It's building slowly for a reason. Mostly because I'm a fan of drama and like to keep people wondering.

The first three 'days' can be found here:

Day 1. Day 2. Day 3.

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The Prisoner

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- Day 4 -

“What do they want with me?” Simon asked as he lay panting on the floor after yet another round of beatings. It was getting harder and harder to get up after each one. “They don’t ask me questions.”

“Weaken your prisoner before interrogating him,” came the cryptic response.

“That’s – helpful.” Simon groaned as he pushed himself into a seated position and leaned back against the stone wall. The welts on his skin burned but contact with the cold stone was somewhat soothing.

“That’s the truth of it.”

“Lie to me once in a while, then.” Simon winced as he touched a particularly sensitive rib.

There was no way Simon could see the smirk that spread across the other man’s face. “You wouldn’t want me to do that.”

Simon had learned to hate his cell-mate’s responses almost as much as he hated his captor’s silence.

“Try me.”

~*~

“Why’d you take off? Why’d you leave ‘im?” Kaylee asked as she stood on the bridge, watching River input coordinates into Serenity’s navigation controls.

“The needs of the many outweighed the needs of the one.”

“He’s your brother!” Kaylee had tinkered with everything possible since Simon had been taken. Inara and Mal had both assured her that they would go back from him, but she wanted to hear it from River herself.

River’s fingers hovered over the nav controls as she hesitated, struggling with emotion she tried to contain for the greater good of the mission – and Mal’s plan. “Yes. He is.”

“Then why didn’t you –“

River’s head slowly swiveled toward Kaylee’s and the younger girl’s breath caught at the angry look in the mechanic’s eyes.

“It’s easier to mount a rescue if they think no one is coming for him.” River’s voice was steady, determined, but she knew it would break if Kaylee kept questioning her motives. Even knowing the Captain had a plan, it had been difficult to abandon her brother to an unknown fate. She could feel Kaylee’s waning anger, and the older woman’s desire to hold onto it. The longer they delayed, the greater the chance they wouldn’t like what they found when they finally reached him.

Angry tears slipped out of Kaylee’s eyes, dampening dirt-stained cheeks. It had been days. Days and nights filled with worry, regret and more than a little anger. She held her breath after asking, “When are we going for him?”

“Soon.”

~*~

“Eat when they bring it,” the man said when flavored water and bread was slid into the cell on a tray. “You notice there is no feeding schedule.”

“They spill most of it,” Simon muttered as he reached for the food. He’d tried starving himself for the first few days, but the lack of nutrition only served to weaken him quicker.

“Lick it off the tray.”

Simon wrinkled his nose at the thought and he could hear his cell-mate chuckle deeply.

“How long have you been here?” Simon felt around in the darkness and broke the bread in half, intending to give it to the other man.

“Long enough.”

He imagined the man holding out a large hand as he declined the offered food.

“I eat when they beat you.”

TBC

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