Thankfully it hadn't been too hard to get the Squip to allow them to hang out at Michael's house again. Michael had expected a bit more resistance, with the Squip's whole mission of living 'productively' and shunning recreational activity that was 'unhealthy' and 'a waste of time', but it worked out. Well, the Squip did say that he has things to 'go over with them anyway', which didn't sound promising, but at least step one of his secret plan was working.
Hanging around Jeremy and the Squip Michael had noticed something. Since the robot was shared between them, he was one entity when they were together, which meant his attention wasn't split in two. The moments when the Squip was lecturing Jeremy with Michael standing by, he could allow himself to dive more into the details of his escape plan, now that the computer was too preoccupied to focus on every thought going through his head. What a major oversight on his controlling two people at once plan, Michael smirked to himself.
Anyway, here they were again, the basement where Michael's nightmare had started two days ago.
Michael went to turn his gaming console on, while Jeremy threw down his bag and pulled in the beanbags they'd be sitting on.
"Get the snacks from the cupboard," Michael called to him, "and hey, today we can check the DLC you told me about the other day, there was a sale so-"
"Alright, alright," The Squip's shiny hologram manifested itself in the room, "I know you two want to engage in your enriching video games, but one of the reasons I wanted to gather you outside of school was so that we could really discuss our future plans."
Michael rolled his eyes behind the Squip's back as he navigated the menus to get to their game.
"Future plans," Jeremy threw bags of chips down by the beanbags, before going to look for something to drink, "didn't we already talk about that?"
"Not enough," The Squip responded, "you know you two weren't taking me seriously. But in the school environment there can be some excuse, we were low on time, but now, we have the whole night to work out the details."
"Ugh, dude. I don't know what new information you think you're going to get from us."
Michael listened to them talk. Okay, this was one of those situations. If the Squip and Jeremy keep engaging he'll have time to act, but first he needed to lay low and make sure the time was really right.
"Jeremy, if you ever decided to let go of your persistent pessimism and loser attitude, there is so much you could achieve. I know things went awry for us the first time, but it can still be fixed. You don't want to be like Michael."
Michael froze at the mention of his name. No, no, this isn't about him, keep fighting with Jeremy, come on.
"Can you stop blaming Michael for everything? I thought we were past that? I am my own person, with my own thoughts."
Michael exhaled, ok, maybe this was going in a better direction.
"Jeremy, your own thoughts are socially inept, I can't leave you at the mercy of them."
"Dude, please just let it go!" Jeremy raised his voice a bit, frustration showing.
"Jeremy, I cannot do that, for your own good. Be glad I let you two hang out here at all. You know that this junk food and these mind numbing activities are the last thing you need. I'm gonna give you one last chance to change your attitude before-"
As tensions rose between the two, Michael had inconspicuously slid over to a cupboard further down into his room. He didn't want to risk waiting much longer in case they didn't keep their bickering up and acted fast. Grabbing the bottle of vodka he had kept in there just in case, he unscrewed it as quickly as his shaking hands would allow him and began to chug, gagging through the burning taste of the strong liquid.
"Michael!"
He heard the Squip's panicked voice behind him, pausing to swallow and wipe his sleeve over his mouth as the alcohol assaulted his taste buds and settled in his chest.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?!"
But it was too late, the alcohol was already in him. Michael grinned at the Squip as he rushed to him.
"You, idiot, you-" the Squip attempted to grab his arm, but his hold was getting weaker, and Michael could easily slip out, "you're not getting away with this!"
"Jeremy, catch!" Michael called out, he had capped the bottle again and threw it to Jeremy, who was watching the scene unfold, taken aback.
Jeremy knew what to do, he undid the loosened cap and chugged as well, the alcohol biting his tongue and throat. He wasn't the most experienced drinker and quickly recoiled, grimacing as he forced the liquid down his throat.
