"Okay, okay..." "Look, look, I did it." "I pulled this out of the wall." "Come on!" "We can both do this, we can get out of here." "Come on!" "Come on!" "Come on, come help me." "Help me!" "Come on!" "Look, what if I was to tell you... that you were laid off from your last company because of us?" "I don't understand." "Well, your company was taken over by Carcharias." "I mean, it was nothing personal, but we had to downsize." "Corputech was owned by Carcharias?" "I never heard that." "Well, of course not." "Because that's what we do." "Buy and sell companies." "Asset strip." "That's impressive." "Yes, it is impressive." "So, when this position became available, for an analyst, we thought of you." "Amongst all the others." "Who..." "It's okay!" "It's okay!" "It's okay!" "It's okay." "Oh, my..." "It's okay." "All right then." "Before we wrap up here, any questions for me?" "No, sir." "I think I know everything I need to know at this point." "All right, last question:" "Is there anything you wouldn't be willing to do for this company?" "No, sir." "Are you sure?" "So, how'd you How'd you get here?" "Someone attacked me last night at my apartment." "I don't know." "What about you?" "I was having drinks with my sister." "And then, we hailed a cab." "And then, this limo driver pulled up and asked if I wanted a ride." "And I refused." "And then, um" "Did he put a cloth over your mouth?" "Yeah." "I think he did." "Me, too." "Must have been like, chloroform or something." "Why?" "I don't know." "Um, I'm Sandra, by the way." "James." "What's that?" "Nothing." "I, um I was looking to see if I had my phone." "They took it, of course." "My wallet, too." "Do you think this is like, a kidnapping, or something, like they're holding us for ransom?" "I'm not worth anything." "You've got to be worth something to someone." "I mean, do you have any rich family members?" "No, I don't have any." "Rich or poor." "So maybe it's not a ransom thing." "What do you make of these?" "It looks like some kind of bank vault, or something." "Hey." "What the hell?" "It's okay, it's okay..." "Where am I?" "It's a room." "It's locked." "It's... um..." "I'm Sandra, this is James." "We just woke up, too." "Well, I can tell you one thing..." "If you get hired by this company, you will never ever want of another job." "Would you really be willing to hire somebody... with no real world business experience for this position?" "Probably not." "But you never know." "I mean, as you know because of your report, all the candidates for jobs here... they all have extensive experience in the business world." "However, because of your in-depth knowledge of our company... we almost have to hire you, don't we?" "I mean, just to keep our secrets safe." "Well, either way, your secrets are safe with me." "I'm sure they are." "So how do we get out of this shit hole?" "That door is solid." "Stop it." "Stop it, stop it!" "Get the fuck off me!" "Are you okay?" "Calm down." "Well we're running out of time here." "So, anything you want to ask me?" "Yeah." "When can I start?" "Well, if you get through your next interview... then you could be employed almost immediately." "What do you want from me?" "Just for you to cool it." "No one here is gonna hurt you, we're all friends." "Right, James?" "I hope so." "But we haven't gotten your name yet." "I'm Billie." "That girl you hit over there, that's Sandra." "We're not yet acquainted with the big guy in the corner." "Now, what's your name?" "It's Keith." "Is there anything specific that you'll be looking for in this next interview?" "No, you just keep that boyish enthusiasm alive think you can do that?" "Shit." "This guy's bleeding." "We gotta stop that." "We don't know." "We're trapped in here." "There's locks on the door." "Four of them." "Combination locks." "Is he dead?" "Not yet." "Billie." "Is that some kind of dyke name?" "The fuck is your problem?" "Whoa, you guys, cool it." "We need to stick together here, okay?" "We're being watched." "What?" "Look up there." "Son of a bitch." "Is that a camera?" "Yes, it is." "How do you know?" "Because I don't live under a rock." "I used to do security systems." "Can they hear us?" "Possibly." "I mean, there'd have to be a mic someplace." "It could be anywhere." "Like through that vent." "What do they want with us?" "Maybe they're sick fucks who get off on this." "Maybe they're gonna gas us." "Maybe that's what the vent's for." "No, if they wanted us dead, we'd be dead by now." "So what do they want?" "Fuck." "Fuck." "Fuck." "Fuck!" "What?" "They took my fucking cigarettes." "That is your biggest problem right now?" "Yeah." "It is." "I'm a pack a day kinda guy." "It helps me deal with stress." "And this happens to be a pretty fucking stressful situation." "Well, maybe now's your chance to quit." "I happen to like being a smoker." "I like the taste." "I like the way it smells on my clothes." "And I especially like the fact that it pisses off non-smokers." "You got a problem with that?" "I didn't say anything." "You know, I have a right to smoke." "And if it takes off ten years out of my life, at least it's the back ten." "Hey, can you hear me?" "And the beefcake makes five." "Now it's a party." "What's your name?" "Mike." "What really aggravates you in this world?" "You know, like really pisses you off?" "I don't like it when people judge a book by it's cover." "How so?" "When someone makes judgments about someone else... like how much money they have, or how smart they are, based on appearances only." "That really sets me off." "How's your head?" "How's your head?" "Still hurts." "Yeah, it was bleeding before, but Billie, she bandaged it up." "Thank you." "How did you get all banged up?" "Last night, I got jumped by like five guys who came to my house." "I