If I ever became an evil overlord IV

81. I will not shoot at any of my enemies if they are standing in front of the crucial support beam to a heavy, dangerous, unbalanced structure.

82. If I’m eating dinner with the hero, put poison in his goblet, then have to leave the table for any reason, I will order new drinks for both of us instead of trying to decide whether or not to switch with him.

83. I will not have captives of one sex guarded by members of the opposite sex.

84. I will not use any plan in which the final step is horribly complicated, e.g. "Align the 12 Stones of Power on the sacred altar then activate the medallion at the moment of total eclipse." Instead it will be more along the lines of "Push the button."

85. I will make sure that my doomsday device is up to code and properly grounded.

86. My vats of hazardous chemicals will be covered when not in use. Also, I will not construct walkways above them.

87. If a group of henchmen fail miserably at a task, I will not berate them for incompetence then send the same group out to try the task again.

88. After I captures the hero’s superweapon, I will not immediately disband my legions and relax my guard because I believe whoever holds the weapon is unstoppable. After all, the hero held the weapon and I took it from him.

89. I will not design my main control room so that every workstation is facing away from the door.

90. I will not ignore the messenger that stumbles in exhausted and obviously agitated until my personal grooming or current entertainment is finished. It might actually be important.

91. If I ever talk to the hero on the phone, I will not taunt him. Instead, I will say that his dogged perseverance has given me new insight on the futility of my evil ways and that if he leaves me alone for a few months of quiet contemplation I will likely return to the path of righteousness. (Heroes are incredibly gullible in this regard.)

92. If I decide to hold a double execution of the hero and the underling who failed or betrayed me, I will die first.

93. When arresting prisoners, my guards will not allow them to stop and grab a useless trinket of purely sentimental value.

94. My dungeon will have its own qualified medical staff complete with bodyguards. That way if a prisoner becomes sick and his cell mate tells the guard it’s an emergency, the guard will fetch a trauma team instead of opening the cell for a look.

95. My door mechanisms will be designed so that blasting the control panel on the outside seals the door and blasting the control panel on the inside opens the door, not vice versa.

96. My dungeon cells will not be furnished with objects that contain reflective surfaces or anything that can be unraveled.

97. If an attractive young couple enters my realm, I will carefully monitor their activities. If I find they are happy and affectionate, I will ignore them. However, if circumstances have forced them together against their will and they spend all their time bickering and criticizing each other except during the intermittent occasions when they are saving each other’ lives at which point there are hints of sexual tension, I will immediately order their execution.

98. Any data files of crucial importance will be padded to 1.45Mb.

99. Shooting is not too good for my enemies.

100. Finally, to keep my subjects permanently locked in a mindless trance, I will provide each of them with free, unlimited internet access.

To be continued...

Click to see Episodes I-III

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