Prelude to Foundation by Isaac Asimov Read Free Book Online

that?”
    “As it happens,” said Seldon, “I do.”
    “To him I was only the ‘other motherlackey’ to be kept off, while he went about the real job of assaulting you.”
    Hummin sat down in the chair and pointed to the bed. “Stretch out, Seldon. Make yourself comfortable. Whoever sent those two—it must have been Demerzel, in my opinion—can send others, so we’ll have to get rid of those clothes of yours. I think any other Heliconian in this sector caught in his own world’s garb is going to have trouble until he can prove he isn’t you.”
    “Oh come on.”
    “I mean it. You’ll have to take off the clothes and we’ll have to atomize them—if we can get close enough to a disposal unit without being seen. And before we can do that I’ll have to get you a Trantorian outfit. You’re smaller than I am and I’ll take that into account. It won’t matter if it doesn’t fit exactly—”
    Seldon shook his head. “I don’t have the credits to pay for it. Not on me. What credits I have—and they aren’t much—are in my hotel safe.”
    “We’ll worry about that another time. You’ll have to stay here for an hour or two while I go out in search of the necessary clothing.”
    Seldon spread his hands and sighed resignedly. “All right. If it’s that important, I’ll stay.”
    “You won’t try to get back to your hotel? Word of honor?”
    “My word as a mathematician. But I’m really embarrassed by all the trouble you’re taking for me. And expense too. After all, despite all this talk about Demerzel, they weren’t really out to hurt me or carry me off. All I was threatened with was the removal of my clothes.”
    “Not all. They were also going to take you to the spaceport and put you on a hypership to Helicon.”
    “That was a silly threat—not to be taken seriously.”
    “Why not?”
    “I’m going to Helicon. I told them so. I’m going tomorrow.”
    “And you still plan to go tomorrow?” asked Hummin.
    “Certainly. Why not?”
    “There are enormous reasons why not.”
    Seldon suddenly felt angry. “Come on, Hummin, I can’t play this game any further. I’m finished here and I want to go home. My tickets are in the hotel room. Otherwise I’d try to exchange them for a trip today. I mean it.”
    “You can’t go back to Helicon.”
    Seldon flushed. “Why not? Are they waiting for me there too?”
    Hummin nodded. “Don’t fire up, Seldon. They
would
be waiting for you there too. Listen to me. If you go to Helicon, you are as good as in Demerzel’s hands. Helicon is good, safe Imperial territory. Has Helicon ever rebelled, ever fallen into step behind the banner of an anti-Emperor?”
    “No, it hasn’t—and for good reason. It’s surrounded by larger worlds. It depends on the Imperial peace for security.”
    “Exactly! Imperial forces on Helicon can therefore count on the full cooperation of the local government. You would be under constant surveillance at all times. Any time Demerzel wants you, he will be able to haveyou. And, except for the fact that I am now warning you, you would have no knowledge of this and you would be working in the open, filled with a false security.”
    “That’s ridiculous. If he wanted me in Helicon, why didn’t he simply leave me to myself? I was going there tomorrow. Why would he send those two hoodlums simply to hasten the matter by a few hours and risk putting me on my guard?”
    “Why should he think you would be put on your guard? He didn’t know I’d be with you, immersing you in what you call my paranoia.”
    “Even without the question of warning me, why all the fuss to hurry me by a few hours?”
    “Perhaps because he was afraid you would change your mind.”
    “And go where, if not home? If he could pick me up on Helicon, he could pick me up anywhere. He could pick me up on … on Anacreon, a good ten thousand parsecs away—if it should fall into my head to go there. What’s distance to hyperspatial ships? Even if I find a