The meticulous patience and exactness of timing would have been impossible for any mortal, as slim ankles swept by the sensors, and the throats of the unwitting victims passed in and out of the prime positions. Only the ever-patient processor could perform so perfectly under pressure, unperturbed by the plethora of failed attempts that had come before. The massive volume of preparation, engineering and logistical manoeuvring required to set this scene in motion was irrelevant, a highly specific set of activation factors had been enshrined in the code; it would not waiver.
With the bachelorette girls successfully drawn to this secluded lodge without suspicion, they clambered one-by-one in their skimpy bikinis into the frothy bubbling cauldron of the hot tub. The water roiled and the machine remained assiduously on standby.
"Right, so what's the plan?" Asked the bride-to-be Cait, serene as ever despite the girlish giddiness in the air. She was always content to follow along and so it was refreshing for the girls to see her in the spotlight for once. Her delicate beauty made for a perfect bride: bleach blonde, eyes glistening like the sea, a daintiness to her small pretty facial features, and a figure so enviously slim that the group seemed relieved once it was obscured by the blanket of bubbles. Her modest bosom and slender shoulders remained visible above the water, her hair tied up in a loose bun. As was customary, she was in a white two-piece, while most others wore darker shades.
"We'll pop the champagne shortly, throw some music on, get dolled up and maybe play a few games?" Explained Reyan, although the entirety of the statement had the tone of a question. In truth, while she was certainly Cait's closest friend, she was wholly unsuited to the duties of a maid of honour. Reyan was late to everything, invariably unprepared and navigated much of life by dumb luck and the social graces of her friends. It had a certain charm that coupled with her big eyes, deep cleavage and curvaceous flirtatiousness, seemed to generally work out in her favour. Her dark skin was complemented by her jet black hair and brown eyes, somehow managing an unblemished appearance, despite the chaos that reigned in her every other aspect.
Deciding what would even feel right for this bachelorette had been a struggle for her, as she'd challenged herself to tailor it specifically to Cait, but even after over a decade of friendship it was hard to tell what the girl liked. With someone so characteristically easygoing, happy to go along with whatever plan, it was difficult to ascertain preferences. Cait could be found smiling pleasantly at every manner of occasion, from Reyan's sweaty house move, to a dingy hotel or a disastrous night out - she would nod cheerily in response to any suggestion. Despite her contentedness, Reyan often got the sense on their drunken nights out that Cait would rather something more sedate, but was pushing herself to dance and sip at her drink out of obligation. She suspected her friend was happiest with the tranquil life: beautiful surroundings, good conversation, a few drinks but nothing too boisterous - so that's what she had set out for this weekend. However, finding this rural lodge and ordering some craft-kits had been as far as she had managed in terms of planning.
There was a shrug of contentment amongst them, and if Cait was disappointed with the lack of a set plan, she did well to disguise it. Before they had barely begun, there was a sense that this bachelorette seemed it was trying to be something it wasn't.
At least the hot tub felt sufficiently luxurious, spacious but designed specifically for five and so perfect for their group. There were cushioned seats for each of them evenly spaced around the interior of the tub, and five headrests held by metal arms attached to the outside. It was comfortable and invited them each to spread out, so it was a long while before all of them were in the right position at the same time, but when finally the moment came, the devices snapped into action.
Metal padded cuffs shot out from the bottom of the hot tub, encircling each of their ankles widely before quickly tightening its hold. In superb synchronisation, similar mechanisms sprung from compartments behind their backs, snapping open as a semi-circle metal pincer from the left and right met to form a thick collar around each of their throats, locking together and contracting to a perfect fit. Lastly two curved metal arms pinned their thighs down in their seat, parting their legs slightly.
They erupted in screams, and a clandestine broadcast began from disguised cameras in the walls and ceiling. This was a surprise Nefarium show for their membership, the success of the project never certain and now that all the pieces were in place, the stream started with a twenty minute delay.
Playing back a recording from a little earlier, the audience was introduced to their group as they arrived at the house, and Reyan led them to the small outhouse in the secluded garden where they found the hot tub. Four of them changed together and made chit-chat until Julia arrived. Despite knowing only the bride, Julia impatiently thrust the tub cover aside, stripped to her black bikini and slipped into the water. Viewership skyrocketed as comments sung with praise of the gorgeous women, taking particular interest in the youngest of the group: Millie, the groom's little sister and barely nineteen.
All of them brunette but for the bride, the last to timidly enter the water was a quiet girl with copper side-swept bangs. She had a colourful butterfly tattoo on her collarbone and elaborate makeup, with pink glittery eyeshadow and a prominent flick of eyeliner, slightly smudged on one side where she seemed to have been crying. The messages were intrigued with her in particular, as an absolute beauty, possessing the ripest ass of the lot.
By the time the girls were restrained in place, clamped to the seats of the tub, the stream was becoming one of their most popular to date, following a recent influx of high-value members to the exclusive shadowy website.
Amidst shrieks of panic, the bubbles slowed to a stop, a gurgling growl emanating from below as the water level began to drop slowly to their waists, rivers trailing down their lithe bodies. The grip around their throats tightened increasingly and there was frantic flailing, the girls clawing at the thick metal clamps as they choked and were unable to pry themselves free. Desperately looking around, Julia noticed something on the mechanical collars: glowing buttons on either side of their necks. Steadying her hands and pressing one then the other, she found that as she held them down it released the grip, allowing her to breathe again.
"Press the buttons! Hold them down." Julia screeched to Cait, watching as the bride-to-be followed suit with immediate relief. It caught on quickly, but barely in time for the youngest of them, Millie coughing and spluttering as air finally returned to her lungs.
"What the fuck? Did someone touch something?" Reyan accused, dizzy with dread, but no-one answered, having been far from the controls and all fairly certain this wasn't a hot-tub design feature.
