The Scene

This submission is more of a vignette than a story. Please note that I have posted this in the Non-consent/Reluctance category. It contains descriptions of people in captivity being coerced into sex, including anal sex. While there is little explicit violence, the story is a lot darker than my previous submissions here.

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The Scene

When Paul woke up, there was a familiar heaviness in his head. He didn't remember being gassed, but it was easy for them to gas him in his sleep. Even though it had been days since he had last needed correcting, he instinctively checked his body for any changes or modifications. He started by running his tongue around his mouth, checking for any new gaps in his teeth, while at the same time counting his fingers and toes. Then he started running his hands over his body, exploring himself for any suspicious bumps or incision sites. This was easy to do because, of course, he was naked. He didn't even have any body hair to get in the way. Whenever they knocked him unconscious, they always took the opportunity to remove any regrowth.

Paul's audit of his own body didn't turn up anything unusual, or, at least, anything unusual he didn't already know about. The artificial bump at the back of his neck was still there, ever present since the first day he had woken up in captivity. The electric shocks delivered by the device under his skin was the closest he got to communication from his captors. It took only a slight shock to change his behaviour. There didn't seem to be any point in angering his captors any more than he could help it. He fully believed the device could kill him if that's what they decided to do. He had heard, through whispered conversations with others during their scenes, of what happened to Nathan when he had lashed out and broken a camera. He had instantly collapsed to the floor, twitching and barely alive. When he had woken up back in his cell, he had discovered one of his teeth was missing. It was one of the ones at the back of his mouth - nothing that would diminish his appearance on camera - but the message was clear. They could just as easily have removed a finger, or much worse.

Once he finished checking his own body, Paul scanned his environment. His cell felt colder, but he had no immediate information about why that was. By his count, he had enjoyed five days at level 5 heat, the most comfortable setting they could earn. It was difficult to tell, but he guessed his cell was now at level 3 or 4. It was likely that someone, somewhere, hadn't done what they should have done, but at least he knew that Danielle probably wasn't involved. If she had been, it would surely be even colder. While everyone was punished for someone's transgression, the person themselves and their partner always got punished worse, even if the partner was completely innocent. He knew that his obedience helped keep his girlfriend safe.

Nothing appeared different when he looked around his cell. The lights were on, indicating he was in the 'daytime' part of the daily cycle. Whether this corresponded to actual daylight outside, he had no way of knowing. The only things he had to look at were his bed, his toilet, his sink/drinking fountain, the door in the front wall and the hatch in the back wall. And the cameras, of course. Judging by his levels of hunger, Paul suspected that he had been unconscious for some time. He knew from experience that the lack of pressure in his bladder didn't mean anything. He always found it disconcerting that they emptied his bladder whenever they had him unconscious.

The light came on over the hatch in the back wall, so Paul immediately opened it. There on the shelf were some clothes, an energy bar, and a Viagra. Any one of those items would mean that he would soon be required to perform a scene. He quickly ate the energy bar. He knew it would do little to satisfy his hunger other than giving him just enough energy to perform. He knew he would have to wait until after the scene before he discovered if he were still at level 5 food, or whether that had been reduced as well. Once he finished the energy bar, he took the Viagra.

Eventually Paul forced himself to put on the clothing. Normally he liked getting dressed, even though he had long ago stopped being concerned about who was looking at his naked body through the cameras. But in this case, the clothing was an ominous sign of what might be to come. The costume was an old US Army uniform, maybe from WWII or the Korean War, just the shirt, trousers, and fake leather boots. They hadn't bothered to give him underpants or socks. Paul knew enough to know that, whoever his captors were, they saw Americans as their enemy. Having him dress like an American soldier meant that he was meant to be the bad guy. Maybe he needed to look like he was hurting someone, or someone would be hurting him. While his fellow actors would do what they could to avoid any real pain, it wasn't always avoidable.

The irony was not lost on Paul that, not only was he not American, but none of them were. Paul and Danielle were from New Zealand, and everyone else was either from New Zealand too, or from Australia or Britain. They knew this counted for nothing in their current predicament. To their captors, they were just convenient white people. It did mean that they had gotten in the habit of performing with American accents, a diversion which helped them to disassociate themselves from what was happening and keep some semblance of sanity.

After Paul sat on his bed for an unknown length of time, the light above the cell door turned green. Paul immediately stood up and went through it into the corridor beyond. The corridor went a short distance to both his left and his right. There was a green light above the door on the right, and Paul went through that one as well. There was no point trying any door without a green light - not only was it sure to be locked, but he was likely to earn a jolt in the neck for his troubles. All the corridors had cameras in them. Whether the people watching him were in the same building, or even on the same island, wasn't known and wasn't important. Even if they were on the other side of the world, their power over him was complete. He obediently followed the green-lit doors until he arrived at the room that they had started referring to as backstage.

###

Paul had seen his captors very briefly when he had been captured, but it hadn't given him any clues as to their identity. He and Danielle had been on holiday together, booking a week in an island resort off the coast of one of those countries in South-East Asia. The resort had been small - just ten chalets - and not particularly luxurious or easy to get to. They had spent three uncomfortable hours on a small boat to get there. The remoteness had been part of the attraction, with its unspoilt beaches and coral reefs. The resort had appealed to likeminded people, as evidenced by the nine other young couples they met there.

