The Outside Intervention

By Andrew Orange

A Thrilling Science Fiction Dystopian Novel You Must Read

Kier, a young out-lord, gets involved in a dangerous political game where ancient and modern secrets are closely intertwined. To save the largest city in the world from destruction, Kier leaves the Northern Heartland in search of a legendary artifact, created by the Founder of the Empire almost a thousand years before. Much more depends on the results of his search than is known to Kier.

“I enjoyed the story, character development, and dialogue.
There were plenty of plot twists that I didn’t see coming and that added to the book’s mystique. ..
If you are looking for an exceptionally written dystopian novel with amazing characters and a gripping plot then The Outside Intervention by Andrew Orange will not leave you disappointed. Recommended to all fans of dystopian science fiction and gets a well-deserved five stars from me.”
-- Goodreads Reviewer

“This novel is a must read and by saying this I am saying everything. ... Descriptive, with well developed characters, and with a captivating narrative, this is a book that I will certainly recommend reading.”
-- Goodreads Reviewer

“The Outside Intervention’ was an exciting sci-fi dystopian thriller with a great storyline.
It’s filled with adventure, suspense, and twists and turns in a unique dystopian world. It’s very detail oriented ...”
-- Goodreads Reviewer

“An unordinary novel.”
-- Goodreads Reviewer

"There are moral choices that cause the characters either to grow or to become like the people they are fighting against. Andrew Orange gives us their raw discourses without commentary, except whatever commentary the characters themselves give."
-- LitPick Five Stars

"This book really forced me to think about my own idealogies. I believe that Kier represents all of us. Everyday, we are bombarded by different theories and pieces of knowledge that have no consistency in whether they support or denounce each other. It's a struggle to find what you really believe in when it's guaranteed that another school of thought will be telling you it's wrong."
-- LitPick Reviewer

"The narrative is powerful enough to carry the story forward; however, mixing the genius plot and Kier's character into the story makes it even more interesting."
-- Readers' Favorite Five Stars

"Kier is not the archetypal young hero character who is impulsive, as he has enough sense to understand that he needs to think to overcome the odds."
-- Readers' Favorite Reviewer

• Language: English
• Publisher: Andrew Orange
• Release date: Oct 29, 2021
• ISBN: 9785604538500

Andrew Orange

Greetings!My pen name is Andrew Orange.More info:goodreads.com/Andrew_Orangefacebook.com/AndrewOrange2017buymeacoffee.com/andrew_orange

Book preview

Chapter 1

Homecoming

The hot, sunny summer day was approaching evening. The center of New Roma, one of the largest cities in the World Empire, was filled with thousands of people hurrying somewhere. Various cars were slowly moving along the street in a steady flow. The smell of gasoline, sweat, and cheap cosmetics was in the air.

Kier was standing on the sidewalk, staring at passersby. A tall, muscular man rudely pushed past the youth, muttering, All kinds of loafers standing around, obstructing the passage!

Kier frowned but controlled himself.

I’m not here, the youth recalled. I’m a ghost.

Stepping into a nearby alley between two old houses, Kier leaned up against the wall of one and closed his eyes. Opening his mind and concentrating, he immediately sensed the chaotic flickering of the human consciousnesses around him. Some came across as more or less formed; others resembled a spreading, stinking biomass.

After a more careful examination of this or that individual, the constantly changing landscape of emotions appeared before Kier’s mental eye. Some emotions were perceived as multicolored flashes or had distinct smells or burst into consciousness with sharp sounds. His brain seemed to be experimenting with interpreting these new sensations in familiar terms.

The predominant emotion was selfishness. It was like a wiggling brown clot with tentacles like an octopus. The ego made a low, monotonous hum. For some, it seemed this snarling, smelly mass left barely any room for any other emotions.

Deep inside of each consciousness, Kier saw a gray area, along which the shadows of various fears, tormenting the person, ran. At the junction of the ego and this gray abyss, he noticed black globules that he interpreted as manifestations of spite and pain.

Pain is more likely a sensation rather than an emotion. Why can I see it? These out-abilities aren’t as easy to understand as I supposed.

