INTRODUCTION:
It was the early 1960s and America was in trouble.
Crime was getting out of hand, engulfing the country, forcing it surely toward either
anarchy or dictatorship.
So a young president of the United States made a brave decision, and
CURE was born. CURE was a supersecret agency, set up to save the Constitution by working
outside it to fight the rising tide of crime. And, the head this agency that only he in
government would know about, the president selected Dr. Harold W. Smith, a tight-lipped
New Englander who had served in the OSS and the CIA.
CURE had everything: money, manpower, and a free hand. And still it
failed. It needed something more. It needed a killer arm to mete out its own brand of
justice.
So Remo Williams, a young, Newark policeman was framed for a murder he
did not commit, sent to an electric chair that did not work, and woke up working for CURE.
Remo's training was put in the hands of Chiun, a tiny, aged Korean from the North Korean
village of Sinanju. For centuries, Sinanju had provided the world with assassins and Chiun
was the latest Master of Sinanju.
Chiun, the Master of all the Oriental killing arts taught Remo to kill.
At first it was just a job for Remo. But as the years went on and the
training went on, it became more than a job and he became more than a man. He became a
Master of Sinanju himself, a troubled man torn between his Western heritage and his
Eastern training.
And the bodies piled up.
Remo Williams: The smart-mouthed, patriotic, convicted murderer, ex-cop, student of the Master of Sinanju from New Jersey, who may just be a living god.
Occupation: Assassin-in-training
Legal Status: Deceased
Aliases: "Pale piece of pig's ear"; Shiva; the Destroyer.
Marital Status: Single
Known Relatives: Sunny Joe Roam (Father); Dawn Starr Roam (Mother,
deceased); Freya Williams (Daughter); Winston Smith (Son); Chiun (Adopted Father)
Height: 5' 11"
Weight: 165 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown
Identifying Features: Cold, dead eyes, and unusually thick wrists.
Turn Ons: Large busted women who have no interest in him. Keeping his
wrist straight.
Turn Offs: Aggressive women. Long finger nails on men. Electronics. Code words,
phrases, and "This stupid spy-stuff."
Chiun: The Master of Sinanju, who came to America to train an assassin, but found a son.
Occupation: Master of Sinanju
Legal Status: Unimportant, Chiun is above such things.
Aliases: "Him Who Graciously Throttles the Universe";
"Little Father".
Marital Status: Widower
Known Relatives: Nuihc (Nephew)
Height: 5'
Weight: 90 lbs.
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: White
Identifying Features: Perfect bilateral development.
Turn Ons: Prompt payment; Ung Poetry; Barbara Striesand; Cheeta Ching;
kvetching; Soap Operas.
Turn Offs: Disrespectful Sons; violence; amateur assassins who rob the art of its
joy and harmony; hack authors who fail to capture the beauty and harmony which is Sinanju.
Harold W. Smith: Head of CURE. A patriot who is fiercely devoted to his country. A man who believes in the constitution of our great nation, even though he breaks it every day.
Occupation: Head of CURE; Chief Administrator of Folcroft
Sanitarium (CURE's cover); Emperor of the Eagle Throne (to Chiun).
Legal Status: Smith has no criminal record.
Aliases: Emperor Smith.
Marital Status: Married to Maude Smith.
Known Relatives: Maude (Wife); Vickie (Daughter).
Height: 6'
Weight: 135 lbs.
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Grey
Identifying Features: A heart defect gives Smith's skin a charcoal-gray
cast.
Turn Ons: Lowering crime figures; coming in under budget; patriotism;
prune yogurt.
Turn Offs: Renegotiating Chiun's contract; dealing with Remo when he's in one of
his moods; disorder.