Their captors had arrived on boats whose engines were easily heard in the still night air. There had been some shouting in a language he hadn't recognised, although that might have just been the resort staff shouting, not the invaders. Within minutes, the shouting stopped and the power went out. Paul and Danielle quickly pulled on some clothes by the light of their cell phones after checking that their door was locked, but it made no difference. Their door soon swung open anyway and they were blinded by powerful flashlights. They were too stunned to put up much of a fight, and the hands that grabbed them knew how to subdue them. Paul felt a needle enter his neck, and that was the last memory he had.

When he woke up, he was naked and alone in his cell. Whether he was still on the same island, or halfway around the world, he had no idea. He eventually worked out that all ten couples had been kept together. If the staff of the island had been captured, Paul certainly hadn't come across them in any of the scenes. Maybe they were dead, or maybe they had been in league with the invaders. He would probably never know.

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Paul was the first to arrive backstage. His eyes went immediately to the status board and he searched out Danielle's name. There it was, reading "Danielle. Food level: 3. Heat level: 3." He then looked for his own name and found that his levels had been set the same as hers. Looking at the other names, he quickly worked out that four couples had been put back to level 1, meaning they would be eating nothing more than rice, soup and bread, and their cells would be so cold that it would be difficult to sleep. Once he had learned all he could from the status board, he quickly looked around for any food. The room did contain a few luxuries, including water, a mirror, some hair brushes and some makeup, but it rarely contained food. He could feel the benefit of his energy bar wearing off already.

Paul heard the door opening, and he quickly turned to see who had arrived. He always hoped he would see Danielle coming through the door, even though they hadn't done a scene together for a long time and he had little reason to hope that they ever would again. Things had moved past that stage long ago. Instead, it was Nina who entered, also wearing an army uniform. Paul did his best to control his facial expression to hide his disappointment, although he didn't expect Nina to bother to do the same. As one half of the only lesbian couple, she had every reason to be more upset than most with how the scenes were set up. Today, however, her normal scowl had been replaced by an expression that almost looked hopeful. He took a closer look at what she was wearing. He was no expert in US Army insignia, but he was fairly confident that she was dressed as an officer, outranking the sergeant stripes he had on his arm. Of course, this didn't mean that she was any less likely to suffer from whatever was to come.

"Hi Nina. How's things?"

"Hi Paul. Slightly cooler than yesterday. How's the status board looking?"

"There's four couples in the bad books, and they're dragging the rest of us down with them. I figure there's been an escalation."

"Fuck! Just when I was starting to feel not too terrible."

"You did seem to be almost in a good mood," said Paul carefully.

"Yeah, well, they gave me a bra and proper panties to wear, and the bra actually fits me. I guess we end up being thankful for the smallest mercies. Now, why's the exit not green yet? I wonder if we're waiting on more people."

Right on cue a second woman came through the door coming from the cells. While Paul again hoped it would be Danielle, and Nina doubtlessly hoped it would be her wife Jayne, neither of them were too disappointed to see Crystal come through the door. In return, Crystal actually smiled when she saw Paul. He liked to think that the two of them had a good understanding. Even though the situation seemed even worse with Crystal - her wedding ring was still on her finger, taunting him every time he saw it - he liked to think that she found him more sensitive and thoughtful than some of the other guys.

Crystal's smile seemed totally out of place on the rest of her face, and Nina was just as horrified as Paul. "Jesus, Crystal, what happened to you?"

Crystal's face was a mass of bruises. Her expression, though, was more confused than anything. She immediately went over to the mirror, and she was obviously surprised by what she saw. She looked closer, and then she smiled. "It's makeup," she said. "They knocked me out today. I guess they brought in a special effects makeup person. I suppose it makes sense, given my costume." When Paul looked closer at what she was wearing, he felt a chill go through him. She was wearing what looked like black and white striped pyjamas, but now he could see a yellow Star of David on the left breast. She was wearing the uniform of a Holocaust victim.

All sorts of potential scenarios started running through Paul's head, but he didn't have the luxury of time. The green light had gone on above the other door, and the three of them were soon walking together down more corridors. He knew there were at least five different studios that they might end up in. As they walked, it was Crystal's turn to ask "How did the status board look?"

Nina told Crystal what Paul had told her. "Four couples are on level 1. The rest of us are on level 3, at least for now. We think there might be an escalation."

###

The use of the shared term "escalation" had evolved slowly over time. Each couple had recognized the situation independently, although their terminology varied. The word escalation became common among them all only after they started mixing with each other more.

In the early days, Paul and Danielle were meeting once a day in a small studio right next to the 'backstage' room with the status board. For them, it was an amazing respite from the hell of their bleak cells. After hours alone, freezing cold and starving, naked and still trying to hide themselves from the ever-present cameras, it had been wonderful to find Danielle waiting for him once a day and to have a warm room with a large bed, some food and glasses of wine.

