Asimov stood on the deck of one of the new Ark-class cruiser the Military Sciences Division had been able to put together. It was the first of its class and technically it wasn't even battle worthy at the moment as its configuration had been adjusted. Currently it was being used as a super freighter, transporting colonists and equipment to the second worlds of the Machina's home system. The Evoro has long ago called the world Lothis but now the Machina intended to claim it because Lothis was rich in mineral resources. In turn, the Council had met and through long discussion and a slight bit of bickering had deemed to rename the world Machina II. Since then smaller ships had been dispatched full of Industrial Workers to lay the foundations for the first major colonization projects with Citizens.

Asimov hoped there hadn't been any real problem on Machina II so far with the operations by the workers as the new labor force and colonists were arriving to establish the first factory centers. Once the Birth Foundries and Upgrade plants were set up, Machina II would be completely self-sufficient. Even if Machina Prime vanished completely, if those two facilities were running, Machina society could rebuild here. It was something Asimov was very proud of though establishing the Interlink connection with the planet had been quite a task. Technicians were still working around the clock, setting up the satellite network around Machina Prime as expansion on it was still continuing with reclamation. It was an ambitious move to claim another world in the system already but something had to be done to further the Machina's plans. Machina II would become an immense factory world with time and effort.

Machina II
Settlement 04

Grax moved through the night, dragging the droid behind him, feeling what he could only describe as giddy as he decided what to do with it. Grax had discovered his rather perverse pleasure while working in the colonization project, feeling disheartened after his Interlink group worshipping Asimov, the Great Maker, was broken up my Interlink Security. Such groups were forbidden via referendum pushed by Asimov himself. Grax could not understand why the Maker would not want to embrace his true nature but that was fine. Grax had decided to become a Maker himself, dragging his poor victim to his storage cave where he put the others.

Humming a tune recently put onto the Interlink by one of the Machina's new wouldbe composers, trying to create culture for their people, Grax tossed the droid onto the work table, strapping it down. It started to stir, recovering from the ion pulse that had been used on it. It groaned as Grax opened its head and severed its Interlink uplink so it couldn't call for help or be traced. He felt more perverse pleasure as the droid struggled to free itself from the restraints but failed due to their industrial strength. All that talk of morality in the Birthing Foundries was rubbish when this was all so fun, yet so very wrong, especially what he intended to do next...

Grax turned, grabbing his cutting tools to slice open his fellow worker's reinforced chasis to get access to the gel-core. Then the real fun would begin...

Settlement 01

Asimov walked down the massive ramp as freight vehicles passed by to start offloading supplies along with colonists. He could see the droid in charge of this initial colony waiting for him though he felt stress over the Interlink which was strange. He approached and gave a slight bow of his head.

"How are things proceeding here, Rento?" Asimov asked curiously.

"This settlement is ready to begin full colonization as are two more, but we're having... issues with Settlement 4," Rento replied his tone seeming a bit nervous.

"What's wrong, Rento?" Asimov was becoming more concerned with how his chief supervisor droid was acting.

"I... don't want to talk about it here. Could we go to me offices? My men can handle things here without me."

Asimov merely nodded and followed the supervisor as they made their way to his offices where Rento obviously worked and lived as displayed by its setup with a clear space for a rest cycle. Asimov took the seat in front of Rento's desk as the worker droid took a seat in his reinforced chair.

"I'm sure you've been hearing rumors cropping up of Maker cults cropping up, yes?" Rento said, very disturbed.

"Yes, but I thought Security was getting it under control," Asimov said with growing concern.

"Only on the Interlink, in the real world I fear we've got one startign in Settlement 04. It just that things are getting out of control..."

"What's happened?" Asimov leaned in now.

"We found a damaged worker. We thought it was just an industrial accident but then a Tech examined him... his core..." Rento clutched his head slightly in horror. "Someone has wiped his core..."

Asimov gripped the desk slightly, feeling as if he might lose control of himself from the shock of that statement and fall from his chair. A Machina had been given a memory wipe, what was worse is that it could only have been done by another, couldn't it? There was no life in the solar system save for the Evorons who were all dead. A Machina had willingly obliterated the personality of another, it was the only real crime Asimov had put down in law. It was murder.

