Just as I entered the room, the interviewer asked me,
"So out of the five sections, which one did you pick ?"
I looked at him then turned my gaze away,
"The mechanic..."
The interviewer went silent and wrote it down on his tablet. He then nodded once at a camera and dismissed me with a gesture. He told me to leave this room and head to another place to meet someone special.
Following the directions he had given, I was astonished when I arrived at my destination. The interview hall for the mechanic division was nothing like the other hall that I passed through.
The room was eerily quiet, sealed away from any contact with the outside world. A soft light poured from the curved ceiling, illuminating everything with a perfect glow. Everything inside was smooth, polished, and unnaturally spotless.
Tall glass enclosures filled with plants that were preserved from the old Earth. Their leaves shimmered faintly within the glass, alive with memories. They weren't just for decorations, they were a reminder of what humanity had lost forever.
A raised platform sat at the center of the room, circled by a faint ring of blue lights. Two chairs faced each other across a narrow metallic table.
As the door sealed shut behind me, I suddenly felt a tension weighing heavily on me. It felt like eyes were everywhere, observing me from angles I couldn't see. It was no longer an ordinary interview room. It had become a chamber of judgement, destined to be inescapably intimating.
And then, somewhere in the subtle hum of machinery, there was another presence in front of me.
He sat across the table, waiting for me. He looked at me dead in the eyes, his expression unreadable. When he finally spoke, his tone was calm but uncanny, as if he knew something that most of us don't.
"So... you're Aléssio, am I right ? Pleasure to meet you, I'm Dr. Aurèle." He gestured toward the chair in front of me,
"Before you decide to run around like a mouse in a cat's cage, why don't you sit down and relax ?"
I sat down and decided to observe him for a moment.
His hair was pale white, falling loosely around his shoulders, giving him an ethereal, unearthly looks. His eyes were the opposite, they were sharp and discerning. There was a depth in them that felt old, as if he had seen something far more ancient than time itself.
He wore a long white coat draped over a half-buttoned shirt. Black gloves covered his hands, matching his dark trousers and polished boots. A chain hung loosely across his chest and a jade pendant swayed at his side, giving him an air of elegance.
Every movement he made was smooth and precise. He moved like a man who had trained his body to reveal nothing.
But the most unsettling thing was the slight symmetrical features of his and the faint shifts in the reflections of his eyes. The unnatural stillness sent cold shivers down my spine.
He suddenly snapped me out of my thoughts,
"Is there anything wrong Aléssio ? What's with that expression, hm ?"
I blinked and reached for the cup of tea he had poured,
"My apologies, so why did you call me here ? Shouldn't there be other candidates ?"
He let out a soft chuckle,
"Well... You're the only candidate who chose this division ! I was quite surprised when I saw the results. At first I thought it was a female, but I was wrong."
I looked down in embarrassment. After all, shouldn't a male be strong and reliable ? Then why did I chose the weakest division when I had so many options, I thought to myself.
He noticed my reaction and smiled before waving his hand casually,
"Oh please, no need to feel sad. Now then, without any more small talks, how about we begin our first test ?"