Forward the Foundation

The hypership was preparing for liftoff and the three had already checked their baggage.

Raych said, “Dad, come along with us.”

Seldon shook his head. “I cannot.”

“If you change your mind, we will always have a place for you.”

“I know it, Raych. We’ve been together for almost forty years—and they’ve been good years. Dors and I were lucky to find you.”

“I’m the lucky one.” His eyes filled with tears. “Don’t think I don’t think of Mother every day.”

“Yes.” Seldon looked away miserably. Wanda was playing with Bellis when the call rang out for everyone to board the hypership.

They did, after a tearful last embrace of Wanda by her parents. Raych looked back to wave at Seldon and to try to plant a crooked smile on his face.

Seldon waved and one hand moved out blindly to embrace Wanda’s shoulders.

She was the only one left. One by one through his long life, he had lost his friends and those he had loved. Demerzel had left, never to return; Emperor Cleon was gone; his beloved Dors was gone; his faithful friend Yugo Amaryl was gone; and now Raych, his only son, was gone as well.

He was left only with Wanda.

17

Hari Seldon said, “It is beautiful outside—A marvelous evening. Considering that we live under a dome, you would think we would have beautiful weather like this every evening.”

Wanda said indifferently, “We would grow tired of it, Grandpa, if it were beautiful all the time. A little change from night to night is good for us.”

“For you, because you’re young, Wanda. You have many, many evenings ahead of you. I don’t. I want more good ones.”

“Now, Grandpa, you’re not old. Your leg is doing well and your mind is as sharp as ever. I know.”

“Sure. Go ahead. Make me feel better.” He then said with an air of discomfort, “I want to walk. I want to get out of this tiny apartment and take a walk to the Library and enjoy this beautiful evening.”

“What do you want at the Library?”

“At the moment, nothing. I want the walk. —But?.?.?.”

“Yes. But?”

“I promised Raych I wouldn’t go walking around Trantor without a bodyguard.”

“Raych isn’t here.”

“I know,” mumbled Seldon, “but a promise is a promise.”

“He didn’t say who the bodyguard should be, did he? Let’s go for a walk and I’ll be your bodyguard.”

“You?” Seldon grinned.

“Yes, me. I hereby volunteer my services. Get yourself ready and we’ll go for a walk.”

Seldon was amused. He had half a mind to go without his cane, since his leg was scarcely painful of late, but, on the other hand, he had a new cane, one in which the head had been filled with lead. It was both heavier and stronger than his old cane and, if he was going to have none other than Wanda as a bodyguard, he thought he had better bring his new cane.

The walk was delightful and Seldon was terribly glad he had given in to the temptation—until they reached a certain spot.

Seldon lifted his cane in a mixture of anger and resignation and said, “Look at that!”

Wanda lifted her eyes. The dome was glowing, as it always did in the evening, in order to lend an air of first twilight. It grew darker as night went on, of course.

What Seldon was pointing at, however, was a strip of darkness along the dome. A section of lights had gone out.

Seldon said, “When I first came to Trantor, anything like that was unthinkable. There were people tending the lights at all times. The city worked, but now it is falling apart in all these little ways and what bothers me most is that no one cares. Why aren’t there petitions to the Imperial Palace? Why aren’t there meetings of indignation? It is as though the people of Trantor expect the city to be falling apart and then they find themselves annoyed with me because I am pointing out that this is exactly what is happening.”

Wanda said softly, “Grandpa, there are two men behind us.”

They had walked into the shadows beneath the broken dome lights and Seldon asked, “Are they just walking?”

“No.” Wanda did not look at them. She did not have to. “They’re after you.”

“Can you stop them—push them?”

“I’m trying, but there are two and they are determined. It’s—it’s like pushing a wall.”

“How far behind me are they?”

“About three meters.”

“Closing in?”

“Yes, Grandpa.”

“Tell me when they’re a meter behind me.” He slid his hand down his cane till he was holding the thin end, leaving the leaded head swinging free.

“Now, Grandpa!” hissed Wanda.

And Seldon turned, swinging his cane. It came down hard upon the shoulder of one of the men behind him, who went down with a scream, writhing on the pavement.

Seldon said, “Where’s the other guy?”

“He took off.”

Seldon looked down on the man on the ground and put his foot on his chest. He said, “Go through his pockets, Wanda. Someone must have paid him and I’d like to find his credit file—perhaps I can identify where they came from.” He added thoughtfully, “I meant to hit him on the head.”

“You’d have killed him, Grandpa.”

Seldon nodded. “It’s what I wanted to do. Rather shameful. I’m lucky I missed.”

A harsh voice said, “What is all this?” A figure in uniform came running up, perspiring. “Give me that cane, you!”

“Officer,” said Seldon mildly.

“You can give me your story later. We’ve got to call an ambulance for this poor man.”

“Poor man,” said Seldon angrily. “He was going to assault me. I acted in self- defense.”

“I saw it happen,” said the security officer. “This guy never laid a finger on you. You turned on him and struck him without provocation. That’s not self-defense. That’s assault and battery.”

“Officer, I’m telling you that—”

“Don’t tell me anything. You can tell it in court.”

Wanda said in a sweet small voice, “Officer, if you will just listen to us—”

The officer said, “You go along home, young lady.”

Wanda drew herself up. “I most certainly won’t, Officer. Where my grandfather goes, there go I.” Her eyes flashed and the security officer muttered, “Well, come along, then.”

18

Seldon was enraged. “I’ve never been in custody before in my entire life. A couple of months ago eight men assaulted me. I was able to fight them off with the help of my son, but while that was going on was there a security