Kier could also see the violet light of resentment and hatred and the bluish streaks of depression and despair. The urges of greed clinked irritatingly. The crackling purple lightning above the brown clot showed anger, rage, and aggression. In some people, he found reddish-rusty spots eating away at their egos from the inside. These bloody stains, Kier guessed, presented the desire for victimhood and death. Young men and women were distinguished by bright, multicolored flashes of sexual desires.

Do I look the same from the outside? Are we all so primitive and disgusting?

Among the other things, Kier discovered that people also have some kind of field of tension that regulates emotions. The strength of this field varied in individuals from barely visible to frightening.

What is it? Kier pondered. Intellect? Where do human emotions come from? Are they generated by the body or the soul? Or are they together? But I don’t see any soul in people!

Kier’s thoughts returned to the events of the past. Fourteen years ago, the tragic death of his mother, Lady Judith, had spurred his father, Count Ariel Vorsmith, to send his youngest son to New Roma, the capital of the Northern Heartland. Brutari, then the Vorsmiths’ henchman, became his foster father.

Since that transition, Kier’s life, belonging by birth to the privileged class of vor-aristocrats, had run smoothly, but things changed a little over two months ago, shortly after his eighteenth birthday.

It had all started with the foolish failure of high school graduation exams, when Kier failed his tests of both physical and mental abilities. The frightened young man had contacted his father, whom he had not seen since the age of four, via the comm-net.

This contact prompted Vorsmith Senior to come to New Roma in person, where, for unknown reasons, he brutally killed the unfortunate Brutari, right in front of Kier. Then the count easily solved his youngest son’s academic problems and suddenly declared him to be the official heir of the county. The Vorsmith possessions, located far north of New Roma, were not the most extensive or wealthy among the two thousand counties that made up the Empire. However, in the future, Kier could inherit significant property and power.

The next day, after receiving his new status, a shocked and bewildered Kier was sent off to serve at the Arctic military base, Aurora Borealis, located on the coast of the Northern Ocean. The base commander, General Ice Morosev, happened to be an old acquaintance of Count Vorsmith. Thus, the young man who had dreamed of becoming a historian turned out to be an ensign in the Special Imperial Corps, which had been created for the anti-terrorist fight. Kier not only received an undeserved officer rank but also became the senior weatherman of the base. The fact that Kier hadn’t the foggiest idea about meteorology didn’t bother anyone.

Vorsmith Junior then successfully survived two attempted assassinations, organized by his older brothers, Mark and Petr. The latter served as a captain in the Imperial Security Service and sought to remove Kier, who stood between him and the long-awaited position of heir to the county. Mark, the middle of the count’s sons, became Petr’s ally, hoping to receive a substantial reward from him in the future.

When the threat from the older brothers was quelled, Kier met at Aurora Borealis Base with a dark-skinned man, Captain Dark, who introduced himself as the chief of the Imperial Security Service. He told Kier that they both are the possessor of rare, almost unique, out-abilities. Of the ten billion people who made up the population of the Empire, there were only about five hundred outs. These were mutants who looked no different from other people but possessed the ability to sense and, more importantly, change other people’s emotions. Outs could not read thoughts, levitate, spew fire, or move objects with an effort of will. However, they could control the behavior of ordinary people, exercising their power via them. Outs could also kill just with the power of their thoughts, which Captain Dark demonstrated to Kier by mercilessly finishing off the commander of Aurora Borealis Base, General Morosev.

Kier and Dark left the Arctic and arrived on the fringe of New Roma, at one of the secret bases of the ImpSec. Dark soon disappeared, having said goodbye to the young out-lord and adding, Relax, practice your abilities, and then we’ll have a serious talk.

In a conversation with Brutari, shortly before his death, Kier had commented half-jokingly on his regret that a vor could not become an out.

If the God wants to laugh, He fulfills our desires.

The staff of the secret New Roma ImpSec base where Kier now found himself was made up of six people. The base commander was a swollen major of about fifty, distinguished by his suspicion and aggressiveness. His deputy was a gloomy old man with the rank of captain. Four young agents performed the duties of servants. All six had been ‘processed’ by Dark, and their egos had been artificially suppressed.

The armed guards at the gates of the base, wearing the blue ImpSec uniforms, were rotated every eight hours and had not been processed. However, they never left their post and were of little interest to Kier. There were no visitors or other outsiders at the facility.

