diff --git a/lib/hydra.rb b/lib/hydra.rb
index b2c301d..26c9b78 100644
--- a/lib/hydra.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra.rb
@@ -2,4 +2,5 @@ require 'hydra/pipe'
 require 'hydra/ssh'
 require 'hydra/message'
 require 'hydra/runner'
+require 'hydra/worker'
 
diff --git a/lib/hydra/message.rb b/lib/hydra/message.rb
index 9c0d2d4..98c727a 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/message.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/message.rb
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
     # are attributes of the message and the values are
     # set to the attribute.
     def initialize(opts = {})
+      opts.delete :class
       opts.each do |variable,value|
         self.send("#{variable}=",value)
       end
@@ -41,4 +42,5 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
 end
 
 require 'hydra/message/runner_messages'
+require 'hydra/message/worker_messages'
 
diff --git a/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb b/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb
index 5ac7a06..ee91a0d 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb
@@ -3,6 +3,9 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
     module Runner #:nodoc:
       # Message indicating that a Runner needs a file to run
       class RequestFile < Hydra::Message
+        def handle(worker, runner) #:nodoc:
+          worker.request_file(self, runner)
+        end
       end
 
       # Message telling the Runner to run a file
@@ -23,6 +26,9 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
         def serialize #:nodoc:
           super(:output => @output, :file => @file)
         end
+        def handle(worker, runner) #:nodoc:
+          worker.relay_results(self)
+        end
       end
 
       # Message to tell the Runner to shut down
diff --git a/lib/hydra/message/worker_messages.rb b/lib/hydra/message/worker_messages.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..580f9ca
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/hydra/message/worker_messages.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+module Hydra #:nodoc:
+  module Messages #:nodoc:
+    module Worker #:nodoc:
+      # Message indicating that a work needs a file to delegate to a runner
+      class RequestFile < Hydra::Message
+      end
+
+      # Message telling a worker to delegate a file to a runner
+      class RunFile < Hydra::Messages::Runner::RunFile
+        def handle(worker)
+          worker.delegate_file(self)
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Message relaying the results of a worker up to the master
+      class Results < Hydra::Messages::Runner::Results
+      end
+
+      class Shutdown < Hydra::Messages::Runner::Shutdown
+        def handle(worker)
+          worker.shutdown
+        end
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/hydra/worker.rb b/lib/hydra/worker.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..850360a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/hydra/worker.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,83 @@
+module Hydra #:nodoc:
+  class Worker
+    def initialize(io, num_runners)
+      @io = io
+      @runners = []
+      @listeners = []
+      boot_runners(num_runners)
+      process_messages
+      @runners.each{|r| Process.wait r[:pid] }
+    end
+
+    def boot_runners(num_runners)
+      num_runners.times do
+        pipe = Hydra::Pipe.new
+        child = Process.fork do
+          pipe.identify_as_child
+          Hydra::Runner.new(pipe)
+        end
+        pipe.identify_as_parent
+        @runners << { :pid => child, :io => pipe, :idle => false }
+      end
+    end
+
+    def process_messages
+      @running = true
+
+      Thread.abort_on_exception = true
+
+      # Worker listens and handles messages
+      @listeners << Thread.new do
+        while @running
+          message = @io.gets
+          message.handle(self) if message
+        end
+      end
+
+      # Runners listen, but when they handle they pass themselves
+      # so we can reference them when we deal with their messages
+      @runners.each do |r|
+        @listeners << Thread.new do
+          while @running
+            message = r[:io].gets
+            message.handle(self, r) if message
+          end
+        end
+      end
+      @listeners.each{|l| l.join }
+    end
+
+    def idle_runner
+      idle_r = nil
+      while idle_r.nil?
+        idle_r = @runners.detect{|r| r[:idle]}
+        sleep(1)
+      end
+      return idle_r
+    end
+
+    # message handling methods
+    
+    def request_file(message, runner)
+      @io.write(Hydra::Messages::Worker::RequestFile.new)
+      runner[:idle] = true
+    end
+
+    def delegate_file(message)
+      r = idle_runner
+      r[:idle] = false
+      r[:io].write(Hydra::Messages::Runner::RunFile.new(eval(message.serialize)))
+    end
+
+    def relay_results(message)
+      @io.write(Hydra::Messages::Worker::Results.new(eval(message.serialize)))
+    end
+
+    def shutdown
+      @running = false
+      @runners.each do |r|
+        r[:io].write(Hydra::Messages::Runner::Shutdown.new)
+      end
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/test/worker_test.rb b/test/worker_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..80e2dcd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/worker_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+require File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'test_helper')
+
+TARGET = File.join(Dir.tmpdir, 'hydra_test.txt')
+TESTFILE = File.join(File.dirname(__FILE__), 'fixtures', 'write_file.rb')
+
+class WorkerTest < Test::Unit::TestCase
+  context "with a file to test and a destination to verify" do
+    setup do
+      FileUtils.rm_f(TARGET)
+    end
+
+    teardown do
+      FileUtils.rm_f(TARGET)
+    end
+
+    should "run a test" do
+      @pipe = Hydra::Pipe.new
+      @child = Process.fork do
+        @pipe.identify_as_child
+        Hydra::Worker.new(@pipe, 1)
+        @pipe.close
+      end
+      @pipe.identify_as_parent
+      assert @pipe.gets.is_a?(Hydra::Messages::Worker::RequestFile)
+      @pipe.write(Hydra::Messages::Worker::RunFile.new(:file => TESTFILE))
+
+      response = @pipe.gets
+      assert response.is_a?(Hydra::Messages::Worker::Results)
+
+      @pipe.write(Hydra::Messages::Worker::Shutdown.new)
+
+      assert File.exists?(TARGET)
+      assert_equal "HYDRA", File.read(TARGET)
+
+      @pipe.close
+      Process.wait(@child)
+    end
+  end
+end