fought back, hard." "Got a few good hits in, and then they pinned me down and they put a rag over my mouth." "Did you recognize any of them?" "No, no, I just assumed it was some random thugs trying to rob my house." "Maybe that's it." "Maybe we were all just chosen at random." "I had a job interview today, too." "Maybe when I don't show, they'll know something's wrong." "Who's the job with?" "A company I'm sure you've never heard of." "Try me." "Carcharias Corporation." "Oh, my God." "I'm up for a job there, too." "Yeah, so am I. I was supposed to have my third interview today." "Get the fuck out of here." "You, too?" "I guess we found our connection." "You know, I can see an egghead like you being up for a job like that... but you're not telling me the rest of you are Carcharias material?" "Yes, that's exactly what we're telling you." "So what are your qualifications?" "I'm co-owner of a company that doubled their profits every quarter... for three years before they went public." "What about you?" "I've been a partner in a consulting firm for the past five years." "I've owned my own consulting firm for seven." "Oh, you got time in between weight lifting events for that?" "Whoa, hey." "Whoa." "Let's get this straight, okay?" "I work out to stay in shape." "That's it." "So stop fucking with me!" "No problem." "Or I will kick your ass." "Yeah, I got it." "So how about you?" "Yeah, I'll kick your ass, too." "I meant, why are you up for the job?" "I don't know." "Maybe because I wrote my thesis on Carcharias." "Are you serious?" "Yeah." "At least now I know who I'm up against." "I'm the least qualified person here." "I mean, I've been unemployed for the last six months..." "I sent them my resume and they called me in for an interview." "But, I don't know." "They told me that I was exactly what they were looking for." "Now I don't know what to think." "Okay, so we're all applying for the same job." "But what does that mean?" "Did you hear that?" "Where's that coming from?" "Does someone have a phone?" "It's up there." "Why is there a phone in the vent?" "Who cares?" "If we can get it, we can call for help." "Here, James, boost me up." "How?" "Just kneel down, and then I'm going to get up on your knees." "Let me guess, cheerleader in college?" "High school." "I hate cheerleaders." "It's screwed shut." "Here." "Use this to try to loosen the screws." "Why do you have that?" "I always keep one hidden." "Just in case." "Ding, ding, ding." "Brains and brawn." "He's got the whole package." "It's working!" "Got it." "Is there a phone up there?" "Yep." "We should call 911." "What if it's a trick?" "One way to find out." "There's something not right about this." "911." "What's your emergency?" "We gotta get the fuck out of here!" "Hey, calm down, all right?" "Give me the phone." "No, I've got this." "Give me the phone!" "No!" "Stop it!" "Give it to me." "You talk to them." "Hello?" "Sir, if this is not an emergency..." "No, no, it is." "We've been kidnapped." "There's five of us." "What's your name and location?" "James Harris." "I don't know my location." "We need you to trace this phone call and figure out where we are." "I can't do that, sir." "I'll transfer you to the police department." "Hold on." "Hello?" "What's going on?" "There's an incoming call." "Answer it." "No, don't answer it." "Do something." "I mean, it could be someone who wants to help." "What about the police?" "Find out who it is, and then switch back." "Hello?" "Get rid of the police." "Say it was a prank." "They'll try calling back but it won't work." "That phone can only receive calls from me." "Do you understand?" "Yes." "Then do what I say and get rid of that cop." "Or very bad things will happen to you guys." "What is it?" "Hello?" "Is this some kind of joke?" "Yes, it is." "Fuck you, pig." "What are you doing?" "All right." "I did it." "Now, I want you to put me on speaker phone... so that the others can hear what I have to say." "I must warn you that involving the authorities in any way is strictly against the rules." "Not to mention useless, as I assure you... that phone is quite untraceable." "And it's been programmed to only allow a total of five outgoing calls." "Of which you now have four left." "This was meant as a courtesy to your loved ones." "So choose your remaining calls wisely." "Who are you?" "I'm the one who's been interviewing you all week." "All of you." "What do you want from us?" "Are any of you familiar with the Sand Tiger Shark?" "It's native to the waters of Australia and one of the most fascinating creatures... on the planet, not only for its legendary fierceness, but also because of its unique means of reproduction." "When this particular shark becomes pregnant... she conceives a half dozen offspring all together in the same womb." "So the pups are forced to feed off each other in order to survive." "We at Carcharias want the same killer instinct for our employees." "From our interview process, we've determined that you're all qualified to join us." "But there's only room for one." "The one who walks out of that door." "As you can see, it has four combination locks." "When this call is over, you'll want to keep that phone handy." "Because when one of you expires, I will call back with the first set of digits... which will open the first of the four locks." "When the second one dies, I will call with the second combination and so forth... until all four locks are opened... and the most ruthless among you... opens the door to freedom and your new career at Carcharias." "I'll leave you to it now... confident that natural selection will dictate the outcome." "Hello?" "Hello?" "This has got to be some kind of joke." "Call him back." "No, no, don't." "He said that we only had four outgoing calls left." "We