HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here's to the year where Replaced will finish! Also the year where it's unnamed sequel will begin! Ah, so exciting. Can't believe this story is almost two years old...been a long time coming. Only a few more chapters, and then...SEQUEL! AHHHH! Can you tell I'm excited? Also, here's to hopefully updating every Tuesday again! Or Wednesday, if I missed Tuesday like I did this week...whoops.

TO ALL THOSE SANDERS SIDES FANS! Ahh, so happy some of you are here. One of my Sanders Sides stories has officially been uploaded! It's called The Reaching Hand and you can find it if you look through my stories. Sooo exciting! This story wont be that long, but I'll be posting another Sanders Sides story soon that will be REALLY long. Like, hypothetically, as long as Replaced and its Sequel will be. WHOOT WHOOT!

FANART:

A reader named Snowmere has drawn a really cute picture of Reese! It's sooo cute! Everyone go over and look at this adorable peanut butter cup!

(Dev Art url, plus): /swirledstarz/art/the-almighty-peanut-butter-cup-flavored-tic-tac-823763390

WARNING: Dark stuff in this chapter. Not that dark, but like implications and being grabbed. Just mentally prepare yourselves, you knew this was coming.

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

Replaced

Chapter XLVII

~Help Them and Soon This Will Be You~

"Reese," Michael whispered, barely getting the name passed his closed throat. He tried shaking their shoulder, desperate to see blue eyes meet his…but it was useless. Kert placed a hand on his, in a strange and uncharacteristic display of comfort. The teen's stomach curled at the silent resignation the gesture brought.

Moving his watery eyes away from his partner, he looked to those around him who didn't succumb to the drink's influence. Rich had moved away from his best friend, standing instead in defense in front of his SQUIP. There was an awareness in the shorter teen's eyes, a clear understanding – probably provided by Kert – of what was happening around them. Kert, themself, was rigid, a small hiss escaping their lips when anyone moved an inch. Christine had joined them as well, wide eyes shifting between each of her friends – and her parents. Honestly, he was surprised she didn't drink from her glass. Perhaps she, too, doesn't drink green liquids anymore? Or maybe she's just more cautious? Who knows, but he's glad to have her. He wished for once that the knife-wielding Jen was awake too, but as luck would have it they were no better off than Reese. They did have Ari though. The young SQUIP was in front of their human, blocking her from any potential outside threat, eyes glancing to Jeremy.

Looking around, Christine breathed, "What's going on?" Michael had to swallow the lump in his throat to find his voice.

"SQUIPs." The gasp from the girl summed up all his feelings in one sound. A shuttered breath left Michael's lips as he turned his eyes to Reese, his heart clenching at the sight. The computer was motionless, their breath shallow.

They looked so lifeless…

The teen placed a hand on their shoulder, gripping their sleeve a bit too tight as he looked up at Jeremy. His best friend's irises were glazed, completely different than how they were last year…

But clearly not in control, which meant…

"Reese," he called, his voice weak in his throat. Something in Jeremy's eyes moved - registering what he said - but no response came.

"There's no point," a voice called. The teen's eyes snapped to the doorway, his heart jumping a beat. There, holding the door open, was a stranger. An older woman, maybe a few years younger than his Mother, who stared him down with an annoyed, yet satisfied expression. Her dark brown hair was pulled out of her eyes into a sophisticated ponytail, and her irises were pitch black like black holes against the whites of her eyes. Everything from the business clothes to her stance screamed professional in the wrong way.

It screamed danger.

The woman's eyes scanned the room, and a thin smile formed on her lips,, "Three I missed."

Rich immediately stepped forward, despite his SQUIP grabbing his arm to stop him, "Who the hell are you?" The woman sighed – a little dramatically – and waved a dismissive hand.

"Unimportant. We have more important matters to deal with," she grinned, "Damage control." As though her words were a command, all those possessed by SQUIPs grabbed onto those who weren't and pulled them apart. Rich cried out as he tried to fight back, looking like a wild monkey flailing his arms and legs as he attempted to break free, but Jake was stronger and put him in an inescapable headlock. Kert tried to do the same, but was easily outmatched by those around them. They didn't have the same muscle structures that Rich had, and was held still by Mr. Heere alone. Michael, Christine and Ari weren't any different - supporters, not physical fighters. They tried, but it was hard to keep up with the unyielding strength the SQUIPs had over their humans. With the addition of hitting those they knew and cared for, it didn't take long for them to also be captured.

The woman took her time walking towards the struggling group. Her eyes scanned over each of them, and then fell to Reese on the floor. She hummed, crouching down to get closer. "Look who it is," she grinned, propping her head up with her hand and using her free one to push back the SQUIP's hair, "Don't you look different."

"Don't touch them" Michael hissed, unable to control the sudden bubble of anger and fear building in his chest. The woman looked up at him both surprised and amused.

