Episode 43: A Tale of Two Red Lines

Interview 1

It’s not going to get better. Boston is run by… higher education groups that have higher influence in policies. And it’s not going to be changing much. So. I am sorry. I am not saying Boston is… Boston is doomed! [Laughs.] 

 

[“Charlie on the MTA” plays.]

 

Interview 1

I’m saying changes are going to be gradual. And needs community involvement.

 

PREVIOUSLY IN

 

Julia Propp

Previously, in Greater Boston…

 

Lucia

Have you got the Prole Pass?

 

Ernesto

If you’ll allow me to go to work… I will give everything in my pocket.

 

Phil

You didn’t get evicted, did you? Because you’ll be arrested, you’ll keep your job and pay off your debt to Red Line with your service.

 

So… about our arrangement?

 

Gemma
I’ll put in some kind of good word for you with Louisa.

 

Ethan

The truth of ball and bot and ghost and man… once I inscribe the mind with mindful space, the mind will be self-entwined, and thus entwined, the self can be re-lined!

 

Leon

Help me reunite my family.

 

Gemma

Not until you help me with Red Line. Deal?

 

Leon

I believe we do.

 

Multiple voices

 

[Title sequence.]

 

This is… 

This is… 

This is… 

Greater Boston.

 

Narrator

This week in Greater Boston, Episode 43: A Tale of Two Red Lines.

 

AD FOR LUXURY CAPITALISM  

 

Cheese Robots—Jordan Higgs

April 14th, 7:30 AM: Approach south branch shopping districts. Broadcast advertising for luxury capitalism.

 

[Intercom chime.]

 

[Corporate music.]

 

Emily Bespin—Sam Musher

Good morning, Red Line shoppers! I’m your favorite mayor, Emily Bespin, here with my good friends Ben Affleck and Matt Damon.

 

Ben Affleck—Briggon Snow

Good morning, Red Line! I’m here with your favorite mayor, Emily Bespin! You can’t see him right now, but Matt Damon is saying good morning to you too—in American Sign Language!

 

Emily

Is that what he’s doing?

 

Ben Affleck

Yes! Yes it is!

 

Emily

Well, you’re in America now, Matt Damon—time to learn English!

 

Ben affleck

Uhh… but it’s…

 

Emily

Anyway, we’re here to tell you about something really special!

 

Ben Affleck

We sure are! And I can’t wait to find out what it is!

 

Emily

Well, I’ll tell you, Ben Affleck—it’s a little thing called “luxury capitalism!”

 

Ben Affleck

Ooo, that sounds even more expensive than regular capitalism!

 

Emily

It sure is, Ben Affleck! Luxury capitalism is the joyous opportunity to acquire high-end non-essential consumer goods at radically exorbitant prices! Oh, Matt Damon is doing that thing with his hands again…

 

Ben Affleck

Yes, he’s saying he’s not really sure that sounds like a good thing…

 

Emily

Well, I’ll tell you, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon is exactly right: luxury capitalism isn’t a good thing. It’s a great thing. Maybe even the best thing! Why, I take part in luxury capitalism every day, and I wouldn’t have it any other way!

 

Ben Affleck

Wow, you must be very rich, Mayor Bespin!

 

Emily

I sure am! That’s how you know you should respect me!

 

Ben Affleck

That’s a very revealing statement!

 

Emily

Thank you, Ben Affleck! And did you know that you can take part in luxury capitalism right here in Red Line, thanks to our south branch luxury shopping arcades all along the Red Line platforms? All the finest high-end non-essential consumer goods right at your fingertips—all you have to do is open your wallet!

 

Ben Affleck

And what sorts of goods can we buy there?

 

Emily

Does it even matter? Just buy them! Oh, Matt Damon’s doing it again…

 

Ben Affleck

Yes, he says that he’s contractually obligated to say that your previous comment sounds like excellent advice!

 

Emily

He sure is, Ben Affleck!

 

Ben Affleck

So that’s luxury capitalism, right here in Red Line—spend money now!

 

[Music fades.]

 

Interview with Lucia 1

 

[Office environment in The Underground. Some typing off to the sides.]

 

Nichole Fonzerelli—Kristen DiMercurio

This is Nichole Fonzerelli for the Underground, recording an interview with Lucia; alias for the interview, Maria. Are you ready?

 

Lucia—Sophie Borjón

Ms. Fonzerelli, are you sure no one will know it’s me?

 

Nichole

We’ll do our best to keep you anonymous. We’ve given you an alias. We’ll obscure some of the details. We can modulate your voice too, if you’d like. 

 

Lucia 

[Bitter chuckle.]None of them even know what I sound like. 

 

Nichole

They will soon enough.

Freed Friend—James Capobianco
Are you ready? Do you need anything else? Water?

 

Lucia [Deep breath.]No. I’m ready. 

 

[The typing ceases. Near silence except for the hum of the recording equipment.]

 

Freed

Counting you down, Nichole. 3, 2, 1…

 

Nichole

This is Nichole Fonzerelli from the Underground, interviewing “Maria”, which is an alias. Aside from some key identifiable details, everything else in this interview will be a factual attempt to look into what being a non-residential in Red Line can be like. Maria, can you tell me when you first started working in Red Line?

