diff --git a/TODO b/TODO
index ff085c4..67f5254 100644
--- a/TODO
+++ b/TODO
@@ -1,54 +1,21 @@
-# runners = []
-# cores.each do |c|
-#   in = pipes[c][0]
-#   out = pipes[c][1]
-#   runners << TestRunner.new(in, out)
-# end
-#
-# files = [ ... ]
-# results = []
-#
-# runners.each do |r|
-#   Thread.new do
-#     while !files.empty?
-#       results << r.run_file(files.pop)
-#     end
-#     r.shutdown
-#   end
-# end
-#
-# puts results.join("\n")
-#
+Master
+boot up workers
+listen for worker messages
+add worker messages to message queue
+process message queue
+"reply" to a message allows sending a message back down to worker
+
+When worker asks for file but no files left, send shutdown message to worker
+when worker connection breaks, end thread
+wait on all threads
+when all threads are done, all workers must be done
 
 
-# Master
-# boot up workers
-# listen for worker messages
-# add worker messages to message queue
-# process message queue
-# "reply" to a message allows sending a message back down to worker
-#
-# When worker asks for file but no files left, send shutdown message to worker
-# when worker connection breaks, end thread
-# wait on all threads
-# when all threads are done, all workers must be done
-#
-#
-# Worker
-# boot up runners
-# listen for runner messages
-# add runner messages to message queue
-# process message queue
-# "reply" to a message allows sending message back down to runner
-#
-# when a runner asks for file but master responds with shutdown, mark self
-#   as terminated, shut down runners. Any runner that asks for a file is
-#   auto-terminated
-# wait for runner threads to finish
-# then exit, breaking master connection
-#
-# Runner
-# when booted, ask for a file
-# then process messages on the queue
-# when it's a file, run it and send a results message
-# when it's a shutdown, break main loop
+
+when a runner asks for file but master responds with shutdown, mark self
+  as terminated, shut down runners. Any runner that asks for a file is
+  auto-terminated
+wait for runner threads to finish
+then exit, breaking master connection
+
+Test individual messages? Ensure they handle the right method? May not be worth it.
diff --git a/lib/hydra.rb b/lib/hydra.rb
index 26c9b78..71a4c4c 100644
--- a/lib/hydra.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra.rb
@@ -3,4 +3,5 @@ require 'hydra/ssh'
 require 'hydra/message'
 require 'hydra/runner'
 require 'hydra/worker'
+require 'hydra/master'
 
diff --git a/lib/hydra/master.rb b/lib/hydra/master.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..6fb41dc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/hydra/master.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,64 @@
+module Hydra #:nodoc:
+  class Master
+    def initialize(opts = { })
+      @files = opts.fetch(:files) { [] }
+      @workers = []
+      @listeners = []
+      boot_workers
+      process_messages
+    end
+
+    # Message handling
+    
+    # Send a file down to a worker
+    def send_file(worker)
+      f = @files.pop
+      if f
+        worker[:io].write(Hydra::Messages::Worker::RunFile.new(:file => f))
+      else
+        worker[:io].write(Hydra::Messages::Worker::Shutdown.new)
+        Thread.exit
+      end
+    end
+
+    private
+    
+    def boot_workers
+      # simple on worker method for now
+      # TODO: read config
+      pipe = Hydra::Pipe.new
+      child = Process.fork do
+        pipe.identify_as_child
+        # TODO num runners opt in next line
+        Hydra::Worker.new(pipe, 1)
+      end
+      pipe.identify_as_parent
+      @workers << { :pid => child, :io => pipe, :idle => false }
+    end
+
+    def process_messages
+      @running = true
+
+      # TODO catch exceptions and report to stdout
+      Thread.abort_on_exception = true
+
+      @workers.each do |w|
+        @listeners << Thread.new do
+          while @running
+            begin
+              message = w[:io].gets
+              message.handle(self, w) if message
+            rescue IOError => ex
+              $stderr.write "Master lost Worker [#{w.inspect}]\n"
+              w[:io].close
+              @workers.delete(w)
+              Thread.exit
+            end
+          end
+        end
+      end
+      
+      @listeners.each{|l| l.join}
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/hydra/message.rb b/lib/hydra/message.rb
index 98c727a..b9a899c 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/message.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/message.rb
@@ -43,4 +43,5 @@ end
 
 require 'hydra/message/runner_messages'
 require 'hydra/message/worker_messages'
+require 'hydra/message/master_messages'
 
diff --git a/lib/hydra/message/master_messages.rb b/lib/hydra/message/master_messages.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..e97347f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/hydra/message/master_messages.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+module Hydra #:nodoc:
+  module Messages #:nodoc:
+    module Master #:nodoc:
+    end
+  end
+end
diff --git a/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb b/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb
index 389d459..6aec99a 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/message/runner_messages.rb
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       end
 
