== The strike ==
Midas was outraged, as one might expect. Perhaps he was already thinking that if he could not run his bank as he saw fit, and take only the risks that he saw fit to take, then he might as well not be in banking at all. While But what he saw in his mind was pondering these questionsworse than that. As he would later explained, he suddenly remembered the day he lent money to [[Henry Rearden]] when he first bought and renovated the steel mill near [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania|PA]]. In his mind he saw Rearden sacrificed on a pagan altar, with Lee Hunsacker holding the knife. While he held that vision in his mind, a young man came to see him. He introduced himself as [[John Galt]] and probably mentioned that he had a connection with Twentieth Century Motors that went back to Jed Starnes. He had invented and built a prototype for an [[John Galt#The electrostatic motor|electrostatic motor]] for [[automobile]]s. Within days, Jed Starnes was dead, and his three children had announced their intention to require everyone at the plant to work according to his ability and pay him according to his need.
John Galt had refused, and furthermore, had announced his intention to "stop the motor of the world." Galt then explained to Midas how he intended to do this: that it was now time for the creative minds of the country to go on [[strike]], and in essence withdraw their talents from a world that did not appreciate them.
Midas reported later that John Galt convinced him to go on strike within fifteen minutes. Very likely Midas did not need convincing. Certainly what John Galt told him, made sense. Furthermore, Galt demonstrated that he was a philosopher, as well as an engineer, and spoke to Midas in terms of basic rights of existence. These were concepts that Midas knew instinctively, but no one before Galt had explained these things to him so clearly.
But most of all, John Galt struck Midas as another "good risk" that Mulligan would have lent money to in a heartbeat. Midas also saw John Galt potentially on that same sacrificial altar, lying next to Hank Rearden. Rather than betray either man, Midas Mulligan would join John Galt's movement.
== The bank run ==