Introducing "The Midnight Rebellion," a new climate fiction podcast

0:00Support for this podcast and the following message come from Allianz Travel Insurance. Your flight booked, your lungs suddenly battling bronchitis. Travel insurance helps protect your travel budget so you can book again once you feel better. Learn more at AllianzTravelInsurance.com. WBUR Podcasts, Boston. Hey, it's Chris Bentley, checking in on a Saturday to tell you about a new show from our friends at WBUR Podcasts. It's called The Midnight Rebellion. It's a choose-your-own-adventure climate fiction podcast set 100 years from now. At the end of every episode, you decide what happens next. There are up to 82 possible outcomes.

0:48This is cli-fi, as in climate fiction, but it's rooted in real science and explores how the choices we're making today could change things way into the future. That's something I think about sometimes when I'm doing environmental stories for Here and Now's series, Reverse Course, which, by the way, we've got some new reverse course stories coming next week. So I was interested to hear The Midnight Rebellion, which is a show made for kids aged seven and up. But give it a shot, whatever your age is, and see if it helps you think about the climate crisis in a new way. So here's the first chapter.

1:27And if you want to keep going, all the chapters in part one and part two are already out. Just search for The Midnight Rebellion, wherever you listen to Here and Now anytime, which we'll be back, as usual, on Monday. Now here's chapter one of The Midnight Rebellion.

2:08How? 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.

2:28This is The Midnight Rebellion, Part 1, City of Tides, Chapter 1, Almost Midnight.

2:54The 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.

3:08Between the blindingly bright flashes of lightning And the rolling booms of thunder

3:20Jewel's 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 Jewel 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.

3:49As the thunder goes outside, a creak inside catches Jewel's ears. She sits up. A pale shadow shifts in her doorway. Jewel? Jewel? The shadow enters her room. A flashlight flicks on. And there is a grinning face. Jules' shoulders relax. Heart, 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 heart. 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.

4:42His 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. Or 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. Jewel shakes her head. How could two people born on the same day into the same family be so different? Twins, age 12. Jule, the law-abiding citizen and heart, the roguish leader with the ability to drag Jule along no matter how much she resists.

5:30She 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... Since... Since Mom died. You can say it. The lab is dangerous, heart. 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 Dr. Green's lab is full of gizmos for inventing. No one knows what she was creating the day of the accident.

6:11The police found nothing outrageous in the lab. Except, of course, Dr. Green's ashes. It was enough to condemn the place. Are you sure, detective? She was a physicist. She studied climate change. She 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.

6:39This 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 earthenut. A green freak. A rebel. Many moms are tired of being moms, and some even have exciting pasts involving protests and jail time. Yet, faking a death to escape one's children is very, very rare. Unfortunately, that leaves us with the hard truth that Jules' mom is dead. And something in the scientist's lab did it. You're just like Dad, afraid of breaking the rules.

7:24I break rules. Name one. 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. 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 Jewel 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, Jewel throws on a sweater and jeans and tiptoes downstairs.

8:13She 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.

8:25The 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, Jewel 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, Hart. I'm freezing. you think? Idly, Jewel 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.

9:06It was another thing Hart made her do. She thought her parents would get upset, but they loved it. Jewel looks up. Hart drops a rock and slips his hand into the broken glass window to unlock the door. Seriously? It was cracked already. Dad'll think the storm did it.

9:30Aha! 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 K-9000. Get it? Like, K-9? 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 gizmos. His feet kick in the air. Then he reemerges flushed and pleased. Ha! Look! Mom's most advanced piece of technology.

10:21He holds aloft a radio. A little red radio. The sight of it hits Jewel 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 11.59. Here's the news. Brutus Bright held a rally today on Boston Common. Over 10 ,000 were in attendance. 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. We won't let that happen. And the sound throws her back in time.

11:16It is a gray morning in June. It is the day her mom died. Jewel watches as her mom hunches over her workbench, twisting away at tiny gears and springs.

11:29This is ridiculous. Can you fix it? I'm sorry, 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 Jewel borrowed it for a class presentation. and the timepiece broke. What was that, hon? Your watch. You seem mad. Oh, no, no. It's not the watch, Jewel. It's that. He 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.

12:23Oh, 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 know, 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 and Hart, you are my little spark and fire. You'll be okay. I know. And the watch will be okay, too. Just one more twist. Ah, listen.

13:13Jules shakes herself from the memory It is night, her mother is dead And Hart has found the worst station imaginable Do you think K-9000 should have a scary bark? Or should it speak English? Is that weird? I'm going upstairs I can't think straight 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. Jewel climbs the creaking ladder to the hatch door in the ceiling and emerges in a dark den. She flips the switch. Nothing. Hmm. There's got to be a lamp around. She peers into the dimness.

13:56Then she spots a circular silhouette, like a black hole. A flash. And that is when she sees it. Whoa. 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. 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... what are you? It is ugly.

14:57As 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 vomits. Ew! Smells like fish guts. Reeking fluid floods out of the opening. Water and slimy green ropes of seaweed and yes. It is fish guts. Gross! The machine quakes. She opens her mouth to call. But her brother's name dies on her lips because something else catches her eye.

15:57Inside the machine, on the cabin floor.

16:02Mom's 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. Jewel steps to the threshold, driven by curiosity. This is crazy. I should call Hart. 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, and her heart ticking like a clock.

16:45This 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 2, Get Heart. To step inside, select Chapter 3, Into the Machine. That's right. You will not 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.

17:41Because 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 Juul 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.

18:33The 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 Songco. Editing by Mary Cole and Dave Shaw. This episode is starring Basma Ayat as Jewel. Alohim Nykulov as Hard. Erica Henningsen as Dr. Elizabeth Green. And me, Eric Ransom, as your narrator. Additional performances This is by Casper Anderson, Jalen Askins, Emmanuel Chimacero, Maddox Hernandez, and Jay Preston.

19:24Casting by Rebecca Shankula. Art by Sophie Morse. Samata Joshi is managing producer. Paul Vykus 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 cast and crew, visit our website, wbur.org slash The Midnight Rebellion.

20:11invest and manage money. Learn more at schwab.com. This message comes from Jerry. Somewhere along the way, shopping for car insurance became synonymous with accepting whatever we're currently paying. Jerry disagrees, respectfully, but firmly. Jerry pulls up to 20 quotes from top insurers in minutes, lets you buy the best one in-app without re-entering your info, and keeps watching for better rates after you're done. No spam calls, no hidden fees. You don't have to call it shopping. Call it what it is. Winning. Download the Jerry app or visit jerry.ai slash npr. This message comes from Travel Nevada.

20:50Sand dunes, old saloons, high noons, pioneer trails and cowboy tales, snooze emails. Get a little out there. Plan your trip at www.travelnevada.com. This message comes from Babbel. Babbel's conversation-based language technique teaches you useful words and phrases to get you speaking quickly about the things you actually talk about in the real world. With lessons handcrafted by over 200 language experts and voiced by real native speakers, start speaking with Babbel today. Get up to 55 % off your Babbel subscription right now at babbel.com slash NPR. Spelled B-A-B-B-E-L dot com slash NPR. Rules and restrictions may apply.

21:39This message comes from our NPR sponsor, Fort Myers. Islands, beaches, and neighborhoods. This summer, follow what feels right, like embracing your playful side on Fort Myers' white sand beaches. Direct flights arrive daily. Plan your trip at visitfortmyers.com. This message comes from Integrative Therapeutics, makers of Cortisol Manager, named Best Overall Ashwagandha Supplement by Vogue. Use code STRESS2026 for 20 % off of Cortisol Manager on Amazon.com.