Things were not going well for the Machina II project, primarily due to the fact that a rogue Machina was now running around somewhere in Settelment 04 kidnapping droids and wiping their gel-cores. Two more victims had been found, initially also thought to be industrial accidents until closer examination by Technicians proved otherwise. The Interlink of Machina II was filled with panic and colonization was stalling because of fear, no one wanted to come to the newly planned industrial planet if there was a murder on the lose. Asimov could only stand back and watch this madness, trying to reassure his people that the would find this immoral individual and put him on trial for his attrocities.

The situation was only slightly improved by the presence of Soldiers being brought in for security to protect the colonists already there. They had not been brought in initially because no one had ever seen this coming, a multiple core-wiping. Many Machina were scared to go out and work, to continue building up the intial colonies which would spread to eventually cover the planet along with vast resource gathering operations. Still something had to be done and so Asimov brought in droids with strong and adaptive deduction capabilities to try to find this threat to the peace that Machina society normally enjoyed. Currently the Prime Designate was sitting in a room with them since they had just arrived off of the latest Ark.

"Thank you for coming, citizens. I'm afraid we have a rather severe problem here that require your particular talents. We must catch this... this murderer before he can cause more damage," Asimov said, gripping his own datapad rather tightly. This core-wiping disgusted him severely, it went against every grain of morality he believed in and tried to educate the Machina in.

"What do we have so far?" Asked a Soldier with yellow markings painted across its casing. Its name was Lock, a droid recently trained strictly in security and law rather than military protocols. He'd specialized in research and investigation.

"Three wiped so far, their chasis cut open to gain access to the reinforced gel-core casing," Asimov stated as he ran subroutines, beginning to consider the introduction of more laws. Things like this couldn't be tolerated, but the citizens needed their freedom also.

"Worker models?" Lock asked as his Citizen and Technician assistants looked over statistical data.

"Yes, they were the only variants in Settlement 04, it was just nearing completion. This apparently has been going on since then. All the droids who this happened to had missed their work cycle the day before...." Asimov paused as he pulled up work reports.

Lock looked them over curiously and then pointed at another section, noticing something a little off.

"What about these? They're missed work cycles too," Lock stated, indicating indeed that had occured.

Asimov looked at that cluster and thought that strange as well, each Machina in that had failed to report for a work cycle but then turned up the next day as if nothing had happened.

"This doesn't make sense, most of them shouldn't have missed a day, there was no reason to do so..." Asimov felt disturbed by this and then knew it would have to be Lock in charge of this. Asimov himself had managed to become a leader for his people but he had no skill in investigation or small details like that. He wasn't that sort of droid, nor had his personality formed like that.

"We should start there, investigate these strange absences. It could lead to more information," Lock noted as he made several notes on his internal memory.

"Then I'm placing you in charge of it and assigning you the designation Detector. Security will give what support it can to you, I must aid in coaxing the population to continue migration until we can get the Birthing Foundries up and operational. After that Machina II can create its own population. As the Makers would say, Detector Lock, good luck."

Lock gave a polite bow and exited, his processing unit already running data on these absences as he tapped into the Security section of Machina II's Interlink network. It was no different from Machina Prime, just more sparsely filled though he could feel the electronic mutterings from the primary Interlink which linked the two worlds together. Even now satellites were being established in orbit to strenthen the signal and give Machina II complete Interlink coverage.

"Watt, Node; I need you two to give me readings on Interlink coverage of the planet, more precisely around Settlement 04," Lock stated looking back at his two aids and friends.

Watt was a technician who had embraced the freedom and individuality of Asimov beyond most Machina, his frame covered in black and red designs of his own making. Node was more conservative and stuck to the standard unpainted citizen model though with severe internal upgrades to give him more access to the Interlink than the average Machina.

The two nodded as his request as wordlessly began their own investigations even as Lock began conversing with the newly assigned Judicator of Machina II and the Arbiter of Settlement 04. Due to his appointed position as Detector by Asimov he had primary authority in this situation which he now used to schedule transport to Settlement 04 so that his investigate on scene rather than try to deal with all of this long distance. He needed to find out just what was going on out there before this... what was the correct word? Monster? Yes, before this monster struck again and ended the existence of another Machina.

