Chapter 5: The Q&A Gambit
The morning sun barely crept through the grimy windows of Sam's Echo Park apartment, painting thin stripes of light across the chaos of cables and empty coffee mugs. Sam Rivers sat at the kitchen table, his laptop open, a half-eaten bagel abandoned beside him. The Hitmaker System's interface glowed on his screen, its holographic text pulsing like a heartbeat: "Mission Progress: 50%. Objective: Host a Q&A livestream and achieve 20,000 concurrent viewers. Reward: Social Influence Module (Level 1)." A new warning blinked: "Competitor release detected. Counter-strategy: Deepen fan connection."
Lily Voss's "Starlight Reign" had dropped at midnight, backed by Eclipse Records' full arsenal—Spotify playlist placements, iHeartRadio spins, even a splashy billboard on Sunset Boulevard. The song was glossy, with a thumping EDM beat and lyrics about chasing fame, but X was ruthless. Fans posted side-by-side comparisons with Sam's "Crown of Fire," calling Lily's track "soulless" and "corporate." Still, it was climbing charts, sitting at #5 on Spotify's Viral 50 by 10 a.m. Sam's own tracks—"Faded Whispers" at 150,000 streams, "Sparks in the Dark" at 90,000, and "Crown of Fire" at 75,000—were holding strong, but Eclipse's machine was a juggernaut.
Sam sipped his coffee, now cold, and checked his phone. The Q&A livestream was set for noon, less than two hours away. He'd announced it on X last night, and the response was electric: thousands of likes, retweets, and comments like "Sam, tell us how you made that banger!" and "Spill the tea on Eclipse!" But the legal threats from Jake Harlan's team loomed. The latest email, sent at 6 a.m., demanded he "remove all infringing content" by end of day or face a lawsuit that could bankrupt him. Sam had no lawyer, no savings—just a glitchy app and a growing army of fans.
Marcus shuffled into the kitchen, yawning, his DJ headphones dangling around his neck. "Yo, you ready for this Q&A? X is hyped. They're calling you the 'people's producer.'"
Sam snorted, rubbing his eyes. "Yeah, well, the people better show up, 'cause Eclipse is ready to bury me. You see Lily's billboard?"
Marcus grinned, pouring cereal into a chipped bowl. "Saw it. Flashy, but forgettable. Your stuff's got soul, man. Fans can tell. You gonna call her out on the stream?"
"Nah." Sam shook his head. "I wanna keep it about the music, not the drama. Fans'll do the roasting for me."
His phone buzzed—Mia Torres: "Yo, livestream prep at my place? Got Wi-Fi that doesn't suck and some ideas for crowd hype. 11 a.m.?"
"Be there," Sam texted back. He grabbed his backpack, stuffed with his laptop and a USB mic, and headed out. The system pinged: "Strategy Tip: Share one personal story during Q&A to boost relatability. Engagement projection: +20%."
Mia's apartment in Silver Lake was a step up from Sam's—a cozy one-bedroom with fairy lights, a vinyl collection, and a small balcony overlooking the reservoir. She greeted him in a tie-dye crop top, her guitar leaning against the couch. "Morning, rebel," she said, tossing him a can of LaCroix. "Ready to charm the internet?"
Sam set up his laptop on her coffee table, syncing the system to her Wi-Fi. "Ready as I'll ever be. You joining the stream?"
"Hell yeah. Fans loved our vibe at The Hideout. Plus, I've got a surprise." She winked, pulling out a ukulele. "Thought we could tease a new riff live. Keep 'em hungry."
Sam grinned, the tension in his shoulders easing. Mia's energy was infectious, a reminder he wasn't alone in this fight. The system fed him a new lyric fragment: We're the voice they can't silence, the spark they can't tame. He jotted it down, already hearing a lo-fi ukulele intro.
By 11:45, they were set: laptop camera angled to catch them both, a ring light borrowed from Leo casting a soft glow. Sam tested the mic, the system's audio module auto-correcting feedback. Mia strummed a few chords, humming. The stream was scheduled on YouTube Live, with links blasted across X, TikTok, and Instagram. Sam's post read: "Talking music, dreams, and fighting the machine. Join us @ 12 PM PST. #IndieRebels."
