Song of the Chapter: Blossom - Au5 (Dubstep) 

This song is up there in my favorite song list - as in one or two. It's so passionate and deep and ahhh ...

Anyway, I'm sorry it took nearly 40 chapters to actually get started ... this was way more fun to write than I'm sure it was to read ... good news, though. I have almost all of the rest planned out, including the ending. Yeah, it's gonna be kinda long ... sorry again; I like to write character relationships

Also I'm rewriting the declaration when I'm not lazy so I'll let you know when it's fixed.

(Phantom's POV)

"Is that everything?" I ask as Hellberg dumps the rest of the food bags in the truck.

"I hope so. We wouldn't want to be stuck without food." He glances at his watch. "I think I'm going to try and get some sleep. It's pretty late and we have a big day tomorrow."

"Well, goodnight then."

He smiles sadly and reenters the hotel. I know he's had trouble these past few nights with his insomnia, and hope he'll be able to get at least a few hours of rest. He's right. Tomorrow is going to be a big day. We're going to take the truck back to the campsite so that we can have everything there if we get kicked out again, and then we're going to go right up to the MI headquarters and peacefully tell them what we want. That's when Goldie will read the declaration. I'll admit, I'm looking forward to it. He won't let any of us read it and Nitro forgot most of it already.

Although we're trying to do this peacefully, we all are bringing fireworks, smoke bombs, and other explosives, some of which are homemade - Noisestorm is making them right now. And yes, that's totally illegal.

Speaking of Noise ...

I feel terrible. I wish I could turn back time and keep his promise, but that's impossible. I talked with Rogue again and he promised to keep his mouth shut, but you never know with other people. I wish I could repair the friendship both of us destroyed with just a thought. I wish I could heal Noisestorm's broken mind with every hug he steals from me. I wish I had the freedom to create music and get him back into it. Creating music healed him before. I only wish it could help him now.

Tomorrow, I'm going to fight not only for my freedom, but for the only thing that can repair Noisestorm and our friendship.

I wake up the next morning refreshed and ready to get started. Noisestorm is already up and out of the room, probably outside finishing up his explosives. I get dressed and put on my jacket. I have my 'Phantom' outfit that the MI knows best laying on the chair, but don't put it all on yet. I don't want to get caught before we even start. I wander down out to the back, where I find Noisestorm and a winged guy who must be Aero Chord. Although we were all informed of his new changes, it's still weird to see it in person, especially for the first time.

"Hey, guys," I call.

Noisestorm glances up and then seems to become more interested in the glass bottle he's working with. "Hey," he grumbles.

"I thought we worked this out," I say, confused and a little bit hurt.

"Maybe, but it's still hard not to remember every time I look at you."

"Good morning to you, too," Aero mutters.

"Nice wings," I tell him, trying to draw the subject away from the broken promise.

He grins and flares them out. "Pretty cool, huh? If this is Flight, I don't know what Tristam was so worried about." He pauses, thinking. "Actually, I ruined the experiment before it was finished. Maybe he has a right to be. Anyway, I heard there's some sort of declaration you guys put together?"

"Yep. We're reading it today, this afternoon. You'll be there, right?"

He flashes that crooked grin again. "Of course."

Noisestorm suddenly yells and scrambles away from the homemade bomb he was working on. It fizzles for a second and then explodes with a bang, flaming glass flying everywhere. Aero flicks out a wing and the glass bounces harmlessly off, shielding both of us. "Sorry," Noise grumbles under his breath.

"No big deal. We all mess up sometimes." I shrug and wander a little closer.

He glances at me again. "Yeah. I guess we do."

"Almost done, then?" Aero asks, giving me a quick look as if to warn me.

"Yeah, just this last one." Noisestorm waits for the glass fire to burn out and then continues making another one.

Watching him work is fascinating. He knows every little thing perfectly, and knows exactly how to measure and place each component of the bomb. Although it's not something people would ordinarily call a 'talent', it's pretty impressive. It sure beats getting arrested at Wal-Mart.

Finally, he's finished, and he packs up each of his ten bombs with extra care, setting them gently in his bag. I tell Aero to find us at about five o'clock this afternoon by the police station and then he takes off, vanishing over the buildings.

"Hey," I say as he leaves. Noisestorm doesn't even look at me this time. "I know you're mad, but please don't be like this."

"We're still friends and I forgive you," he mutters, "but I really don't like you right now."

I sigh and turn to go inside. "Alright, fine. I'm sorry."

"I know," is his only reply.

Five o'clock comes much too slowly. I try to talk with him again, but every time I try, he finds some way to avoid me. Eventually, I give up. I know I seriously messed up, and he has every right to hate me, but it still hurts when he won't even look at me.