Left to his own devices for the time, Kier chose a small but comfortable room in the main building of the base. The room’s tinted, bulletproof windows overlooked a well-kept park that stretched to a high brick wall festooned with video cameras and barbed wire. Within the territory of the base, the commander had assured the young out that there was no video or other covert surveillance. Mobile comms didn’t work either.

All the base structures were just slightly above ground level, but Kier discovered there were several underground floors as well. No housing or other buildings were near the ImpSec base; instead, an artificially grown forest surrounded the facility.

At this time, being tired from adventures at the Arctic base, Aurora Borealis, and the late-night flight, Kier retreated to his room for a respite and slept happily this first day of his new life.

Upon waking that evening, Kier used his out-abilities to call the base deputy commander, who urgently ordered from one of the best restaurants in New Roma and personally delivered the late supper to the honored guest. Before eating, Kier forced the old security officer to carefully check all the food and drinks with a special toxin scanner. Tucking into the various delicacies, Kier realized his behavior smacked of paranoia. It was the result of suspicious Brutari upbringing, as well as his experiences of the previous two months, when Kier had miraculously survived the attempts on his life organized by his older brothers.

Lying in bed after his meal, he began to study a thin brochure that Dark had left for him. It was printed on cheap grayish paper and was modestly titled The Manual of Outs.

So, real books are still published!

About seven centuries ago, in the epoch of the Early Empire, all information was transferred to the comm-net, ostensibly for the convenience of users. A few paper books survived but were kept only in museums or rare private collections. For example, from his deceased mother, Kier had inherited one of the original volumes of the historical The Chronicles of Strabon, which were published almost a thousand years ago. The hard cover of the rare book was plaited with transparent plastic, and its pages were protected by a special preservative composite. On secondhand book markets, such publications cost a lot of money.

Thanks to the government-controlled comm-net, the Empire’s universal language had changed little over the centuries, enabling Kier to easily study the ancient artifact.

The brochure the young out now held had all the earmarks of being new. Kier flipped through the pages and found neither the author’s name nor any imprint. Only on the last page, at the bottom in small print, did he find something, the numbers 1 9 8 4.

What is it? The year of publishing?

In terms of volume, the new book was significantly inferior to the heavy, time-stained brick of the Strabon tome.

The Manual of Outs was written in dry, almost red-tape language. Experienced in reading historical documents, Kier guessed from a number of indications that the original text of the brochure had been created many centuries before. Later, it probably underwent some changes. Much of the information in The Manual Kier had already learned from Captain Dark.

About a thousand years ago, a genius geneticist created a preparation that activated the passive out-gene all humans carry. The scientist assumed that this gene would allow people to sense one another’s emotions. He dreamed of making all of humanity ‘happy’. He performed tests on himself and his employees, but only one of his graduate students was happy. Within four years, this young man united all the numerous states of the world under his rule and became known as Kier the Great, Founder of the Empire.

Later, it became clear that the invented preparation activated the out-abilities in only one person out of about twenty million. No preliminary test for out-abilities was created, and they are not inherited.

Soon, the activator began to be administered to all the healthy inhabitants of the Empire who reached age of eighteen, under the guise of being a vaccine against a dangerous disease. As a rule, it took place after the completion of compulsory schooling in the spring of each year. Any out abilities awakened in the winners of this lottery within about a month after the injection. Each year, the Empire had four or five new outs, with the total number of outs hovering around five hundred.

On the first page of The Manual, the most important rules of conduct were printed in large type. First of all, it was strictly forbidden to influence the emotions of other outs. This could lead to the so-called ‘adhesion’. This occurred when two or more outs created a strong invisible bond with each other that they could no longer break, which quickly led to their deaths. It was for this reason that the out-activator was not administered to children and adolescents, who were considered unable to control their emotional impulses.

In addition, outs were advised not to invade each other’s personal space unnecessarily and not to read emotions of their own kind without permission. It was also recommended to hide your emotions from other outs.

Imagine clearly that you are protected by a strong transparent armor …

The largest section of the brochure was devoted to the political system of the Empire, which had changed little since the time of the Founder. Because the outs could not influence each other, their small community was distinguished by tolerance and equality.

The emperor was elected for life by the General Assembly of all outs but could be removed from office by a majority vote. The emperor, and the government he appointed, including the satraps in charge of certain territories, dealt with the affairs of ordinary people, and their power over other outs was rather nominal.