 

Lucia

About… six years ago? It was shortly after the referendum. We were living in a cramped one-bedroom at the time—too expensive, and thousands of problems our landlady refused to fix. I started working at a coffee shop on an Ashmont train. It was nice. The owner—Jesse—he installed these noise cancellation panels so the train was little more than a dull roar? He played classical music and set up quiet stations throughout the train. Most of the time people respected the rules. It was about as peaceful as Red Line could get. People came to work, read, study. Jesse paid well too and was an understanding boss. My husband joined me a short time later, Ernesto, his second job.

[Pause.]

Should—should I change his name too?

Freed
We can take care of that later. If it helps you tell the story naturally, keep it for now.

Lucia
Okay. [Pause.] Ernesto. Who would have ever thought he’d make a better barista than me? His latte design? You know, the thing white ladies are always taking a million pictures of? He would do portraits on request. Really incredible. And his PSL’s were so popular we ran out of ingredients before the end of October. 

 

When Isabelle’s boycott happened, Jesse pitched in at first. He tried to figure out how to make deliveries only to other cars who were also boycotting. Ernesto handled that. It was dangerous work because people were so unhappy. Even though he was a better barista, he didn’t want me going out. It got so bad. Eggs thrown at him. Or worse. Eventually Jesse decided it wasn’t worth it. He’d opened another shop above ground in Kendall and focused his attention on that. Unfortunately that place was all staffed up, but he told us when his Red Line branch came back, he’d give us a call. That never happened.

 

So we holed up for a while, but we had to find other work. I waitressed at this new fancy restaurant, Belvedere. Ernesto was a cashier and bagger at the grocery store stationed at Andrew. And we got by for a while. Until the eviction happened. We… we tried to just go about our business, pretend it didn’t matter at first. But it wasn’t long before they sent someone. Cops. And those… those robots. They pulled us out, trashed our things. Held us down and made us watch as they destroyed our furniture into splinters. Picture frames? They threw the pictures into the tracks. We didn’t have any other copies. Some of them have been passed down in my family for generations.

 

Nichole

I’m so sorry. 

 

Lucia

We… we stayed with my sister. She lives in Roxbury. But we still needed to work. At the time, the economy around Boston wasn’t the best. And we still had jobs in Red Line. But we were banned, so getting there was dangerous. When we were thrown out, it was made very clear. If we set foot in Red Line again, we would be arrested. Arrested on sight. 

 

Nichole

And… that’s what happened to your husband? To Ernesto?

 

Lucia

Yes. And it’s only a matter of time before I’m next. 

 

Interview Montage—Do you think Boston is divided between the have and haves-not? Have and… you know what I mean.

 

Interview2

I’m seeing a much greater divide in income inequality. I actually think it has been getting worse.

 

INTERVIEW3

Those who have to like, live and work, who can’t live in the neighborhoods in which they’re working.

 

INTERVIEW 4

That line keeps pushing outwards and outwards. When I was living in Cambridge, I thought it was in one place. And then it pushed further enough out that I had to move to Somerville. And then it moved further enough out, and that—that—that pushed me again.

 

INTERVIEW 5

Because that’s the way our city is laid out. I’m gonna be honest, that’s just the way it’s laid out.

 

INTERVIEW 1

Boston zoning, which defines what is built where, is archaic. 

 

INTERVIEW 4

I mean, even what subway line you’re on. The Red Line north of Boston, it’s the haves. South of Boston, it’s the have-nots. The Orange Line is a far different affair. You can see it the second you walk on a train. There’s a decided difference of how these trains act and where they can take you, that is clearly a class dividing line.

 

INTERVIEW 6

It’s always been that way. Sometimes you can’t change what’s already been the way we live.

 

INTERVIEW 7

And yes, it is getting worse. Especially if you, like, go into downtown Boston, you don’t see that many, um… people of color. And you can tell those who are the haves, and those who are the nots!

 

INTERVIEW 4

Who actually lives in the city of Boston? Like if you pointed to the city of Boston on the map, you’re pointing to a place where a bunch of people don’t live! And the people who do live there are… ghouls!

 

RED LINE REAL ESTATE

 

[Swanky reality show music plays and then someone whisper-growls:]

 

Announcer Voice—Leslie Gideon

Red-Line… Real Estate. Troy. 

 

[Music fades.]

 

Troy—Tarek Esaw [interview]

There’s no other way to say it. Red Line is hot right now.

 

[On “hot”, cheesy rock music begins playing.] 

 

Red hot [chuckles]. Did I ever think I’d be selling high-end real estate on a train? Are you [BEEP]ing kidding me?

 

TROY [on the phone]

It’s 2000 square feet, a true and original Big Red, not one of those newer modified jobs other firms lie to you about, this is the real deal. 

 

TROY [interview cuts into the section of him on the phone—as if he’s narrating] 

Everyone always asks the same questions—is it safe? Will a homeless person just walk into our home from a station platform and mug us? What happens if I’m shaving and the train hits a bump? Will the water get too hot in the shower and scald my skin off? And I get it. It’s a train. It’s unorthodox. But that’s what makes it hot, baby. Red hot. [Chuckles.] But not the water. It doesn’t scald, okay? I mean, it’s so exclusive. 

