Mini-Episode: Shine a Light on ThirdSight

[News intro music]

CHUCK OCTAGON — Jeff Van Dreason

This is Chuck Octagon reporting for News 7 Shines a Light, and today we are shining our light on ThirdSight Media, the publishing body at the center of the Lottery attacks, and many questions abound. As a publisher, ThirdSight is responsible for such new agey claptrap as Metaphysical Monthly and Political Prognostication. It is also the former workplace of Dipshit Poletti, the man who blackmailed me into marrying my wonderful husband Andy in the ridiculous City of Red Line, leading to the third and final Lottery attack, the Octagon Wedding Debacle, or “Ocdebacle” as some have taken to calling it, against my personal wishes. Poletti has since confessed to being a part of the conspiracy behind the attacks, pinning leadership of the scheme firmly on his employer, the publisher of ThirdSight Media—a man whose name has yet to be revealed.

Further complicating matters is evidence discovered by the administration of Acting Mayor Linzer-Coolidge tying ThirdSight Media directly to the mayoral campaign of Emily Bespin.

Today we are speaking with employees of ThirdSight Media—or perhaps I should say former employees, as the building has since shuttered without explanation—to see what they can reveal about their nefarious company.

First we are speaking with Marketing Director Jonas Wright. Jonas, what can you tell us about your role at ThirdSight Media?

[Farm noises in background.]

JONAS WRIGHT — Jim Johanson

Well, I was the other vegan.

CHUCK

Pardon?

JONAS

Dipshit was the primary vegan. When people thought about vegans, they always thought of him first, which was kind of unfortunate. But I was the other vegan.

CHUCK

Sure. What about the company? What was it like to work at ThirdSight Media?

JONAS

Oh, it was okay. You know. Jobs and such. Good donuts. Though not so much since Tyrell left.

CHUCK

Right. But I mean more bigger picture. Like, was the company…evil?

JONAS

Well, it generally didn’t seem evil. I mean, aside from that the managers pretty consistently turned into really bitter, vindictive, assholes. And the way orders came down to us in pneumatic tubes, that was sort of sinister. And there was that guy who stayed late one night, and then nobody ever saw him again.

CHUCK

Uh…what?

JONAS

Yeah, that guy Michael. Michael Tate. He edited Political Prognostication. He always stayed late at the office, after everyone was gone, like he had nowhere else to go or something. And then one night, he stayed late, and when we got in the next morning, his jacket and stuff were still there, a half-finished coffee, you know. But no Michael. Never saw him again.

CHUCK

And nobody ever tried to find him?

JONAS

Well, I guess that would’ve been Tyrell’s job. But he quit before that, and we didn’t have a new Human Resources guy yet. Anyway, we all suspected Michael was a drunk, so we figured he probably went on a bender and fell in a dumpster or something.

CHUCK

Our next guest is Wanda McIntosh, ThirdSight’s director of public relations.

[Casino background.]

WANDA MCINTOSH — Tanja Milojevich

Yeah, ThirdSight was a shit-hole, but it was a steady shit-hole, you know? I been there thirteen years, and wasn’t planning to leave so long as they kept paying. Course, now they ain’t paying no more, so that’s that. Gotta find something else. Maybe manage a bowling alley or something. I dunno.

CHUCK

Did anything about ThirdSight ever seem suspicious to you?

WANDA

What, you mean like were there secret passages or hidden rooms or something?

CHUCK

That…wasn’t actually what I meant, but is there reason you bring that up?

WANDA

Nah, I never found nothing like that, though not for lack of looking I’ll tell you what though: the whole thing always seemed a little Satanic to me. What with the Ouijas and the seances and the astral projection, and like that. That sorta thing don’t fly with Jesus, you know? So there’s that.

CHUCK

If you were so troubled by the sorts of things that ThirdSight specialized in, why did you work there?

WANDA

Eh, Jesus knows a girl’s gotta eat. He knows that shit was never in my heart of hearts.

CHUCK

Do you think there’s anything to the accusations that ThirdSight was behind the Lottery attacks?

WANDA

Well, I don’t know about that. We did predict them, though.

CHUCK

You did?

WANDA

Oh, sure, every one of them. The “sticky situation” that we predicted at Andrew. An “unwelcome party” in Red Line. There was only one we predicted that didn’t happen, a “sweet rain” at Downtown Crossing. Not sure how we got that one wrong when the rest were spot on. But I guess some of this shit we do actually works, cause we saw all those coming.

CHUCK

Is it possible you predicted those attacks because ThirdSight was planning them in the first place?

WANDA

Well, now that you say it like that, sure, I guess that’s how it coulda happened.