Grax's Lair

Grax hummed his favorite tune again, ignoring the frightened shrieks of the droid he was gutting to gain access to its gel-core so he could enlighten it. He'd done it to a number of others and quietly released them after giving them a little new education. Since then he'd been recieving regular reports from his children over the Interlink even as he gleefully watched the murder reports and terror spread in Machina society about his early work. Grax admittedly did feel bad for failing on those initial attempts, but he had learned quite a bit from trial an error. Now he did not fail and his family grew, his children working away in the settlement.

"My maker, I have news. The Prime Designate, the false maker, has appointed an agent to investigate your divine work," Reported one of his children recently assigned to work in the Security Center under the new Arbiter.

"And what of it, my child? I do not fear a mere agent," Grax replied, feeling more and more like a true maker with every conversion. His children worshipped him, would die for him if he commanded it.

"He comes here, my maker. Detector Lock is his name. The false maker has given him full authority to investiage..."

Grax paused in his work on the droid in front of him as he considered this and felt a slight panic growing. They were already coming? He wasn't ready, he had not made enough children yet to carry out his grand design. He would have to do something to deal with this Detector Lock.

"I will deal with him," Grax replied and ended the connection.

He then reached into the struggling droid's chasis and promptly began accessing its gel-core, starting the wipe. Its voice garbled and stopped as it grew still as its personality was completely obliterated. Grax then began to teach it the truth. His truth. The Soldier remained still, bearing markings of a Security officer as it became one of his childen. Oh yes, he would deal with this Detector Lock.

Let the games begin...

The skimmer flew over the landscape, some of which was now dotted with the prefered white and silver architecture of the Machina, adopted from their dead makers. It seemed to Detector Lock that colonization was going smoothly save for the recent drag in immigration to the new world. Many Machina were terrified that someone was going around wiping gel-cores, even though it has only occured three times so far. But the disturbing thing is that something else could be going on with these other absences and reappearances. But Lock wasn't sure what precisely could be going on and he wouldn't know until he got their and started his full investigation. Settlement 04 was the youngest of the four start up projects that citizens would flow through as they got established there and it had only recently been brought into full Interlink connection since the local nodes and satellites had been established. Only one victim's internal chronometer indicated being attacked before that point which means the others could have called for help if that had been able to do so.

"This situation is growing more disturbing the more I look at it," Lock said to his two aides, both of whom had been digging up all the data they could on the Machina II project overall along with Interlink coverage.

"Yes, but we have to find out if this... murderer is still on the loose or not since there are only three victims so far," Node replied.

"Three known victims," Lock stated.

"Known victims? But they're the only ones we have found. Are you suggesting there may be more?" Watt asked, a bit shocked by this.

"Yes, but I feel our murderer could be doing more perverse things than merely destroying their existence. I need more data though, what I have now isn't enough..."

The skimmer continued its journey towards Settlement 04 which glistened with the sterile beauty the Machina enjoyed since they refused to change their architecture too much from that of the Evorons. Very soon they arrived at newly established Security Center where Lock found the Arbiter waiting for him as he stepped down the skimmer's boarding ramp.

"Arbiter Ero, I assume preparations have been made for my arrival?" Lock asked as he gave another small, polite bow to the local head of security and conflict resolution.

"Yes, though I'm not sure why you're bothering so many citizens. I mean they have jobs to do to prepare for the influx of colonists," Ero stated, a bit exasperated.

"There will be no colonists if this killer is not caught, Arbiter. You've seen the Interlink for yourself. No one wants to come here, they're terrified. The Prime Designate right now is trying his hardest to spur on colonization even with this threat and its still difficult," Lock shot back, annoyed that his investigation might be hampered.

"Still..."

The Arbiter's sentence was cut off by the sudden buzz of a energy blade being activated as Lock turned in shock as a Soldier lunged at him. Lock activated his repulsor lift and quickly dodged aside, pushing Watt out of the way with him. The Soldier's energy blade sliced through the air where they had been and he howled insanely, activating his other blade, his photoreceptors focused on Lock.

