A short message for grown-ups.
As parents, we know how quickly family time can slip into scrolling time.
Everyone on their own devices after a long day.
Wouldn't it be great to share something active and fun instead?
Meet Next Playground, an active game system powered by your body.
No controllers, no wearables, just natural motion-driven play.
Join Bluey and Keepy Uppy.
Fly with how to train your dragons.
Dance with Barbie, pop bubbles in Gabby's dollhouse, or train with Kung Fu Panda.
All from your living room.
And it's totally kid-safe.
No ads, no in-app purchases, no mature content.
Just clean, active fun to bring the family together this fall.
Want to learn more?
Visit nexplayground.com.
That's nexplayground.com to explore active family gaming today.
Looking for a fun way to keep the Bluey fans in your home busy with imaginative, screen-free play?
The Bluey Supermarket Play Set is here standing, over 15 inches tall and packed with surprises across three levels of fun.
Inspired by the episode Kids, this set comes with exclusive Bluey and Bingo figures, including Bingo holding her lollipop.
There's a real working escalator, a rooftop cafe and even an intercom with 24 different sound effects your kids will love.
With over 15 play pieces, shelves to explore, carts to fill and stickers to decorate, your little ones can recreate favorite scenes or invent new ones of their own.
It also works with all your other Bluey figures for even more imaginative adventures.
The Bluey supermarket playset is available at all major retailers.
Hello, friends, and welcome to Sleep Tight Stories.
Each week, we share a few shout-outs and birthday wishes for listeners who help support the show.
It's a small way we say thank you. and it always makes us smile.
A big shout out to Nash, Cade, Calla, Finn, and Brooks, who make our days brighter.
Keep dreaming big, keep laughing loud, and remember, you are all my favorite story.
Sleep tight, my loves.
Love, Mom and Dad.
Happy birthday to Henry in Colorado, who turns six on October 21st.
Henry, We love you so much and are so proud of the sweet, smart, and adventurous boy you are.
Love Mom, Dad, and Beatrice.
Happy 10th birthday, Ethan.
We are so lucky to have you.
We love you, Smooch.
Love Mom, Dad, Annabelle, Bailey, and Mac.
Happy 8th birthday to our caring, beautiful, and intelligent gal, Sophie.
You are a bright light.
Love Mom, Dad, and Aiden.
Happy eighth birthday, Matthew.
Mommy, Daddy, Nathan, and Benji love you so much.
Happy sixth birthday to our sweet girl, Gracie, in Maine.
Mom, Dad, and Bridger love the independent, strong girl that you are.
Keep doing those cartwheels.
We are forever in your corner.
Happy birthday to Jack from Grandview Heights, Ohio, on November 19th.
Mom, Dad, Ella, and Lukey love you so much and hope you never stop creating.
And a special happy 9th birthday to Jeremiah on November 17th.
Mom, Sissy, and Dad love you more than all the stars in the universe combined.
Just the way you are.
Happy birthday to you all and thank you for supporting the show.
If you'd like to support our podcast and enjoy ad-free episodes, unlock bonus stories and so much more, you can join Sleep Type Premium.
Subscribe in just two taps via the link in the show notes.
Now, on to our story.
Red and the gang have found the final cache and are quickly trying to download all the files when they hear agents approaching.
Red wants the others to leave without her, but they say no way.
When the files are finished, the agents are right outside the door and the gang runs, leaving through a hidden passage at the other end that Red has spotted.
The Transfer Student.
Volume 2, Part 25.
The gang races through the hidden passage, red-spotted another Martian tunnel branching off from the command center.
Behind them, they hear the chamber door being forced open with a screech of metal.
Torres and his team have breached the facility.
They're inside.
Charlie whispers frantically, clutching his backup drives to his chest like they're made of gold.
Red leads them deeper into the passage.
Meridian's device providing just enough blue light to see by.
The tunnel slopes upward, a good sign.
Means they're heading toward the surface instead of getting trapped underground.
Blues at the back of the group listening carefully.
They're spreading out, searching the chamber.
How many?
Alexa asks.
All business, despite the fear in her voice.
At least four, maybe five.
The passage branches ahead.
Red makes a split-second decision based on airflow.
Left, toward what feels like fresher air and sounds less echoey.
The tunnel gets narrower, older, more cramped.
They have to move single file now, shoulders brushing against rough stone walls.