If last time it had taken much less alcohol to have the Squip shut down, now they were sure to have some privacy. They watched The Squip as he stood there, looking between the two of them, fuming at being outwitted by two dumb high schoolers.
"You're going to regret this," he hissed, calculations racing through his head in the fleeting moments as his system started to shut down, "you're idiots! You have no idea what you're doing!"
"Don't we, Squippy?" Michael mocked him, "If we don't then how come you're on the verge of passing out just from a couple of shots, bit of a lightweight, aren't you?"
The Squip turned and raised his arm at Michael, deciding to use the last of his energy to send a current through Michael. Which Michael felt only as a tickle instead of the corrective jolt it was intended to be. The Squip fumed, watching Michael laugh in his face in the last moments before his inevitable collapse, his hologram literally collapsing to the floor, before vanishing from Michael and Jeremy's visions.
"Damn, guess we're in trouble now," Michael went over to Jeremy to take the bottle and downed another gulp for good measure, "ugh, but we could use a mixer."
He gave the bottle back to Jeremy, who also shrugged and took another shot. The alcohol had already worked, but with how mad the Squip was, he also felt better making sure that it was a while before they got sober and had to see him again.
"So!" Michael slapped his hands together, the warmth of the alcohol helping to elate his mood, "I think we both know what that perfect mixer is. A red, carbonated, sweet, discontinued mixer!"
"Oh my god, you were able to get more?"
"Not yet, not with that virus breathing down my throat, but now that we can breathe, I'll message my guy," he grabbed Jeremy's shoulders to give him a little shake, his eyes lighting up with excitement, "and then, soon, we'll be free."
Jeremy smiled, he was unsure whether it would really be that simple, but it was nice to see Michael so happy, after the terrible couple of days he's had. Who knows, maybe this time it will work, the Squip's abilities did seem to be lacking when he had to be shared between the two of them. Maybe the almighty computer really was the one to miscalculate, Jeremy nodded, it was intoxicating to feel like you've outsmarted a supercomputer, and the alcohol did help.
"Well then!" Michael ran to get his phone, "let's get this going!"
He sent a message to his soda dealer, asking for more Mountain Dew Red. This was their last hope of escaping, and it better work.
"Ok, now all we can do is wait," Michael told Jeremy.
"What should we do until then?"
"I mean, I didn't load up the game for nothing," Michael gestured at the TV, right, a game of Apocalypse Of The Damned was in order, Jeremy grinned at him once he caught the implication. The two went to grab their controllers and enjoy a well-earned break from their nagging supercomputer companion.
Michael came to, finding himself on the couch. Slightly disoriented, he scanned the room, noting Jeremy asleep on his bed, and a now empty vodka bottle on the ground next to him. That would explain why his memory was so hazy, he thought, trying to recall yesterday's events.
Clearly, they must've had a good time, Michael remembered watching the Squip pass out and diving into another session of Apocalypse Of The Damned, and getting more of his sodas to mix the vodka with, but, what happened with the dealer in the end?
Startled, Michael felt around for his phone, unlocking it and going straight to the message app. Oh, thank god, he had responded. Michael breathed a sigh of relief, reading yesterday's exchange, he had the Mountain Dew and he and Jeremy had gone to retrieve it. Yeah, he remembered going to the mall right before closing hours, the details weren't so clear, but clearly something had gone right. And they'd stopped at 7/11 too, Michael noted the slushie cups on the floor, going to pick one up and sipping at the melted bit that was left in one of them. Damn, he really could go for another slushie or any snack, Michael mused on his post-drinking food cravings.
But, most importantly of all, Michael needed to know if they'd drunk the Mountain Dew Red yet. The part of them getting back home was cloudiest of all. Michael shook his head, they must've drank it already, otherwise the Squip would be here, yelling and probably punishing him again. Michael shuddered at the thought. Or maybe the Squip didn't show up right away during hangovers? He had to ask Jeremy, maybe he knew.
