"Okay, this better not mess up my makeup," Amy muttered, squinting at her front camera as she adjusted the angle of her phone. "Alright, here we go, we are live! Heyyy guys, welcome to the protest!"

  She threw a peace sign, then flipped the camera to show the swelling crowd outside the fenced construction site of Neurosense Labs. Cardboard signs bounced in the air. Chants clashed, overlapping into a noisy amalgamation of outrage and ideology. Amy held her phone higher, angling it just right for a flattering shot of her side profile.

  "So yeah, I guess this is, like, a historic moment?"

  The viewer count blinked: 4 watching.

  AK_47: "You got this, Amy!"

  B00Babe: "What are they even protesting lol?"

  "Well," Amy said, biting her lip for effect, "some people are mad about the robots taking their jobs, some are mad about animal abuse, and others think Neurosense Labs is behind the drug epidemic. It’s kind of all over the place."

  She stepped closer to the chanting groups, careful to keep her platform sneakers out of the mud.

  "If I catch something viral, this might actually be worth the frizz," she added, giving a dramatic hair flip.

  Behind her, a shout rose as a line of black suited security guards appeared at the gates. A black SUV rolled in behind them.

  "Look who decided to show up," she said, zooming in. "That’s gotta be someone important."

  The crowd surged forward, signs waving higher. Some protesters shouted slogans louder, others started arguing among themselves. Amy panned the camera, capturing it all.

  Her viewer count climbed to 12.

  FlameLord: “Get closer to the action!”

  "I mean, okay, but if I get gassed, let’s hope not."

  The crowd’s energy shifted, subtle at first. People jostled harder. Some stumbled. Amy struggled to keep the stream steady. She turned just in time to catch someone getting knocked down, though it wasn’t clear who did it. There was yelling, but not the protest kind, panicked and chaotic.

  "What the? Guys, something’s happening."

  A protester screamed, and suddenly there was shoving in every direction. Amy ducked as something clanged nearby. Gas hissed. Her phone wobbled but stayed live. She backed up, coughing, mascara stinging her eyes.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  "It’s tear gas or something… I think? Ugh, my eyeliner."

  Her viewer count jumped to 28.

  AK_47: "Get out of there!"

  FlameLord: "No, keep filming!"

  B00Babe: "Who started this??"

  Amy blinked through the smoke. That’s when she noticed something odd. A few figures moved differently, not like protesters or guards. Fast, quiet, coordinated. Some had sticks. But they weren’t all dressed the same, and they didn’t stand out at first. Still, a pattern was forming.

  Her attention swayed towards a nearby sound of a skull cracking. A bulky figure holding a bloodied stick noticed her. He turned and rushed towards her.

  She flinched back, but an officer came out of nowhere, tackling the figure mid-stride. The two hit the ground hard. Amy gasped and turned the camera.

  He blocked a swing from the stick with his forearm, twisted, and forced the man’s arm into a submission. More bones cracked. Another masked attacker rushed in, seemingly to help his comrade. The cop sprang up, baton and taser out. Two more hits. Another takedown.

  The officer was fast and precise. Professional. One more attacker lunged in, and the cop sprang up again, neutralizing him with a baton and quick footwork. Amy kept filming, heart pounding.

  B00Babe: "WHO IS THAT COP?!"

  FlameLord: "Legend."

  P3dros: "Yo this is better than Netflix"

  The officer looked at her. His visor reflected the flicker of fire from a burning sign nearby.

  "You okay?" he called.

  "I, yeah. I think. That was... That was insane."

  "You’re live streaming, right?"

  She nodded.

  "Good. Keep it on them."

  "Wait," she said, voice shaky. "I think… the people starting fights? They all seem to have sticks. But they’re mixed in, not with one group. Like they want everyone to blame each other."

  The officer's eyes sharpened behind his shield. "Noticed that too. Stay back, but keep filming. Here."

  He handed her a can of pepper spray.

  "What, seriously?"

  "You can be useful. Just be smart. And be careful."

  Then he was gone, charging into the smoke to pull someone away from a collapsing barricade.

  Amy stared at the can. Her fingers trembled.

  The phone was still live.

  Her screen filled with scrolling comments.

  P3dros: ”He gave you a weapon??”

  B00Babe: “Amy’s part of the action now omg”

  FlameLord: "Amy you are LIVING this."

  She raised the phone again, adjusting her angle automatically.

  "So, uh… this is definitely not how I thought graduation day would go. But, real talk? That cop was really cool. And I think… I think I want to be like that."

  She glanced toward where he vanished into the fray.

  "Not just famous. Useful. Like actually doing something meaningful."

  The stream rolled on. The chaos hadn’t stopped. Neither had she.