Endless Thread presents "The Midnight Rebellion"

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Emery Siebertson, we have some big news. Big big news. Big, big, big the biggest news. So big. You never heard such news. Mm-hmm. That was pretty good actually. I'm proud. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good episode, right? Yeah, of course. Dean Russell Deluxe. Dean Russell Deluxe. Well that very same deluxe Dean Russell uh and I have created a new and exciting world where goals are

Uh well kind of. It is a project that we have been working on for years, one that is very different from Endless Thread or Emery Urahit series Beyond All Repair or really anything that we've made at WBUR. It's pretty different. And I can confirm I have listened to all of the available episodes so far, and it is fantastic. This is a fiction podcast that takes place 100 years in the future and deals with climate change.

So it's fictional, but it's based on our best scientific guesses about what the future is actually going to look like. It is called The Midnight Rebellion. It's a show for kids and also kids at heart like us. If you remember those choose your own adventure books, yeah, this show is gonna hit you right in the feels.

Yeah, and I gotta say, like when you first mentioned we're gonna attempt a like choose your own adventure podcast, I really did not understand how this was going to work. Um, so explain that for us. Yeah. So we're calling this a pick your path. Um, and it means you basically get to choose how the story plays out for you as a listener. So you listen to an episode, you get a choice at the end of the episode, and then you pick the next episode number that fits that choice. It is kind of nuts

But it's so fun. It's so fun. And this is a story that Dean wrote. He co-directed it. He literally brought this to life with, you know, people like you and other members of our team. And it's such a joy to behold.

Yeah. Well you helped too. I feel like everyone on the team helped um with guidance and emotional support. We all hope that you are interested in time travel, in facing climate change, and saving the world, and also like Uh dodging pirates and uh robots and hanging out with your misfit friends. Yeah, so take a listen to this episode and then jump over and follow the Midnight Rebellion wherever you get podcasts. Boston.

If you are listening to this, congratulations. The Midnight Rebellion. This is an interactive podcast. That means you will hear two choices at the end of each chapter. I will say something like Should our heroes play it safe or risk it all? Then you must choose. How? I will explain that when the time comes. For now, just know that your decisions determine the outcome of our story. Good or bad. Life or death. It's on you. Choose wisely,

This is The Midnight Rebellion. Part one. City of Tides. Chapter One. Almost Midnight. The hour is nearing midnight. But Jewel Watts Green cannot sleep. She lies in bed, watching bomblets of rain explode against her window skylight, counting the seconds. Okay. Three. Between the blindingly bright flashes of lightning. Seven And the rolling booms of thunder.

Jules' mom, Dr. Elizabeth Green, taught her this counting trick. The shorter the time between flashes and booms, the closer the heart of the storm. But it is not the nearing storm that keeps Jul up. It is the fact that when the clock ticks 12 a.m., it will be one year to the day when her mom, Dr. Green, entered her laboratory during a storm, just like this, and never came home. Well As the thunder goes outside, a creak inside catches Jules' ears. She sits up. A pale shadow shifts in her doorway.

The shadow enters her room. A flashlight flicks on. And there is a grinning face. Jules' shoulders relax. You scared me. It is her brother Heart Tree, or Heart. I scared you? Would you say I gave you a heart attack? Eh? Please. Never become a comedian. No promises, sis. Now, wakey wakey, it's time. She stares at Hart. His irises shine bright like a blue flame. He has the same broad build as Jewel, the same freckled nose, the same coarse hair. Their ears are different. His are slim and regal.

Hers are so big some say they make her look like a sailboat. Earning her the much loathed nickname. Come on, sailor the winds be blowing, hang on to your sails. I really wish she wouldn't call me that. It doesn't even make sense. I hate the ocean, I hate being wet. And speaking of, it's pouring. I'm not going outside. But now's our chances. Dad's asleep. Word not. It's basically destiny. Jules shakes her head. Uh

How could two people born on the same day into the same family be so different? Twins aged twelve. Jewel, the law abiding citizen and Hart, the roguish leader with the ability to drag Jules along no matter how much she resists. She followed him out of the womb. Will she follow him now? No. Dad said the lab is off limits. Nobody's been in there since Sense. Since mom died.

The lap is dangerous, Hart. It'll be good for us. Come on, I know you miss her. What better way to honor her than raiding her stuff? Hart has been trying for months to get Jewel into the lab. Always, he says, to honor their mom. While this may be true, it is also the case that Hart is, like their mother was, an inventor. And doctor Green's lab is full of gizmos for inventing.

