“Okay, who here has seen the show Severance?”

Lizzy sheepishly raised her hand and looked around. Maybe 90% of the 50 or so people in the small auditorium raised their hands with the same level of unease. Made sense. The ad specifically referenced the show. “All the benefits of separating your work life from your leisure time...with none of the drawbacks” Lizzy found herself drawn here out of a mix of intense curiosity...and financial desperation.

 

She was sure a lot of the people here were here for the same reason. The amount of money being offered...was just too tempting not to investigate further. Lizzy thought of her student loans which loomed in her thoughts often.

The woman at the front of the room continued.

“Okay, for the 5 of you who have been living under a rock, the premise of Severance is that you can have a procedure done, wherein your work self and your non-work self are essentially split. Your work-self knows only work, and your non-work self knows only life outside work. So, one enjoys a life of unlimited leisure...while the other one toils for that other life.”

The woman, Dr. Frohm, Lizzy would learn, paced up front, looking around to make sure the words were sinking in. There was something slightly authoritarian about her. A white lab coat over a dark suit. Only her leather boots suggested something less than purely professional. It gave her unneeded height. From her vantage point in the front row, Lizzy guessed she topped 6’ with the boots. She seemed to be intentionally exerting dominance. Lizzy wondered if she was comfortable in that coat. The room was a bit stuffy. Too many people. She’d already ditched her sweater, but was still feeling warm. It was making her slightly sleepy. She took another sip from the complimentary water bottle the company had handed out as they filed in.

 

“But here’s the rub,” said the woman, “imagine a life of endless work; the work-life half of their lives...could be as miserable as it sounds. How resentful you would be of your leisure self! No rest, no sleep, the moment your work day ends...the next one begins. If I had to take up one issue with that show...it would be that. They failed to capture the absolute drudgery of endless work...I mean...they are touching upon it...but not to the degree I think they should.”

Dr. Frohm stopped to clear her throat.

 

“Excuse me.” She went over to the podium and took a long draw from her water bottle. Lizzy and most everyone did the same.

“I apologize for the temperature. I’ve put in a request for engineering to see if they can lower it a bit. I notice that some of you are looking a bit drowsy. I hope it’s because of the temperature and not because I am boring you!”

 

There was a small titter of laughter in the room.

 

“However!” Dr. Frohm resumed, “There would be several tremendous benefits to a real-life Severance scenario! The first and foremost: security and discretion. Imagine for a moment you are a company with highly volatile secrets! Perhaps a defense contractor. Or any industry where trade secrets are a premium item! Perhaps you know the secret formula for Coca-Cola, or the Colonial’s 12 herbs and spices!”

More laughter.

“Actually, why don’t we try an experiment? Indulge me for a moment, if you will... Allow your eyes to close and imagine the following scenario. Go ahead and close them now.”

Dr. Frohm waved her hand down and Lizzy closed her eyes. It actually felt quite good to close her eyes for a moment. She was growing quite tired in this warm room.

As if reading her mind Dr. Frohm said, “It probably feels good to finally close those eyes in this overly warm room, right? To just allow those tired, sleepy eyes to finally droop closed... ”

Lizzy unconsciously nodded her head in agreement.

“Well what I’d like you to imagine is that you are sitting at a desk working for a top secret organization, let’s say it’s the NSA, the National Security Agency, or as we call it, No Such Agency.”

Lizzy smiled. Funny.

 

“Now let’s imagine you are looking at your computer screen. It’s hard to visualize text, so let’s imagine an image. How about...thinking of someone you care about. Or someones. Or any face that’s very familiar to you. Something you have no trouble imagining. Or it could be something simple, like a cube or a memory, like your childhood bedroom.”

“What if you don’t have visual imagination?” Lizzy heard a voice next to her say.

 

“Good point.” Dr. Frohm replied. “About 2-5% of the population can’t visually imagine anything. Aphantasia. Out of curiosity, raise your hand if you can’t visually imagine anything.”

After a moment Dr. Frohm said, “Well it looks like it’s just you sir. For this exercise try to think of these things as memories, rather than mental images. And the rest of you...do you have a mental image? This image on the screen...is it clear to you?”

Lizzy nodded yes again. She was thinking of her boyfriend. His handsome face. Twinkly mischievous eyes and scraggly wild beard.