Kurt, bringing up the rear behind Blue, suddenly hisses, Someone's following our tunnel.
I can hear something that sounds like boots.
Now they can all hear it, footsteps echoing behind them, getting closer.
Someone's figured out which way they went.
Move faster, Red urges, but not too loud that others might hear.
They half run, half stumble through the darkness.
Rachel's camera bag keeps banging against the wall.
Charlie's breathing sounds way too loud.
Every footstep seems to echo forever.
There, Rachel points ahead. actual daylight filtering through a gap in the rocks above them.
They scramble toward it, squeezing through one by one into a drainage culvert.
They're in the old city drainage system, which must connect to the tunnels somehow.
Sunlight streams through metal grates above them, creating stripes of light across shallow flowing water.
Which way?
Charlie asks, completely disoriented, turning in circles.
Red checks Meridian's device, which shows a basic map of underground passages.
East, toward the river, there's a park access point, maybe half a mile from here.
They run through the culvert, splashing through ankle-deep water, their footsteps echoing off concrete walls.
Behind them, They hear Torres's voice, distorted by the tunnel acoustics, but unmistakable.
This way.
They went through here.
Spread out and cut them off.
But Red's enhanced hearing picks up something else.
Other voices, coming from a different direction.
Different from Torres's team.
And one of them sounds familiar.
Loud and confident.
Is that Misty?
Keep moving, Red says, hope rising in her chest.
I think help might be coming.
Blue grins despite everything.
About time the adults showed up to their own rescue.
They push forward, running towards daylight.
The culvert opens up ahead, getting brighter.
Red can hear birds, traffic sounds, normal city noise.
Almost there.
They burst out of the drainage exit into Riverside Park, gasping for breath, covered in mud and tunnel grime.
It's a perfect Sunday morning.
The park is quiet and empty this early, just birds and the sound of the nearby river.
Everything looks so beautifully, impossibly normal.
Standing between the gang and the park entrance are three AID agents.
Misty in her signature dark sunglasses Shade, with his ever-present snack looks like beef jerky this time and a younger man in his twenties who looks remarkably like Emma.
Red, Misty calls, relief flooding her voice.
Get behind us, now.
The kids scramble behind the good agents, just as Torres and his team emerge from the drainage exit, squinting in the sudden sunlight.
Torres stops when he sees Misty and Shade, his expression shifting from confident pursuit to calculating caution.
This doesn't concern you.
These kids access restricted facilities without authorization.
Restricted facilities you've been illegally raiding for profit, the younger agent interrupts.
He's holding up a badge that glints in the sunlight.
Agent Marcus Vasquez, Integration Protection Task Force and we have a warrant for your arrest, Torres.
Emma's brother, Red breathes to her friend.
Marcus nods at her briefly, a quick acknowledgment that that his sister made the right call trusting them.
Torres looks around and Red watches his face change as he realizes what's happening.
More agents are appearing at the park entrances, emerging from cars, walking paths.
Casual looking, but definitely positioned strategically.
All legitimate AID, all part of the task force.
Torres and his four teammates are completely surrounded.
You can't prove anything, Torres says, but his voice has lost that smooth confidence.
He sounds almost desperate now.
Actually Red says, stepping forward, despite Misty's protective hand landing gently on her shoulder.
We can.
She holds up Meridian's device, still glowing faintly blue.
Dr. Hart's complete archive.
Every cash location, every stolen piece of technology, every corporate sale you made.
And, more importantly, she looks directly at Torres, meeting his eyes, personnel files with photos, financial records and surveillance footage of every corrupt agent, including you.
For the first time since Red met him, Torres looks genuinely worried.
Shade can't help grinning around his beef jerky.
Busted by a 12-year-old and her friends?
That's gotta sting, man.
We've been building a case for months, Marcus explains, moving forward with restraints.
But we needed proof we couldn't get through official channels.
Evidence the corrupt faction... couldn't intercept or destroy.
The kids found what we couldn't.
He looked at Torres.
You're under arrest for theft of protected technology fraud, conspiracy to exploit refugee families and about 15 other charges I'm going to enjoy reading to you.
Torres's team doesn't even try to run.
They're surrounded by legitimate agents and caught red-handed, and the evidence against them is literally in Red's muddy backpack.
One of Torres' teammates, a woman Red recognizes from the water plant chase, actually looks relieved to be caught.