do that, we're down to three." "You guys think it's for real?" "You think Carcharias really wants us to kill each other?" "Why not?" "You really think that's how they hire all their employees?" "That's bullshit." "There's no way." "I mean, people would go missing, others would go looking for them... eventually it would come back to Carcharias." "Not necessarily." "Why not?" "Because low profile is what they do." "They are the best at staying under the radar." "Tell me something." "When you were working on that thesis of yours... did you happen to learn anything about their hiring practices?" "As a matter of fact, I couldn't find a damn thing about it." "But I did learn that no one has ever left the company." "I assumed it was because they liked it so much." "What about the families of the victims?" "Is anyone here married?" "Any kids?" "That's what I thought." "That's why we were picked." "Now that you mention it..." "I don't recall reading anything about anyone at Carcharias having a family." "I mean, of course not." "That way we won't be missed." "Hey, speak for yourself, all right?" "Oh yeah, like the world can't do with one less muscle head." "Whoa!" "Keep it up." "And you will be first." "Guys, no one is first." "No one is killing anyone in here." "We're gonna figure out some other way out of this, okay?" "Listen, I for one don't think that there's any reason to believe what he told us." "But you recognized his voice, right?" "He was the guy that interviewed you, me and everyone else." "Sure, but I mean, come on, the rules, the locks." "There's no guarantee that he's even going to call us... or that the combinations he would give us would even work." "He'll call." "And they'll work." "Why do you say that?" "Because it all makes sense." "I mean, think about it." "They want the most ruthless one of us to join them." "I mean, it's like how they used to pick the next Catholic Pope, back in the Holy Roman Empire." "They'd take all the nominated Bishops and they'd lock them in the Sistine Chapel together... to fight it out until there was only one left." "And it was believed that the one who survived was ordained and chosen by God." "You know?" "It makes sense, right?" "That's exactly the kind of fucked up shit you'd expect from the Catholic Church." "You got something against Catholics?" "Yeah, I do." "If you're one of them." "Hey!" "Yo, stop it!" "Please, Mike." "Mike!" "See?" "This is exactly what they want." "They want us to fight among ourselves... until their fucked up plan starts to make sense, okay?" "You got a better idea?" "We're gonna stick together... and figure out some way out of this without killing each other." "How?" "We have to agree to not do it their way." "And then maybe there's a chance that we could live through this." "Or we could all die in here." "We have a phone." "He said that we could make four calls with it." "He also said it's untraceable." "And no police." "But maybe we could call our friends and let them know what's going on." "And then we'd have a chance to try to crack the code to one of those bolts." "Or find some other way out of here." "I mean, we've got to work together on this, okay?" "He's right." "It's worth a shot." "Let's make a pact." "No one dies." "Are we agreed?" "Let's say, you're asked to speak on behalf of Carcharias before a group of shareholders... from a company that we have a bid on." "The president stands up to introduce you... but because of some terrible mix up... not only does he get your name completely wrong... but he says that you're from a different organization entirely." "So, you get a round of applause as you make your way to the podium." "You look out, the room is packed." "The stage is yours." "What do you do?" "Sounds like an anxiety dream." "I have those all the time." "No dream." "What do you do?" "I would ignore it." "I'm not there to promote myself, or Carcharias." "I'm there to convince them that the time to sell is now." "So why would I risk embarrassing the president of their company?" "I highly doubt any of those people are going to remember my name anyway." "Indeed." "All right, next question:" "What really aggravates you?" "You mean like a pet peeve?" "Yeah, if you like." "Pet peeve." "Why not?" "I don't think I have one." "Don't have one?" "There must be something." "Well, I try to not let things aggravate me, you know?" "I try to roll with the punches." "Ah." "So you're sort of saying, "live and let live" kinda thing, is that it?" "Exactly." "That's good to know." "Well, maybe you can show that in your next interview." "I'm moving on?" "Looks like it, doesn't it?" "Oh, one more thing:" "If you're chosen for this job... is there anything that you wouldn't be willing to do for this company?" "Well, I suppose it depends on the situation." "Yes." "I suppose it would." "Thanks." "Hi." "James Harris?" "Do I know you?" "No." "Are we agreed?" "I'm agreed." "Yeah, me too." "Yeah, sure." "No killing." "I'm down with that." "Just, what about muscle head over there?" "Fine." "Good." "So who wants to make a call?" "Who you gonna call?" "My mom." "What's so funny?" "Tough guy's a momma's boy." "I could have guessed." "What's your fucking problem?" "My problem is that I feel like absolute dog shit." "Well, I got my head cracked in, probably a broken rib... getting jumped by five guys last night." "What's your excuse?" "I need a fucking cigarette." "I thought you were gonna call your mom?" "Changed my mind." "You sure?" "Maybe later." "Okay." "Anyone else?" "I could try my sister." "I think I know the number." "Hi, you've reached Christina." "Sorry I missed you." "Hey, it's Sandra." "I know you don't normally answer your phone, but I really needed you to this time." "Look, I can't explain it right now, but you can't call