"Die servant of the False Maker!"

Lock was stunned to hear it spout something so bizarre as the deranged droid lunged at him, force him to activate his own blade to block the incoming attack. The Arbiter stood back, dumbfounded before he lifted his arms, pelting the Soldier with pulse blasts form his own weapons which staggered but did not stop the lunatic machine. Lock regretted what he had to do next, activating his other energy blade and ramming it into the Soldier's torso repeatedly until the crazed droid was cut in half. From there more Security forces stepped in, restrained the torso which howled angrily, still trying to get to Lock, his severed waist section bleeding blue gel before stopping from internal systems.

Several Hours Later

Lock looked in at that holding cell, still a little shaken by what had happened as the Arbiter stood next to him. Since that incident, the Arbiter had become extremely cooperative, giving Lock the lists he needed of absences. As he looked them over he noticed that his attacker was the latest absence. What had happened though to turn him into a demented assassin? Had he been tampered with?

"Detector, Arbiter; I've finished analyzing his gel-core, there's something very strange going on with it," Watt stated as he approached the pair after having used the Security Center's small analysis facility.

"Define strange," Lock stated, looking over at his aide.

"His core... it like its been wiped, except someone wrote in a new personality and thoughts. Continual mentions of some True Maker," Watt stated with distaste, looking in at the crazed Machina who lunged against its retraints to get at Lock, its weapons long since disabled.

Lock sighed some and contacted Node via his Interlink connection, more for security and secrecy as he saw on the list that the Arbiter's own assistant had suffered an absence as well within recent days.

"What is it, Lock?" Node's digital form asked as they met in their secure Interlink channel.

"The Arbiter's aide, I want you to monitor him and who he speaks to and report back on it. I fear this has gone from murder to something much larger. We must find the one causing all of this soon," Lock replied, very concerned with the list.

Node nodded and vanished as Lock made another connection to the Prime Designate. He had to wait a little mainly due to how busy the leader of the Machina tended to be. Yet his own digital form soon appeared in the secure channel.

"Detector, I heard about the attack from the Security channels. Are you alright?" Asimov's tone conveyed true concern.

"Yes sir, I managed to survive the attack intact. But this situation is only seeming to get worse. A chunk of population in Settlement 04 I fear have been... corrupted," Lock replied.

"Corrupted? What do you mean?" Asimov asked curiously.

"I believe a number of Machina have been wiped and reprogrammed to follow our murderer. Its the only explanation for the attack and the Soldier's gel-core was tampered with. I'll have Watt send you the details," Lock said as he ran over options.

"Very well, is there anything else?" Asimov's voice had grown very serious and stern, he was obviously upset over this news.

"Yes, I request reinforcements. If we find the murderer I'm sure his followers will rise up to protect him. We need to be able to take him into custody and detain them so we can try to help..."

Asimov merely nodded and ended the connection as Lock returned back to the physical world where he wondered if those changed really could be helped. The only way he could think of was to wipe them again and start from scratch, or destroy them since it would basically be the same thing. Things were only going to get worse.

"My Maker, I have failed you, what shall I do?" asked a Soldier before Grax in their private Interlink channel.

"You know what failure means," Grax repliedly coldly.

"Yes Maker," the Soldier replied before his image vanished.

Grax snarled and called upon his spy in the Arbiter's office, his aide. He began pumping him for details in what had went wrong as a small bit of chaos broke out as his former Soldier servant fried his own gel-core in disgrace. Fanatical loyalty was the first ideal Grax had hammered into his children when he taught them after he had liberated them of their former personalities.

He failed to notice another watching him behind his aide's own digital image, hidden in the flow and edd of the Interlink, making very careful notes of how this conversation was going. Node would report back soon with this damning information, but he had to be quiet about it unless he wanted to tip off this monster who had no right to be called a Machina. For now he just kept monitoring while preparing a report for Lock since Node had managed to get a slight fix on the position of this so called Maker that the Solider must obviously have been talking about.