TROY [on the phone, audio under the interview, comes back up at the end]

It has a hot tub on the far end, adjacent to the bathroom with heated tiles and luxury shower. It parks on the Charles at night when there’s no service with views of both Boston and Cambridge. The water? Oh, it’s heated from the electricity of the trains. There are tanks that store cold and hot water. Of course it’s safe! Do you know who I just sold a unit to? Mark Whalberg! Marky Mark! Would Mark Whalberg shower in unsafe scalding train water? No, baby.

 

Announcer Voice

Becket. 

 

Becket—Greg Carrobis [phone call]

Well, it’s a highly competitive market, so I don’t think it’ll stay listed for long, especially with myself and my team pushing the sale. 

 

Becket [interview—real life audio plays underneath]

One way to sell people on Red Line is the system the Bespins have come up with. It’s truly unique and instantly creates an air of exclusivity. I mean they literally took out the garbage, if you know what I mean. What do I think of Troy? Pfft. Troy think he’s hot [beep], but it’s mostly because he stakes his reputation on personally knowing the Bespins.

Becket [phone call]
I have a line on John Krasinski. He’s been excited about what’s happening in Red Line, and he’s expressed interest in owning a whole train before, and this is about as close as we could come. John Krasinski? He’s the guy that stares at the camera in The Office. The main guy. No, the other main guy. He’s also in the movie where if you talk you get killed by aliens. Yessss. There you go. Jim. Jim and Pam. Yes. 

 

Troy [phone call]

Yeah, you know, I might even be able to arrange having Emily give you a personal tour. Yes, Mayor Emily Bespin? She’s a close personal friend.

 

Becket

Troy? Pfft. He, like, went to Harvard for half a semester and was in Emilly’s sociology class. I doubt she even looked at him twice and now it’s like, “oh yeah, we’re close personal friends.” Please.

 

Troy [interview]

Very proud to be besties with Her Honor, Emily Bespin. [Pause.] Are mayors, like… automatically judges when they become mayors? No? Then what’s up with the “your honor” business? That has to be a thing. 

 

Becket

I’ve never seen a market take off like this. And I used to manage the Seaport area. Before it ended up mostly underwater. 

 

[TV channel changes.]

 

Date with the Insider Errand Boy

 

[Phone rings amid Red Line train noises.]

 

Louisa Alvarez—Julia Propp

Oh, boy. 

[Picks up.]

Hey, Gemma. 

 

Gemma Linzer-Coolidge—Lydia Anderson

Hey, best friend! What are you up to?

 

Louisa

Heading to Wendell’s, then off to a restaurant. 

 

Gemma

That’s fantastic. I’m major jelly. You know, I haven’t told you how much I like him. I mean, first impressions aside, I love the way he treats you, and his voice? UHH! Chef-kiss, maestro. 

 

Louisa

What do you need? And please tell me it’s not illegal.

 

Gemma

How did you know that I— 

 

Louisa

You’re being too nice. Next time if you want to work up to it, reign it in a little. 

 

Gemma

Noted. Okay. Well, it’s totally legal! 

 

Louisa

But I’m going to hate it, aren’t I?

 

Gemma

You’re going to hate me for suggesting it. But it’s important, and it would feel like a missed opportunity if I didn’t say it, so— 

 

Louisa

Go on, get it over with. 

 

Gemma

Well. I’ve got a lead on someone who owns Wonderland. 

Louisa
I know. Phil told me in our last creepy-ass meeting. Give it to Omi and Isabelle. They’re the ones who would handle all the legal and real estate shit anyways. 

 

Gemma

Right. Well. That might be my next step. But first. 

 

Louisa

Oh, god.

 

Gemma

I think he just wants to apologize. Again.

 

Louisa

OH, GOD!

 

Gemma

Look, I really hate asking you to do this, but — 

 

Louisa

Do you realize the last time we met he basically asked me out? He dangled Wonderland in front of me like a murdering hypnotist in an old black-and-white movie and said “let’s discuss this over dinner.” 

 

Gemma

I did not know that. And that’s really gross, ugh, I’m sorry.

Louisa
Amazing what your new friend neglects to tell you.

Gemma
He’s not my friend. But he is helping me out. Helping us all out. Feeding me information. Retrieving things for me. Insider errand-boy stuff.

 

Louisa

Oh, so he’s doing the stuff Nica did before he arrested her for doing it. 

 

Gemma

Nica did things wrong, too. 

 

Louisa

That she later tried to stop, but which Phil made sure to complete for her. 

 

Gemma

I’m not going to make excuses for him. 

 

Louisa

And yet. 

 

Gemma
You don’t have to do this again. I’m sorry. 

 

[Pause.]

 

Louisa

I’ll think about it. But it’ll be public. It’ll be short. And I won’t be alone. And I still reserve the right to say no!

 

Gemma

That’s more than I could ask for. And while we’re on the subject? I legitimately am happy things are working out for you and Wendell. He’s bug-nuts, but your kind of bug-nuts. 

 

Louisa

Uhh, thanks?