Michael went over to him, grabbing his shoulder and shaking him roughly until he woke up.
"Hey, hey, Jeremy, wake up! Wake up!"
Jeremy was brought out of his sleep, slowly opening his eyes, looking at Michael, then around the room.
"..Oh, hey. What's up.. How did last night go?"
Michael stared at Jeremy's drowsy question.
"So, you don't remember either?"
"Uhmm, I remember," Jeremy sat up, pausing to think of an answer, "I remember the Squip collapsing, then the gaming, the mall where we met your dealer and then.."
"And?"
"We came back? Did we drink the mountain dew yet? I think I blacked out before that."
"Ughh," Michael threw his head back in exasperation, "So you don't know either. We both blacked out, which is a problem, because we don't know if we drank it or not! Like, I can just barely remember getting back here, that's all. I mean, you've drank while Squipped before, did it appear while you were hungover or only afterward?"
"Hmm, honestly, I don't think I got particularly hungover before. I didn't need to drink a lot before he malfunctioned, and the next day I was alright and he was back too. This is the heaviest I've drank in a while."
"Damn."
There was silence in the room for a moment as the two wondered whether their Squip nightmare was over yet or not.
"I guess, we just have to wait," Jeremy said, pulling himself up from the bed and retrieving a bottle of water from his backpack, "maybe let's get something to eat. I'm dying from yesterday, if I don't eat like a.. burger or pizza or chips or whatever right now, I'm going to kill myself."
"Can't argue with that," Michael sighed, reaching for Jeremy's bottle to have a drink himself, "Let's go upstairs and see if there's any breakfast."
After slightly raiding the fridge and greeting Michael's mothers, trying to act as normal as possible in front of them, Michael and Jeremy descended back into the basement. Now slightly more calmed down, letting their guard down and relaxing, seeing as the Squip hadn't reappeared yet.
"What else we should check I think," Michael began, walking toward the gaming console, "is how far we progressed in Apocalypse, what do you think? Unless you have to go home and do homework or something."
"God, no," Jeremy shook his head, "homework is the last thing I want to think about right now. Apocalypse would be perfect."
They grinned at each other, as Michael tossed him the controller.
The two were ready for another energizing round of video games to cheer them up, before harsh jolts of electricity caused them to yelp and recoil, stopping them in their tracks.
The two stared at each other, wide-eyed. Oh fuck. This was not good, this was horrible, this was not supposed to happen!
The Squip rematerialized, much to the horror of the two, and he was pissed, as already was clear from the electric shock he'd just struck them with.
"You fucking idiots, what did I say. You have no idea what you're doing."
Michael and Jeremy didn't respond, staring back in silent terror.
"You thought you would get away with this? That you'll get hammered and get rid of me? Pathetic, so, so, pathetic, but I'll still stay and fix you both, even if I have to deal with abuse and drunk antics in the process," The Squip shook his head, "and here I was thinking I could let you have your little sleepover, but no, you can't even be trusted for that. I'm disappointed, very disappointed. In both of you, Michael and Jeremy, though, we all know who the main initiator was again, don't we?"
Michael knew what this meant, seeing the glance Squip directed at him. He was still being treated like the bad influence. Painting Jeremy as this weak, poor baby who gets corrupted by him. Michael clenched his fists, the anger he felt toward the Squip's dismissal of the importance of independence bubbling up again. He knew he should be scared and placating, since he was obviously in a lot of trouble, but resentment and indignity was all he could feel, glaring at the computer's cold, shimmery face.
"Have you learned nothing yet, Michael? Seriously? I thought by now you'd realize that your little rivalry with me was counterproductive, but I guess not, rational thought is too much to expect from you."
All Michael wanted to say was "Go To Hell'', but held his tongue, opting for a silent glare instead.
"Once again, I'm in your head, your tongue holding doesn't do much."
