

The teen nearly jumped out of his skin when the SQUIP jolted from their slumber, eyes flashing open revealing the bright, glowing eyes he hasn't seen since he found the computer. "Shit, Reese," he called alarmed as he propped the SQUIP up better. Reese blinked as they took in their surroundings, obviously not fully remembering where they were. Their breathing seemed to change from barely existing to heavy panting as their appearance began to…look better. They were more awake, for sure, but the haziness in their eyes was completely gone and their skin even seemed to be regaining a little colour.

After assessing their surroundings Reese looked up at Michael as the glow in their eyes dimmed to their normal shade. "…Michael," they greeted quietly. Michael blinked, confused. He had no idea what was happening. Then it hit him.

"...It worked, didn't it?" he questioned in disbelief. Reese's eyes shifted from the teen to the bottle of Mountain Dew. They were both silent as they stared at it. Reese was the first to speak.

"It seems so." Michael couldn't help opening and closing his mouth as he tried to figure out just what words he wanted to exclaim. This couldn't be happening. There was no way Mountain Dew had actually revived the SQUIP. There was no way. It was too ridiculous to have worked, and yet in the back of his mind he remembered that Jeremy's SQUIP - Reese - didn't activate when Jeremy first drank the soda. Apparently it liked dramatic timing.

"What the actual hell," he finally exclaimed angrily, glaring at the neon drink. To his surprise Reese chuckled in agreement.

"A demon drink, indeed," they mused. Michael had to admit he cracked a grin at that one. The SQUIP reach a hand out to loosely grab the bottle, guiding it back for another sip. Michael helped and waited for the computer to take as much as they needed before pulling the bottle away.

"...Thank you." He blinked, surprised to hear gratitude coming from the other's mouth. It wasn't as though the SQUIP never showed they were capable of feelings, they even thanked him when he brought them home, but it was still foreign. In Michael's opinion they caused each other too many problems to be thanking one another.

"...Don't thank me. That was fucked up," Michael pointed out, motioning his head towards the Mountain Dew. Reese let out another chuckle, nodding their head in agreement as they relaxed into their spot against the teen.

"Concerning…to say the least," they admitted quietly. Michael glanced at them awkwardly, fidgeting at the uncomfortable proximity to the SQUIP he was in. It was one thing when they were dying, it's another knowing that the computer was intentionally relaxing into his hold.

"Are you, uh…okay? Was that really it?" he asked awkwardly. The SQUIP was quiet for a moment.

"...I can't be certain…but the fact that I've recovered this much of my senses at this rate…I believe so," they replied slowly.

"How can that even be possible? I thought Mountain Dew only activated SQUIPs. Did Jeremy drink Mountain Dew all the time? If he did why the hell didn't you tell me you needed it? You almost fucking died!" Michael exclaimed distressed.

"I wasn't aware of the…situation. You're right, Mountain Dew is only used to activate SQUIPs. This is as surprising to me as it is you," Reese answered quietly.

"Doubt that," Michael sighed. An awkward silence passed but the teen tried to not let his discomfort of the situation get in the way. Instead his anxiety rose as his adrenaline wound down. He tried to keep his focus on Reese. It was about them, not him. They were the one's at risk of death, not him, and he knows they're probably hiding more than what they're showing, as usual.

"You scared the shit out of me," he admitted, trying to be nice. Reese moved their head to lock eyes with his.

"Believe me, it was not my intention," they answered honestly. Michael had to admit that the comment lightened some of anxiety. He knew that none of the last twenty-four hours - or however long the Mountain Dew thing was going on for - was an attempt to ruin his life, but it was still nice to hear. His attention was brought back to the SQUIP when he felt the other give a violent shutter.

"Shit, you're still cold, aren't you?" he muttered as he started shifting out from under the SQUIP. "You should lie down," he suggested, hinting at bringing the computer to their chair. Reese grinned as they roughly stood, leaning against Michael heavily.