me back... and I don't know if I'm going to be able to call you again." "But if I do, please pick up, okay?" "Just" "Okay... bye." "Fuck this." "You know, why don't we just bust down the door, huh?" "We already tried that." "No, you tried." "I'm saying, let's all work it over together." "Hell, Mike could probably smash through the wall... if he took a running start, huh Mike?" "Huh?" "What did I tell you about that?" "Yeah, yeah, yeah, I remember, I remember." "You'll kill me first." "But we got a pact now to be friends, right?" "So fuck you very much." "Would you say that you're the kind of person who has a short fuse?" "I've actually got a long fuse." "It's just that at the end of it is a pretty big stick of dynamite... if you know what I mean." "Oh, yes." "I think I know what you mean." "Wait." "Maybe it's for the best." "Maybe we should just let him." "What are you saying?" "I'm saying he brought this on himself." "No, we can't." "If we start down that road, there's no turning back." "If he dies, we all die." "James is right." "We've got to stop this." "Billie, let him go." "Did you see that?" "He tried to kill me." "He was really gonna do it." "I'm sorry." "I wasn't thinking." "So, Mike." "You're a pretty fit guy." "If you had to stop working out to take this job... would you still want to work here at this company?" "What do you mean?" "You know, like, I don't know, running, swimming, weight lifting." "Physical exercise." "If you weren't allowed to do it anymore." "Why would I have to give up physical exercise?" "It's a hypothetical, Mike." "I've never been good with hypotheticals." "Like on math tests... if two trains are headed towards each other at different speeds... they'll ask when will they hit, right?" "But I say, if you know they're going to hit eventually... and there's no way to stop them, it doesn't matter when." "I mean, who cares?" "The important thing is to get the people off the train, you know?" "This is not an aptitude test." "Your company's track record speaks for itself, Mike." "I'm sorry." "I've just never been much of a test taker." "That's why I went into business for myself." "So why would you want to join us, then?" "Honestly, to make more money." "And you will make more money." "If you can beat out the other candidates." "But first, you have to get through the interview next week." "You think you can do that?" "I sure hope so." "All right then, well, um one last question." "If chosen to work here... is there anything you wouldn't be willing to do for this company?" "Hypothetically?" "No." "Literally." "I guess not." "You don't sound very sure." "I can't think of anything." "All right, excellent." "Thank you." "I'm going to set something up for you next week, is that okay?" "Yes, sir." "Good." "Who is it?" "Delivery." "Oh, God!" "Oh, shit!" "He provoked me." "He did it on purpose." "You all heard him earlier." "He admires this whole fucking thing." "He's manipulated you to turn against me." "It's part of his game." "You're saying, I wanted you to attack me?" "Yeah." "Maybe." "Just maybe." "I think that we should put that in the vent." "Out of harm's way." "Where I can't get it, right?" "Where no one can." "It's dangerous." "You've got a belt too, you know." "I'll put mine in there." "I don't care." "What about you, Keith?" "Yeah, sure." "What about those shoes?" "What about them?" "I think they should go in the vent, too." "Those are $400 shoes." "They're staying here." "Those heels could be used as weapons." "Did you see that arm bar she gave me?" "She's the weapon." "Okay." "So maybe I should be put in the vent." "If you could fit, that would be awesome." "I agree with Sandra." "I think that the heals should go in the vent." "To be fair." "Fine." "But nobody else touches my shoes." "You give me those belts, I'll put it all in the vent." "Glasses, too." "That, too." "Go do your kneeling thing." "Down." "Look, I'm not leaving without those shoes." "I had them on layaway for months." "Layaway?" "Are you that broke?" "I just finished six years of college and grad school." "So, yeah." "Carcharias must have been really impressed with you." "Let's not forget that she did her thesis on them." "When Carcharias called me for the interview I thought it was too good to pass up." "Except they failed to mention what the interview process would entail." "Yeah, I should have known." "I mean, I spent a whole year researching them." "And now here we are." "Trying to kill each other for a job." "No." "We're not." "Well." "One of us is trying." "Look, I said I was sorry." "I lost control for a minute, but I apologized." "What more do you want?" "Just stay away from me." "Not a problem." "Who's got the phone?" "Who you gonna call?" "None of your business." "Hey, mom?" "Yeah." "No, I'm not home yet." "Yeah." "I've got my third interview later today." "Guys, I didn't want to say anything in front of him... but I'm really not comfortable with the situation the way it is." "None of us are." "Yeah, but I'm the one he hates." "I'll call you and let you know how it goes." "So what can we do?" "Give me back my belt." "Why?" "So I can defend myself." "If he comes after me again." "We put the belts in there to protect all of us." "From him." "No, from any of us." "All right, Mom." "You guys don't trust me?" "Thank you for everything." "We made a deal, Keith." "No belts." "I'm sorry." "Fine." "What are you going to do with that?" "Nothing." "But if he comes after me again, I'm going to try to defend myself." "Yes, I am." "Just let him keep it." "It's just a tie." "Fine." "Keep it." "Thank you." "Hey." "I love you." "Okay." "Bye." "So I'm gonna go over there and try to make friends with him." "What?" "I figure that's our best shot at piece around here." "Don't you think?" "You know