"Okay then, go to hell," Michael said, his head spinning from the adrenaline. Oh yeah, he was digging his own grave, but he didn't have much left to lose at this point.
The Squip nodded, pressing his lips together.
"Okay, this was a nice talk. But I'm done talking."
Then the Squip was behind them, a force taking a pinching hold of the backs of their necks at once.
"Ah!" They both gasped at the sudden scruffing.
"Ugh! I forgot how weird this is," Michael squirmed in the telepathic hold.
They were then moved along, led to face the back of the sofa, pausing just as they were pushed up to it.
"I hope this was worth it, Michael, because I wasn't kidding when I warned you earlier."
Michael swallowed, now sweaty hands grasping the edge of the sofa. Even if he couldn't pass up the opportunity to snark at the Squip just seconds ago, it was impossible not to have your stomach drop to the pits of hell now that you were actually facing the punishment you were promised earlier.
Jeremy was freaked out as well, hyperventilating as he was forced to stand in the ominous position. He could suspect what the Squip was implying, and he knew now that spanking was something the Squip would apparently do to disobedient hosts, but… it hadn't happened to him before!
"Jeremy, if you didn't want to have Michael's fate, you should've listened to me," the Squip addressed him, "you know I warned you. But if you allow this idiot to influence you like this, I have no choice, but to punish you the same way as him. A shame, I expected you to be at least a little smarter than that, Jeremy."
The telepathic force shoved them forward, right over the back of the sofa. Their first instinct to straighten back up was met with a smothering pressure that held them down. They couldn't move, they were bent over the couch, bracing on its soft cushions, knowing that what was coming won't be soft at all.
"Ah! Squip, no!"
Jeremy yelped, while Michael was silent. Grabbing onto the cushion with profusely sweaty palms, already knowing how badly this was going to suck.
There wasn't another warning, a flash of stinging fire flayed their bottoms at once.
"Augh!"
Once again, Jeremy was the one to make his distress known. His breath came out strained and shuddered. They'd only just begun, but he was already ready to beg. Yes, he had lived with the Squip for quite a while, and experienced the Squip trying to take over the school, but this whole getting pinned down and spanked thing seemed almost as scarier than all of that.
"Jeremy," the Squip's voice was calm yet chiding, "you brought this onto yourself, I'm sorry, but I can't help you."
With that, the crackling pain burst across their behinds yet again, coming in short quick waves.
Jeremy was yelping and whimpering like nobody's business, while Michael on the other hand did his best to keep to some stoicism. It wasn't like it didn't hurt immensely, oh no, it did, but he just couldn't help that bit of pride still left in him. He couldn't break down in a sobbing heap, yes he flinched and his breath was ragged and heavy, but he wouldn't cry. He understood why Jeremy was being so vocal and panicked, he'd always been very sensitive and he was terrified, it made sense, but with him and Squip it was different. The robot had a personal vendetta against him, so spite alone could hold him together, even if he wanted nothing more than to scream his lungs out.
"Michael," The Squip addressed him with a roll of his eyes, still keeping the spanking coming at the same pace, "when, seriously when, will you learn?"
"When you leave me alone."
"...See this is why I have to do this," the Squip shook his head, "you resist me, you disrespect me, you act like a brat and try to ruin things for both you and Jeremy. I have no choice but to get your attention through corporal punishment, you're one of those hosts that doesn't respond to anything else."
Michael started taking a breath to hiss back another snarky reply before the Squip cut him off.
"Save it, seriously. The more you mouth off to me, the harder it will be for you to sit the next day. Do you remember how you nearly cried just because 40 minutes in a chair were uncomfortable for you? Keep going like this and it will get even more uncomfortable, and I might not be as sympathetic next time!"
Sympathetic? Michael thought to himself, nearly wanting to laugh.
"Yes, I actually was, but if I don't see improvements in you, I just won't be anymore. I might make this a regular maintenance thing? You don't want that, do you? So keep your smartmouthing to yourself."