No one knows what she was creating the day of the accident. The police found nothing outrageous in the lab. Except, of course, Dr. Green's ashes. Yeah. It was enough to condemn the place. Are you sure, Detective? She was a physicist. Climate change. Wasn't a bomb maker. Mr. Watts, if I was you, I'd lock up that lab of hers and never step foot inside again.

This led to much speculation at East Boston Middle. The dominant theory was that Dr. Elizabeth Green had faked her death because she was tired of being a mom. It is well known that before she was mom, people called her Lightning Lizzie. My dad called her a radical. An earthenot. A green freak. A rebel. Many moms are tired of being moms, and some even have exciting pasts involving protests and jail time.

That leaves us with the hard truth, that Jules' mom is dead. And something in the scientists' lab did it. You're just like dad. Afraid of breaking the rules. I break rules, but Name one. I uh I don't double-knot my shoelaces sometimes. That's not a rule. That's never been a rule anywhere ever. Besides, I see your shoes every day. They're double knotted. That's not true. I triple not for baseball. Uh Fine. Stay here. I'm following in mom's footsteps. And that means I'm going. With or without you.

You'll get yourself hurt. Fine. I wish I could tell you why exactly Jul decides to go after her brother. I do not think she herself knows. It may be that she is worried for him, or that she is jealous of how similar he is to their mom. Regardless, Jul throws on A sweater and jeans and tiptoes downstairs. She laces her sneakers, single-knotted, because at this moment she is feeling quite rebellious, and follows Hart out the sliding back door into the rain.

The laboratory was once the family's detached garage. A two-story Victorian with purple shutters, it sits far back from their street. And the top floor offers a lovely view of Boston Harbor when it's not storming. Immediately, Jule regrets her wardrobe. Her sneakers squelch through mud. The sweater drinks in the chilly June rain as she waits, seemingly forever, for Hart to pick the lock. Come on, hearts. I'm freezing.

Idly, Jule kicks the pools forming in the handprints on the walkway. Years ago, when her parents were converting the garage, she and Hart had pressed their palms into the concrete walkway as it dried. It was another thing Hart made her do. She thought her parents would get upset, but they loved it. Jou looks up. Hart drops a rock and slips his hand into the broken glass window to unlock the door. Serious? Eh, it was cracked already. Dad don't think the storm. Thank you.

Aha! Here we are, the laboratory! Now, keep your eyes peeled. I need a few actuators and a light sensor and a new battery for my latest creation. The K9000! Get it! Because it's a dog robot. Jewel rolls her eyes. Wringing out her mane of hair, she enters the cluttered space. Pinewood crates stacked to the ceiling, whiteboards with strange symbols, glass jars of brown liquids lining the shelves, all of it gathering dust. Hey Be careful with that stuff.

Hard, his head down in a crate, tossing out giz modes, his feet kick in the air. Then he re-emerges flushed and pleased. Ha! Look, mom's most advanced piece of technology. He holds aloft a radio. A little red radio. The sight of it hits Jules with a wave of emotions. Her mother loved that radio. She listened to it every day while she worked.

This is 90.9 WBUR Boston's NPR. It's 1159. Here's the news. Brutus Bright held a rally today on Boston Common. Over ten thousand were in the world. I can just feel mom in here. Can't you? The tech billionaire received roars of approval when downplaying the severity of climate change. First, they take your fuel, then they'll take your freedom. Let that happen! And the sound throws her back in time.

It is a gray morning in June. It is the day her mom died. Jule watches as her mom hunches over her workbench, twisting away at tiny gears and springs. This is ridiculous. Can you fix it? I'm sorry, I I don't know what I did wrong. Her mom is mending a gold pocket watch. A family heirloom that Dr. Green carries with her everywhere. That was, except for the day before, when Jul borrowed it for a class presentation, and the timepiece broke. Ugh, what was that, hun? You seem mad.

No, it's not the watch. It's that. said he would burn more fossil fuels like coal, oil, and gas, despite the fact that they are the single biggest cause of climate change. Oh, I just worry about the world we grown-ups are leaving you. By the time you're my age, it'll be too hot to think, and half the city is going to be underwater. Oh yeah. Did you know a bad climate brought down civilizations before? The Maya, Old Egypt? Oh, I swear, if we keep making poor choices, it'll happen again to us.

