davan asked, "what happened?"

seldon felt minimally relieved. surely, the addition of davan could scarcely count against the full force of the dahl sector, but, then again, he commanded a number of people who might create enough confusion.

he said, "you should know, davan. i suspect that many of the crowd who were at tisalvers place this morning were your people."

"yes, a number were. the story is that you were being arrested and that you manhandled a squadron of sunbadgers. but why were you being arrested?"

"two," said seldon, lifting two fingers. "two sunbadgers. and thats bad enough. part of the reason we were being arrested was that we had gone to see you."

"thats not enough. the sunbadgers dont bother with me much as a general thing." he added bitterly, "they underestimate me."

"maybe," said seldon, "but the woman from whom we rent our rooms reported us for having started a riot ... over the newsman we ran into on our way to you. you know about that. with your people on the scene yesterday and again this morning and with two officers badly hurt, they may well decide to clean out these corridors--and that means you will suffer. i really am sorry. i had no intention or expectation of being the cause of any of this."

but davan shook his head. "no, you dont know the sunbadgers. thats not enough either. they dont want to clean us up. the sector would have to do something about us if they did. theyre only too happy to let us rot in billibotton and the other slums. no, theyre after you. what have you done?"

dors said impatiently, "weve done nothing and, in any case, what does it matter? if theyre not after you and they are after us, theyre going to come down here to flush us out. if you get in the way, youll be in deep trouble."

"no, not me. i have friends--powerful friends," said davan. "i told you that last night. and they can help you as well as me. when you refused to help us openly, i got in touch with them. they know who you are, dr. seldon. youre a famous man. theyre in a position to talk to the mayor of dahl and see to it that you are left alone, whatever you have done. but youll have to be taken away--out of dahl."

seldon smiled. relief flooded over him. he said, "you know someone powerful, do you, davan? someone who responds at once, who has the ability to talk the dahl government out of taking drastic steps, and who can take us away? good. im not surprised." he turned to dors, smiling. "its mycogen all over again. how does hummin do it?"

but dors shook her head. "too quick.--i dont understand."

seldon said, "i believe he can do anything."

"i know him better than you do--and longer--and i dont believe that."

seldon smiled, "dont underestimate him." and then, as though anxious not to linger longer on that subject, he turned to davan. "but how did you find us? raych said you knew nothing about this place."

"he dont," shrilled raych indignantly. "this place is all mine. i found it."

"ive never been here before," said davan, looking about. "its an interesting place. raych is a corridor creature, perfectly at home in this maze."

"yes, davan, we gathered as much ourselves. but how did you find it?"

"a heat-seeker. i have a device that detects infra-red radiation, the particular thermal pattern that is given off at thirty-seven degrees celsius. it will react to the presence of human beings and not to other heat sources. it reacted to you three."

dors was frowning. "what good is that on trantor, where there are human beings everywhere? they have them on other worlds, but--"

davan said, "but not on trantor. i know. except that they are useful in the slums, in the forgotten, decaying corridors and alleyways."

"and where did you get it?" asked seldon.

davan said, "its enough that i have it.--but weve got to get you away, master seldon. too many people want you and i want my powerful friend to have you."

"where is he, this powerful friend of yours?"

"hes approaching. at least a new thirty-seven-degree source is registering and i dont see that it can be anyone else."

through the door strode a newcomer, but seldons glad exclamation died on his lips. it was not chetter hummin.

wye

wye-- ... a sector of the world-city of trantor ... in the latter centuries of the galactic empire, wye was the strongest and stablest portion of the world-city. its rulers had long aspired to the imperial throne, justifying that by their descent from early emperors. under mannix iv, wye was militarized and (imperial authorities later claimed) was planning a planet-wide coup .

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