Chapter One
Koror
A scream broke out at the Novacon Building. On the 364th floor lay the body of Matthew Koror. Co-workers and janitors rushed over from next door and checked on the body. Koror was undoubtedly dead. The body showed no signs of bleeding. Two FBI agents later rushed onto the scene. It was they who found a bullet hole the size of a pinhead on the victim's chest. Koror was then taken to a coroner, who proclaimed that the bullet was aimed into the aorta, causing a fatal aneurysm and instant death.
At the same time, a shadow rushed to the skyscraper right next to the Novacon. Once in the building, the blur of movement sped into an elevator, and stood still. He was a robot, and signs showed constant repair and upgrade. He seemed to be careful that his back faced the elevator wall, and stood as if nailed to the wall itself. Once it reached the seventeenth floor, his head peeked out of the window at a speed barely registered by the naked eye. Just as suddenly, he yanked his head in again. Outside, lax construction workers pulled a cart across the floor. He raced out and concealed himself in a small crevice that was meant to hold construction boards, at a speed invisible to the workers. When the place was silent again, he ran back out, and punched a section of the wall behind him.
As if the wall was a switch, a small opening was revealed by parting drywall. The robot raced into the crevice, and crawled through. At the other end was his destination.
The robot stood up. The place was mostly dark, lit by a few barely adequate artificial torches. Instead of racing, the robot walked slowly and calmly. He had a sniper rifle hooked to his back, and his face had no human features. It was simply a red scan line, an olfactory sensor, and cold heartless metal. At the other end of the facility was a dark figure. He had long hair, a brown goatee, and eyes that made him look like a fish. The robot strode forward. When his scan line registered that he was seven feet from the master, he unhooked his sniper rifle. He then laid it down, and bowed.
"The usual, Lebaron?"
"Yes, Master. I was invisible the entire time, and my shooting was acceptable. However, I fear they may be catching on to me."
"Then we will have to arrange another advancement. Agreed?"
"Yes Master."
"You may depart, Lebaron."
The robot stood up and bowed. He reattached his sniper rifle, and walked out. As the crawlspace behind him in the office building shut, he stared around. There was no one, and his audio sensors told him there was no one within five minutes of arrival. He stood there, frozen, thinking. For the first time, Lebaron doubted whether his actions were righteous.
Then he remembered the cold glare of his human master, and shook his head. A whisper escaped from his cybernetic speech system.
"Master is always right".
The next day, "The New York Times" reported the killing of the CEO of Novacorp. As Lebaron sat in his recharge cell in his underground chamber, clutching his paper, he wondered about his effect on the world. If he continued this, Master's enemies would be eliminated, giving him true dominion. One thought rang clearly in his head.
"That would not be causing the tyrannical to rule the world. It would only clear the wishes of Master. That was my created purpose, and that is the purpose I will fulfill."
As the time passed, with no calls from Master, Lebaron became bored. He then began, as always, to occupy himself with tests of wit. These were hard for the non-lateral thinkers that were humanity. However, it was quite simple for robotic entities, and it caused him great joy to solve the murder mysteries and word puzzles in his old tattered books.