Jules & Rom

Pete Mullineaux

Description

In 2040 artificial intelligence poses a growing challenge to society. Kerry Tracker, a newly qualified teacher is appointed to oversee a US high school production of Romeo & Juliet for end of year open day. It's a tall order, the 10th grade kids in the cast previously caused an emotional meltdown in the android teacher originally assigned to the task. Making the situation worse, the 15 year old ringleader of the rebels is the daughter of the man whose company supplies all the AI resources in the school. Things move from difficult to sinister when a suspicious death takes place in the school. As special agent Floyd Linton from Homeland Security pursues the investigation into what happened, the drama group continue to rehearse and the play's story of young love and social division unfolds against a background of political intrigue and global conflict. Jules & Romdefies simple categorisation: while undoubtedly science-fiction it's set in too near a future to offer the more typical dystopian scenario. It's also a detective story, but again, atypical of that genre. While the central focus is on AI, this is also an exploration of emotional intelligence and at its heart's core are both human beings and androids discovering themselves in the process of putting on Shakespeare's timeless masterpiece."Pete Mullineaux's new novel is one of the most enjoyable books I've read in the past year. It features a cast of fully-formed and meticulously drawn characters convincingly developed within an entertaining, thought-provoking, and always engaging narrative. It effectively combines a very believable science-fiction scenario with illuminating insights into theatre and theatre practice.Jules & Romshines a fresh and innovative light on one of Shakespeare's finest plays, re-imagined to have contemporary resonance and impact in an age of AI and challenges to humanity such as war and catastrophic climate change."Dr Sean Crosson: BA, MPhil, PHD - Huston School of Film, National University of Ireland Galway; author ofGaelic Games on Film: From Silent Films, to Hollywood Hurling, Horror and the Emergence of Irish Cinema(Cork University Press, 2019);Sport and Film(Routledge, 2013);The Given Note: Traditional Music and Modern Irish Poetry(Cambridge Scholars Publishing, 2008).

Sujets

• Science fiction

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 21 août 2020
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781800467347
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Copyright © 2020 Pete Mullineaux

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Cover artwork by Dave Hill
http://www.davehillsart.co.uk

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ISBN 9781800467347

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In memory of Isaac Asimov
Contents
PROLOGUE

ACT ONE
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11

ACT TWO
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

ACT THREE
1
2
3
4
5

ACT FOUR
1
2
3
4
5
6
7

ACT FIVE
1

ACT SIX
1

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

PROLOGUE
“...where we lay our scene...”

Janitor AJFX72 paused from vacuuming the empty corridor to acknowledge the first human presence of the day – Rob Bennett, the teacher with overall responsibility for the school’s android workforce.
‘Good to see you’re getting a head-start on things AJ,’ said Rob.
‘Better than playing catch up later on,’ replied the android, offering the teacher a stock “smiley”.
‘I just checked in on the learning buddies – all fully charged and ready to go.’
‘That’s very good to hear, Mr Bennett,’ said AJ, holding the same expression.
The young African-American projected a hologram timetable from his wristband, sharing his thoughts as he checked it through: ‘I need to re-assign a few of the drones; one of the learning hubs is being fitted with a new console. You might give the space a quick look-over when they’ve finished AJ. Oh, by the way, you’re probably aware our Principal is at a physical presence meeting this morning with the Education Board, so I’ll be in and out of his office keeping watch on the monitors to make sure everything’s running smoothly.’
‘Yes, I was aware of his enforced absence,’ said AJ, with a small frown.
‘And I guess we’d better keep a special eye out for Mr Milton, now that he’s been tasked with the drama presentation for open day; Romeo and Juliet, no less.’
AJ raised both eyebrows to indicate mixed feelings.
‘I’m reading you, AJ – tenth grade English aren’t an easy group to work with, especially for a rookie teacher; he’s got a few wild cards in there.’
Howard Trent came jogging up to them, still in his tracksuit, his normally pallid face flushed after an early morning run. The long-serving sports-teacher sported a pair of old-style ear-muff headphones bookending a grey head of hair.
AJ took this as a cue to return to his vacuuming.
‘Sucking up with the enemy as per usual?’ said Howard, with deliberate provocation, addressing Rob while nodding disdainfully towards the janitor.
Rob sighed and shook his head, well-used to Trent’s antipathy towards the school’s android population.
Howard continued: ‘I guess it’s easy for a foot-loose fancy-free guy to throw his virtuous liberal PC values around. Wait ‘till one of these units moves in next door and has its telescopic arms around your only daughter.’
Rob was about to say something in protest, but found himself instead addressing a polite ‘Good morning’ to Miss Angelou, as she passed by on her way to the staffroom.
‘Good morning, gentlemen,’ said the android English teacher, rotating her head to include everyone, her distinctive light-blue skin-tone augmenting the white, black and silver already present. ‘The three wise men,’ she added with a smile, continuing on her way.
‘What’s the world coming to,’ grunted Howard. ‘This will all end in disaster, mark my words. Anyway, no hard feelings, Mr Tin Man,’ he said, aiming a last dig at the janitor, before shuffling off down the corridor.
‘I’d better leave you to it, AJ,’ said Rob, heading in the opposite direction.
‘OK, let’s get this show on the road,’ said the android, cheerfully returning to work.