While the two bickered, Jeremy was turning into an absolute wreck. Tears had already sprung to his eyes and his pained whines would've brought pity to most people's hearts. It was miserable, way worse than the spinal stimulations. He felt solidarity with Michael and all, but he just prayed that they would stop fighting soon if it meant it could shorten this whole ordeal. He would've loved to be strong and prove a point with Michael or whatever, but his butt must've been raw at that point, he wasn't made of steel, he still needed that body part!
"Jeremy, I'm sorry, but it had to come to this. And don't worry, I wouldn't make your punishment worse because of Michael, I'm not irrational, I know what you need. If anything, I'll just have him here for longer, or wash his mouth out with soap, since he can't control his tongue or the language he's using against me in his thoughts."
Michael rolled his eyes at this, but didn't respond, as tempting as that 'I'm not irrational' line was.
"But no, we'll actually finish soon enough. I can sense that even though Michael is putting on a 'tough' act, it's laughably fragile and he will succumb to his true feelings in a matter of minutes."
Michael fumed, sucking in a big breath and clenching his eyes shut, willing himself not to yell at the computer's taunts.
Jeremy glanced over at Michael through his tear filled vision. It made his heart break to see how much Michael was struggling. This was bad enough without also trying to stay strong, he understood why Michael did it, why he wasn't just letting his emotions go, but he felt so bad for him.
After a millisecond of uncertainty, Jeremy reached his hand out over to his. Their fingers grazed and it got Michael's attention. He looked up, locking eyes with Jeremy and nodded, signaling that he would be fine and that they're in this together. He grabbed the hand and squeezed it, which Jeremy squeezed back. Maybe they couldn't talk to each other telepathically, but this was enough to know that they still loved each other and were ready to survive anything together.
The Squip noticed this, but chose not to comment. His discontent for this friendship was notorious, but he couldn't also help being a little impressed. This level of dedication to each other. Jeremy had gotten Michael into having a Squip, even though he didn't want it, and Michael had gotten Jeremy in trouble by hatching this whole plan. And yet, no animosity, still no bad feelings, still solidarity. Human nature was fascinating in cases like this, nevertheless, they needed to be punished for their foolish behavior, and the Squip didn't compromise in matters of discipline.
Traditionally, the final blows of a spanking were the worst. And the Squip was ready to deliver that. On surface level, it may have seemed that only Michael really needed this, since Jeremy had broken down nearly just after they started, but they both did. Jeremy was going to learn that serious misdemeanors had serious consequences and he'll just have to take them no matter how bad it feels. And Michael really needed to break through that dam of his, he wasn't fooling anybody, and he needed to let it go if they were going to get any progress with him.
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
The sharp crackling sound went off in their ears, though they were unsure of where it was even coming from. All they knew was how it felt. That red, hot fire bit their skin again, concentrating on their thighs and the lower half of their buttocks, but then spread through their bodies. It was like a switch or live electrical wire was beating them. It was hard to pinpoint what it could've been, but it was hard, relentless and scorching.
Jeremy sobbed openly, he had no dignity to upkeep and everyone knew how bad he was taking it, he barely felt shame about his crying.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, AUGH- I'm sorry!"
Michael squeezed his hand harder at the sound of his wet cries, but he could no longer deny the tears he knew he would soon spill himself.
It was impossible, Michael had to admit. If he managed to piss that thing off to this point, he had to accept that he wouldn't be getting out of one of these 'punishments' with his dignity still intact. It was made that way by design, and he was… he was only human.
As he accepted this thought, Michael squeezed his eyes as hard as possible, but had to shudder with the sound of his first sniffle. He felt a wet tear go down his cheek and hung his head. He still didn't scream or beg like Jeremy, but he was honest-to-god crying. His whimpers and sniffles were soft, but the stream of tears was steady and his whole body sagged, unable to keep up the tension.