I I know you you told me before. Ah, right. Your dad tells me that I scare you kids with all of my doom talk. Well, I'm sorry. It's just that I care. I know. You are strong, Jewel. You in heart, you are my little Spark and fire. You'll be okay. I know. And the watch will be okay too. Just one more twist.

Listen. Jules shakes herself from the memory. It is night. Her mother is dead, and Hart has found the worst station imaginable. Do you think? K9000 should have a scary bark or should it speak English? Is that weird? I'm going upstairs! String. What do you want to think about? She doesn't answer because saying it aloud is too hard. Whatever sailor. Oh, but don't forget K9000 needs an actuator. Let me know if you see one.

Jul climbs the creaking ladder to the hatch door in the ceiling and emerges in a dark den. She flips the switch. Nothing. There's got to be a lamp around. She peers into the dimness. Then she spots a circular silhouette. Like a black hole. A flash. And that is when she sees it. What is that? Tall, round, a metallic sheen of not one color but many. Copper, nickel, silver, bronze. She steps closer. And the thing comes to life.

Red lights flicker on. The object is twice her height. A globe on four steel legs, like a lunar lander or a diving bell. Amen. There is a heavy vault-like door and a single porthole window from which more light shines. Rods sticking out from the body begin to twirl. Copper coils spark. Ribbons of steam curl into the air. What are you? It is ugly. as if it climbed out of a junkyard. The legs are uneven. The coils lurch and stutter.

The spherical shell is a patchwork of metals. Its purpose is far from obvious. But it is a device of some sort. An instrument, a vessel, a mechanism, a... What's the word? A machine. The door opens, folding down like a gangway. And the machine. VOMIT! Ew Smells like fish guts. Reeking fluid floods out of the opening. Water and slimy green ropes of seaweed and yes. Is fish guys ground The machine quakes. She opens her mouth to call. Heart!

But her brother's name dies on her lips because something else catches her eye. Inside the machine on the cabin floor. Pocket watch. The one Dr. Green kept with her always. The gold watch chain is caught in the grating at the back of the cabin. Jules steps to the threshold, driven by curiosity. This is crazy. I should call Hart. I I should Her mind narrows. The sound of the storm slips away. The machine too shakes in silence. All she hears is the blood pumping through her body.

Amen. And her heart ticking like a clock. This is where you come in. Jule faces a choice, and you must help her decide. Should she run to get her brother? Or should she step into the machine right now? Alone.

To find her brother, select chapter two get heart. To step inside, select chapter three in. That's right. Listen to this story in numerical order. To make your choice, go to Chapter 2, Get Heart, or Chapter 3, Into the Machine. Choose wisely. This is the Midnight Rebellion. One more thing. This is a show about making choices in the story and out. So we will end each chapter with a real life challenge. Today's chapter features a bad thunderstorm.

Because of climate change, storms are increasing in places like Boston, the Southeast, and the tropics. A warmer planet evaporates more water into the air, making storms more common and stronger. But just like Jules makes choices, we can too. Try one simple thing this week. For instance, to reduce pollution, ride a bike or take the bus instead of the car. Big changes start small. Keep listening for more tips and more adventure. Up next, Chapter 2, Get Hard. Or Chapter 3, Into the Machine.

The Midnight Rebellion is a production of WBUR in Boston. The series was created by Ben Brock Johnson and Dean Russell. It was written and produced by Dean Russell. Directing by Emily Jankowski and Dean Russell. Mix and sound design for this episode by Emily Jankowski. Supporting Mix and Sound by Mumble Media. Story by Dean Russell with Joanna Lewis, Taylor Orsi, Craig Rowan, and Christine Sonko. Editing by Mary Cole and Dave Shaw. This episode is starring As Jewel. Aluhim Nikolov As far.

Erica Henningson. As Dr. Elizabeth Green, and me, Eric Ransom, as your narrator. Additional performances by Caspar Anderson, Jalen Askins, Emmanuel Chimasero. Maddox Hernandez and Jay Preston. Casting by Rebecca Shankula. Art by Sophie Morse. Sumata Joshi is managing producer. Paul Vikis is production manager. Ben Brock Johnson is the executive producer and WBUR's director of digital audio. Funding provided in part by the Arthur Vining Davis Foundations. For a full list of casting.

Visit our website wbur.org slash the midnight rebellion.