Farewell to the Master

'''Bates, Harry. "Farewell to the Master."' Astounding'' Oct. 1940. Rpt. Famous Science Fiction Stories: Adventures in Time and Space. Raymond J. Healy and J. Francis McComas, eds. New York: Modern Library-Random, 1946, 1957.

A humanoid alien and giant robot land on Earth, where the humanoid alien is shot dead by a crazed civilian and later respectfully entombed by American authorities, who then do all their science is capable of to disable the robot. A reporter discovers that the robot is not disabled and observes him attempting to create anthropoids (one gorilla, two copies of a human). Robot and dying alien humanoid eventually leave Earth; when he finally speaks at the end of the story, the robot informs the reporter, that he is "the master." Without the surprise ending, and with other changes, became the film THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (q.v. under Drama).