There we go! Just as predicted his calculations were right, the Squip nodded to himself with a smile.
The spanking ceased and they were released from his hold. The pressure holding them down was gone, but Jeremy and Michael didn't get up right away, heaving and attempting to regain any semblance of composure.
The Squip was silent for a moment, allowing them to slowly straighten themselves and take in what they had just experienced. Jeremy instantly went to rub at his bottom, doing so vigorously, desperate for any relief from the pain. Michael did similar, also putting a hand on his rear out of instinct, but he already knew the lingering burn wouldn't go away so easily. He stared down at the couch with a downtrodden expression, knowing that sitting for the next few days wouldn't be getting any easier.
"Now, I know both of you are feeling very emotional. That is understandable and to be expected. But you are a bit too emotional to engage in a productive conversation right now, so I will give you a moment to calm down."
He took Jeremy by the shoulders and pushed him towards one corner of the room, before going to Michael and doing the same to an opposite corner.
"Go into those corners and stand there until I say you can go."
Michael was the one to look over his shoulder to give a displeased look, but the Squip's stern gaze quickly made him turn back around and deterred him from saying anything he might regret.
They both obeyed, stepping up closer to the walls, both of them too tired to argue. Well, Michael still had a bit of a resentful scowl, not approving of this part of the punishment as he crossed his arms and leaned forward, letting himself fall against the corner. Jeremy was too overcome with getting his still flowing tears fully under control, he wasn't outright sobbing anymore, but both the physical and emotional hurt and shock wasn't releasing him that easily.
The Squip nodded to himself, satisfied with the obedience.
"Take this time to reflect on your actions and decisions and on where those decisions led you. I hope you will learn to not be so foolish in the future, even if I will be there to guide you. Don't move away or talk to each other if you want your punishment to end by today, I'll talk to you later."
With that it went quiet. It felt pretty weird for them to do these time-outs in Michael's basement while they were alone. If someone walked in it would be such a weird sight to see them just standing there in silence. But they did, not wanting to provoke the Squip's wrath again.
And so sixty awkward and incredibly boring minutes passed, Michael was starting to feel his legs ache and feared the Squip may have them stand there all day until finally both he and jeremy heard a ding. The pair cautiously turned around to look at each other, making sure they both heard that, and when there was no protest from the Squip, they assumed their punishment was finally over.
"Ok, thank god," Michael began, "my legs were killing me, i want nothing more than to collapse and sleep for the next week."
"Yeah, this was pretty uncomfortable," Jeremy frowned, "Did it make you stand in a corner before too?"
"Oh no, this was new. I mean he also threatened to wash my mouth out with soap at one point, but thankfully I haven't gotten to that part of the punishment repertoire yet."
"Damn."
They both stood in a thoughtful silence for a moment before Michael spoke.
"Hey so, if he hasn't showed up to boss us around yet, maybe we can do something?"
Jeremy looked up at Michael.
"A few rounds of Apocalypse?"
"Oh, sure. Although… I don't feel like sitting right now."
"Oh, right," Michael grimaced, remembering the discomfort he had felt the previous day trying to sit in classes, but then he thought of something, '"wait, I know."
He pulled one of his beanbags in front of the tv and flopped down on it on his stomach. He looked at Jeremy with a grin on his face and Jeremy followed suit.
Once they were both on the ground, Michael reached for the consoles and handed Jeremy the player two. He was about to select the game mode before pausing as he felt something. There was something hard in the beanbag.
Michael felt the object through the cover of the beanbag and froze. It was the shape of a bottle. Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god.
There was only one thing that could be. He must've put it there yesterday, he did use his beanbags as hiding places sometimes, so he must've been hiding it from the Squip.
Michael grinned to himself. Oh, all wasn't lost, he was still armed with Mountain Dew Red and he knew the Squip's weaknesses. The Squip may be a supercomputer, but it forgot to account for one thing, Michael Mell didn't go down without a fight.