The forerunners

Neville Brandt has spent most of his adult life mastering machines, rising quickly through the Cybernetics Division of a powerful corporation. Suddenly, an unrelenting pressure in his head awakens a latent telepathic ability, and he discovers he can reach into the thoughts of strangers around him. As he experiments—first on a commuter train, then in his office—he learns the range and endurance of his new power grow day by day, turning routine interactions into a delicate, often unsettling, mental game.

The story follows Neville as he navigates the corporate corridors of Central Metals, balancing his demanding work with the thrill and danger of probing minds that may not wish to be read. He meets colleagues whose thoughts are clear and others, like the elusive Ellen, who remain stubbornly closed, heightening both his curiosity and frustration. With each successful session, the stakes rise, hinting at far‑reaching consequences for a world already teetering on the edge of technological and psychic transformation.