The second privileged group of the Empire was the vor-aristocrats. They occupied almost all key administrative posts and also constituted the backbone of the Special Services. The power of vors was descendible, but a successful businessman could also buy the title for ten million virtual yellow units, or dariks, nicknamed in honor of the emperor Darius I, who established this currency. Also, the children of outs were often vors.

The great majority of the Empire’s ten billion population were disempowered simples, exploited by both vors and outs. For example, all simples who reached the age of eighteen were obliged to pay the notorious sacred duty to the state of two thousand dariks. Those who could not or did not want to pay were obliged to do a two-year Civil Service. As Kier was personally convinced, during his stay at the Aurora Borealis Base, the poor fellows who got into the Civil Service were turned into real slaves. Many of them died, unable to withstand the numerous hardships and privations.

The most powerful vor-aristocrats, as well as some simples, were under the imperceptible control of the outs. At the same time, no ordinary people were supposed to know of the true inwardness of the outs and the ways in which they ruled the Empire. For example, a special Ministry for family and youth affairs monitored the behavior of out children, who were at risk by virtue of their origin. Twenty out-satraps, each of whom ruled an area composed of about half a billion people, were on the lookout for young novice outs. If the new outs were unwilling to cooperate, the ImpSec was involved.

In The Manual of Outs, all this sophisticated political construction was called the collectivist oligarchy.

The section of The Manual that most interested Kier though was the one devoted to the practical implementation of out-abilities.

In general, outs could read emotions and affect other people at a distance of up to a kilometer, but individual differences were quite large. After a simple check, Kier discerned that his own abilities did not even cover the entire territory of the ImpSec base. Sitting in his room, the youth could reach the guard at the gate; however, the servants working in other buildings and in the park periodically dropped from his sight.

Not more than three hundred meters, concluded Kier. It looks like I’m a dweeb among the outs too.

The Manual described in detail the technique of changing the emotions and behavior of the people being processed. According to the brochure, the main principle of such processing should be minimalism. The Manual argued that every human individual is a complex emotional system that combines basic instincts, personal hereditary background, variable biochemistry, and acquired life experience. The intellect was only the regulator of this system. In order to avoid inappropriate behavior of the processed individuals, the outs were recommended to keep to minimal impacts.

For example, to achieve obedience, it was not necessary to restructure the existing character radically. For a quick basic processing, it was enough to instill three universal imperatives: You cannot harm me or allow me to be harmed!; You are obliged to obey all my orders, if it does not contradict the first imperative!; You cannot commit suicide and must take care of your safety if this does not contradict the first two imperatives!

More sophisticated full processing, in addition to setting basic imperatives, involved ‘shrinking’ the person’s ego and adding a fear of the out-master. This full processing was then made stable by prompting the idea of sacrifice. A person subjected to such processing sought not only to carry out the orders received and to protect his master but was also ready to sacrifice himself and other people for his lord. With the proper full processing, immediate contact of the out-master with his slave was not necessary. The master could have died long ago, but the person still continued to serve him by virtue of his own understanding.

In addition to the nuances of processing, all the outs were recommended to master the practice of simple nonverbal orders. For example, sleep. More complex orders, full processing, and other fine-tuning of human emotions required verbalization and, of course, more effort on the part of the out.

The physical mechanism of the out-effect remained unknown, but some biochemical changes in the victim’s bodies could be traced. The Manual argued that any human emotion was accompanied by the production of specific chemical compounds that interact with brain receptors. In processed people, the execution of the master’s orders induced biochemical pleasure, and the slightest attempts to resist them caused a real withdrawal syndrome. As a result, the human body itself consolidated the processing, becoming addicted to internal drugs and behavioral patterns. The side effects of this process were the degradation of the victim’s emotions, increased suspicion, the desire to control everyone and everything, and most importantly, the obsessive desire to oblige the master in order to obtain a biochemical drive. If the service failed or did not work well, the processed developed excessive aggression and pursuance of risk, which contributed to the production of adrenaline. This allowed the processed persons to feed their hungry neuroreceptors in some way.