"Hmm, I do believe I've spent enough time lying on the floor, but if you insist," they teased lightly. Michael rolled his eyes, letting out a sarcastic laugh.

"Keep it up, Windows 10, and I'll leave you on the floor." He had to admit that the SQUIP did make him grin again.

Michael helped Reese over to the bean bag chair, letting them flop onto it. He draped the blanket over them again like he'd done the night before and when he was sure they were okay he sat in his place beside them.

"I should text Rich to let them know you're okay," Michael informed as he got his phone out of his pocket and started texting.

"'Okay' may be misleading. 'Recovering' is more accurate. Still, if you're not planning otherwise, it would be best if they still came. They should know the situation," Reese explained quietly. Michael nodded and after he was done texting he looked at the computer.

"...You said you were just as surprised at this as me. What even is this? Why do you need Mountain Dew if you didn't when you were a SQUIP?" he questioned. Reese was silent for a moment as they thought it over.

"...I have theories," they admitted.

"And they are…?"

"...I believe it would be best to wait for Kert and Rich to arrive before sharing them." Michael scoffed annoyed.

"You can't be serious. After I saved your ass your not going to tell me what the hell is going on?" he snapped.

"Don't misunderstand," Reese assured, "But this is a decision that's beyond me. If Kert is willing to share our information than we will."

"So, Kert makes the decisions."

"No, we make them unanimously."

"On everything?"

"On anything to do with our current SQUIP affairs."

"...It sounds like you're hiding more than you let off," Michael pointed out, though he sounded more reasonable than he intended.

"...We're hiding everything," the SQUIP admitted, "Something I'm sure you'll get very angry over. But even though you won't believe me when I say this, it is for your best interest. Both for you and Rich. We have imposed on your lives to survive and forced you into a situation that would put you at risk. To tell you everything would be to involve you long term in our affairs. We agreed to stay the minimum amount of time necessary in order to give you back your lives. Despite what you may believe, we fully intend on keeping our word." Michael stared at them for a long moment.

"...These SQUIP people sound really scary. Isn't that more reason for you to tell us everything? To warn us? So that we know what they're doing and don't get messed up in it?" he asked uncertainly. Reese smiled.

"Don't eat suspicious pills from the Payless," they teased. Michael rolled his eyes with a frustrated sigh.

"I'm serious."

"So am I. That is the only threat you should be concerned with. Anything else…doesn't concern you."

"...What about Jeremy? Or Rich?"

"The only concern they face is being fed Mountain Dew Red. Other than that when I say 'doesn't concern you' I mean all of you, not just you, Michael. I am not excluding you in this affair." Michael was surprised to hear that.

"Why not?"

"Do you want me to?"

"No, I'm just…"

"I don't hate you, Michael," Reese admitted, "You got in the way, yes, and that made things complicated, but I didn't hate you. You amused me to no end at the play and before that…well, I don't remember what I felt. SQUIP 'emotions' are different than human ones. I don't even know if emotions is the right word for it, but they're similar."

"But I tried to kill you," Michael pointed out, "Aren't you mad about that?"

"No. It makes logical sense from your perspective. Besides, if we want to get technical, in the end it was Christine who deactivated me. She had no control over what she was doing so I can hardly blame her," Reese replied with a shrug.

"…What about Jeremy?" the teen pushed carefully.

"...Though he wanted to deactivate me, he didn't know by getting Christine to drink the Mountain Dew Red that he was getting rid of me in the process. In his mind he was sacrificing his chance of losing of his SQUIP to save her. Quite heroic, really. I'm proud of that. In the end I was too slow to stop him from making the mistake…then again, the knowledge would have only encourage him to keep going, if I'm being honest," the SQUIP continued. Michael didn't know how they could be talking about dying so lightly. There was an undertone of sad reminiscing to their voice but it wasn't nearly what they should be emoting. They died, or almost. Twice.

"Isn't it scary? Dying?" he questioned. The SQUIP shrugged.

