"I'd love to stay longer and chat with you two, but I've got preparations to attend to." Mag walked past the two seated captives and made his way to his wife. She gave him another kiss on the cheek.
"Are the guests on their way?" Evelyn asked.
"I called them outside of the estate. They'll be here tomorrow. On time. Hopefully."
"I know how your friends can be," Evelyn said with a huff. "They have almost no consideration for your time."
"Well, I made it clear that it was our little girl's belated birthday, so I know they'll be here. As scheduled. Don’t want to have to delay her gift any longer."
"I hope so. Nothing more frustrating than rushing to make sure everything is in order only to have them show up hours after the agreed meeting time."
"I get it, sweetheart. But I made it clear how important punctuality will be tomorrow. They'll listen."
The couple looked at each other lovingly before going in to lock their lips. As they kissed, Mag saw Janus stare at him with clear anger. "Can you do me a favor honey and feed our guests?" Mag asked without breaking eye contact with the captive. "I think they could use something to eat. It's been a long trip."
"Of course!" A genuine yet sinister smile came across Evelyn's face as she walked towards the captives, raising her tray and angling the food on it downwards just enough so that Janus and Itzel could see the sandwiches.
"You two will love my wife's food! All of the ingredients are homegrown!" Mag turned his back towards Janus and Itzel and slowly marched towards the room's exit. Evelyn stood between the pair, accompanied by the BRUTEs. Her smile remained as she waved the tray of food underneath the noses of Janus and Itzel. Both turned their heads away from the food, sealing their mouths tight.
"You said you two were hungry not too long ago," Evelyn said, still grinning. "Don't tell me that you've lost your appetites after all of the work that I've gone through to prepare these snacks for you."
"So you can poison us?" Itzel snapped. She kept her head angled away but her eyes remained focused on the meat, lettuce and cheese placed between slices of rye bread. Evelyn gasped, her grin flipping upside down as she staggered back.
"I would never taint my meals! Do you know much work goes into preparing them?"
"If you're as honest as the rest of your family, I'll hold my reservations!" Janus barked as he tried to free himself from the restraints of the seat.
"No need to make such a fuss!" Evelyn shifted towards Janus, still clutching onto the tray. "BRUTE, perhaps you could help these two enjoy their food." The robot saluted and took one of the sandwiches with one hand and pressed its fingers against Janus' mouth with the other. The cold, steely touch of the robot's hands combined with its vice like grip forced Janus to open his mouth wide. In a single and swift motion, the robot crammed the sandwich into Janus' open jaw. The physicist tried to squirm free, only to have the other BRUTE come by and hold his shoulders steady.
"I don't have to ask one of our helpers to assist you in chewing, do I?" Evelyn said, her smiling fading for a moment.
Janus slowly bit into the food, taking out a sizable bit of the sandwich. He closed his mouth, carefully moving his jaw up and down as he chewed on the snack. Seconds later, there was a gulp.
"Now that wasn't so bad, was it?" Evelyn asked, this time with her usual large smile.
"No," Janus replied quietly.
"Good!" She handed over the tray to the closest BRUTE and clapped her hands. "Make sure they finish all of the sandwiches. You know how much I hate to waste perfectly good food!" Both robots saluted, with one taking one of the slices before walking towards Itzel.
"I'll be back in a few hours in case you two need anything else. In the meantime, I have to make preparations for our daughter's big day tomorrow." Evelyn began walking to the exit, only to cut her movement short by suddenly turning around. "Oh! I wouldn't want to leave the two of you alone and bored here all night." She waved her hands and changed the station of the projector. After a few changes of channels, it switched to a Broadcast of Deep Space Drifters. Evelyn's opened wide as a man in a tight space suit appeared on screen with a long rifle in his hand. "Ooh, I love this episode! I'd stay and watch but I really need to get everything prepared."
The mother jaunted off to the front door, letting it shut behind her. The sound of her locking the door echoed through the room, leaving only Janus and Itzel with the pair of BRUTE robots.
"I knew this was a bad idea!" Itzel cried. "This is what happens when we don't follow my gut instinct!" She then looked at Janus. "I don't think—" One of the BRUTEs pinched Itzel's lower jaw, making her keep it open. The other BRUTE made Itzel take a bite out of a sandwich.
"It's not that bad," Janus replied.
"Hmmm?" Itzel mumbled with a mouthful of food.
"I was talking about the sandwich."
After a few chomps, Itzel swallowed her forced meal. "I hate you right now," she said quietly. "If we get out of here, I'm going to hurt you."
"Sorry Itzel," Janus said with his head hung low. "That was my sorry attempt at humor. I was trying to act like you guys in the face of danger."
"Yeah, well it's not much help. Maybe you should just stick with following my lead instead."
"Got it." Janus' eyes shifted between the two BRUTEs in the room. "I'm ready to follow the lead whenever you're able to start."
"Give me a minute to think about it." Itzel shook her hands within the constraints of the seat. "As you can see, I'm a bit occupied at the moment."
