The interview was terrifying.

Yes, I'll admit I was only speaking to automated voices and a recording device, but it seemed to be the fact that the job I was applying for was a lifelong contract; I would be in it until death, and even then, it wouldn't stop them from making me continue my work.

Whoever got the job would be too important to lose, no matter that person's experience. 

The truth? I wanted it to be me. More than anyone else, I wanted it to be me who got the job. Yes, some people here were starving and desperate from third class planet like Ceres, but surely I would be the outstanding candidate. 

First class citizen, one of the exclusive ones in the room, and coming from Earth, I clearly had the upper hand. A better life, a better education, my parents' generous inheritance, and of course, I ticked all the boxes for what the career path was asking for. Straight-A student in school, a degree in technology, work experience, and a great attitude. In other words, I was perfect.

Of course, in no time, I was hired.

"Cornelia Ida Wilson. Congratulations, you have been selected to fill the role as CEO of the Jupiter Enterprise. Please make your way back to the interview room. Apologies to everyone else who tried out today, but if you could follow the exit signs now, you will be shown the way out." 

Pride blossomed in my chest. 

Why? I asked myself, You knew you were going to get this job. You shouldn't be proud of yourself. This was just another simple task.

I stood up and strode past the failures toward the blue painted door. I turned the handle and let myself in, briskly shutting the door behind me. I blatantly ignored the distant screams that were back behind me.

Why should I care? They only wanted to take this job from me.

It was only when I was in conversation with myself when I felt the sharp pain of a needle being plunged into the side of my neck. It wasn't long before I fell to the floor and everything went black.

*

When I woke up, all I felt was overwhelming pain. I couldn't pinpoint the location - my head hurt too much for that - but it just felt like I was hurting all over. 

And then I looked down at my body.

Except, it didn't look like my body.

My skin was angry and red, coated in numerous scars and jagged pink lines. Half of my body was covered by a thin white sheet, but other than that, I had been stripped of what clothes I had and been dressed in a paper thin hospital gown, similar to those on my own planet. 

Despite being mostly covered over, I could still see what they had done to me. My hands had been roughly tied down so that I couldn't sit up, and I felt the tickling of a cannula breathing tube against my face and in my nostrils.

What have they done to me? I look like a reject patchwork doll. 

"I see you're awake." Came a professional sounding male voice. I didn't know where he was in the room; the lights were white and luminous, tied in with every surface coated in a pure white marble tile. On top of that, my head throbbed and my skin felt a stinging sensation. 

I went to speak, but my throat began to burn, so it just came out as a pained and pathetic whisper. 

"Don't try to speak. We're attempting to administer different pain remedies to you, but you reacted so strongly to morphine that we have to be careful what we use now. Please, refrain from struggling against your restraints. It's for the best." He said, cheery. 

I let out a small whimper in response. The man walked around the bed into my line of sight. He looked like he was from Earth, maybe Korean, but I could be wrong. "My name is Nathan," he said, a sickening smile on his lips, "and I will be your mentor and personal trainer for your exciting new career path."

I pulled the best scowl that I could, and looked away. Somehow, this job didn't seem as good as I first thought. 'Exciting new career path' seemed hardly the term that I would use. 

They cut me up and tried to stitch me back together again. I had no idea that they would do this to me.

"Before we begin your training, we first need to let you heal. Then we can begin your briefing. The sooner we start the better, this business cannot survive leaderless for long. In fact, to tell the truth, this business cannot survive long with this many workers. I can't go into detail, but let me tell you that a lot of people will lose their jobs; including me. You will be the last one left until you die. But I'm afraid for your sake, because death for you will be a long, long time from now."

'How long?' I mouthed, trying to get the sound out. 

He tilted his head, the toothy grin still prominent on his face, "Try centuries, Cornelia. We've made sure that you will live for as close to forever as you can get."

My eyes widened. I knew they'd want me until death, but this is insane. Making people immortal is so wrong.

I want  to get out of here. Right now. No, I need to get out of here.

I took a deep breath and started to tug against the coarse ropes that held me down. I ignored the searing pain and I shut out the sounds of the stitches in my skin popping open. As the slits in my limbs quickly came undone, blood was beginning to spill, staining the pristine white sheets. 

"No, no! Stop! You can't do that!" Nathan cried, and attempted to stop me, but my vigorous struggling kept him back. 

The pain was awful. So many times worse than I had ever experienced.  I felt like death in a living, writhing human shell. Hot tears splashed down my broken cheeks, and my cracked voice had fought its way to the top of my throat, filling the room with sound. 