"Annoying, to say the least," they answered.

"Annoying? Dude, you died. And you almost died a few minutes ago too and you're acting like it never happened! No, worse, you're acting like it was a mild inconvenience! You almost stopped existing. Why aren't you reacting more? Are you that much of a heartless robot?" Michael exclaimed. Reese looked over at the annoyed teen.

"How do you want me to react?"

"Sad, mad, maybe even traumatized?! I know it sucks and no one wants to deal with it but…come on! Even a tear would be something!"

"You want me to be traumatized and cry?" the computer questioned amused.

"No, I just…it'd make sense! Don't you want to feel sad? You almost died!" Michael asked seriously. The SQUIP shrugged.

"Feelings are…overwhelming and I am not equipped to deal with them. Besides, if it eases your mind, nearly dying is not a 'mild inconvenience'. I've already deactivated once over something as ridiculous as a sip from a 90s soda by a love interest. I don't want to repeat it again with a modern drink and my own stupidity," they answered with a slight huff. Michael slowly nodded his head, cracking a grin.

"Oh, so you are mad," he teased.

"I'm not-"

"You're mad that you almost died stupidly." The SQUIP sighed, rolling their eyes.

"'Mad' doesn't describe how I feel," they replied.

"Frustrated?"

"Michael."

"Oh, come on. The Terminator can feel."

"It's not funny."

"I'm smiling."

"Glad I can amuse you with my frustration."

"So you are frustrated."

"Michael."

"Windows 10 updated to frustrated!"

"What are you trying to achieve, Michael?" Reese snapped with a sigh, "If it ends this debate with you than yes, I feel frustrated. I am frustrated that something as ridiculous as not drinking Mountain Dew nearly killed me. I'm frustrated that I didn't realize the problem earlier and fix it myself. I'm annoyed that everything I planned, all my goals, would have been gone over something so stupid. And more importantly I'm frustrated that my very existence depends on a soda." Michael bit his lip. He probably pushed the SQUIP too far but to find out this much was welcoming, despite the somber tone.

"...Do your goals have anything to do with Jeremy?" he asked quietly, hoping to get an honest answer. Reese locked eyes with him as they stared each other down. Their lips were pressed tightly together and the teen was sure he wasn't getting an answer. He noticed, though, that their gaze was pensive, indecisive. Were they considering sharing with him?

"Yes," they finally answered. Michael's heart froze.

"...Why? What do you want with him?" he asked shakily. He could feel fear quickly rising up, but he tried to repress it. But if he snapped at the computer now they'll stop talking. He needed to be careful.

"I want to see him," Reese answered flatly.

"I doubt that's all you want."

"You're right. I want to know that he's okay. That he will be able to stay steady on his own." The teen didn't expect to hear that.

"There's no way your intentions could be that pure," Michael challenged.

"For now, they have to be," Reese answered, sinking in their seat as they looked up at the ceiling, "My only duty is to improve his life. If everything went as planned and his goals were completed - as you confirmed happened - then I can focus on what needs to be done. But I need to know for sure he's happy, that he doesn't need me. For now, at least. When everything's over, I can help him again. But if he needs me now, I need to make sure he's happy before I leave, because once Kert and I go…we'll be unavailable, until it's safe again."

"...He doesn't need your help," Michael said quietly, not hiding the disdain in his voice, "He's happy. Happier than he's ever been…he doesn't need you." The SQUIP was silent, a lot longer than was comfortable. He probably could have said it nicer, but he needed to get his point across. The computer was not getting a chance to ever be near Jeremy again.

"I'll be the judge of that," Reese finally answered, "When the time comes."


A/N: Did not expect any of these conversations to be happening yet but ah well. If it happens it happens. Finally got through the Mountain Dew Dilema, as I know it. And we're coming up on chapter 10, which is exciting for me. Not because I know what'll be in it, but because that was my minimum requirement of chapters to hit before I go on to other plot points. Take that as you will and get excited ;)