What are out-abilities? Activation of a passive gene is just the launch of a biochemical program in the human body. There is also some biochemical reaction in the victim’s body. But there must also be a physical mechanism of action. Something on a quantum level? It would be fun to bounce this riddle off modern physicists. Although they would declare that it simply cannot be. And they can be understood. People tend not to notice a lot of things under their noses, or even in their noses, in the literal sense. Despite all the achievements, we are still poking around like blind kittens. And even if we know how to do something, we only vaguely imagine how and why. I don’t understand well how my vision, hearing, and other senses work. What can be said about out-abilities …

After reflecting on theoretical problems, Kier embarked upon practical experiments. The young out chose the base commander, his deputy, and the servants as his experimental rats and found it was not difficult to change their personalities. All the necessary work had already been done by Captain Dark, and Kier only had to seize the control.

After making sure his abilities were working as expected, Kier moved on to more sophisticated experiments. He gathered all six base employees in one of the underground gyms he had discovered. Each of the ImpSec men was given a pistol loaded with blank cartridges. Kier lay down on a gym mat. Having closed his eyes, the youth removed the devotion to him in the test subjects, as well as all universal imperatives. Then, he ordered them to shoot him.

For the first time, Kier hesitated and let the fat major grab the pistol, but didn’t let the ImpSec officer shoot. The rest did not even have time to touch the weapon. Time after time, Kier sedated and woke his rats, who were unsuccessfully trying to shoot the seemingly completely helpless out.

Kier then decided to change the emotions of the people attacking him. He aroused in all six of them the most intense hatred for him, seasoning it with fierce malice and anger. This time, the rats didn’t try to grab any weapons but simply began to run amok at him with their bare hands. Kier still lay motionless but easily repelled all their attacks without lifting a finger.

Finally, the young out replaced hatred, malice, and anger with intense fear and deep despair. The effect was amazing. Six strong, angry men, who had just been running at Kier with wild yells, immediately fell to the floor and whined pitifully at his feet.

Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely! Kier remembered reading the phrase once. And I have almost absolute power. Of course, there is the emperor, Dark, and five hundred other outs. Still, it means that for every out, there are on average twenty million potential slaves. What will happen to my soul? What should I do? Commit suicide?

Kier recalled his old fantasies that the outs could be aliens in disguise from other worlds.

Alien monsters are fairy tales for children, compared to people. Outs are real monsters in human form!

Experiments over, Kier brought the six unfortunate simples back to their previous state and sent them off to go about their daily activities.

* * *

Are you all right, young man? Kier was brought back to reality by someone speaking to him. Can I help you? I have a bottle of water with me.

Kier realized that he had slid down the wall he had been leaning against and now was sitting right on the dusty hot asphalt. Next to him stood a modestly dressed, middle-aged woman wearing round glasses. She stood out from New Roma inhabitants due to her dark, almost-black skin, which caused in Kier an unpleasant association with Captain Dark. He struggled to his feet and ‘scanned’ the woman. Her ego was humble; phobias and other emotions were expressed weakly. It seemed that this dark-skinned, outwardly ugly woman felt sincere compassion for Kier, but he couldn’t read anything like that.

Stop! Where have all the good emotions gone? Where is love, friendship, compassion, conscience, shame? Simple joy, at least? All the people in this city can’t be completely devoid of all good emotions!

Thank you, I’m all right, the out-lord muttered and hurried out of the alley. Soon, he was lost in the crowd.

I can’t see everything! Kier thought with timid hope. Can it be that outs perceive mostly negative emotions and feelings? But why? Are they the most primitive? And the more complex, good emotions are not available to outs? If so, then people are not entirely hopeless! But can I still consider myself a human?

Kier had stayed at the ImpSec base where Dark had brought him for almost two weeks and only now ventured into the city. The shock from the chaotic fluttering of myriad wild consciousnesses gradually wore off. The assumption that the abilities of outs are limited and that humans, at least some of them, are better and more complicated than they seem to be, replenished Kier’s confidence.

It’s good that I’m able to analyze my own emotions. Many people don’t even try to do this. I wonder what I would see if I could look at myself from the outside in some kind of out-mirror?

The shrill howl of a nearby car alarm interrupted Kier’s thoughts. He shook his head, struggling to switch from out-perception to ordinary vision and senses.

Evening streets of the bustling city center are not the most suitable place for deep reflection!