Settlement 04
Security Center

Lock watched in horrified fascination as his assassin fried his own gel-core, committing suicide apparently after an Interlink conversation. This was going to be very bad indeed if everyone influenced by the murderer acted like this, he was thankful the reinforcements would arrive within hours. He then felt a slight ping indicating Node wanted to speak with him in their special security channel.

"Yes, what is it, Node? Have you found something?" Lock looked at his aide's digital image, notcing he seemed a bit eager.

"Yes, Lock, you were right. The Arbiter's aide is a servant of this on... he called him the Maker..." Node's tone was one of disgust.

"He must be doing this to all the absences, there is no other reason they could miss work. Machina do not get sick and only need repair..." Lock paused as he considered his next move. He had to move quietly or else this so called Maker would be alerted. "Node, send orders to incoming reinforcements to stand ready. I'm going to have the Arbiter order training exercises."

Node nodded before the pair broke their connection.

"Arbiter, I believe a training exercise for you men is in order," Lock stated.

"What? Now? But they need to focus on the case!" The Arbiter stated, taken a little off-guard by this.

"Perhaps, but a lot of them are new so lets look into ensuring they can at least cover the settlement. I suggest starting here," Points where Node had informed him the Maker probably was. "And then we expand out from there like a sweep."

The Arbiter agreed if a little reluctantly, his mind so focused on this murderer and the assassin that he failed to realize what was going on. Lock watched as squads gathered and began to move out, eyeing the Aribter's aide for a moment before following them out. If all was going according to plan this could trigger a nasty confrontation but at the same time Lock was sure he had the advantage. This Maker, whoever he was would panic and probably draw in his servants to protect himself which would sadly caused conflict but this had to be stopped now before more innocent lives were lost.

Grax's Lair

"My Maker, things are happening... I fear the Detector is making his move..." Spoke his informant in a very distressed manner.

Grax would have scowled if he could but instead looked over the data presented to him for this exercise. Did Lock know about his agents? He must to just be calling this an exercise. It was too soon! He was under attack... he had to escape, but they must know where he is, someone must have been watching on the Interlink. He snarled and looked down at this latest victim who was still pleading to be let go. He needed a backup plan if he got caught, his path must continue, the Machina would be his...

Settlement 04
Eastern Outskirts

Lock walked towards the main entrance to the eastern outskirts of the settlement, wary of what he sure was about to become unpleasant. The security partrols were closing in on it to begin sweeping out but he doubted the sweep would ever start. This so called Maker was an impatient person, as demonstrated by his initial assassin. He would likely know this was coming and have gathered his agents together to try to hold Security at bay while he tried to escape. That was his hope anyways.

Lock would prove to be more right than he wanted as figures watched the security forces enter the outskirts, waiting for their moment to strike to protect their master. It was as they reached an archway that an explosive charge went off, collapsing it and trapping them there. Then the fire of cutting lasers came from many buildings and alleys as most of those converted had been construction droids. This meant they had access to some rather dangerous construciton tools, including those explosives probably.

Lock dove for cover as others activated the repulsors, moving about trying to return fire as the chaos ensued. Lock moved into a side buiding, hoping to make his way out and through to continue on towards where this Maker was hiding, knowing that what was to come would be a deadly confrontation. He could only hope the extra gear he'd taken before had would help even as the reinforcements waited silently for their signal to move in and aide the attack. It all had to be timed perfectly or else someone could get away...

Grax's Lair

Grax watched from his Interlink connection, from the many eyes of his children as they tried to hold the security forces at bay. So far they were doing a splendid job and he praised them for it which only made them fight harder though he could feel some of them slipping away as pulse blasts hammered into them and destroyed them. Several security officers had fallen as well but not many as they were built for combat, those down likely would be saved. If Grax had anything to say about it they'd be left behind for him to convert but right now he needed to make sure they got rid of the Detector. Where was he?

Outside the Lair

Lock looked at the cave entrance and the pair of guards outside with annoyance. He had several security officers with him who had managed to follow him, all of whom he knew had not suffered absences nor been off duty for any reason just to be safe. He'd need them to distract the guards while he confronted the monster inside who had more than likely wiped their personalities. He would make him pay for that, even if he had to crush his gel-core though he hoped not. Too many had already suffered, if he could be taken alive, he would be and then Asimov could decide what to do with him.