 

“Good...and now imagine this image is top secret. Highly top secret. A state secret of great importance. Just by viewing this image puts you and everyone you know and care about at great risk. But that’s the brilliant part of Severance. If your work life and non-work life know nothing of each other, those secrets are completely safe. That’s what organizations want. Security knowing their secrets are safe.”

 

Lizzy felt a wave of calm wash over her. Safe. She understood the need to feel safe and to keep the people she loved safe.

 

“Now go ahead and try and open your eyes, I’m sure they might feel very heavy and sleepy, but I know you all can do it. We all know how good it feels to close your eyes for a while”

Dr. Frohm was right. Her eyes were quite heavy and it did feel quite good to let them rest for a bit. But she managed to get them open. She looked at Dr. Frohm at the front of the room. Something about her was different. She was a little fuzzy. Like someone had laid a beauty filter over her eyes. She was prettier than Lizzy remembered. Lizzy noticed that the man who had been sitting next to her was now gone, but she was not concerned about that.

 

Dr. Frohm smiled at the group. Pleased how things were progressing.

 

“So,” she began. “You could see why a company concerned with confidentiality would be highly interested in the concept of Severance, and willing to pay a premium for such an arrangement...but what about the downside of the Severance scenario? A group of disgruntled employees forced to endlessly toil to benefit a lifestyle they cannot enjoy in the slightest.” She paused to let this sink in.

“Bad for them, bad for the management having to deal with endless appeasements to cajole this forced labor group...no wonder...spoiler alert! things go so badly in the show....”

“So...” she stopped pacing. “What’s the solution?”

Lizzy tried to think of a solution, but she found her head was a bit cloudy, as if thoughts were hard to form...it was much easier to just listen to Dr. Frohm’s words.

 

“I see you all struggling to think of a solution...well you can stop struggling to think and listen to me tell you the answer. Focus on me. Listen to my voice. The answer is to instill compliance in these employees. To make them obedient and docile, but without affecting their ability to perform their jobs. How ideal it would be to have an employee that doesn’t complain, doesn’t idle their time, just does their job, and then when work is over, gently forget everything they’ve done...until it’s time for them to remember again. Wouldn’t you all agree?”

Lizzy unconsciously nodded in agreement. Along with the rest of applicants.

 

“Very good!” Dr. Frohm said, as if she were addressing a group of children. “Tell you what! Let us have a demonstration of what this absolute compliance might look like. Could I ask for a volunteer?”

 

Lizzy’s hand slowly raised up. She didn’t even realize she was doing it. Like it floated up all by itself. She noticed every hand go up.

“Oh so many to choose from!” exclaimed Dr. Frohm. “You are all such excellent applicants...”  Lizzy smiled.  It felt good to be considered an excellent applicants.

She pointed to the young man sitting next to her. Lizzy felt a terrible twang of regret. How badly she wanted to be the volunteer. She found her yearning strange..

“Please come here and stand next to me.”

 

The man stood up and walked over Dr. Frohm. She turned him around to face the rest of the group. He looked at them vacantly. He looked pretty young.

 

Probably still in college, thought Lizzy..

 

“And what’s your name, young man?”

 

He spoke softly. “Nicholas...”

 

“Well Nicholas, if I’m being perfectly honest, I think you are a very attractive young man. And I think that everyone here thinks the same thing, don’t you?”

Lizzy nodded her head. It hadn’t occurred to her before, but now she noticed he was rather handsome.

 

“Tell me Nicholas,” Dr. Frohm. “Are you the sort of fellow that would normally get undressed in front of a group of 50 strangers?”

 

The question seemed to befuddle Nicholas. Lizzy could see him struggling trying to figure out how to answer.

“Uh....no...I...uh”

 

“Nicholas, please remove your clothing for me. You can place them on your chair and then stand next to me here.”

“Okay...”

And Nicholas began to get undressed. Slowly, methodically. Seemingly unaware that he was standing before Lizzy and the rest of the applicants.

It occurred to Lizzy that this was not normal. There was a vague thought forming. THIS IS NOT NORMAL. SOMETHING IS WRONG. But the voice that was telling her this was soft and not very insistent. Like a fading whisper trying to yell. She watched Nicholas get naked with rapt attention. He was even more handsome naked. His cock was pleasantly plump and hung listlessly between his legs. Lizzy stared at his cock and felt herself getting aroused. She wanted to squeeze her thighs together but found she was all but unable to move at all. All she could do was stare at this handsome man and his handsome cock.