CHUCK

And what about this man who disappeared? Michael Tate.

WANDA

Oh yeah, Michael. He probably just fell off the wagon, ended up in a dumpster or something. They’ll find him. Or they’ll find what parts the rats don’t eat, anyway.

CHUCK

That’s a bit morbid, ms McIntosh.

WANDA

Yeah, I guess.

CHUCK

Our final guest this evening is Tyrell Fredericks, former director of Human Resources at ThirdSight. Now, I understand you quit ThirdSight shortly before the recent revelations.

[Dinner party background.]

TYRELL FREDERICKS — Arun Sannuti

Yes, that’s right. I’ve since started an event planning service. I just organized a lovely cotillion in Red Line, a wonderful experience. I stayed at ThirdSight longer than I should have, honestly. It was not a positive environment. It had a way of taking good people and twisting them up. Gerald used to be a very kind man, when I first knew him. A little self-righteous, maybe a little aggressive with his beliefs. But what he became over time at ThirdSight…

CHUCK

Gerald?

TYRELL

Poletti. I won’t call him by that terrible name the office gave him. I can’t.

CHUCK

So you think the publisher may have radicalized him? That that’s how he came to be involved in the Lottery?

TYRELL

I don’t know. I can’t imagine Gerald deliberately hurting someone. Maybe he didn’t really know what he was involved with?

CHUCK

What about the publisher? Does it surprise you that he or she may have been behind the Lottery attacks?

TYRELL

Well, I don’t think ThirdSight was a very good place, but I never witnessed any criminality. I’ve never met the publisher, whoever they are, but I don’t know why anyone would do those sorts of things. It’s certainly not a very productive method for managing anger. There are some very nice seminars I could recommend for that sort of thing.

CHUCK

And were you still working at ThirdSight at the time of the disappearance?

TYRELL

Disappearance?

CHUCK

Yes. Michael Tate.

TYRELL

Michael disappeared?!

CHUCK

Yes, he hasn’t been seen in weeks.

TYRELL

Was it during the wedding? He lived at Porter. He could have…he…

CHUCK

His disappearance occurred several weeks before my wedding disaster. And no bodies were ever found.

TYRELL

Oh, thank god!

CHUCK

So if he died it would have been before that. Some of your former co-workers are speculating that he went on a drinking binge, fell into a dumpster, died there, and was eaten by rats.

TYRELL

That’s a very specific and uncharitable speculation.

CHUCK

So you don’t credit that theory?

TYRELL

No. Not at all. Michael was an alcoholic, but he was genuinely committed to his recovery. He had a mantra and everything. Eight eleven five four nine one seven six then three twelve two. I used it myself sometimes, it’s surprisingly effective. So he was doing very well. And he was very kind. But he lived at Porter Square. You know, where the housing structure got torn down during the…well you know, you were there. But anyway, that’s where Michael lived So his house is gone. His job is gone. Why would he still be here? It makes perfect sense that he would take this as a time to move on to somewhere better.

CHUCK

Well, there you have it, folks. Mysterious tubes, anonymous publishers, disappearing alcoholics, and no one knows anything about anything. This has been Chuck Octagon, reporting for 7 News Shines a Light.

[Charlie on the MTA plays]

CREDITS

Greater Boston is written and produced by Alexander Danner and Jeff Van Dreason, with recording and technical assistance from Marck Harmon.

Greater Boston will be at PodCon in Seattle, WA, December 9th & 10th! You can meet us in person at our exhibition booth, along with James Oliva and What’s the Frequency? We’ll have T-Shirts, posters, comics, and other goodies for sale, or just stop by to chat! There are going to be so many great shows at PodCon, with so many talented creators to meet! And if you’re at the show, keep an eye out for the unofficial audio drama fan and creator meetup being organized by Jeffrey Gardner of Our Fair City. We hope to see you there!

This episode featured:

• Jeff Van Dreason as Chuck Octagon (he/him)
• Jim Johanson as Jonas Wright (he/him)
• Tanja Milojevic as Wanda McIntosh (she/her)
• and Arun Sannuti as Tyrell Fredericks (he/him)

Charlie on the MTA is recorded by Emily Peterson and Dirk Tiede

Content warnings:

• Strong language
• References to alcoholism
• Morbid humor

COOKIE

JIM [Squeaky voice]

Yeah….Michael.

JEFF

[Laughs] [Squeaky voice] Yeahhhh, Michael. I remember dat guy! Yeah, he was a real so-and-so, you know what I mean?

JIM [Squeaky voice]

Yeah, whatever the rats don’t eat, they’ll find those parts.