At noon, Sam hit "Go Live." The viewer count climbed fast—500, 1,000, 2,000. Comments flooded in: "SAM YOU LEGEND!" "Mia's voice is 🔥!" "Tell us about Eclipse!" Sam took a deep breath, leaning into the camera.
"Hey, everyone," he said, voice steady despite the butterflies. "I'm Sam Rivers, this is Mia Torres. Thanks for joining us. We're here to talk about music, what drives us, and… yeah, maybe a little about the crazy ride we're on."
Mia waved, strumming a playful chord. "Yo, y'all are the real MVPs. 'Crown of Fire' hit 80k streams this morning because of you. So, what's on your mind?"
The chat exploded with questions. Sam picked one: "@IndieVibes23 asks, 'What inspired Faded Whispers?'" He paused, the system's tip about relatability flashing in his mind. "That one came from a rough spot. I… lost someone close, and my work got taken by a big label. It's about pouring your heart into something and watching it slip away. But you keep going, you know?"
The chat lit up: "That's so real 😢" "Screw the labels!" Viewer count hit 5,000.
Mia jumped in, reading another: "@MusicMaverick wants to know, 'Any new music coming?'" She grinned at Sam. "Should we give 'em a taste?"
Sam nodded, pulse quickening. "Let's do it." Mia picked up her ukulele, strumming a soft, wistful intro. Sam sang a snippet of the new idea: We're the voice they can't silence, the spark they can't tame / Building dreams from the ashes, rewriting the game. Mia harmonized, her voice a warm counterpoint. The chat went wild: "NEW SONG?!" "This is gonna be HUGE!"
The system pinged: "Engagement: 75%. Emotional resonance: High." Viewer count: 10,000.
Questions kept coming. "@RebelFan88: 'Is Lily Voss shady?'" Sam hesitated, then leaned in. "I don't talk about personal stuff, but let's just say… some people choose fame over loyalty. I'm focused on making music that's real. You tell me what shines brighter."
The chat erupted: "SHOTS FIRED!" "Sam's too classy for drama." But trouble brewed. A new comment popped up, from a verified account: @EclipseRecords. "Enjoy the spotlight, Rivers. Our legal team's watching. #StarlightReign."
Sam's jaw tightened. Mia nudged him, whispering, "Ignore it. Keep going."
He pushed on, answering lighter questions: favorite artists (Radiohead, Billie Eilish), dream collab (Finneas). Mia teased him about his "grunge aesthetic," keeping the vibe loose. At the 20-minute mark, Mia said, "Alright, y'all, one more treat." She strummed the ukulele, and they performed a full verse of the new song, now titled "Unsilenced."
We're the voice they can't silence, the spark they can't tame, Building dreams from the ashes, rewriting the game. They'll try to break us, fake us, take us apart, But we'll keep rising, with fire in our hearts.
The viewer count hit 20,000. The system chimed: "Mission Complete: 20,000 concurrent viewers achieved. Reward Unlocked: Social Influence Module (Level 1)." A new feature appeared: real-time analytics on fan sentiment, suggesting hashtags and post timings.
As the stream ended, Sam and Mia thanked the fans, promising more soon. The chat was a love fest: "You guys are the future!" "#IndieRebels forever!" But Sam's phone buzzed with a new text from Jake Harlan: "Cute stunt. Court date's set. Good luck."
Mia saw his face. "What now?"
"Eclipse is suing," he said, voice low. "They're not slowing down."
She grabbed her guitar, defiance in her eyes. "Then neither are we. Let's drop 'Unsilenced' tomorrow. Full track. Blow their minds."
Sam nodded, the system feeding him a final lyric: Let them come with their armies, their suits, and their lies, / We'll burn through the darkness, our truth in the skies. The livestream had been a gambit, and it paid off—but the war was heating up. Eclipse had power, but Sam had something they couldn't buy: a spark that was catching fire.