 

Gemma

I didn’t see it at first. But he really cares about you. And he listens to you. And he puts you first. And you deserve that. Be good to him. 

 

Louisa

I will. Thanks. You don’t need to butter me up after I said the thing you know.

 

Gemma

I realize. But I wanted to remind you that our friendship wasn’t entirely about requesting horrible favors. 

 

[Music.]

 

INTERVIEW WITH LUCIA 2

 

Nichole Fonzarelli—Kristen DiMercurio

Maria, how and why did Ernesto get arrested?

 

Lucia—Sophie Borjón (scoffs)

It sounds almost silly when I say it out loud. It was those damn machines. The VICKIs. The things that replaced the Charlie Cards to ride the T? The Prole Passes? The minimum amount to get one of those cards is $250. We could barely afford it. We tried spreading out our shifts so we could use it one at a time, but of course that was a disaster. It’s not like using them helped us get to work on time. Oh, Red Line keeps a brilliant schedule. But for the Red-sidents, not the passengers. Do you have any idea what it’s like? Waiting on the platform, watching train after train go by with empty luxury apartments. Model homes. Five minutes late. Investment property. Ten minutes late. Open houses. Twenty. And even if we take Boston buses, the traffic makes us late. And we still need to pay to get into the stations. 

 

We work hard. We don’t deserve to be treated like this. I hate being… defined… in this way. Their looks. Their squints. They look at me and they see a waitress. A poor waitress. The help. Words far worse. I can speak five languages. Before I needed to work fulltime, I was taking night classes. Working on my masters in Education. I’m a local bridge champion, an excellent seamstress, and the best damn cook on the block, if not the city. My chili has made men cry. Ernesto is a musician. Fiddle and guitar. He plays baseball. He coaches football. And when they see us? They don’t see any of that. Not a shred. They’re not even looking for it. They have wealth but I don’t see in their stares. I don’t want to hate them, but hate is still better than what I see when they look at me. Worse than indifference. They don’t see me as human. Sometimes they don’t even see me at all. 

 

Nichole

I’m… so sorry. I can’t imagine what that feels like. Are you okay? 

 

Lucia

Yes. 

 

Freed Friend—James Capobianco
Are you okay to continue? We could take another break – 

 

Lucia

No. I need to keep going.

 

Nichole

Lucia. Where is Ernesto now?

 

Luica

He’s… he’s still working at that grocery store. Shaw’s Underground at Andrew. He works 12 hours a day, and we don’t make a dime. When he’s done with his shift, he gets carted back to Shawmut and sleeps in a cell. I never get to see him. Visitation hours are scheduled during the day, and I can’t risk going during work. One day not too long ago, I had the Prole pass because I had an early brunch shift, but Ernesto needed to get in early too. We tried to stagger our shifts so that we didn’t work at the same time. This meant we barely saw each other, but we could use the Prole Pass easily. So. We’re not proud of this. But we were out of options. He used the pass and we both rushed in. And… and…

 

Nichole
They caught you.

Lucia
Those machines. The RLPD. Ridiculous alarms going off. Ernesto gave me the pass and told me to go on to work. He told them it was a mistake and he would purchase another pass. But I knew what he was doing. He was sparing me and taking the fall. The last thing he said to me was have a good day. He said it like he was saying goodbye. Goodbye for who knows how long. And the only way I could respond was saying, “you too.” And I tried to tell him everything I needed to with those two useless words. I love you. I’m sorry. Thank you. Please run. Run away with me. Jump and make the train with me. Let’s run out of this city, out of this entire area until we can’t stop running, until we find a place that doesn’t judge us solely for fighting to survive. But there’s only so much two syllables can do. The train was coming to cart me to my shift. When the train passed the station, I looked out the window and saw him being put in handcuffs.
[Pause.]
I’ve thought about going to see him at work just to say hi. But I can’t risk getting him in more trouble. And I don’t have the time. I’ve had to increase my shifts because we don’t get paid for his shifts anymore. The city says this is justified because it’s paying off the debt of his crime. 

[Pause.]

I’m trying to find another job. Somewhere outside of this damned city. But it’s hard. I need to work two jobs now because we’re no longer earning income from Ernesto’s work. I just don’t know how this can happen. For the longest time, we didn’t understand how they expected the city to function when they weren’t letting the workers even get to their work. Well, now I understand. My uncle used to gamble. Home games. Casinos. He was a functioning gambling addict. My mother would ask him how his gaming was going and he would always give the same answer. No matter your luck, the house always wins. That’s Red Line. And I’m not sure people are even aware that so much of the backbone of the workforce? It’s essentially slavery. It’s wrong. It’s just so wrong. And it’s only a matter of time before I am taken too. 

[She sniffs back some tears.]

I need to get to work.

 

[Nichole turns off recorder.]

 

Nichole

Thank you, Lucia. I can’t thank you enough for sharing that, and I’m so sorry. Here—I’m giving you the number of my colleague Michael Tate. He knows someone working in Red Line for people like you. If you ever get in trouble, call Michael. 

 

Lucia

This group. Can they help my husband?

 

Nichole

They might be able to, yes.

Freed
Give them a call. They know people.