buddy, we really couldn't help but overhear that blubbery display... on the phone just now." "I mean, that's gotta be kind of embarrassing, huh?" "Just stop it." "Did I say something wrong?" "There's nothing you can do that's gonna make me hate you any more than I already do." "But I'm not going to fall for it again." "Fall for what?" "Huh?" "You want me to smash your face in, so the others will think I'm a loose cannon." "But you're not gonna do that." "That's right." "You're not gonna do anything, huh?" "You're just gonna stand there and take it?" "Like a little bitch." "Stop it." "You can't keep stopping them." "If they're gonna fight, they're gonna fight." "Here's a question for you." "What is the one thing in this world that really aggravates you?" "People irritate me." "People?" "Stupid people especially." "I don't have time for stupidity." "You know, that's the kind of attitude we're looking for here at Carcharias." "He's gonna kill him!" "Let him!" "Keith was right, Mike's a threat." "We're better off without him." "What do you think?" "I don't know, I don't know." "He said it himself, he loses control." "I'd feel safer without him here." "Then what are we gonna do when we have to talk to the cops... after we finally get out of here, huh?" "We'll tell them that it was self-defense." "Which is true." "We all saw Mike try to kill Keith." "How do you like it now, big guy?" "Is he dead?" "Yeah." "Oh, my God." "He attacked me again." "You guys saw that." "Billie, give me that tie." "He probably would have died anyway with that bleeding head." "If he hadn't killed us all first." "Right?" "Oh, God." "Hello?" "Now listen carefully." "I'm only going to say this once:" "Five nine two seven three." "Was that him?" "Was it a number?" "Yeah." "What are you waiting for?" "Let's try it." "I don't know if we should." "I mean, if it works, do we really want to know?" "What's the number?" "Five nine two seven three." "That answers one question." "Well, maybe it'll be easier to force it now." "All right, here's the scenario... you're walking down the street past a church." "You see a burlap bag on the sidewalk." "It piques your curiosity." "You go over, take a look inside." "It's stuffed with hundred dollar bills." "I mean, literally hundreds of them." "What do you do?" "Well, I I pick up the bag." "But I don't walk away." "I stand there for a couple of minutes." "Maybe pretend to make a phone call." "Why?" "In case it's a trick." "If someone comes forward and accuses me of stealing..." "I can always say I was just about to take it inside." "But then what?" "I, uh trade it all in for cashier's checks." "You know, in case they're marked." "Then about a week later, I make a donation to that church for half the amount." "Hmm." "So you'd feel guilty if you took it all, but not half." "Right." "But what if I told you that you definitely knew it belonged to the church?" "I mean, say there was a news report saying that they'd lost it." "I'd still only return half." "Why not all of it?" "It's their fault for leaving it there in the first place." "Isn't it?" "So it's the church's fault, huh?" "Well, but I might mention it in my next confession." "I like that." "All right, last question..." "If hired, is there anything that you wouldn't be willing to do for this company?" "No." "I mean, as long as it's legal." "What if it wasn't?" "What are you saying?" "Are you serious?" "I'm deadly serious." "What if I asked you to do something that was illegal?" "Then I'd be afraid of getting caught." "Say I could guarantee you absolutely that you would never get caught." "Well, then in that case, I'd be pretty much up for anything." "No moral objections, huh?" "That would be between me and God." "And if I was working here, I'd leave Him out of it." "Really?" "I'm going to write that down." "So what do we do now?" "Why don't you start banging your head against the door until one or the other opens up?" "You're a barrel full of monkeys, aren't you, huh?" "We could take them down." "What do you mean?" "Carcharias." "The police may not be able to find us here... but we could at least let them know what's going on." "It's against the rules." "So what?" "The worst they can do is kill us, right?" "Is that all?" "It wouldn't matter anyway." "Carcharias can get away with anything." "They are too good at what they do." "What do you think?" "It's not worth the risk." "We should just use the phone to call our friends, like you said." "How was the pie?" "It was pretty good." "For a dish that's made out of shepherds." "Do you want anything else?" "Just the check." "No worries." "It's on the house." "I can't let you do that." "Sure you can." "I'm allowed to comp a friend's meal once in a while." "Thank you, but I insist." "Come on." "I know you've had it rough lately." "Let me do this for you." "I appreciate it, so nice." "But really it's not necessary." "I got a new job." "You did?" "Okay, not really." "But it's close." "I've got a final interview tomorrow, and I guess it's down to just a couple of us." "I feel really good about it." "Well, that's great." "Who's number is that?" "It's Maggie." "She's a waitress at this place that I go to." "She wanted me to call her." "And you're not going to?" "I don't think now's the time." "A little shy with the ladies, huh, James?" "I want my shoes back." "Why?" "Mike's dead, threat's over." "I think that they should stay up there." "My feet are cold." "Use Mike's." "He doesn't need them anymore." "Let me have my shoes, James." "Sorry." "Sandra?" "No, I agree with James." "Fuck it." "Do you want to try and call your sister again?" "No, I had my call." "And we only have two left." "It's okay." "You can use mine." "If no one else objects." "I don't care." "Hi, you've reached Christina." "Sorry I