Like she's been waiting for this.
Marcus and two other agents move in with restraints.
Torres doesn't resist.
But as he's being cuffed, he looks back at Red with something between anger and grudging respect.
You have no idea what you've interfered with, he says.
Actually, Red says calmly, surprising herself with how steady her voice sounds.
I know exactly what we stopped.
You were planning to exploit 47 families arriving in six days.
Families just like mine. just looking for help and safety and a chance to start over.
Not anymore.
Torres is escorted toward an unmarked van that's pulled up to the park entrance.
The other corrupt agents follow, heads down, cuffed.
The gang stands together muddy and exhausted and probably about to get in so much trouble with their parents watching justice actually happen in real time.
Did we just win?
Charlie asks, like he can't quite believe it.
We won, Alexa confirms, allowing herself a real smile for the first time all day.
Kurt whoops loudly.
Blue just grins at Red.
Told you the adults would show up eventually.
Misty removes her sunglasses.
Red's never seen her do that before, and her eyes are kind.
You kids did good, really good.
Also, really dangerous, and we're going to have a serious talk about that, but good.
Shade offers them his bag of beef jerky.
Everyone politely declines.
Marcus approaches with his phone out.
Okay, who wants to call their parents first?
Because you've been gone since seven this morning and I'm guessing study group isn't going to cut it anymore.
The gang looks at each other in dawning horror.
They saved 47 families from exploitation.
But now they have to explain to their parents where they've been.
Somehow, That feels even scarier than Torres.
The gang is brought to what looks like the most boring office building in the city.
Gray concrete, corporate logo that says Regional Data Services.
Absolutely nothing interesting about it.
But inside, past the fake reception desk, it's an AID facility with actual high-tech security and meeting rooms that definitely aren't designed for data processing.
They're given clean clothes, generic gray sweats that say regional data services on them which makes Kurt laugh sandwiches that are surprisingly good and a conference room that looks exactly like every boring meeting room ever.
Table, chairs, whiteboard, and a weird office smell.
Marcus Vasquez leads the debriefing with Misty and Shade present.
The kids tell the whole story finding Dr Hart's box buried under a tree, discovering the hidden charm and coordinates, accessing all three caches, narrowly escaping corrupt agents multiple times.
You kids took some serious risks, Misty says, leaning back in her chair.
She still sounds more impressed than angry.
Smart risks, calculated risks, but still.
We didn't have a choice, Red explains.
Those families are arriving in six days.
We couldn't just wait and hope adults figured it out in time.
Five days now, Marcus corrects gently, checking his watch.
It's Sunday afternoon.
Blue groans dramatically.
Great, even less time.
Actually, Marcus says, and he's smiling, we have plenty of time now.
Thanks to your evidence, we've arrested 17 corrupt agents in the last two hours.
We're still processing some of them, but the entire exploitation operation is shut down.
The arriving families will be met by legitimate integration specialists who actually want to help them.
Rachel's been taking notes this whole time.
What happens to all the technology they already stole?
Recovery teams are working on it, Shade says.
Most of it's locked anyway.
Won't activate for non-Martians.
We'll return what we can to the caches, preserve it properly.
There's a knock on the conference room door.
Marquez opens it to reveal Emma Vasquez looking nervous but determined, still in her Saturday clothes.
Emma, Red says, genuinely happy to see her.
My brother said you guys did it, Emma says, stepping into the room and smiling.
You actually stopped them.
We couldn't have done it without you, Red admits.
You contacted Marcus the moment we went into the subway, right?
Emma nods.
I've been the communication relay all morning, making sure the task force would be there when you needed backup.
Marcus gestures for Emma to sit with them.
Emma's been helping us for months keeping track of which students at school might be from Martian families, making sure they weren't being targeted or watched by Torres.
You were spying on him?
Kurt asks, clearly impressed.
Emma shrugs, looking a bit proud.
Someone had to.
And he never suspected an eighth grader would be paying attention.
I just looked like another student worried about my grades.
She's good, Shade says approvingly.
Got the instincts for this work.
The debriefing continues for another hour.
The gang hands over all copies of the data.
The original on Meridian's device...
Charlie's backup drives, Rachel's photographs.
Marcus promises it will be distributed to legitimate AID oversight, Martian government representatives and refugee advocacy groups with the Martian community by Wednesday morning.
