Chapter 5

The  snow had  ceased, but  it caked  the ground  deeply now and  the sleekground car advanced through the deserted streets with lumbering effort. Themurky gray light of  incipient dawn was cold not only in the poetical sensebut also  in a very literal  way ?and even in  the then turbulent state ofthe Foundation's  politics, no  one, whether Actionist  or pro-Hardin foundhis  spirits  sufficiently  ardent to  begin  street  activity that  early.
Yohan Lee did not like that and his grumblings grew audible. "It's going tolook   bad,   Hardin.   They're   going   to   say   you   sneaked   away.""Let them say it if they wish. I've got to get to Anacreon and I want to doit without trouble. Now that's enough, Lee."Hardin leaned back into the cushioned seat and shivered slightly. It wasn'tcold inside  the well-heated  car, but there  was something frigid  about asnow-covered    world,   even    through    glass,   that    annoyed   him.
He  said, reflectively,  "Some day  when we  get around  to it we  ought toweather-condition Terminus. It could be done.""I," replied  Lee, "would  like to see  a few other things  done first. Forinstance, what  about weather-conditioning Sermak? A  nice, dry cell fittedfor  twenty-five   centigrade  all   year  round  would   be  just  fight.""And then  I'd really  need  bodyguards," said Hardin, "and  not just thosetwo,"  He indicated  two  of Lee's  bully-boys  sitting up  front with  thedriver, hard  eyes on the empty streets, ready  hands at their atom blasts.
"You evidently want to stir up civil war.""I  do? There  are  other sticks  in the  fire  and it  won't  require muchstirring, I  can tell you." He  counted off on blunt  fingers, "One: Sermakraised hell  yesterday in the City Council  and called for an impeachment.""He  had a  perfect  right to  do so,"  responded Hardin,  coolly. "Besideswhich, his motion was defeated 206 to 184.""Certainly.  A majority  of twenty-two when  we had  counted on sixty  as aminimum. Don't deny it; you know you did.""It was close," admitted Hardin.
"All  right.  And  two;  after the  vote,  the  fifty-nine  members of  theActionist Party reared upon  their hind legs and stamped out of the CouncilChambers."Hardin was  silent, and  Lee continued, "And three:  Before leaving, Sermakhowled that you were  a traitor, that you were going to Anacreon to collectyour payment, that the Chamber majority in refusing to vote impeachment hadparticipated  in the  treason, and  that the  name of  their party  was not'Actionist' for nothing. What does that sound like?""Trouble, I suppose.""And now you're chasing off at daybreak, like a criminal. You ought to facethem,  Hardin  ?and  if  you  have to,  declare  martial  law, by  space!""Violence is the last refuge?
"朞f the incompetent. Bah!""All right.  We'll see. Now listen to me  carefully, Lee. Thirty years ago,the Time Vault opened,  and on the fiftieth anniversary of the beginning ofthe Foundation, there appeared a Hari Seldon recording to give us our firstidea of what was really going on.""I remember," Lee nodded  reminiscently, with a half smile. "It was the daywe took over the government.""That's  right. It  was the  time of  our first  major crisis. This  is oursecond-and three weeks from  today will be the eightieth anniversary of thebeginning  of  the  Foundation.   Does  that  strike  you  as  in  any  waysignificant?""You mean he's coming again?""I'm  not  finished.  Seldon  never  said  anything  about  returning,  youunderstand, but that's of a piece with his whole plan. He's always done hisbest to  keep all  foreknowledge from us.  Nor is there any  way of tellingwhether the  computer is set for further  openings short of dismantling theVault ? and it's  probably set to destroy  itself if we were  to try that.
I've been  there every anniversary since the  first appearance, just on thechance. He's  never shown  up, but this  is the first time  since then thatthere's really been a crisis.""Then he'll come.""Maybe. I don't know. However, this is the point. At today's session of theCouncil, just  after you announce that  I have left for  Anacreon, you willfurther  announce,  officially, that  on  March  14th next,  there will  beanother  Hari  Seldon  recording,   containing  a  message  of  the  utmostimportance regarding the recent  successfully concluded crisis. That's veryimportant, Lee.  Don't add anything  more no matter how  many questions areasked."Lee stared. "Will they believe it?""That doesn't  matter. It will confuse  them, which is all  I want. Betweenwondering whether  it is true and  what I mean by it  if it isn't ?they'lldecide to postpone action  till after March 14th. I'll be back considerablybefore then."Lee  looked uncertain.  "But that  'successfully concluded.'  That's bull!""Highly confusing bull. Here's the airport!"The  waiting  spaceship  bulked somberly  in  the  dimness. Hardin  stampedthrough  the snow  toward it  and at  the open  air lock turned  about withoutstretched hand.
"Good-by, Lee. I hate to leave you in the frying pan like this, but there'snot   another  I   can   trust.  Now   please  keep   out  of   the  fire.""Don't worry. The frying pan is hot enough. I'll follow orders." He steppedback, and the air lock closed.