       # Message telling the Runner to run a file
+      # TODO: move to worker
       class RunFile < Hydra::Message
         attr_accessor :file
         def serialize #:nodoc:
@@ -32,11 +33,20 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       end
 
       # Message to tell the Runner to shut down
+      # TODO: move to worker
       class Shutdown < Hydra::Message
         def handle(runner) #:nodoc:
           runner.stop
         end
       end
+      
+      # Message a runner sends to a worker to verify the connection
+      class Ping < Hydra::Message
+        # We don't do anything to handle a ping. It's just to test
+        # the connectivity of the IO
+        def handle(worker, runner)
+        end
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/hydra/message/worker_messages.rb b/lib/hydra/message/worker_messages.rb
index 1ebafc5..04bd1e1 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/message/worker_messages.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/message/worker_messages.rb
@@ -1,11 +1,15 @@
 module Hydra #:nodoc: 
   module Messages #:nodoc:
     module Worker #:nodoc:
-      # Message indicating that a work needs a file to delegate to a runner
+      # Message indicating that a worker needs a file to delegate to a runner
       class RequestFile < Hydra::Message
+        def handle(master, worker)
+          master.send_file(worker)
+        end
       end
 
       # Message telling a worker to delegate a file to a runner
+      # TODO: move to master messages
       class RunFile < Hydra::Messages::Runner::RunFile
         def handle(worker)
           worker.delegate_file(self)
@@ -14,14 +18,26 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
 
       # Message relaying the results of a worker up to the master
       class Results < Hydra::Messages::Runner::Results
+        def handle(master, worker)
+          master.send_file(worker)
+        end
       end
 
       # Message telling the worker to shut down.
+      # TODO: move to master
       class Shutdown < Hydra::Messages::Runner::Shutdown
         def handle(worker)
           worker.shutdown
         end
       end
+
+      # Message a worker sends to a master to verify the connection
+      class Ping < Hydra::Message
+        # We don't do anything to handle a ping. It's just to test
+        # the connectivity of the IO
+        def handle(master, worker)
+        end
+      end
     end
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/hydra/pipe.rb b/lib/hydra/pipe.rb
index 0dde552..a53f106 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/pipe.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/pipe.rb
@@ -51,5 +51,11 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       @reader = @parent_read
       @writer = @parent_write
     end
+
+    # Output pipe nicely
+    def inspect
+      "#<#{self.class} @reader=#{@reader.to_s}, @writer=#{@writer.to_s}>"
+    end
+
   end
 end
diff --git a/lib/hydra/runner.rb b/lib/hydra/runner.rb
index 71712d6..f6eb1c8 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/runner.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/runner.rb
@@ -13,8 +13,14 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
     def process_messages
       @running = true
       while @running
-        message = @io.gets
-        message.handle(self) if message
+        begin
+          message = @io.gets
+          message.handle(self) if message
+          @io.write Hydra::Messages::Runner::Ping.new
+        rescue IOError => ex
+          $stderr.write "Runner lost Worker\n"
+          @running = false
+        end
       end
     end
 
diff --git a/lib/hydra/worker.rb b/lib/hydra/worker.rb
index f9abea8..dc30e3a 100644
--- a/lib/hydra/worker.rb
+++ b/lib/hydra/worker.rb
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       @running = false
       @runners.each do |r|
         r[:io].write(Hydra::Messages::Runner::Shutdown.new)
+        Thread.exit
       end
     end
 
@@ -77,8 +78,14 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
       # Worker listens and handles messages
       @listeners << Thread.new do
         while @running
-          message = @io.gets
-          message.handle(self) if message
+          begin
+            message = @io.gets
+            message.handle(self) if message
+            @io.write Hydra::Messages::Worker::Ping.new
+          rescue IOError => ex
+            $stderr.write "Worker lost Master\n"
+            Thread.exit
+          end
         end
       end
 
@@ -91,14 +98,15 @@ module Hydra #:nodoc:
               message = r[:io].gets
               message.handle(self, r) if message
             rescue IOError => ex
-              # If the other end of the pipe closes
-              # we will continue, because we're probably
-              # not @running anymore
+              $stderr.write "Worker lost Runner [#{r.inspect}]\n"
+              @runners.delete(r)
+              Thread.exit
             end
           end
         end
       end
       @listeners.each{|l| l.join }
+      @io.close
     end
 
     # Get the next idle runner
diff --git a/test/master_test.rb b/test/master_test.rb
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..0568706
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/master_test.rb
@@ -0,0 +1,24 @@
+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 MasterTest < 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
+      m = Hydra::Master.new({
+        :files => Array(TESTFILE)
+      })
+      assert File.exists?(TARGET)
+      assert_equal "HYDRA", File.read(TARGET)
+    end
+  end
+end