What about Dr. Hart's caches, Rachel asks, her notebook full of questions.
The technology, the cultural archives, everything she protected.
They'll be preserved, Misty says firmly protected for their intended purpose helping Martian families integrate while maintaining their heritage.
No corporations, no exploitation, no profit schemes.
Just what Dr. Hart wanted.
Shade adds with his usual grin, and Dr. Hart's documentation will be credited to her legacy.
She spent decades protecting this stuff.
People should know what she accomplished.
Red felt a sense of relief.
Dr. Hart's work won't be forgotten.
It'll actually help people the way she intended.
As the sun sets, outside the boring office windows, casting orange light across the conference table, Marcus looks up at the group.
Okay, logistics.
You've been gone all day.
What did you tell your parents?
Study group, Charlie says.
Early breakfast hangout, Kurt adds.
Red, blue, your mom already knows you're here, Marcus says.
She called the AID mainline an hour ago, asking if her kids were involved in something important.
I told her you were helping with an official matter.
She said, and I quote, I figured as much.
Tell them they're still doing dishes for a month.
Red and blue exchanged relieved looks.
Not as bad as it could have been.
The rest of you need to stick to your cover stories, Marcus continues.
Tell your parents the study group ran long, you lost track of time, whatever.
The details of what happened today stay classified.
Your parents can't know about any of this.
So we just Go home and pretend we had a normal Sunday?
Charlie asks.
Exactly, Marcus says.
You saved 47 families today, but that's not something you can tell anyone about.
The gang looks at each other muddy exhausted, wearing matching gray sweats, but absolutely triumphant.
They saved people. and only they will ever really know.
Somehow, that makes it even better.
Saturday morning, Red and Blue stand with their mom at a distance from the integration center.
They can't go inside security and privacy for the arriving families, but they can see the transport landing area from where they're parked, see families emerging with their small bags, see legitimate AID agents greeting them with genuine welcome.
47 families, safe, protected, getting the help they were promised.
Red thinks about her own arrival so many months ago the confusion, the fear, the overwhelming strangeness of Earth with its blue sky and ugly green everywhere.
You did good, kiddo, her mom says quietly, arm around Red's shoulders.
She knows more than she said, Red realizes.
Probably figured out most of it days ago.
That's just how moms are.
We all did, Red corrects, thinking of her friends.
Charlie with his equipment and backup drives.
Alexa with her planning.
Rachel with her documentation.
Kurt with her lookout skills, Emma with her coordination, Blue with his tech skills and terrible jokes.
You did, her mom repeats firmly, squeezing Red's shoulder.
You and your brother.
I'm proud of you both.
Your father would be too.
Blue grins.
Does this mean we don't have to do dishes for a month?
Nice try, their mom says, but she's smiling.
You still broke about 15 rules and scared me half to death.
Dishes are the least of your worries.
One of the families emerging from the integration center has kids about Red's age.
A girl with dark hair and a younger boy who looks overwhelmed.
Both staring at Earth's sky with the same shock Red felt when she first arrived.
The girl keeps touching things the railing, the concrete, the plants, like she's testing whether they're real.
Red remembers doing exactly that.
Everything on Earth feels so different from Mars, heavier, wetter, more chaotic and alive.
She makes a mental note to introduce herself at school next week.
New transfer students always need friends who understand what they're going through.
Friends who know what it's like to leave everything behind and start over on a completely alien world.
Especially the one with secrets.
Ready to go home?
We have a long drive back, their mom asks, jingling the car keys.
Yeah, Red says, taking one last look at the arriving families.
They're safe now.
That's what matters.
As they drive away, Blue leans forward from the back seat.
So, are we going to talk about how you totally knew what we were doing the whole time?
Their mom glances at him in the rearview mirror.
Are we going to talk about how you hacked into city maintenance records without permission?
Blue sits back quickly.
No?
No?
Then I think we're even.
Red laughs, feeling lighter than she has in weeks.
The mystery is solved.
The families are protected.
Dr. Hart's legacy is preserved.
And somehow, despite everything, they all made it home.
Not bad for a group of kids who just wanted to do the right thing.
Outside the car window...
Earth's impossibly green landscape flies past.
It's still strange.
Still alien.
Still not quite home.
But it's getting closer.
And that is the end of our story.
Good night.
Sleep tight.
