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(Intro Music: Light Hopeful Alt by Andrew Dorst )
Rocket Olsen: Welcome to Tempest Cast, this is Rocket Olsen. I’m a freelance journalist based in South Carolina and some of you may know me from my stories on APR. On this podcast I’m going to bring you stories about human connection across place, across time…across worlds even. Why is it called Tempest Cast ? I’ll explain at the end of the show...it’s a long story.
For now let’s get to our
episode. This is episode one. Pilot.
Rocket Olsen: Um, tell me about your father
Mason: Are you okay ?
Rocket Olsen: Yeah, Mason. Um I’m fine. I just…I’m not used to seeing you... like this.
Mason: Like what ?
Rocket Olsen: So...mature ? You know what, forget it. Just tell me about your father.
Mason: He’s an asshole.
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Rocket Olsen: Tell me about your father
Female Voice #1: Sometimes I think I’m mis-remembering how great he was. He loved all of us and he was my hero...and sometimes I think…sometimes I think I made him weak.
Rocket Olsen: Tell me about your father.
Male Voice #1: Why--
Female Voice #1: She’s cool. Just answer the question.
Male voice #1:(long pause) I don’t really understand the question.
Rocket Olsen: Just answer however you feel.
Male Voice #1: Do you mean now that he’s dead ?
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Rocket Olsen: Wait ! Tell me about your father (distorted sound…gunshots, car engines (?), loud screaming)
Male Voice #2: My father ? Do you not see what is happening back there !
Rocket Olsen: But ..you just….we should go back to him
Male Voice #2: No I-I-I-it’s too late. And that man is not my father. Maxwell is--look, I--
Rocket Olsen: Then who is he ?
(Gunshots, unidentifiable loud noise)
Rocket Olsen: What is that ? Where is that coming from !
Male Voice #2: I-I-I don’t know. Let’s go ! We can’t just talk, we’re not safe here they’re coming--
(Sounds of running, heavy breathing and finally a door slamming)
(Silence)
Rocket Olsen: What the fuck is going on out there ? Where are we ?
Male Voice #3: I don’t know....an underground cellar. I think. It locked behind us. I think we should be safe.
(Silence)
Rocket Olsen: Well... Since we’re both stuck here for the foreseeable future we may as well do an interview for prosperity...if that man back there wasn’t your father who was he?
Male Voice #2: I have a better question. Who are you ? Where did you come from ? How did you get here ? Who sent you ?
Rocket Olsen: I don’t know.
Male Voice #2: What do you mean ? Is this all happening because of you ? Did you--
Rocket Olsen: No. I didn’t do anything. I can’t really control where I--look it’s complicated. But since I’m here I may as well get your story.
Male Voice #2: How does that thing work ? Can you give instructions back to headquarters ?
Rocket Olsen: Which headquarters ? Probably not...this is just recording equipment. If you want I can record your story.
Male Voice #2: I don’t want anyone to know about this. Ever.
(45 minutes of empty tape)
Male Voice #2: What are you doing over there ?
Rocket Olsen: I’m editing my show. It’s been a weird week and if we die here I want people to at least know about the temp—
(pounding at door)
Rocket Olsen: Someone’s coming !
Male Voice #2: It might be headquarters.
(blow torch starting, door being pushed off hinges. Close range gunshots)
Male Voice #2: Run !
(sounds of running, heavy breathing)
Rocket Olsen: Was that—were those— headquarters ?
(sounds of running, heavy breathing)
Male Voice #2: No ! Keep running !
Rocket Olsen: What are those--
Male Voice #2: I don’t know !
Rocket Olsen: Did you see-- where those...wings ?
(Two close range gunshots)
Male Voice #3: I – ahhhh !
(static followed by dead air)
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-2-
(Ending Music: Turn Back Time by Hannah Arenton)
Rocket Olsen (in studio): Hi my name is Rocket Olsen, coming to your from my home studio in Charleston, South Carolina and what you just heard was...well, I’m not sure what you just head. Are you confused ? Yeah, so am I.
Yesterday, I was reporting a radio piece for APR on stargazing in urban areas. I was in New York City and I went to this old church in Brooklyn, St. Lillith’s, that has a great view of Orion’s belt. I was taking some photographs and something...happened. I don’t know. I came to on the floor what felt like a second later but my clothes were different and I felt like I had a million hangovers
My camera and recording equipment were broken and the audio I just played you was on a memory card hidden in my bra.
I don’t know what any of it means. I don’t know what Tempest Cast is or who those voices belonged to or what I was babbling about. I figured I’d release what I had and see if any of you could put it together--
*phone rings”
Rocket Olsen: Um, hello ?
Shawna Harrison: Hi, Rocket. It’s me, Shawna Harrison.
Rocket Olsen: Who ?
Shawna Harrison: Me. I’m like..me. Look I used you as a plot device to meta introduce my three new novella serials. Although... I just remembered there are four novellas and I left one out.
Rocket Olsen: Serials ? What like the Sara Koening thing ?
Shawna Harrison: Kind of. But I tell one story week by week. Or every 3 days. Or 3 days then two weeks then 3 months.
Rocket Olsen: I feel like you’re being a little overt…
Shawna Harrison: Well, I’m afraid it won’t make sense if I don’t jump in. And I also know you won’t get an ending unless I tell you what was going on.
Rocket Olsen: So, you created the Tempest ?
Shawna Harrison: Well, no, I stole that from Lile—
Rocket Olsen: Who ?
Shawna Harrison: LiLe. I also stole Eli Cohen from her.. Anyway now that I think about it I think if you gave it to her characters it could solve some problems currently going on in their alternate reality.
Rocket Olsen: Oh, well… I don’t remember where I put it. I don’t even remember what is looks like.
Shawna Harrison: Well, so much for disrupting that continuity…
Rocket Olsen: So, what are these novellas about ?
Shawna Harrison: Well...oddly enough they’re all kinda YA-ish. All the protagonist
are teenagers or young adults and the novellas hyperfocus on their experiences. I’m still not ready to reveal which serials they
go with, but I will say they have similar themes about legacies, coming of age,
being an outsider, trauma, family, death…and tattoos. There are lots of
tattoos. Also cupcake references.
Rocket Olsen: What was going on in the last clip ? It was pretty intense.
Shawna Harrison: You mean before the Helions came to take back for the Tempest ? Oh, you have no idea.
Rocket Olsen: Uh…okay. Um, now what ?
Shawna Harrison: Well, I was going to do a title reveal, but I'll save that for the post. See you soon!
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A/N
Sorry if this was weird. I just kind of had this idea and wrote it. Okay, no more script format