I heard Nathan speak in a calm voice, "I didn't want to have to do this, but.."

I didn't hear the rest. The next thing I registered was the slim needle slipping into the skin of my neck, and fluid entering my veins.

All of a sudden, the pain subsided and everything slipped away.

The last few seconds before passing out were the worst. I couldn't see or even move, and my airway seemed to be blocked or closing up.

I couldn't feel anything.
My brain and my body were numb.

And then came the great nothingness.

*

159 Years Later..

I still remember everything that they did to me.

But the thing is, I know why they did it. Every test, every experiment, every little thing they made me do.

From the minute I had healed enough to walk, they started me on my first task of the job. They said they "changed my mind" so that I would be more willing to do the work, but it's not like I believe it, even if it was true.

Nathan introduced me to their 'pet', an experiment gone wrong that had developed a highly superior brain.

It was reptilian and a small part primate, and somehow they found a way to insert fossilized dinosaur DNA into the creature.

In short, it was a perfect killing machine for our project.

The Jupiter Enterprise is mostly a science based business, but we get provided with profits by pitting groups of people up against our "tests", and broadcasting it to over 17 galaxies.

The ratings for it are fantastic, and I can see why. This was the prima of entertainment.

People even place bets on who they think will be victorious, and who will die in what stage. And to be honest, it was good. All you need is gruesome deaths, crazy tasks and a few traitors, and the audience drools over it like a hungry dog.

And the best part? Every season is different. Nobody knows what will happen next. As CEO of this organisation, I get to control every single thing that goes down.

The upcoming season should be the best.
I know this because I have planned it the best out of them all. Made up this whole fake plot about some girl being " destined to be the downfall of my business". Tell her she's important. And then, I get to kill her myself.

The best bits are when you can do it yourself.

That's why I killed Nathan all those years ago.

*

I knew exactly who I was looking for. I was required to go down to Earth for this one, and look for three students in third form.

It wasn't hard to find them. I just had to catch them alone, but I knew I couldn't do that when school was already in session.

I entered the school reception, and asked the staff member for Michelle Cooper, Caleb Black and Harry Williams. She sent her runner to go and get them from Science, apparently.

I milled around the reception impatiently. I was running out of time. It was only two hours until the abduction, and I still had so much preparation to do.

I had already researched about the girl that was to be the center of attention. Thea, her name was.
I found out that her favourite music was from a group called, what was it? Concrete Mix?

I still had to get the shirts into the changing rooms ready to 'categorise' the students. It meant nothing, but it was a way to get them out of their uniform and into something more comfortable.

After all, they were inevitably going to die.

Finally, the three students were ushered into the foyer. I almost audibly sighed with relief, and rushed over to them, a fake smile plastered onto my lips.

Time for me to tell them some lies.

"Hello, students," I said, getting straight to the point, "how would you like to be rich?"

The three students exchanged wary glances and then looked up at me, greedy grins sprawled across their faces.

I extended my smile, hiding the fact that I believed that children were repulsive and rude. I checked that nobody was around, and told myself to keep my volume down.

"Very soon, something will happen to your class. And all you have to do is follow my instructions." I announced, and then began to tell them all they needed to know about the upcoming events. From the abduction to the tests, to the experiments.

"So all you have to do is lead your friends to death, but do not let on that you know about any of this. Pretend you're just as scared as them. If you tell them, you will only be rewarded with death. But follow my instructions and do a good job, you get rewarded with more money than you can count. Understood?" I finished, waiting for their responses, again making sure that nobody was around.

"I'm in." Caleb immediately said.

"Me too." Harry added.

Two down, one to go. My only problem is, Michelle looked reluctant.

She winced and then sighed. "Fine. I'll do it too. Do we have to actually kill anyone?"

"No," I smiled, "our creature will do that for you. Just make sure that they're dead."

"Okay." Michelle said, looking somewhat more comfortable with that.

"Now, you three run along to class now. Remember, nobody has to know we ever met. As far as you are concerned, I don't exist. Yes?" I spoke sincerely, making sure they truly understood.

"Yup."
"Okie dokie."
"Yeah."

I nodded. "Go on then."

The three students turned around and ran back the way they came.

I then strode out of the school grounds.

My job was done here.

I smiled again, but this time, it was real. A smile of pure knowledge of knowing that I did a good job.

I smirked and looked back across the school.

Not long now..