Lucia
Thank you. I will. 

 

DELAYED DATE

 

[Red Line train pulls in. Red line door sound]

 

Louisa Alvarez—Julia Propp

Hey! Are you ready to go?

 

Wendell—Mike Linden

Hey! Uhh, almost? Are you okay to come in for a minute?

 

Louisa

Oh, sure. I mean, I figured we’d be getting off here since the restaurant is at this station? But if you’re not ready— 

 

Wendell

No, I know. I called the restaurant and asked if they could push up our reservation. I… I have to do a favor for someone. 

 

Louisa

Oh. Okay, sure. 

 

[Louisa enters. The train takes off.]

 

Louisa

What’s going on?

 

Wendell

Your friend Michael reached out to me asking if I could help someone who needs to get to work without incident. She was evicted, but both her and her husband work in Red Line still, but her husband was arrested recently and…

 

Louisa

Michael…

 

Wendell

Yes…

 

Louisa

…reached out to you…?

 

Wendell

Yes.

 

Louisa

He had your number?

 

Wendell

Um. Yes?

 

Louisa

I wonder why he didn’t call me. 

 

Wendell

Probably because I’m a Red-sident? I mean, I’m sorry, I—I should have talked to you about this first, but— 

 

Louisa

Oh. No, that’s okay. I’m proud of you for helping. Does Gemma know about it? 

 

Wendell

I’m not sure. Is she asking a lot of you again?

 

Louisa
Yeah. But. Can I…? Have you talked to Michael on the phone before?

Wendell
Yes.

Louisa
Oh.

Wendell
I—I called him asking for advice.

Louisa
Advice about what?

Wendell
Uhh. 

 

Louisa
I’m sorry. I—it’s private, right? You don’t need to tell me.
[Pause.]
But you know you could ask me for advice, right?

Wendell
Of course. I know that. Just like you could tell me about anything.

Louisa
What’s that mean?

Wendell
Well. Michael told me about the trip you were making to Providence last week.

Louisa
Come on. Are you really worried about me and Michael?

Wendell
No. I’m surprised I found out about it from him rather than you.

Louisa
Okay. I was going to tell you; I just hadn’t yet.

Wendell
Sure. Can you tell me what’s bothering you tonight?

Louisa
Oh, it’s just something Gemma said to me. I don’t want to get into it.

Wendell
Uh-huh. Okay.

Louisa
What’s bothering you?

[Pause.]

Wendell
Nothing. Nothing, really.
[Pause.]

You know, you’ve never asked me why I still live in Red Line.

 

Louisa

I’m sure you have your reasons.

 

Wendell

Well, yeah. But, like… I wasn’t evicted. 

 

Louisa

Clearly.

 

Wendell

Which means…

 

Louisa

You weren’t part of the boycott. 

 

Wendell

What do you think of that?

 

Louisa

Well. Tell me why you didn’t do it. 

 

Wendell

You know I work in the copy shop to pay the bills, but singing is my real passion. And I just… couldn’t afford it. To take that risk. And trust me, I live with that guilt every day. It’s one of the reasons why I offered to help Michael with whatever he needed. Who am I to turn people away when I wasn’t brave enough to let them in before? And when the boycott was proposed, I wanted to help. I was just… scared. And that’s not a good answer. But it’s the truth. 

 

Louisa

Doing the right thing is scary. It’s also something not everyone is always able to afford. If you knew then what you know now, would you do things differently?

 

Wendell

Well, sure. I’d live in Wonderland.

 

Louisa

And then your fate would depend on whether or not I decide to date my psychotic ex. Good times!

 

Wendell

Do you think less of me? Be honest. At all? For not participating? 

 

Louisa

Less of you? No. I think more of you for being honest. There’s more I could have done. Should have done. There’s more I should do still. Hell, maybe I should go hang with Phil if it means possibly getting Wonderland. But I have my limits and so do you. The important thing is, I’m trying. But I’m far from perfect. And speaking as someone who threw her lucrative business away on impulse to take on a very non-lucrative one? I completely understand why you did it. I understand your fear. And I understand why that’s pushing you to do more now. And I’ll support you with that, however I can. 

 

Wendell

You’re wonderful. Do you know that?

 

Louisa

Oh, do go on. 

 

Wendell

I would, but we’re coming up on our stop.

Louisa
Then you can go on at dinner. 

 

Interview Montage—Part 2

 

[Music]

 

Chuck Octagon—Jeff Van Dreason

Do you think Boston is divided between the haves and the have-nots?

 

Interview 3

How could it not be?

 

Interview 5

I’m seeing more of a mix.

 

Interview 8

You uniquely notice the divide, I think, when you’re in a service job. You’re kind of getting the brunt of just how entitled some people can be.

 

Interview 1

I think we have to educate ourselves about each other. I’m not talking about general chemistry or things like that—that’s not the education—educating yourself about social knowledge and wellbeing. If it’s not defined, then you don’t have value to be in contact with your neighbor, then you won’t know neighbors, and the neighborhood does not change.

 

Interview 3

This city has old institutions that are built off of “pay-to-be-a-member” ala… insert one of the 30 colleges, public and private, in the city of Boston alone.