"Protective, are we?" she chuckled, "Do you like him?" The teen wished he could hide the heat rising to his cheeks, but he couldn't, and she saw it. The woman laughed a little harder. "Oh, what a heart throb," she mused, looking back down to Reese, "He's my friend's favourite too." Kert snarled harshly at the comment, gaining her attention away from the mortified look on Michael's face.

The woman stood, approaching the SQUIP. "And look at you," she grinned, bending forward to be at their height, "Aren't you a spitfire. I remember when you could barely speak out of fear, let alone get anything passed your stutter. I almost feel proud, our program worked on you as much as your host." Kert's face drained of colour, their mouth opening and closing but no sound coming out.

Rich growled at the lady, "Get the fuck away from my SQUIP!" The woman turned her attention to him, straightening.

"If I wanted your opinion, I would have asked," she replied, not waiting for a reaction as she turned and walked away. Rich huffed, face flushing red as he glared at her back.

"I'll fucking destroy you if you do anything, bitch!" The woman's grin faded into a displeased grimace.

"No manners, I see," she sighed, dramatically. Looking back to the teen, she said, "In hindsight, I'm glad you didn't take a drink. I was worried my SQUIP wouldn't be stronger than yours – even if it is the newest model." Brushing back a loose strand of hair, she hummed, "I was prepared for the possible struggle between us, but now I don't have to. Makes my job just a little bit easier." Kert's expression turned into regret, their green eyes shifting to Rich. Their expression was apologetic, and something in the raw emotion brought panic to their human. Rich barely got a chance to open his mouth to speak before the woman waved her hand dismissively at them, "These two are good to go."

Without any other warning, Kert was dragged by Mr. Heere towards the exit. Rich screamed out in protest, fighting desperately against his best friend to get to his SQUIP. Kert tried to fight back to, but it was useless. They seemed somehow more tired, more drained. Michael and Christine burst out screaming too, begging for Mr. Heere to stop, but it was no use. He couldn't hear them, and the woman made no command to stop him.

Kert was gone.

The lady huffed in annoyance when Rich didn't stop thrashing. "Are you finished?" she questioned, raising a brow at him. The teen snarled loudly.

"No, you fucking-"

"Take him too, he's annoying." Just like that, Jake was pulling his best friend out the door.

"Rich!" Michael and Christine yelled. Their friend turned, straining his neck to look back to them.

"Don't worry! I'm getting Kert back! I'll come back for you! I promise!" he swore as he was man-handled out the door. Michael's stomach dropped when he could see the shorter no more, his head suddenly light.

Rich was gone.

The male could only stare wide eyed at the space Rich was moments ago. His body was trembling, and he didn't know what to do. He doesn't remember a single moment in his life where he ever felt that scared, not even last year. Maybe it was because he only had one friend to worry about last year…maybe it was because he was able to outwit the SQUIPs.

Or maybe it was because Reese wasn't as terrifying as he remembered.

His eyes fell to the floor where his partner laid, and then to his best friend. "Reese," he whispered, longingly. He needed them. He needed their help - their strength. He needed a hostile takedown that only Reese could do…but though Jeremy met his gaze, he did nothing.

The woman moved to stand in front of her others hostages, a polite smile on her lips. "Now then," she said, reaching down to pick up one of the glasses on the floor. It was still filled, presumably one of the drinks that the SQUIPs put down so their humans couldn't drink it. She looked the contents over before stepping up to Christine.

The girl's eyes widened, "N-No, please-"

"I'm sorry, dear," the woman pouted, feigning sympathy, "But I have to bring our runaways back, and I can't trust your secrecy."

Michael tried desperately to pull out of Chloe's parents hold. "Don't touch her!" he warned, hoping he sounded more threatening than he felt. The woman glanced back at him.

"Don't worry, Sweetie. You're next." His heart froze. Her words had cut deep, deeper than any knife could, and his breath hitched. All he could do was stare in horror, the implications washing over.

Christine in front of him tried to struggle against Chloe and Brooke's hold, but just couldn't get out of their grasps. As the woman came closer, Chloe grabbed the girl's jaw and forced it open. Tears freely fell from Christine's eyes as she looked at the drink helplessly. Something passed over her irises, a strange emotion, and she looked to Ari. The SQUIP barely struggled against the girl's parents hold, instead watching in pure anxiety. Michael felt cold rage fill his core at seeing the computer not even trying to save their human. But it dissipated when Ari gave a small, discrete nod. Why? Did Ari honestly believe this was a good idea? Or…were they trying to comfort the girl?

It didn't matter.

The woman forcefully poured the drink into Christine's mouth.