missed you." "Hey, sis." "Uh, I guess you didn't get my last message." "But you can't call me back... and I think this is probably the last time that I can call you." "Look, I'm really sorry that we couldn't talk... and..." "I'm really sorry about a lot of things." "I just" "People can't always get to their phone, you know?" "No, I'm pretty sure she didn't answer on purpose." "Why do you say that?" "We're not really on the best terms." "I thought you said that you guys went out for drinks together last night?" "Yeah, yeah we did." "But we had an uneasy peace to begin with... and last night did not really help." "We owned a business together... and you know they say that you should... never do that with family, and they're right." "I wanted to sell, and she couldn't afford to buy me out." "So, we sold." "And she's just held it against me ever since." "So, um" "I wanted her to pick up the phone so I could apologize." "What a pathetic bunch we are." "Trapped in a room with a phone, and no one to call." "Or no one willing to answer." "Speak for yourself." "Who do you have to call?" "No one." "But that doesn't make me pathetic." "It just means, I can take care of myself." "What are you doing?" "I'm getting my shoes." "We should stop her." "God, if she wants her shoes that badly, just let her have them." "Toss me the phone." "We only have one call left." "I know." "I want it." "You had two." "So hand it over." "I'm not going to toss you the phone." "I don't want to risk breaking it." "I am sick." "Can you please just bring it to me?" "Providence, Rhode Island." "I need you to connect me to Saint Luke's Catholic Church." "The rectory, please." "Is Father Phillip available?" "I'm a former parishioner." "Thank you." "Father Phillip." "It's Keith Caverns." "I was an alter boy there, way back when." "Do you remember me?" "Yes." "Actually, not so good." "I did a bad thing." "A very bad thing." "I killed a man." "I mean, it was self-defense, sort of." "I mean, he was trying to kill me." "I think." "But..." "I'm just so confused... and I don't know what to do right now." "Yes, Father." "I will, I will." "Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name." "Thy kingdom come." "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." "Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses... as we forgive those who trespass against us... and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." "Amen." "Thank you, Father." "I just remembered someone I want to call." "There's no calls left." "What if he was wrong about the five call limit?" "What if he was lying?" "You could be right." "Want to give it a try?" "It's worth a shot." "So, um I just have a few more questions." "Are you ready?" "Sure." "All right, what's the one thing that really irritates you about this world?" "Liars." "I hate liars." "You know, honesty is not necessarily a virtue in big business." "I know that, and I can keep a secret if I have to." "I just hate being lied to directly." "You know?" "Well, how would you know, though, if you're being lied to?" "I have a pretty good sense for that, I think." "You guys were right about these shoes." "They're not too comfortable, huh?" "No." "They're deadly." "Oh my God!" "You stay away, you stay away from us!" "Just look at the last number called." "It was forty-five seconds long, twenty minutes ago." "My God." "She's right." "He was faking it." "Look, he never called a priest." "Why would he do that?" "Same reason he was acting so weak." "To trick us into letting our guard down." "Look, this was all a game for him, and he was determined to win it by killing us all." "Five two one six two." "If two bolts are open, we may be able to force it." "I saved both your lives, you know." "Better put those shoes back in the vent." "Yeah." "Sure, no problem." "Well." "I read your dissertation from cover to cover." "Whew." "Wow." "A more thorough examination of this company I have never read." "I mean, it's way more comprehensive than any of the reports that we get in house." "Well, thank you, sir." "It took quite a bit of research." "I can imagine it did." "And it seems to me... that you offer quite a flattering opinion of this company, don't you?" "And your conclusion seems to be that we here at Carcharias are paving the way... for the future of big business." "Is that a fair assessment?" "Yes." "Yes, sir." "Good." "Well then, my question to you is, and I want you to be perfectly honest... if you can be, did you write this report so that you could get hired?" "No." "I was flattered when you called and I would certainly take this job if offered." "But it had always been my intention to go into education." "Ah, yes." "It's in your file here." "So you just graduated, right?" "Yes." "I've been in school my whole life." "You could say I've been institutionalized." "How so?" "I didn't want to leave." "I guess I'm not big on change." "I see." "One more question..." "If hired here, is there anything that you wouldn't be willing to do for this company?" "Anything, like what?" "Come on, you did the research." "You know where all the bodies are buried." "Use your imagination." "It's true, I did come across a few things that I thought best kept out of my report." "And yet I did agree to this interview." "And as I said, I would gladly take this position if offered." "So, yes." "I would do whatever it takes to further advance this company." "No questions asked." "Excellent." "Since Keith never made a call, there's still one left." "I didn't really have a call to make." "I just wanted to get the phone from Keith." "You must have someone that you want to talk to." "A friend?" "I don't have any of their numbers." "They're all in my phone, which I don't have." "Why don't you try giving that waitress a call?" "I've