Chapter 11
Jewel rose to the roof of his compound, flanked by Keegan and Brigid and with the other five colonels guarding them on all sides.
"So," Jewel said to the person who had been dropped in on a helicopter. "You're Edward Tag?"
"Yes," he said nervously.
"You're a programmer from Atlanta," Jewel said. "And you think you deserve to be one of the hundred who survive my purification?"
"I do," Tag said. "I may not be the most useful person, but I can provide the meager human race with the happiness it needs to maintain its morale. And you won't find anyone more loyal to Jewel than I."
"Yeah?" Jewel said. "Well, we're going to need a few simple tests to find out that you're not going to conspire against me. Count to ten in German."
"Eins, zwei, drei, fier, fünf, sechs, sieben, acht, neun, zein."
"Count backwards from seven in French."
"Sept, six, cinq, quatre, trois, deux, un."
"Count to 108 by nines in Japanese."
"Uh… what?"
Jewel instantly sliced Tag's throat. Keegan gasped.
"Um… may I ask why you did that?" Brigid said uneasily.
"Oh, well, I knew the moment I saw him that he wasn't pretty enough. I want my hundred to be pretty people. The whole 'counting' thing was just to add comic relief to what would otherwise have been an entirely dull execution."
The leader of the colonels, a middle-aged woman with a high ponytail, was unfazed—as she and her fellows, three men and one other woman, always seemed to be—but raised her hand to ask a question.
"Lao Hu," Jewel said, nodding to her.
"These 'pretty people' you recruit," Lao Hu began tentatively. "How can you be sure that the hundred do not overthrow you?"
"Easy," Jewel said. "There are some people who want nothing more than to stay alive. Those are the people I'm going to allow to live. You seven are especially into self-preservation." He scanned around at Brigid, Keegan, and the five Chinese warriors. "And that's who else I'm going to recruit. Those are my requirements; pretty, and self-serving."
"And how is a self-serving person a guarantee that they won't betray you?" Lao Hu said, frowning.
"Easy. Self-serving people want nothing more than to live. And if they turn against me, they won't exactly be alive anymore, will they?"
Two of Lao Hu's peers actually laughed aloud. Brigid was merely revolted, even though she knew that the description Jewel had given, more or less referring to complete cowards, fit her perfectly—perhaps she was revolted because she knew it.
"Any other questions?" Jewel said.
"I've got one," a raspy voice said.
Jewel spun and instantly pressed both blades to the throat of the shrouded figure that had appeared in front of him.
"Hey there," Jewel said. "What are you supposed to be? Mysterious cloaked figure? I like it."
"I represent the Survivors," the figure said. His or her voice was clearly mechanical, though the person was obviously human—the voice was modified to avoid any possible recognition.
"Survivors, capital S?" Jewel said. "Well, I like the sound of that. Sounds like a gang of self-saving nut jobs. Here to join me?"
"No," the person whispered. "The Survivors wish to put you on trial for the death of Mr. Chu."
Jewel looked surprised, then withdrew his blades. It was a common method he used; the appearance of relaxation gave the person a false sense of security, when in fact Jewel could kill someone just as swiftly from a standstill as he could when tensed.
"The Survivors are Mr. Chu's organization?" Jewel said. "Well, I think your superiors ought to know that it was Max who killed him, not me."
"He was under your protection," the figure said. "The blame goes to you. And I have no superiors. I am the leader of the Survivors, the leader of those who will continue to live after the world destroys itself."
"Yeah?" Jewel said. "Well, that's dumb, coming to me yourself. Should have sent a thug. I'm telling you this so you can understand your error whilst you die."
Jewel's blades shot forward to the person's heart. The person remained standing, seeming unharmed.
"Okay, now I'm frightened," Jewel said. "Why didn't you die?"
"I'm not actually here," the person said. "I'm far away. I'm merely projecting an image to you."
"Okay, fancy-pants," Jewel said. "Well, I'll have you know that if you and I ever meet in person, you're going to get a very up-close look at my impersonation of a Benihana chef. I'm going to make you into sushi. Use every part, like a friggin' buffalo, all right?"
"Well, we shall see about that," the person said. The projection vanished.
"The world will destroy itself, eh?" Jewel scoffed. "I'd better get there first, then. Lao Hu, bring in more candidates. We need to get this done quickly."