Their captors had made no attempt to hide the purpose of the studio. Obviously, a few of the cameras and microphones were hidden, but only so they wouldn't show in video captured by the main cameras which were in plain sight. On the wall behind the main cameras, a large screen showed pornography that couldn't be turned off. And they sometimes provided some clothing, particularly lingerie for Danielle. Their captors were smart enough to know that lingerie could be sexier than being naked.

Of course, in the beginning there was absolutely nothing sexual on their minds. They hugged and cried and shared their fears with each other. While it was obvious that their captors were trying to induce them to perform for the cameras, they couldn't imagine ever giving in willingly. Of course, the status board meant nothing to them at that time. They had no concept of what it would mean to shift from level 1.

Then, one day, they noticed a change on the status board. Two names, Liam and Louise, had been changed to level 2. The following day, Liam and Louise were on level 3. When Paul woke up the following morning, he noticed he wasn't quite as cold, and there was a hard-boiled egg with his bread in the delivery slot. When the doors unlocked and allowed him to walk to the backstage room, Danielle was already waiting for him. A quick look at the status board confirmed his theory; for some reason they were on level 2, as was everyone else except Liam and Louise, who were now up to level 4. The reason for this became apparent when Danielle pointed to the bottom corner of the mirror. The word "blowjob" was written there in lipstick. "As if I'm going to give them the satisfaction!" was all Danielle said.

They held out for two more days. During that time, they saw others climb to level 4. Curiously, Liam and Louise never reached level 5. They plateaued at 4 before dropping to 3. Paul and Danielle, meanwhile, found themselves back at level 1. They were lying together on the bed. Danielle was relatively relaxed because she had been given a satin nightgown to wear, so she wasn't worried about preserving her modesty. Paul was naked because he hadn't been given anything to wear, but by this time he had given up on trying to hide himself from the camera. After a period of silence, Danielle had reached out her hand and tentatively stroked Paul's penis. Despite all the trauma they had experienced, he was surprised to find himself quickly getting hard. She had smiled, seeming pleased that she still had the power to excite him. "Tell me to stop if this freaks you out," she whispered as she lowered her mouth to his erection. And just like that, their careers as porn actors began.

The concept of escalation came to them over the following days. By repeating the blowjob each day, they reached the relative comfort of level 4, but instead of graduating to level 5, they were demoted to level 3, and then level 2. It was Danielle who figured it out. "I think they want more." She was wearing bra and panties on that occasion, and with steely resolve she unhooked the bra and allowed it to fall on Paul's thighs. Their level didn't drop any further that day, but it didn't rise either, so Danielle made the decision to strip completely the next day. Their real fears for their safety never went away, and neither did their anger and resentment that they were being filmed against their will, but after they had given in once, there was no point in refusing a repeat performance if it would only plunge them back into cold and hunger.

By gradual steps they reached a point where Danielle was accepting of Paul going down on her, and then they started having intercourse on camera. Paul had been patient with her, never demanding that she do more, but they both found themselves longing for the renewed intimacy. He encouraged her to avoid faking orgasms and try for the real thing, arguing that, if they had to do this, she might as well get as much out of it as possible. After that, as much as a man can ever know, he believed he had given her some genuine orgasms, and these moments had been the only fleeting moments of happiness in an otherwise bleak existence.

###

When Paul and the two women arrived in the studio, they habitually paused to watch the porn on the big screen where they could see a woman giving an energetic blowjob. Paul's chest tightened when he saw the woman's auburn hair which made her look so similar to Danielle, but when the camera angle shifted, he saw that it wasn't his girlfriend. Nevertheless, he still harboured suspicions that one day he might see Danielle or one of the other captives he knew up on the screen, or even himself.

While there was a great variety of porn shown to them in their studio, it always looked depressingly similar to the stuff that was being filmed of themselves. The acting was amateurish, and the production was equally poor. Before his kidnapping, Paul had read a couple of articles about how being a porn actor wasn't as sexy as it sounded. Those articles had explained that, when shooting porn scenes, there were normally lots of breaks in the action to change camera angles, shoot close-ups, etc. The scenes they were watching, however, showed no signs of those interruptions, and the quality was all the worse for it. They all instinctively felt it was possible they would see themselves on the screen because they had good reason to suspect that it was produced in the same way. Paul had seen no proof that they were in the same physical facility as himself, but he suspected that they were prisoners somewhere just as he was. Beyond that, it didn't help to wonder about them. There was always the possibility that they might have escaped, but it was more likely that they were still imprisoned, or worse. He knew enough about the extreme fringes of porn to know that there was a market for pain and death.

When Paul shifted his attention away from the screen, he looked around the room. The setting for the scene was just one corner of the room with no covering over the bare concrete walls. The only furniture in front of the camera was a table and one chair. Nina and Crystal were waiting for him at the props table, so he went over there to join them. Sitting on the table were two holsters containing realistic-looking fake pistols, a riding crop, and several short lengths of rope. There were also a few containers of lubricant.

"We assume they're wanting some sort of interrogation scene," said Nina as she picked up one of the holsters and fastened it around her waist. Paul did the same with the other holster. Nina then picked up the riding crop. "I guess this is for me since I'm the one they dressed up as an officer. "