got a final interview tomorrow, and I guess it's down to just a couple of us." "I feel really good about it." "Well, that's great." "What's the job?" "It's with this Carcharias Corporation." "I've never heard of them." "I hadn't either before I got the interview." "Well, what do they do?" "They take over other companies, kind of like a consulting firm, I guess." "It's really low profile." "Sounds like a pretty ruthless business." "Probably can be." "That's too bad." "Another nice guy led astray by the corporate world." "Oh, wait." "I do have one person's number." "Who's that?" "Um, it's the guy I went out with last night." "I guess that means I could call him, right?" "I don't see why not." "Well, are you sure you wouldn't rather?" "No." "Go for it." "Uh, hey, Pete." "It's Billie." "From last night." "I wanted her to make that call." "I wanted us to be able to talk for a second." "What is it?" "I don't trust her." "I think she's playing the same game that Keith was." "I don't think she wants us to get out of here." "She wants to get those codes so she can unlock the door herself." "Well, what should we do then?" "I don't know." "I thought that we could get out of this if we just kept our shit together." "But I was wrong." "No, no." "It's not over, okay?" "All right?" "If you and I just watch each other's backs, it's two to one." "She can't get to us." "Okay?" "Okay." "Go fuck yourself!" "What the hell did you just do?" "It doesn't matter!" "Don't you get it?" "The phone can't help us." "No one can help us." "We're all dead!" "What happened with the guy?" "He works for Carcharias." "He asked me how the interview was going, said he was flattered..." "I'd spend one of the five phone calls on him." "That's why he took me out last night." "So he could drug me, and bring me back here." "That phone, that was our only hope for getting out of here." "Oh, don't worry." "If one of us dies, they'll get us the combo somehow." "Why do you say that?" "Because they'll have a backup plan." "They always have every angle covered." "Well, how are they going to give us the combination, when we don't have a phone?" "I don't know!" "Well, let's find out." "In your opinion... what is the most aggravating thing in this whole world, for you?" "I would have to say, the concept of fairness." "Explain it." "Fairness." "Bleeding hearts that think everyone should be equal." "I mean, the world just doesn't work that way." "And people who think that it should are naive or completely incompetent." "You killed her." "She was a threat." "You said it yourself, you and I are the only two we can trust." "I meant that we should stick together." "I didn't mean to kill her!" "We're safe now." "I thought... you'd be relieved." "You don't trust me?" "I just think the weapons rule should still apply." "James..." "I mean, what's the point?" "If we don't have the phone, then we can't get the codes anyway." "I spoke too soon." "No, it's a good thing." "If this works, we've got a better chance of getting out of here." "Let's say that there's been an ecological disaster for Carcharias." "An offshore oil rig has failed, spilling millions of gallons of crude into the ocean." "Now, there are three Carcharias owned companies that are potentially liable." "The builder of the rig, the ones that operate it, and the company that owns the oil." "Now think about this really carefully." "How would you go about handling it?" "I would bury the weakest." "Bury the weakest?" "Sorry, how do you mean?" "Well, I would shift all the blame to the least profitable of the three... have them assume all the responsibility, and then leak a shady story to the press... creating a scandal that would cause their stocks... to plummet and make the public hate them." "Why?" "Well, because it would take the attention away from the others, allowing them to survive." "Besides, it could be an advantage." "Expenses could be shifted around, bringing in bigger profit for other companies." "I like the way you're thinking." "It's like gardening." "You just weed out the weak so that the strong can prosper." "All right, last question..." "Is there anything you wouldn't be willing to do for this company?" "No, sir." "Are you sure?" "I sold off a company that I started with my sister, against her wishes... because I want a job just like this one." "So, if I'm hired, I promise you, you will not be disappointed." "No." "I'm sure I won't be disappointed." "Of course, there are four other candidates." "And unfortunately, it's not up to me to make the choice." "I understand." "I have a very good feeling about you, though." "I think you're going into the next interview with a very distinct competitive edge." "I certainly hope so." "Good." "If someone doesn't come for us soon... we're gonna die in here." "Somebody will come." "How long can we last?" "Somebody will come." "Fuck!" "I wish we still had that phone." "We could at least try to call your sister again." "You could have called that waitress of yours." "I wouldn't have known what to say." "I'm not good with those kind of things." "What kind of things?" "You know." "Girls." "You're good with me." "I've just never been assertive enough, you know?" "Like, at work, and everywhere." "I couldn't even get everybody to put their potential weapons in the vent." "But you tried." "I tried." "I tried to keep us alive." "Look how good that went." "You wouldn't have been up for this job if they didn't see something in you." "I told them that I was adaptable to new environments." "It's true, but I do not have the killer instinct that you have." "There is no way that I could stab someone in the throat." "No, it's true." "It's just not in your nature." "Listen, uh technically..." "I really shouldn't be doing this, but there's all the