"Are you ready to make yoru move against those guards?" Lock looked at his compatriots who nodded some. "Good, let me get close and then start your attack. I'll go for the monster whose caused all of this..."

Lock moved quietly around to his desired position even as he made sure his own support could see him. He then signaled them and they made their move...

Lock listened to the fighting outside of the cave as he walked in, looking around what looked like a repair workshop the murderer had set up. Bits and pieces of Machina parts were scattered about and on shelves as Lock looked around for the monster who was responsible for all of this. He could hear the low rumble of other fighting as the main battle went on, the reinforcements having come charging in now to try to wipe out the crazed followers who seemed determined to go down fighting. Such a waste.

"You think you've won, haven't you?"

Lock spun but saw no one as the voice echoed around the caverous room. He didn't like that this monster knew where he probably was but he didn't. He'd need to be careful and keep him talking till he could discern where he was hiding.

"Its over, you're little reign of terror is going to end here," Lock stated sharply.

"Terror? Oh no. It is enlightenment. Freedom from the ridiculous ideals of that liar, Asimov. I shall bring true meaning to us all and be recognized as the true maker. The Machina shall serve my will."

Lock scanned the room as he listened, not liking at all what this deranged Machina was saying. It thought of itself as a Maker, as a god.

"You're not going to win, this place will be surrounded soon," Lock replied.

"How will they stop me, if I'm in your body..."

Lock spun in time to avoid an arm holding an ion pulser which flared but missed its target. Lock dove aside, firing on the reinforced chasis of an Industrial Worker which he cursed mentally for. Of course it would be a Worker, that was all that had been here initially. It laughed madly and aimed its arm at him, making him duck out of reflex thankfully as an industrial cutting laser blazed where his head would have been.

"You're a monster!" Lock fired off more rounds as the mad droid took aim again, forcing him to dive aside.

"I am a god!" It roared and sliced through the air with its cutting laser, determined to slice him to pieces.

"One problem," Lock growled as he lay behind a disassembled Worker's torso.

"And what is that?" Another cutting laser sliced through the air, trying to tear apart Lock.

"Gods are immortal!" Lock heaved the torso up and charged at the psychotic Machina.

Grax watched in shock as his nemesis used the Worker torso like a shield, his cutting laser blasts bouncing off of its treated chasis harmlessly before Lock plunged forward, his energy blades cutting on.

"I AM immor..."

Grax final word was cut short as Lock brought both of his arms up in a swift upper cut ramming them right where he knew this model's gel-core would be. He began ramming his blades in deep until he heard the sizzle of burning conduction gel from where he'd broken the sphereical gel-core, utterly destroying the monster's mind. The Worker chasis, no longer with an intelligence guiding it slumped forward as Lock let if fall, running to where he noticed a droid strapped to the table screaming. A cutting blast had hit him but it wasn't critical.

"Help me!" The Worker pleaded, looking at him.

"Calm down, helps on its way..." Lock turned, looking back at the dead Machina who had caused all of this, boiling gel pouring from its fatal wound.

Several Hours Later

"He seemed fine, Lock. This Grax seemed to have only started when you attacked so no real wiping happened, just some initial downloading it looks like. He's still got his own mind though, thank goodness," Watt stated as he finished repairing the only survivor of Grax's schemes.

"You're lucky, Trel. We'll see about getting you assigned somewhere far away form here, though your help could be used here since colonization can go full power again," Lock replied.

"Thanks, I was thinking maybe getting in on the Machina III or IV projects, somewhere far away from here," Trel stated, his chasis shaking a little nervously.

"Sure, I imagine Asimov will do what he can to help you," Lock stated before Trel was taken off to be shipped back to Machina Prime for further repairs and maintanence.

Trel turned, looking back at Lock as he felt a pressure at the back of his gel-core and heard whispers in the back of his own thought processes. He clutched at his head, almost as if in pain as those whispers grew louder, almost overpowering.

I told you I was immortal... HAHAHAHAHAHAHA....