ACT ONE
“...if you with patient ears attend...”
1
Jim Brady was heading back to school in his eco-friendly replica cream and green 1957 model Chevy, having just escaped from a fractious meeting of fellow high school principals, where they’d laboured and sweated their way through a long list of pressing issues, from buildings infested with mould because of the warmer-damper climate to the equally hot topic that impacted particularly on his patch: artificial intelligence. Thankfully they’d found some common ground in complaining about reluctant learners and despairing at how both country and planet were fast falling apart. After all the doom and gloom, to lift his spirits, he’d stopped off to make a small purchase at the local garden centre, aiming an admiring glance at the riot of coloured flowers emanating from the heat-loving cactus now occupying the car’s passenger seat.
Coming to a stop light, he examined the queues of carriers left and right, all driverless; the occupants happy being taken for a ride. A few were empty, most likely on their way to a pick-up. Realising he was the only one actually at the wheel he felt a glow of inner contentment almost matching the external temperature. It was worth paying the modest carbon tariff to have a sniff of independence. Stealing a glance in the rear-view mirror at the pleasing angle of his retro-Rockabilly quiff, he mused on how many of his forty odd years it took off? His fingers began to tap out a rhythm in response to the enhanced purr of the otherwise soundless electric engine as he looked again at the empty vehicles either side before ramping up the imaginary revs and belting out a chorus of Eddie Cochran’s immortal, “ C’mon Everybody!”
With the lights turning to green and his hand reaching for the gearshift, the upbeat mood music was rudely interrupted like a needle scratching across an old vinyl record, when Rob Bennett buzzed through a serious incident report.
Brady hurled a pile of curses at the universe, switched the car to auto-drive and flicked on its monitor, jabbing a finger at playback.
**
“Oh Romeo, Romeo, wherefore art thou Romeo?” protested Juliet from her balcony, helplessly in love with a guy from the wrong side of the tracks.
Brady’s screen revealed Mr Milton’s tenth grade English class in learning hub 23 doing their first read-through of Shakespeare’s timeless play. As far as the Principal could make out, everything had been moving along swell at that point; the rookie teacher didn’t look to be in any obvious difficulty, in fact the class seemed remarkably alert and engaged.
Brady ran the recording forward to where the trouble began, with what was on the face of it, an innocent enough remark:
‘But what is love, exactly?’ asked fifteen year old Harper Richards, looking up from the play-text in her iGlobe and using two index fingers to divide the twin curtains of her dyed-blonde hair.
‘A profound question indeed and very interesting in the context of the drama,’ replied Mr Milton appreciatively.
The girl left her learning station and strolled over to the command desk where the teacher was standing. ‘I mean what’s going on inside Juliet’s head when she first sees Romeo?’
‘We will have to refer back to the text,’ said Mr Milton, his smile broadening; encouraged by such active interest.
Harper grinned at her classmates then turned back to the teacher. ‘Isn’t she thinking in the back of her mind, that this is a boy she might be going to have amazing sex with?’
Mr Milton considered it for a moment before replying. ‘We cannot answer your question conclusively, because Shakespeare does not use an aside in this instance to allow us into the character’s thoughts.’
‘Hmm,’ said Harper, ‘maybe you can help us in that case, Mr Milton. Tell us if you please, what you think is going on inside Juliet’s head: we’re all very innocent and we want to know about sex and love and how it fits together.’
‘Yeah, you tell us!’ chorused two more girls, backing Harper up; swooning theatrically to add to the fun.
‘Come on, Mr Milton!’ whooped a couple of boys wearing retro-military jackets circa The Beatle’s Sergeant Pepper album – aiming air kisses at one another.
‘Tell us what you know about sex and love!!!’ demanded another boy wearing a Jimi Hendrix headband, leaning over his work station and rapping out an insistent rhythm with his knuckles.
‘My own experience is not relevant in this context,’ said the teacher awkwardly, his lips noticeably tightening.
‘It’s a fair question Milt,’ said Little Stevie Marvin, who’d been playing Romeo – shuffling up in his Cuban-heels and flares. ‘Quit the old prevaricating, if we’re doing some kind of show-off presentation we need to know what’s going down man – it’s all about males and females right?’
‘That is correct