The young out-lord walked to the curb and raised his hand. A large black car, driven by a man hardly older than Kier immediately pulled up next to him.

And I can easily get run over, especially with my daydreaming! Or die in some other disaster. No superpowers will save me. The fear of this awareness came to Kier. Maybe it’s for the best that I never learned to drive a car.

Where are you heading? the driver asked, casting a condescending glance at the potential passenger. His tanned, muscular body was clothed in a purple T-shirt and shorts. A massive chain of yellow metal dangled on his neck.

Kier gave him the address.

Ten dariks! the driver proclaimed.

Kier nodded, got into the back seat, and pulled on his seat belt. The black predatory car rolled down the street, maneuvering through the dense traffic. The short-haired driver, to whom the young out entrusted his life, drove the vehicle skillfully enough, it seemed, and Kier gradually calmed down. The wheelman had good reflexes, but even a superficial touch of his consciousness showed an exaggerated ego, greed, and many fears. Sexual aggression stood out from other emotions. The controlling field of tension was weak.

And at first glance, he seems so cool. Perhaps he is someone’s chauffeur or even a boy from a car service making a little extra money on the quiet as a private cab driver in someone else’s car. And he put on expensive clothes to pick up some silly beauty as chance offers. How blinded we are by everything external!

In contrast to the impressive wheelman, Kier looked like a puny starveling from an orphanage. He glanced at his blurry reflection in the car window. A thin, short body; pale skin; dark, disheveled hair; an ugly face with a crooked nose that seemed too big. Sad, yellow-gray eyes. Clothing, chosen by the out-lord, was as simple as possible. Having gotten rid of the hated uniform, Kier didn’t want to wear anything that was formal in the least. For the past two weeks, he had made do with underpants and simple cotton T-shirts, as the weather permitted. For his outing to the city, the youth added brown knee-length shorts and comfortable leather sandals.

The wheelman, without asking Kier’s permission, turned on the radio.

A cheerfully shrill voice immediately rang out. Following the results of today’s trading on the New Babylon Stock Exchange, the rate of yellow currency units has increased and amounted to 3.33 green units. The green exchange rate has also increased significantly and amounted to exactly forty red currency units. The price of a standard barrel of oil corrected slightly after yesterday’s rise and amounted to 198 yellow …

The reds are losing again, the wheelman declared, commenting on the stock exchange news. Kierienkis, which were invented by the Founder, will soon be of no use to anyone. This is money for the poor. I personally only use xerxes and dariks. These are real cashola. How are you fixed for them, kid?

Kier screwed his face up and snapped back, Shut up and watch the road carefully! And shut off the radio!

The wheelman obeyed the orders, and the young out was able to enjoy the relative silence. Leaning back in the comfortable seat, he stretched his short legs forward. His face was pleasantly caressed by a warm breeze, as the urban landscapes of New Roma floated by beyond the ajar car window. Finally escaping from numerous traffic jams, the car pulled up to a long nine-story building. This gray concrete edifice was surrounded by many similar structures.

When the wheelman stopped his luxurious carriage, Kier immediately put him to sleep.

Later, I’ll have to erase the guy’s memories of the last few hours.

Kier came into the familiar entrance hall unhindered and began climbing the concrete stairs to the fourth floor. In one of the apartments of this wretched building, he had lived with Brutari and his daughter Elena for almost all his life. The house from his childhood had changed little during Kier’s absence. The elevator was out of order. The dark entrance smelled of urine and cigarette butts, and bottle fragments were littered along the dusty staircase. Kier carefully watched his step, having switched off from the perception of human consciousnesses. On the second-floor landing, he almost ran into an elderly man holding the leash of a small shaggy dog of unknown breed.

Lord Kier Vorsmith! the old man exclaimed in surprise. I heard you died.

Sleep! the out barked. The old man slowly sagged down the wall as his dog growled, showing its teeth, and moved toward Kier.

The young out focused his gaze on the animal and repeated Sleep! But nothing happened. The shaggy dog growled even more fiercely and tried to bite the mighty out-lord’s bare ankle. Kier hastily retreated down the stairs. Fortunately for him, the sleeping old man was still holding the leash tightly, and the aggressive animal could not pursue its potential victim. There was no way to go around this obstacle in the narrow passage, so Kier had to go down to the ground floor and hide by the stairs. Having calmed down a little, the young man assessed the situation. His abilities didn’t let him influence dogs and didn’t even give the opportunity to read their consciousness.