But finally, it's time to get ready. I tie my bandana around my neck and let it hang down while I put on my eye mask, hat, and headphones. I zip up my jacket so the heart thing on the pockets is easily seen, and then slip on my gloves before I'm ready to go. Everyone else has put something on that either has their logo on it or some sort of music symbol. We're ready to fight for what we want - for what we need. Music isn't just a hobby - It's a lifestyle and a passion. It's what's keeping us sane.

We leave the hotel in pairs or small groups and wander the city, gathering followers, before meeting near the station. Rogue, Eveelyn, and I don't have much luck gathering others, probably because of Rogue's sword, but as we get closer, a loud chant echoes through the streets.

"WE WANT MUSIC! WE DEMAND OUR FREEDOM! WE WANT MUSIC! WE DEMAND OUR FREEDOM!"

There they are; a whole army of protesters, shouting and waving their hands in the air. There's so many of them, and right at the front, there's our group, our artists, leading the cheer.

A bright, blooming feeling spreads across my body, starting in my chest, like a spark of hope igniting a flame. With this many people, they'll have to listen to us.

I push through the crowd to reach the front with my friends and chant with them. "WE WANT MUSIC! WE DEMAND OUR FREEDOM!" I pull my mask over my eyes and my bandana over my nose and mouth, muffling my words, but I'm loud enough to get them out.

There's the MI now, coming out with guns and their protest shield things. They won't use them unless we fight back, I think. I hope.

"Stand down before someone gets hurt," the lead MI officer orders, shouting through a megaphone to be heard. I recognize his voice. He's the commander that almost caught me the first night Monstercat arrived. The one we blew up.

No hard feelings, right?

If anything, the chant grows louder. "WE WANT MUSIC! WE DEMAND OUR FREEDOM!"

The MI human barricade gradually pushes us back. We're determined to keep this first half peaceful, at least until Goldie reads the declaration, so we shuffle backward, all while the chant grows deafening.

"I can see from here that there's about twenty of you officially under arrest from times earlier, one of you who's an unstable experiment with the death penalty, and about three of you with illegal explosives. Surrender now and we will not have to use force." The commander's voice breaks under the strain.

I look up and see that Aero is perched on a lamp post, a new rifle slung over his shoulder. His wings flare threatening as the commander mentions him.

"I DARE YOU TO ARREST ALL OF US!" I scream at the commander.

"WE WANT MUSIC! WE DEMAND OUR FREEDOM!"

And then one voice carries out and silences the entire group.

"WE ARE HERE TO DECLARE OUR FREEDOM AND RIGHTS AS A PEOPLE." Au5 climbs up onto a bench in the middle, the line between the MI and the protesters. He has a piece of paper crumpled in his fist, but he isn't looking at it. He doesn't have to wait for the crowd to quiet down; his voice holds a power that demands attention and respect.

"We are here to declare our freedom and rights as a people," he says. "We are not here for a reason to be taken lightly. We are here because you have taken away one of the most important things in life. We do not want to fight or use force, but what do you expect when you try to conform us? The human race was not meant to be the same. We are all individuals the same only in purpose."

I stare at him. This is the most I've heard him say in these few weeks he's been with us. I didn't expect him to sound so ... powerful. I thought Eveelyn was crazy for picking him. I thought no one would listen to him. I was wrong. It's hard not to listen.

"We stand here, peacefully, demanding you listen to us. We've tried to listen to you, tried to follow your rules, but this has gone too far. We will no longer stand for this outrage." Au5 stands a little taller, using his arms to emphasize his point.

"Music is one of the best ways to express yourself. When words fail, music speaks. And here you are, blatantly denying us that right? Are you saying that we have no right to express ourselves, no right to be heard?

"You call yourself a government, when all you're doing is crushing us, forcing us into this mold. What kind of society are we, claiming to protect the people and their rights, when all you're doing is taking them away from us? Is this for the good of the people? Will making us all the same somehow benefit us? We will not be a generation of mindless robots like you want us to be. We are learning to think for ourselves, and that is something you cannot take away from us.

"We are not here to complain; we are here to change the world. Like America, France, Mexico, and everyone before us, we are here to start a revolution. We are here to be heard. You can help us, come with us and fight for our cause, or you can fight against us." He holds out his hand. "I'm extending an invitation to all of you, individually. It's your choice - not the choice of the group. Join our cause. You will not be disappointed. We will not rest until our freedoms and rights have been restored. This is our declaration of musical freedoms.

"Now." He pauses, meeting each of the officers' eyes individually. "Who's with me?"

The whole world stands still, silent, until the sound of a gunshot shatters everything. Au5 jerks to the side, staggers, and collapses off the bench, an ominous puddle of crimson soaking the ground around him.

The crowd erupts into chaos.