 

Interview 8

Even with college students, you can tell, like… when someone is very wealthy and never had to work a day in their life for any of the money they have. And then you can tell when somebody is working to pay rent and to pay their tuition. You can tell the difference in how they interact with not only each other, but the world around them.

 

Interview 9

Some customer will open up their wallet—and I’m making like $300 a month—and they’ll open up their wallet, and there’s that in there! Like they just have three or four $100 bills in their wallet, and I’m just like… “oh man.”

 

Interview 5

But I think there’s more people who are willing to talk about the needs of others in their community, and to build upon that. Like the wage increase–there’s so many different people and organizations who are advocating for that. So I definitely think that there’s positivity on the horizon.

 

Interview 2

I also still have hope, because there’s more people who are paying attention and wanting to change it. Maybe not the haves so much!

 

Interview 8

You get called, like, a “mask nazi,” by people who are very clearly some of the richest people you’ve ever laid your eyes on. Like rich enough that they don’t actually have… like… day-to-day problems! [Laughs.] And so they have to make up something to be upset about, and that something is the twenty-something-year-old non-binary barista at their local Starbucks, who is just… just sitting there.

 

Interview 7

I think we’ve always been divided! It’s always been that way! I don’t think it’ll ever change. Some people are just different.

 

Interview 5

Other people will just leave Boston. And I think that’s happening too.

 

[Music fades.]

 

A Dinner at Belvedere’s

 

[Red Line train. Dining room ambiance.]

 

Corey—Bjorn Munson

What are you gonna get?

 

Ryan—Jeremy Beazlie

I don’t KNOW! This menu is kind of boring.

 

Corey

You recommended this place.

 

Ryan

Well, they change it up, and the last time it was here I felt more fresh. This is all somewhat same-old. 

 

Corey

I read a review when it first opened that sounded good, but you know how it is. The normies discover a good place and it all goes to hell. Look at those people over there. 

 

Ryan

What is that polo?

 

Corey

Probably got it at Target. 

 

Ryan

Ugh. Too many Targets on Red Line.

 

Corey

Well, they are a Legion subsidiary. 

 

Ryan

True. And I suppose the branding speaks for itself. 

 

Lucia—Sophie Borjón

Good evening, welcome to Belvedere’s. Have you dined with us before?

 

Corey

He has, but I haven’t.

 

Ryan

Why do they always ask you that, anyway?

 

Lucia

Oh, well, just to see if you’re familiar with us, or if you need a bit of an explanation about our seasonal—

 

Corey

Christ, it’s a restaurant, not a SWOT analysis. 

 

Ryan [Laughing]

Seriously, honey. When you go to Burger Drop, do they need to explain to you how it works?

 

Corey

Let me ask you something. Do people ask you for recommendations? 

 

Lucia

Sometimes, yes.

 

Corey

And what do you tell them? Do you lie to them? Huh? Tell them your favorites? 

 

Lucia

As part of our training, the chef asks us to sample newer menu items. 

 

Ryan

Pfft. I bet that’s her favorite day of the year. 

 

Corey

So, I’m really hungry, and I’m not sure what to order. What would your recommendations be? 

 

Lucia

Maybe the bone marrow with tomato bread to start. The Impossible bolognese is very good. 

 

Corey

Oh my god. “Impossible?” You’d recommend both bone marrow and some gross veggie substitute? Are you kidding me? Or do you not know what “Impossible” means in this case?

 

Lucia

I know what it means. 

 

Ryan

I have an even better question. What’s your favorite restaurant? 

 

Lucia

I’ll give you gentleman some time to look over the menu. 

 

Corey

No, no, no, we’re not done with you yet. 

 

Ryan

Come on!

 

Corey

What kind of places do they have on your Red Line train? 

 

Ryan

Is there a pizza ghost waiting for you when you get home?

 

Corey [Laughing]

Oh, GOD. Wait, do you even live here? 

 

Ryan

Ooh, good question. 

 

Lucia

I really don’t think these are appropriate questions, and— 

 

Corey

Tell us where you live and we’ll order. 

 

Lucia

I live in Red Line. 

 

Ryan

Really. What car?

 

Corey

What number?

 

Lucia

One of the stations.

 

Ryan

Oh, of course. [Pause.] Which one? 

 

Corey [whispering threateningly]

You don’t really live on Red Line, do you? 

 

Ryan

Of course she doesn’t. 

 

Corey

So. Here’s the deal. You’re gonna hook us up with some free drinks and extra apps. OR. We’re going to tell your manager that you’re illegal just by being here. 

 

Ryan

And the next thing you know, you’ll be working here for nothing. 

 

Corey

Which, given your service? It’s probably what you deserve. 

 

[Lucia rushes away, and we hear Ryan and Corey laughing behind her. She goes back toward the restaurant kitchen. Drops a coin in a payphone and dials a number on the rotary phone. It rings, then is picked up. The person on the other end doesn’t speak.] 

 

Lucia

Hello. Is this… is this Warsaw?

 

Gemma Linzer-Coolidge—Lydia Anderson [over phone]

Who is this?

 

Lucia

I am a friend of Nichole Fonzerelli. She put me in touch with Michael Tate, and he gave me your information. I need to get out. Right away!

