"Next."
The light flicked to green in tune with the announcement, the door to The Machine opening. Vanessa stepped forwards, shivering a tiny bit in her underwear. She just hoped the machine would get her some new clothes fast. And nice ones, like some of the pictures she'd seen. She was a modest girl, she would rather like this all over quick.
The interior of the Machine was small, a chamber just barely large enough to extend her arms in a circle around her. The walls, much like the outside and floor, were solid steel, lined with all manner of robotic arms, the precise contents of their hands unclear. It was not particularly inviting, but Vanessa could handle that. Overhead was a collection of yet more arms, the measuring devices and printers that would size her up and assemble an outfit upon her in seconds, as had been explained to her. It was well lit, at least.
In the centre of the chamber stood what looked almost like two flip flops. Just a small sole, loose straps, clearly where Vanessa was supposed to put her feet. She put her bare left foot into it's place, feeling the strap automatically and gently tighten around her. This, again, was normal, as the guide had explained. Her new shoes could be printed around this by the Machine in seconds.
She looked back through the open entrance to the machine to see her twin sister, Mindy, queued up behind her, along with 23 other women. The queue snaked around the benches, the woman at the end still bagging up her remaining clothes and putting them into the pile, to be sent through to the other side of the Machine.
They had all gotten the offer one way or another, and jumped at the chance. Vanessa had been living paycheck to paycheck for so long, an unfulfilling job doing paperwork for the shambling bureaucracy trying to keep her city alive. Mindy was doing the same, and they were just barely able to keep their head above water.
Then they'd heard about The City. On the other side of the vast megacontinent, accessible only by a long flight that circumnavigated many of the more hostile microstates. A gleaming place, heavily automated and rapidly growing. The latest and greatest technology, limitless resources, simply needing more people. Vanessa and Mindy hadn't believed it at first, but the more the recruiters had talked with such conviction, the more they came to believe in it. And they'd brought out so many gifts, high quality things to prove the stories were really true. The City could provide anything they needed, surely. Then the celebrity endorsements began to roll out, so many big names revealing they had gone to live in The City, extolling it's virtues. How could they not be willing to go?
Just to fly on a plane was so exciting! And to fly over this gleaming City, so named, as the beautiful air hostess explained, because it was the only City that mattered.
Then, touch down, where they were led to here. It was explained that, before they could begin their introductions to The City, they would need new clothes, of course. So many in the group wore ill fitting or worn-out ones, and so The City would provide new ones, custom fitted, and entirely free of charge. All they would have to do was strip off their old ones, and step into The Machine to be measured, enabling the Machine to print a perfect fitting pair for them. Obviously, stripping in front of the opposite sex would be a bit awkward, so thankfully they had specific changing rooms to be led into. In batches of 50, so each tour guide was not too overwhelmed showing them around.
More than half of the women in this batch had gone through before Vanessa, and disappeared. But that was nothing to worry about, Vanessa understood the explanation. They simply exited on the other side, where they would be given their new clothes, and once the full batch was over, they would proceed on a guided tour. They would get to see their apartments, see the streets up close instead of in pictures. Maybe even meet some of the locals, although Vanessa had her eye on one of the men she had briefly chatted to before the flight, Jack his name was. Back home, she never had time for relationships, for love, even just for sex. But in The City... Vanessa expected things to be different.
Vanessa smiled at Mindy, standing there waiting. Like Vanessa, Mindy was a short white 21 year old girl, long brown hair in a ponytail. The sisters had a tendency to always stick together, do the same things. Mindy smiled back, even as she hugged herself a bit tighter for the cold.
"See you in a minute sis." Vanessa said, placing her other foot in the recess. The door closed, slowly, leaving Vanessa alone in the fluorescent-lit chamber. But she had no fear. The guide had gone through earlier, and had come back around a few minutes later in a brand new stunning dress, having had to take the long way she jokingly explained. Clearly, there was nothing going on with The Machine, or else the guide wouldn't have gone through!
The other strap tightened, securing Vanessa in place and allowing her to be measured up by the Machine. Her legs were spread out a little bit, but it was otherwise not too uncomfortable. The process would take a minute, it was explained, for maximum effectiveness and to give time to print. The guide explained it would measure for every item a woman could possibly need, from bracelets to necklaces to shirts and dresses. To do such a thing in a minute was a true miracle of technology! And some medical checkups, of course, nothing too invasive it was promised. Though it would take longer if Vanessa didn't follow the process, and she didn't want poor Mindy to have to spend too much longer shivering out there. Again, Vanessa knew she could trust The Machine, for there were so many women that had gone through already, including the guide for a quick demonstration!
Instructions flashed on a small screen in front of Vanessa.
"Stretch both your arms to your front."
She complied, watching as two of the arms descended from above. Each carried what seemed like a small glove, stretching it over each hand. Presumably, that would measure her for gloves of her own, and rings, and so on. Oh, the fashion possibilities!
The same arms clamped small pieces of metal around Vanessa's wrists, but still this did not raise alarm. How could she be measured for bracelets without the Machine knowing the size of her wrists? Indeed, the metal seemed to expand and contract around her arms, as if adjusting it's size to respond to her. Vanessa found herself wowed by the smart material, as yet more arms descended, and a new instruction was given.
"Open mouth for dental inspection".
Vanessa complied again, opening her mouth. It made sense they would do it now, of course. Best to not have bad teeth in The City! She did not think to hesitate, not for a second, since that would be rude to all the women on either side. An earlier woman had spent 5 minutes inside before the Machine became ready, and they'd all spent that time chatting about how silly she was. Vanessa stretched her jaw open, watching as an arm rapidly descended, and-
It gagged her, before she could react, sealed solid in a split second against her mouth. At the same time, her hands were forced and locked together by the arms, and the straps around her feet became incredibly tight.
Vanessa did not have any time to respond, before a metal collar suddenly slammed around her neck from behind, encasing her, shaping itself tightly around her just like the bracelets had. She tried to look down, but the gag arm remained in place, locking her head in position. Her wrists were barely visible, but she could see the bracelets had become full handcuffs, a small ring connecting them for some purpose or another. The arms kept her own raised, not letting her move them an inch. Vanessa tried to scream, but no noise came out, the gag completely sealing her mouth.