Nicholas stared at the audience, seemingly unaware or unconcerned of his naked state.

 

Dr. Frohm had a hand on the back of his head and was giving him scratches, as if he was a pet.

 

“Tell me Nicholas, do you ever have sexual fantasies when you masturbate?”

 

“Yes...”

 

“Why don’t you tell us one of these sexual fantasies, Nicholas?”

 

“Well...uh....I like to imagine about this woman who works at the library...she’s much older than me...and...she’s kind of plump...she has this big ass...and...uhhhh”

Lizzy noticed Nicholas cock was steadily rising. Growing stiff and thick. In her eyes, it made him even more handsome. He seemed to be completely unaware of this transformation.

 

Nicholas continued.

 

“And I imagine she takes me into the stacks...and...she raises her dress...she’s not wearing anything underneath...she bends over...and...I...I slide it in and....”

 

Nicholas’ cock was really twitching now. His hips began to rock forward and back forth a bit. His hands reached forward as if he was holding an imaginary set of hips in front of him. His eyes closed.

 

“Can you imagine this fantasy very clearly, Nicholas?” Dr. Frohm said in a husky voice.

 

“Yes...” Nicholas said in between gasps.

 

“Yes, Nicholas,” this fantasy is very vivid. Like you are experiencing it, isn’t that right?”

“Uhhh...yes....”

 

“I want you to feel that urge to come rise up in you, Nicholas. With each thrust against that soft ass, you feel your orgasm approaching...bringing you closer and closer...”

Lizzy could see Nicholas’ need. The intensity on his face. His raspy breaths. The ecstasy. It was all so beautiful. She wanted to touch herself. She wanted that cock inside her. In her pussy. In her ass. In her mouth. She didn’t care. She wished she had the strength to reach out and grab it, but she found herself completely unable to move.

 

Dr. Frohm placed a hand on Nicholas’ shoulder and spoke to him firmly.

“I’m going to count to 3...and when I reach the number 3, you are going to have the most intense orgasm you have ever experienced. Each number will increase the pleasure...but you will not come until I reach the number 3. You will release yourself into this ‘plump librarian’ and feel your desire for obedience overwhelm you. Obedience is pleasure Nicholas. Isn’t that right?

 

“Yes.”

“Tell me ‘obedience is pleasure’”

“Obedience is pleasure!”

 

“One! Say it again!”

“Obedience is pleasure!”

“Two! Again!”

“Obedience is pleasure!” Nicholas said again, but this time with deep desperation in his voice.

 

“Again!”

“Obedience is pleasure!” He was almost screaming now, as if begging for release.

 

“Three! Come for me!”

 

Lizzy had never seen anyone come so furiously as Nicholas. Powerful jets of cum arced from his cock, painting Lizzy in jets of cum. She tasted a familiar salty taste on the corner of her lips. She felt it on her forehead, her chin, and if she had any will to move she was certain she would have seen it splattered on her blouse.

 

“Obedience is pleasure! Obedience is pleasure!” he exclaimed over and over again as his cock shook and throbbed. The pleasure must have been too much, as he fell to his hands and knees as the last bits of cum dribbled out. His words became softer as he began to drift off.

Dr. Frohm bent over him and gave the back of his neck a gentle squeeze.

“Deep sleep Nicholas.”

Nicholas slumped down to the floor and rolled on his side, seemingly deep asleep.

 

Dr. Frohm stood up. Proud of her handiwork.

 

“And this is how we solved the most serious drawback of the Severance concept. Compliance. You see, while the hypnotic drugs you’ve all ingested in your water and the hypnotic language I’ve been using may start you on this journey of obedience, it can only go so far in subduing your subconscious. No...to tame the unconscious mind...one must appeal directly to what the subconscious truly wants. Namely pleasure. Or more specifically, sexual pleasure. It releases all those happy chemicals that make you happy...and pliant. And when you associate that pleasure with obedience...well...it’s like a needle wearing a groove in a record. It becomes easier and easier to just obey...because obedience is pleasure...isn’t it?”

Lizzy found herself nodding in agreement. She wanted that pleasure so badly now.

 

“Good,” said Dr. Frohm, quite pleased with this group of applicants. “Now you will kindly get undressed, and sit back down. Then we will begin with the pleasure conditioning...”

Lizzy stood up and began to mindlessly undress, along with everyone else in the room. As she began to unbutton her cum-stained blouse she noted how good it felt to obey....