The teen choked on the liquid, sputtering, gasping for air. The woman pulled the glass back, but stayed – waiting. After a moment of heavy breathing, Christine cried out in pain, grasping desperately for her head. Michael's stomach churned at the sound, but he couldn't look away as he watched her writhe. The two popular girls dropped her convulsing body on the floor when the ring leader waved a permissive hand. The woman didn't seem pleased, instead frowning down at Christine. Clicking her tongue, she shrugged off her thoughts and instead turned towards Michael. The male's chest tightened, like daggers were tossed into his ribs by her gaze.

It was hard to breathe.

His shaking gaze went from Christine on the floor, to his best friend. His partner. "Reese," he breathed. It was a plea – a hopeless cry begging the SQUIP to do the impossible. To be the impossible once more. But Jeremy's cold eyes stared back, and there was nothing.

There was no hope.

Michael could barely feel his body anymore. Vaguely, he wondered what it was going to be like. Reese had said a SQUIP would have both made his life better, and worse. Is their relationship over now that they were in Jeremy's head? Their two SQUIPs could sync, but…Reese won't have the capacity to care for him anymore. They were Jeremy's computer, and he'll have his own controlling his life. Will he even have the capacity to be himself anymore? Will his SQUIP let him? Maybe…maybe they'll be good. Maybe they'll look into his memories and realize they themselves are human and help him escape? Or is he just imagining the personalities of the Tic Tacs he's grown to know in place of his own SQUIP? As though his SQUIP would even given him the ability to think on his own.

As the woman stepped up, regret filled the teen. There were so many things he wanted to say. He wanted to tell Jeremy, Rich, Christine, and all those he's grown close to that he was grateful for their help, and how sorry he was that this happened. He wished he could go back and change everything, but he was thankful he got the chance to have them by his side anyways. He wished he could tell his Moms how much he loved them. Who knows, maybe they'll be the ones to save him. That would be amazing.

And Reese…

There was one thing he wanted to say to Reese…

Michael's mouth was forced open, and before tears could fall from his eyes, the carbonated fizz of Mountain Dew filled his mouth.

~oOo~

"Let me go!" Rich screamed, thrashing around as he was dragged down the hall by his best friend. He had seen Kert being taken down a different path, and the fact that they weren't being brought to the same place scared the teen. It's clear where they'd take his SQUIP, but…

Where were they planning to take him?

Despite his struggles, Jake's grip on him didn't falter. That is, until he stopped altogether. "Rich?" the teen's voice questioned from behind. Rich turned his head, staring wide eyed up at his friend.

"…Jake?" he breathed. Jake nodded, though his brows furrowed as he took in what was happening.

"What's…?"

"No time!" Rich quickly pulled away from the other's grasp, taking a few steps back for safety. Jake wasn't offended by the gesture, instead looking at something to his right – something Rich couldn't see.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, okay," he sounded, before turning his gaze back to his friend. Rich took another step back, bracing himself for another takeover. Jake didn't attack him, though, but instead asked, "Do you have any Mountain Dew left?" Rich frowned, not understanding what he meant until he remembered the bottle he had brought for Kert.

Shaking his head, he said, "No, I used it all." Jake nodded, looking back to the empty spot. After a moment, he nodded and turned back to the smaller, pointing down the hall that they had come from.

"The evil lady has extra bottles in the 'Health' class. We can use that," he said, already starting to walk in that direction. Rich reluctantly followed, eyeing the taller suspiciously.

"Why? We should get Kert back first and then go save the others," he argued. Jake nodded, flashing a grin.

"I know, but we gotta weaken them first, right? Who better than your SQUIP?" The shorter's eyes widened as he stopped in his tracks.

"You…want me to drink it?" Jake paused, frowning.

"Um, yeah. You said before that you didn't care if you accidentally drank it. This way Kert can kick their ass."

"I mean, I also thought I could kick your ass, but that ain't true," Rich huffed, crossing his arms, "We're free! We should find some sneaky way to get everyone back, shouldn't we? We'll get caught trying to fight! I know I joke a lot about kicking ass but that was a shitty plan and we need to be smart!"

Jake took a step closer to his friend, raising his hands to help calm the shorter, "Trust me, this will work! My SQUIP said so." Rich couldn't stop the distrusting sneer from escaping his mouth.

"How can you trust them? That evil lady was controlling you!"

"Yeah, but it's okay now!" Jake assured, smiling, "My SQUIP looked through my memories and he knows everything! He's helping us!"

"Wha - how? If your SQUIP can just up and walk away than why isn't Neo? That bitch should be able to kick all their asses!" Rich defended. His friend scratched the back of his head, clearly thinking on what he said.

"I dunno…but that's why we need to get the Mountain Dew, right? Kert could overtake Reese and then Reese can get the others!"

"Dude, I don't wanna trust your SQUIP if Reese was supposed to be the only one who could control them." Jake sighed, pulling his eyes from Rich to the empty space beside him. His irises became clouded in black, a weird fog that was different than the bit of colour Rich was used to appearing. After a moment passed, Jake turned back to his friend.

"You'll just have to trust me."