it was midafternoon and the trantorian sun glinted on the metal skin covering the great planet. hari seldon stood at the edge of the streeling university observation deck, attempting to shield his eyes from the harsh glare with his hand. it had been years since he'd been out from under the dome, save for his few visits to the palace, and somehow those didn't count; one was still very much enclosed on the imperial grounds.

seldon no longer traveled around only if accompanied. in the first place, palver spent the majority of his time with wanda, either working on the prime radiant, absorbed in mentalic research, or searching for others like them. but if he had wanted, seldon could have found another young man-a university student or a project member-to act as his bodyguard.

however, seldon knew that a bodyguard was no longer necessary. since the much publicized hearing and the reestablishment of ties with the galactic library, the commission for public safety had taken a keen interest in seldon. seldon knew that he was being followed; he had caught sight of his "shadow" on a number of occasions in the past few months. he also had no doubt that his home and office had been infiltrated by listening devices, but he himself activated a static shield whenever he engaged in sensitive communications.

seldon was not sure what the commission thought of him-perhaps they were not yet sure themselves. regardless of whether they believed him to be a prophet or a crackpot, they made it their business to know where he was at all times-and that meant that, until the commission deemed otherwise, at all times seldon was safe.

a light breeze billowed the deep blue cloak seldon had draped over his unisuit and ruffed the few wispy white hairs remaining on his head. he glanced down over the railing, taking in the seamless steel blanket below. beneath that blanket, seldon knew, rumbled the machinery of a vastly complicated world. if the dome were transparent, one would see ground-cars racing, gravicabs swooshing through an intricate network of interconnecting tunnels, space hyperships being loaded and unloaded with grain and chemicals and jewels bound for and from practically every world of the empire.

below the gleaming metal cover, the lives of forty billion people were being conducted, with all the attendant pain, joy, and drama of human life. it was an image he loved dearly-this panorama of human achievement-and it pierced his heart to know that, in just a few centuries, all that now lay before him would be in ruins. the great dome would be ripped and scarred, torn away to reveal the desolate wasteland of what was once the seat of a thriving civilization. he shook his head in sadness, for he knew there was nothing he could do to prevent that tragedy. but, as seldon foresaw the ruined dome, he also knew that from the ground laid bare by the last battles of the empire living shoots would spring and somehow trantor would reemerge as a vital member of the new empire. the plan saw to that.

seldon lowered himself onto one of the benches ringing the deck's perimeter. his leg was throbbing painfully; the exertion of the trip had been a bit much. but it had been worth it to gaze once again at trantor, to feel the open air around him and see the vast sky above.

seldon thought wistfully of wanda. he rarely saw his granddaughter at all anymore and invariably stettin palver was present when he did. in the three months since wanda and palver had met, they seemed to be inseparable. wanda assured seldon that the constant involvement was necessary for the project, but seldon suspected it went deeper than mere devotion to one's job.

he remembered the telltale signs from his early days with dors. it was there in the way the two young people looked at each other, with an intensity born not only of intellectual stimulation but emotional motivation as well.

further, by their very natures, wanda and palver seemed to be more comfortable with each other than with other people. in fact, seldon had discovered that when no one else was around, wanda and palver didn't even talk to each other; their mentalic abilities were sufficiently advanced that they had no need of words to communicate.

the other project members were not aware of wanda's and palver's unique talents. seldon had felt it best to keep the mentalics' work quiet, at least until their role in the plan was firmly defined. actually the plan itself was firmly defined-but solely in seldon's mind. as a few more pieces fell into place, he would reveal his plan to wanda and palver and someday, of necessity, to one or two others.

seldon stood slowly, stiffly. he was due back at streeling in an hour to meet wanda and palver. they had left word for him that they were bringing a great surprise. another piece for the puzzle, seldon hoped. he looked out one last time over trantor and, before turning to make his way back to the gravitic repulsion elevator, smiled and softly said, "foundation."