The stupid Manual didn’t say anything about this. And I studied it carefully. Outs might have other weaknesses as well.

The youth touched the consciousness of the old man and erased his last memories. Then he woke him up and ordered him to return to his apartment with the dog.

You will immediately go to bed and sleep for two hours! Kier whispered.

After the old man’s door had slammed shut, the out-lord checked the consciousness of the other inhabitants of the block once again, those he could reach. It seemed that no one saw anything; people were focused on themselves and their affairs.

It’s good that this slum has never had video cameras, except for the ones that Brutari installed in his time. Now, most likely, they are no longer there.

He climbed to the fourth floor and found himself in front of a shabby wooden door. Behind it there was only one consciousness, a very young woman, as Kier identified.

Open the door and let me in! The order was given in a whisper.

The door opened, and a thin girl of about twelve years stood in the doorway. Seeing Kier, she silently stepped back inside. He entered and hurriedly closed the door behind him. When he had lived here with Brutari, a real armored door blocked the entrance to the apartment, as well as there being a palm scanner, video cameras, and an alarm system. As Kier had anticipated, none of this existed now.

Who are you? the young mistress of the house asked.

The young out could put her to sleep but decided not to rush. My name is Kier, he said. I used to live here.

The little girl critically examined the youth and said, You’re weird. I don’t know why I let you in. My mother, sister, and I live in poverty and have nothing to rob. Or do you want to … She hesitated, but then resolutely continued, I will fight back and scream! You don’t look particularly strong. And my mom will be back soon and kill you.

I am not going … Kier began in an indignant tone, then stopped short. He looked attentively at his interlocutor. Due the hot weather, the girl was wearing only a short pink T-shirt and panties. Her slender legs looked tempting; mounds of breasts were clearly visible under the thin fabric of the T-shirt. The pale face was beautiful. Blue eyes, blonde hair, delicate skin. Despite her young age, or maybe just because of it, the girl seemed very attractive.

And what exactly stands on your way? asked an insidious voice in Kier’s head. Nobody will know anything. In general, everything is allowed to outs. Put passion into her head, and then erase the memories. How long can you remain a virgin?

Through the greatest effort of his willpower, the young man suppressed his own sexual aggression, stimulated by the excess of hormones. Controlling one’s own emotions turned out to be much more difficult than those of others. The girl looked at Kier again, bit her lip, and immediately looked down. The out felt that she was slightly aroused and intrigued.

You aren’t going to change her emotions!

What’s your name?

Elena. Did you really live here?

Yes, I did, Kier said. I will stay here for a while, and you will go to your chamber and sleep. When I leave, you will awake and will no longer remember me.

Having received the order, the girl went to the room Brutari’s daughter, Elena, used to occupy and immediately fell asleep.

What amazing coincidences might occur. She lives in the same room, and they even have the same name. I hope that this Elena will have a happier destiny.

Sad memories of the past filled his mind. He was standing in the very place where, about two months ago, his biological father, Count Ariel Vorsmith, shot his henchman. For a moment, Kier felt a chill.

What if Brutari’s spirit dwells here and now is welcoming his foster son? Don’t run into cheap mysticism!

Kier immediately pulled himself back.

He still didn’t know why the count had decided to kill Brutari. Kier’s older brother Petr told him at Aurora Borealis Base that Ariel Vorsmith and Brutari had been lovers since their service in the Special Corps. Later, they simultaneously had a sexual relationship with Kier’s mother, Lady Judith. Petr also claimed that Kier’s grandfather, the old Count Petr Vorsmith, had tried to shoot the threesome when they were having fun in bed, but only managed to kill Judith. He was then killed by Ariel. All of this could have been a lie, yet Kier had no doubt that Petr was telling the truth in this case.

During that meeting with his older brothers at Aurora Borealis Base, Kier was not yet aware of his out-abilities but still did not fall for their manipulation. Having shocked Kier with the details of the family history, Petr and Mark had tried to persuade him to leave with them for New Roma, where he would have had to hide in a safe house. After Kier’s disappearance, the count would have been forced to appoint one of the eldest sons as his new successor. The youngest Vorsmith was promised a