 

Gemma

Okay. What train are you on? Let me see how fast we can extract you. 

 

Extraction Prep

 

[Red Line environment.]

 

Gemma Linzer-Coolidge—Lydia Anderson
Talk to me, Leon. What are we looking at?

 

Leon Stamatis—Braden Lamb

The closest stop is Central Square. The platform should be clear for the time period, provided the train keeps the schedule.

 

Gemma

Which it always does. Huey, you copy? Red Line car seven and the Belvedere restaurant will be pulling into Central. We need an extraction car there pronto. 

 

Isaiah Powell—Mario da Rosa Jr.

Roger, Warsaw, I think I can make it in time to pick you all up in the extraction car. 

 

[Leon is glitching. Audio fades and gets staticky. The background for the next scene is audible early. Strange tinkering noises. Occasional typing.]

Broken Water Fountain in the Sahara

 

[Tinkering noises – experiments, metal, clanks, soldering, etc. We hear Leon and Gemma faintly]

 

Gemma Linzer-Coolidge—Lydia Anderson
Keep the lines open and keep talking. This poor woman is freaked beyond belief, and with good reason. 

 

Isaiah Powell—Mario da Rosa Jr.
We’ll get her out. I’m heading out of Alewife there. Should be there in fifteen minutes as long as the schedule holds.

Leon Stamatis—Braden Lamb
It will.

Gemma
It will. And we’ll be there waiting for her in seven. Timing works perfectly. 

 

Ethan Bespin—Jordan Higgs [clacking on a keyboard]

Hmm. Salmon can’t swim upstream if they’re jumping into the bear’s jaw. 

 

[A doorbell buzzes. Ethan pauses briefly, then goes back to typing, ignoring it.]

 

[The doorbell buzzes again. Again, Ethan pauses, then resumes typing.]

 

[A knock on the heavy metal door. Ethan finally stops typing and walks over, and pulls a lever, causing a large mechanical metal door to slowly slide open.]

 

Engineer—Rick Zieff

Bespin. I am Engineer. 

 

Ethan

You’re one of them. A completed pie graph’s missing slice.  

 

Engineer

Correct. I am with Legion. And I’m here to tell you that we’d like you to be with Legion as well. 

 

Ethan

A pretzel is known for its shape more than its taste and texture, that which defines it. 

 

Engineer

Don’t get me wrong, you’ve long impressed us. In a sense, you’re already working with us. But after your newest breakthrough? I don’t even quite understand how it’s possible. 

 

Ethan

And you won’t because my brain is not for sale. 

 

Engineer

Of course. It’s your intellectual property. Or is it someone else’s? Someone named…

 

Narrator—Alexander Danner [whispering]

Leon Stamatis. 

 

Engineer

Leon Stamatis? His consciousness you’ve infused into your dutiful little dairy-droids? How do you suspect he feels about his persona being shared so far and widely? 

 

Ethan

You are not your name, you just wear it like a cheap hat. 

 

Engineer

You’re not wrong. I am not truly an engineer. They sent me because out of all of them, I best understand you. I used to be like you. I used to…resist. What are you resisting, Bespin? What is it that you truly want?

 

Narrator [whispers]

Wonderland. Ethan wants Wonderland. 

 

Engineer

An amusement park. For you to own and control. To experiment on all your own. It does not matter if it amuses anyone other than you, but it is vast and can be shared and tweaked and refined all at your leisure. 

 

Ethan

Wonderland will soon be mine.

 

Engineer

That’s my understanding as well. But things are one day understood, and then the next day? You find not everyone shares the same understanding. 

 

Ethan

You’re pushing the valve on a broken water fountain installed in the Sahara. 

 

Engineer

You had our dearly departed Mr. Stamatis in your, uhh… possession? Did you not? Such a funny word that is in this instance, no?

 

Ethan

Yes. And yes. 

 

Engineer

And it was your understanding that if he was in your possession, he was yours. An understanding Legion shares. But then…

 

Ethan

A bat was blinded when it couldn’t fly. 

 

Engineer

And there we have it. Your understanding did not match that of another. But did that stop you? No. It’s likely you could end up with Wonderland. But we at Legion? We favor… contingency plans. We own many amusement parks. Some of them scheduled to be revitalized, renewed, re-engineered. And we think you’d be the perfect candidate for such an endeavor. 

 

Ethan

I see. A second circuit for the charge to flow. 

 

Engineer

And all you’d need to do… is give us details on how you managed to tap into the remnants of that blasted little ball using the shared network of your favorite little cheese-metal friends. And only if plans fall through with your plan A. But rest assured. Legion wants you to be one of us either way. 

 

Ethan

And what of Emily? We are separated seasons, her being the withered cold of autumnal death. 

 

Narrator

Emily. You don’t want Emily.

 

Engineer

Separated seasons now, yes.

 

Narrator

You wanted Emily. 

 

 Engineer

But what if you could silence Autumnal Emily?

 

Narrator

You want the Emily that was. 

 

Engineer

Reunite with the Spring Emily again? 

 

[Pause.]

 

Ethan

That’s not possible. 