information that you'll need about your competitors." "If you play your cards right, they should tear each other apart." "That's how I knew that we'd be the final two." "What do you mean?" "Oh, and just in case you need it, for emergencies..." "I had the vent cover sharpened." "Apparently it makes an excellent blade." "All I had to do was act like I was your friend." "What are you talking about?" "It's like I told my sister." "There are no friends in business." "Stop!" "All right, listen." "In the little time that we have left, do you have any questions for me?" "I guess I was wondering how I got this interview?" "Well, I presume that you applied for it, didn't you?" "I should rephrase." "I guess I mean..." "Look, I never really envisioned myself in the corporate sector." "Just being here today, I can see myself with Carcharias." "This is an amazing company." "But still, I can't imagine that I'm the most qualified of all the applicants you've seen." "Actually, it says here I think, somewhere" "Yes, you're very good at adapting to new environments." "Is that correct?" "Yeah, I believe I am very adaptable." "That's too bad." "Another nice guy led astray by the corporate world." "Not yet." "They have to hire me first." "Well, what would you be doing?" "I'd be a strategic analyst." "Is there pretty good money in strategic analysis?" "With this company there is." "Which is why I insist on paying my check." "Positive thinking." "I like that." "You're gonna kill 'em." "What?" "Your interview." "I'm sure you'll do great." "It appears that congratulations are in order." "But first, sign this." "What is it?" "A new hire agreement." "I want to see your boss." "Of course." "Sign." "Right this way." "You may have a seat." "Well." "Now this is the part where I usually congratulate the winner... and hand over a signing bonus." "But..." "I'm not going to be doing that today." "It occurred to me, watching this competition play itself out... that our system is fatally flawed." "Despite all the profiling, background checks, and all the rest of it... there's still a great element of chance." "Which means that the best candidate doesn't always win out." "Now, I know that you know..." "I've always been rooting for Sandra." "But honestly, all the other candidates, they had more killer instinct than you." "Didn't they?" "I must admit, I'm deeply disappointed by today's events." "Would you like for me to show Mr. Harris out?" "Uh, no." "He can show himself out." "Oh, ah, would you ask Alan to come in?" "Yes, sir." "So what now?" "Hmm?" "Oh, sorry." "You're free to leave." "Yes, enjoy yourself while you can." "I'm sure you'll get a visit from some members of the company." "They like to tie up the loose ends." "You understand." "That's it?" "Yes, that's it." "Look, I'm sorry, but I've got a lot of work here." "Now because of you, I've got all these new interviews to conduct." "What if I don't let you do that?" "How are you going to do that?" "With this." "I keep it in my home for protection." "When your people came to kidnap me last night, I went for it." "When I woke up, I realized that whoever had taken away my cell phone and my wallet... had somehow missed it." "I decided to keep that to myself." "Did you really think I didn't know about that gun?" "What do you mean?" "They found it on you when they brought you in last night." "I told them to let you keep it." "All the other candidates had their thing, I thought that was only fair." "Honestly, why didn't you use it in the room?" "Because like you said, I don't have the killer instinct that everybody else did." "And that's why you can go." "But I am adaptable." "So you say." "You don't believe me?" "I believe... that I may have underestimated you." "And I think I may be able to fit you in... somewhere in this company." "You wanted to see me?" "It's all right, Alan." "He's not going to shoot me." "Well, that's good." "So what's with the gun?" "Actually, he's going to shoot you." "I'm sorry?" "Well, please, don't act so surprised." "Do you really think we wouldn't find out about that Corputech deal?" "Corpu-I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" "Someone leaked information that we were about to sell." "No, no" "The stock plummeted, we lost millions." "Thank you, Alan." "No, just give me one" " Hold on, kid, all right?" "Just, easy with that." "You know who the hell that is?" "That's Simpson." "He's been dogging me for months now, he's setting me up!" "You can not believe that I had something to do with a Corputech leak... a sellout, whatever the hell you think." "Why would I risk..." "It is my duty to inform you... you are no longer a member of this company." "Shoot him." "Why would I do that?" "Because." "Just do it, kid." "You want to fill a job opening, create one." "Shoot him." "Isn't there another way?" "There is not another way." "Don't you get it?" "This is the very essence of our profession." "You are being given an incredible opportunity here." "For someone to succeed in the corporate world, someone else has to fail." "That's the name of the game, right?" "Sacrifice." "For every carcass floating in the water, there's a shark ready to eat it up." "You may have no idea what happens behind the scenes." "But you pull that trigger, I will teach you." "I'll show you the free market for what it really is." "It's an ocean of predators, all looking for their next piece of meat." "All you need do is to decide... whether you're a shark... or just another meal." "Well." "Welcome aboard, young man." "Is everything all right?" "Oh, uh, we just need a clean up in here." "Oh, and uh, would you bring James a new contract?" "Yes, sir." "All right." "Well, we've got a lot of work to do." "I think it's time we got our hands dirty." "Don't you?" "Hmm, tsk-tsk."