Hello, Evan.

Who are you?

I'm George Hemnitz. And now, without any false modesty, I can say that I am the smartest member of the Inner Circle.

Inner Circle?

That's what we call the elite group of people who really govern this country.

The rest all laughed at me. They saw my return to being a senior manager in the citizens’ appeal department as a foolish flight of fancy. They even came up with a word for it: “downshifting”.

But only there, down below, can you see all the vulnerabilities of the system. Only by pretending to be one of the mere mortals could I find ways to access other structures, such as the Internal Investigations Division.

All it took was a little dirt scraped from the very bottom: just 342 incoherent reports, a little indirect evidence of the rest of the Inner Circle being corrupt (14 blurry photos, to be exact) - and that was it! James Aldous Cunningham took the bait and started digging.

How is this possible? You were executed! I saw you hanged in public with my own eyes!

You weren’t the only one who witnessed it - and that was the point. There was nothing supernatural about it: bribes for the guards, a climbing safety rig under my jacket, a couple of clasps and a hook for the noose.

The really hard part was having to hang there without moving after that little show for the following 18 hours and 43 minutes.

But why?!

You know, you seem like a smart man - you made your way to the top, after all. And yet you still don't get some very simple things. Strange.

It's so the others think I’m no longer around. My rivals are more dangerous than yours, Evan.

What rivals?

Ferguson, DeSalvo, Weinberg. While I was “dead”, they were competing with each other, thinking that they didn’t have to worry about anyone else behind their backs.

Why was it necessary to get me to deal with the bosses?

As I said, I needed someone to help get rid of my competitors.

Let's discuss how well that went.

Ferguson...

As for DeSalvo...

And as for Weinberg...

And as for where that leaves us...

Tell me about the Inner Circle.

Me, Ferguson, DeSalvo, Weinberg and your father. That's the whole Inner Circle.

What about the Wise Leader? Doesn't he rule everything?

Ahahahaha! Evan! Are you really that much of a fool?! That old loon never ruled anything! It’s been that way from the very beginning!

What?!

Just wait - you’ll still have a chance to chat with him today. And why not! You’ve definitely earned you “audience”.

Why did you kill him?

Nothing personal. Cunningham had played his part, and therefore it was time to remove him. He’d become waste material.

And what was his part?

He may have mentioned that he had a superior. I was that superior, although he never once saw me and he received all his orders by telephone.

I don’t think he ever even guessed that the first circumstantial evidence he found on the Inner Circle also came from me.

He used you, and I used him to eliminate my competitors and gain access to the Heimdall project through you.

What is this project? What’s the purpose of it?

To control people. Using repeater towers spread throughout the city, 2,841 of them altogether, connected to a single network. If you adjust the wavelength properly, and send a signal, you can make people do anything you like.

What’s more, it’s possible to create more complex patterns and command different people to do different things. You can make ordinary people obey and not complain, make soldiers go to war, make workers work. You can command everyone to be happy, and they’ll be happy.

Or, you can order everyone to voluntarily go to the nearest Euthanasia Center and free up some space.

One way or another, each individual will become a link in one great chain, part of a self-sustaining system that sees everything and hears everything. This is Heimdall.

Was my father involved?

Your father worked on Heimdall. Not by himself, of course. He was a talented administrator and politician, but no scientist.

He did achieve a real breakthrough - his team discovered how to completely block the signal for individual recipients.

Without this, there would have been no point to the project - the entirety of the powerful elite would also be under the influence of the signal.

I, for one, didn’t much fancy becoming a slobbering idiot, jumping through hoops for whoever’s standing at the control panel.

Put simply, Heimdall is as much Caleb Redgrave's child as you are. And considering the fact that you and your father barely spoke to each other, I could not unequivocally say which of you he loved more.

How did my dad die?

I’ll make no secret of the fact that Caleb posed a problem for all of us. What he was developing had the potential to not just shake the scales of power; Heimdall was capable of simply smashing the scales into dust.

And opinions on the matter differed. Some didn’t believe that such a project could actually be completed. Some wanted to wait until development was finished so that they could take it for themselves. And some were quite content with the current balance of power.

But then the first test exceeded our wildest expectations - it was 100% effective! But your father - and this was a surprise - suddenly grew a conscience!

So you all had him killed! Who was the one who did it? You?

I think he was just trying to protect you. None of us had any qualms about harming each others’ families, after all...

You won’t believe me, of course - and why should you? But your father jumped out that window himself.

You’re right - I don’t believe a word of it.

You don’t have to believe it. You can watch the surveillance camera footage yourself. From the terminal. The password is Icarus.

I understand all of that, but what does it have to do with me, damn it?

The threat of the death of his son would have been enough to get Caleb to give up and hand over access to the first person to get to you.

So he was clever about it: he tuned Heimdall to your biometrics, DNA and vital signs. Then, he killed himself. So you are the only person in the world who can activate the program.

But why he stashed those boxes with launch codes all over the Ministry - which, again, only you can open - I do not quite understand.

So, you have to be alive, healthy and calm - that is, not in pain or under stress - to launch Heimdall.

That's why you weren’t dragged to this office right away. That’s why the boss of each the floor tried, let's say... to draw you into the orbit of their interests.

Father's first letter. You wrote it, right?

Let's just say I edited it a little... The original was much more voluminous. Caleb described the Inner Circle, Heimdall, and his plans in detail.

But the phrase: “Don’t trust anyone” belongs to him. You should have listened to your father, Evan.

I should have known.

You’re right about that! I even thought back then... Does this guy really have no questions? Like, “Why the hell is dad writing in riddles, instead of just telling everything like it is?”

By the way, you have a big mouth, Evan. You told Cunningham about me and the letter immediately! And I asked you to keep everything secret! By the way, you know how to keep secrets, Evan. You didn’t tell Cunningham about me. Not that it matters, but I am pleased that you fulfilled my request.

Finish that trip down the memory lane, and let's get down to business.

You said that the Wise Leader doesn’t decide anything...

Oh yes. You have a unique opportunity to see the Wise, Great, Fair Leader exactly how he really is.

If you're going to weep in disappointment, don’t do it too loud...

There's a button in the terminal... the password is “Organic Vegetable”. Ahahaha! You’ll appreciate the joke soon enough!

Each of the bosses wanted something. What do you want?

Me? What do you think I want?

Something tells me that a person whose mind could weave such a plan to eliminate competitors doesn’t simply want to “enjoy the power”.

Well... Cards on the table, right?

Spit it out!

I've been here for many years... in this muddy pool of yours that you call the Great State for some unfathomable reason.

What could be so great about such a colossal mound of shit? You’re like maggots - crawling around in the garbage, incapable of imagining anything better!

What use is your freedom if you don’t know what to do with it? You yourselves gave it up to a handful of wicked people many years ago.

And it would've been fine if you only poisoned your own lives. But you’ve built everything around the fact that someone else is to blame!

Everything from economics to demographics is tied to a war with your neighbors, who are also responsible, it turns out, for your inability to go and do something about it!

Oh my God! You’re a mole! A Borean?!

I’ve forgotten who I am over the years. But I have not forgotten that I want to end this damned war that continues to take so many lives.

That’s why I’m here, Evan. I want to use Heimdall to stop this meat grinder!

So that your people and my people can safely build our own happiness.