 

Engineer

Bespin. You undercut yourself. Your breakthrough? Programming hundreds of human computers with perfect punctuality? You’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible. 

 

Ethan

Wild turkeys only fly into trees to roost at night.

 

Engineer

Come again?

 

Ethan

People can’t be programmed. 

 

Narrator [laughing hysterically]

Oh, Ethan. Ethan! You know better than that!

 

Engineer

When I asked you what you wanted, I wanted you to be honest. Look within you. Find that little voice guiding your way. 

 

Narrator

That’s the voice you all have, Ethan.

 

Engineer

What does that voice say?

 

Narrator

Don’t deny it now. 

 

Engineer

What does it whisper sweetly into your heart? 

 

Narrator

It’s that voice which proves you wrong. Not programmable. Ha!

 

Engineer

What does that voice desire? 

 

Narrator

The harder you fight, the more you try to pull away…

 

Engineer

If your breakthrough can program robots into behaving a certain way? Well…

 

Narrator

The firmer my grip. The tighter it gets.

 

Engineer

How long before we can give you the Emily you want her to be? The Emily… you deserve? 

 

Narrator

Yes. That’s what it is. The Emily that first supported you completely. Before the passive-aggressive criticisms and all that talk of wasted money. Before she left. Before Red Line.

 

Ethan

If pain is rife, rewrite a life, rewire a wife, relieve our strife, remove the knife.

 

Narrator

There we are. Honesty. 

 

Ethan

Yes—I would like that. I would like that very much. 

 

Engineer

We knew you would see it our way. You are Legion material, after all. 

 

[Cheese Robots count down T stops.]

 

Extraction

 

[Scraps of narration for each routine fade in and out, too fragmented to make out completely, mixed with a jumble of T stops counting off. The routines slip away until only one is left.]

 

Cheese Robot [distant]

…next stop…

 

Leon Stamatis—Braden Lamb [grimacing]

Kendall… MIT…

 

Cheese Robot [distant]

KENDALL MIT

 

[The static builds, and Gemma’s calling moves from distant and finally breaks through the noise. All the static and montage of routines drop away.]

 

Cheese Robot and Leon

INBOUND SERVICE TEMPORARILY SUSPENDED. TRAIN BEING TAKEN OUT OF SERVICE AT HARVARD STATION. WE APOLOGIZE FOR MOMENTARY DELAY

 

Gemma

LEON!

 

[Red Line environment.]

 

Leon

I—I’m here. 

 

Gemma

Where did you go, guy?

 

Leon

I’m not sure I can explain.

 

gemma

Okay, well focus, Lucia is about to get arrested at Central. Isaiah says our extraction train isn’t moving. What’s the status?

 

leon

It’s being rerouted. Taken off the tracks in Harvard Square.

 

Gemma

Motherfuck on a cracker. You sure?

 

Leon

Positive.

 

Gemma

They know. Somehow they know what we’re doing. 

 

Leon

There’s an incoming train on the other side. I believe it’s full of Cheese Robots.

 

Gemma

Mass Ave, we’re gonna have to fight foot traffic across town. Come on. Up the stairs. Go, go, go! 

 

[Footsteps. And then mechanical legs clunking down the stairs.]

 

Lucia—Sophie Borjón

They’re coming down the stairs!

 

Gemma

Goddamn dairy deputies! We’re boxed in!

 

[Train pulling in a station. Robot noises clunking closer.]

 

Leon

Wait. 

 

Gemma

Get behind me, get behind me!

 

[Train stops. Robots increase. Red Line doors open.]

 

Dimitri Stamatis—James Johnston

Get in! 

 

Leon

Dimitri!

 

Gemma

You—?

 

Dimitri

Name is Dimitri. Charlotte and Isabelle sent me. Don’t waste time, get in!

 

Leon

Dimitri is my brother. You can trust—

 

Gemma

Okay, Lucia, you heard the stranger, in the rail car. Go, go, go!

 

[Gemma puts Leon in her purse and the rest of the scene fades slowly into near silence.]

 

Leon

Gemma?

 

Lucia [fading]

Oh, thank you. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

 

Gemma [fading to nothing]

No problem. We’ll get you out of here. 

 

[Silence creeps in. The scene fades out. The Red Line car takes off, but soon that fades, too.]

 

[Leon sighs.]

 

CREDITS

 

[“Hanged Man” plays.]

 

Credits

 

[Music fades.]

 

COOKIE

 

Interview

I remember the first time I went on the Orange Line. I… I… it felt like I had stepped back into 1973. I was so surprised, because I had spent so much time on the Red Line and the Blue Line, and even the Green Line, which is, uhh… you know. Sonically… problematic, as a method of public transit. Boylston, that turn on the… to get into Boylston, is just… earsplitting. [Laughs.] It’s the worst sound! I hear it in my sleep! I hear it in my dreams!

 

[Mechanical whirring noise, followed by a snap, and something hitting the floor.]

 

Alexander

I broke it! Shit!

 

[Sound of Alexander picking up the dropped part and attempting to reattach it. Something rattles loosely inside the device. He gives it a crank, and it grinds sadly.]

 

Alexander

[Heavy sigh.]