Warnings: Altered timeline from 'Ariel', angst, emotional manipulation

Thanks to lvs2read for the great beta and thunder_nari for the great beta and spurring me on.

~

Disinterest is not an emotion Simon can feel right now, nor can he allow himself to relax, to act casual. So instead he feigns it. Sits upright in his chair and forces himself not to tense, digging his fingernails slightly into his hands as he clasps them together just to stop himself from crossing them, from acting defensive. He doubts he looks anything but what he feels, but he pretends none the less, just as he fakes indifference at the cool stare leveled his way.

Dark brown eyes thoughtfully appraise him; eyes that Simon would have thought could have conveyed emotion extremely well, suited sympathy perhaps, show nothing. Just resolution. Which only adds more weight to the man’s words and tone as he leans forward, sending a cold chill through Simon.

“You understand that there is only one outcome and one offer. Want it or not, all the hope in this 'verse isn’t going to stop us finding your sister, from bringing her back to us. Only the choice of when is yours, Doctor Tam."

Simon smiles, he can’t help it, it’s involuntary and disbelieving. “You can’t seriously think that I’m going to help you find River.” He means it too, wonders why the man is even acting out this facsimile of a meeting, of a discussion. He knows what’s coming, has spent the last five boring days imagining, growing half-crazy himself as they ignored him. Until now.

“You couldn’t have thought you could hide her forever, can’t think that the people you entrust her to now will do anything more then sell her to the highest bidder.” The man leans forward, intense gaze never once leaving Simon’s face and, for a moment, there is a flicker. He’s hiding something; he knows it and, in that moment, Simon does too.

It’s a good sign in Simon’s mind, a sign that he‘s being misled in some way, and it gives him confidence, but also makes him all the more wary. “What people?” He sounds innocent, curious even. It’s easy to sound that way when he’s pushing every little thought about River and Serenity to the back of his mind. Gathering the thoughts close and wrapping them carefully, not letting the falsehoods he’s quickly thinking up touch them.

“I’m a patient man, Doctor Tam.”

He sounds like he should be smiling, yet the man doesn’t smile, merely sighs and sits back a bit. He’s assessing Simon now and Simon’s having to hold himself straight to avoid squirming, avoid looking away. There’s something in that gaze, something honest and determined, that makes Simon cold, makes him know this man means what he says. He will find River; will go to the ends of the ‘verse if he has to. And all Simon can hope is that Serenity keeps flying and her captain takes care of River.

“Do you really think those on your ship are those you should rely on?”

The man looks curious now, the operative, Simon thinks and he nearly misses the trap, nearly takes too long in answering and only just manages the small word, manages to put enough question in his tone. “Ship?”

“Or perhaps planet? Somewhere on the Rim maybe. I can only imagine your first move was to get as far from the Core as possible.”

Simon doesn’t answer, just counters the operative’s question with one of his own. “Do you know what they’ll do to her if they catch her? Do you even know what they were doing to her? Doing to all of them? Playing with their minds, cutting into-.”

“I’ll thank you to stop now.” The operative’s cool exterior doesn’t vanish, Simon’s impassioned words not touching anything, not changing anything. “I know why River Tam is so sought after, as do you, and it’s of no concern to me. I know she’s a danger-” He pauses, seeing Simon’s eyes narrow at that, “something you yourself know, I’m told. Something that as a doctor, as her brother and as the one who broke her out, you would most definitely be aware of. She’s an imperfect specimen in an imperfect world, but I have been assured that she could be perfect, could help make this ‘verse a better place. When we find her.”

“She’s just a kid.” Simon’s words are soft, a cold feeling gathering in his stomach at the thought of what would be done to make his sister perfect. Cut her open again, pull her insides around a little, twist up her brain until she’s something unrecognizable. Something unstoppable.

“She was. I’ve seen the consent forms, Doctor Tam. She knew what she wanted, what she aimed to be. Special, unique and empowered. Impressive ambitions in one so young, which makes her potential for perfection all the more feasible. And all the more sought after.” The operative speaks softly, only moving to pour Simon a glass of water which is, for the moment, ignored.

“She already was all those things.” Simon can’t stop staring now, doesn’t want to break eye contact, wants to shake the operative until his teeth rattle and finally understands. Sees what Simon sees. The little sister smiling up at him, entwining her hand in his, leaning on him, letting him lean back. His best friend. “She was just a child, our parents signed those-”

“You think too linearly.” The operative doesn’t see them, wouldn’t care to look if he could. He has a job, a purpose, one of many in fact and once River Tam’s safely where she belongs and Simon Tam no longer causing trouble, then he can move on. Making the ‘verse a better place bit by bit, keeping those who oppose the natural order of things where they belonged- pressed down tightly, whether they could breathe or not.

“What?” Simon’s confused now, his gaze briefly dropping to the glass to tap his fingers against it. Not saying a word, but grudgingly nodding. Impeccably mannered. “You’ll forgive me if I don’t quite comprehend how messing around with my sister’s brain is in any way for her benefit.” He bites his lip before finishing the rest of his argument, using River’s psychosis and symptoms to verify his words. The less any of them knew about her the better.

The operative sits back and now Simon thinks he can see a hint of a smile, as if the man believes he’s caught Simon, lured him in. It makes the doctor uneasy.

“Perhaps if you knew the end result, could see just what had to be done?” The man’s words are almost conversational, friendly even. “You could even be involved in getting her to that stage, monitoring her at every moment. Keeping her safe.”

“Safe? With the hundan who hacked into her? Who twisted her up inside and forced her to stay when she wanted to leave?” Simon is clutching at the glass now, anger threatening to make words spill over or his hand draw back and fling the glass. Neither of which would be productive, nor smart. This is the first real communication he’s had with anyone in days and it’s already given him relief to know that they haven’t caught River, that Jayne held true to his words.

“There was never any indication she wanted to leave.” The operative speaks calmly, the smooth tone only infuriating Simon further. Quick breath in, long breath out. Quick breath in…the breathing calms him, quells his temper and lets him keep his dignity and poise, keep up the cool façade he’s trying his hardest to adopt because he knows, Simon knows, that they’ll find some way to force him to talk. Some way of getting the truth from him. A truth he does not intend to give up, not letting River fall prey to them again, nor Mal and the rest of the crew falling foul.

“You seem to know an awful lot about my sister.” Simon’s first thought had been the man’s a lackey, a hunter and tracker, though his uniform very clearly states him as Alliance, but his first impression had never led him to envisioning this conversation. Interrogation, some pain even, Simon had been steeled for that, but conversation--especially one in which the man knew things that someone low down on the chain of command wouldn’t--he hadn’t considered. He wouldn’t contemplate the offer, hadn’t before believed it was at all sincere, but now he sees it as that. And he still rebukes it.

“You’d be surprised how much I know. About River, about yourself, your family even.” The operative is sitting forward once more, gaze feeling as if it could strip Simon bare and open up his soul as easily as the man’s superiors opened up River’s mind.

“River’s my family, my only family.” His parents made that abundantly clear. His father’s last words to him still etched in Simon’s memory. His mother’s refusal to answer his waves…Biologically related yes, and Simon couldn’t deny he felt a pang of loneliness along with the hurt, couldn’t deny he’d missed his parents, either. Nevertheless, they had made their choice and he’d made his.

He could only hope River could find a family aboard Serenity, not weighted by Simon’s suspicion and anxiety. He had no doubt she would find it more difficult, given her mind's tricks, and yet easier in a way. River had always been more sociable, fit in better than Simon had. Even as child Simon had been more confident in his self, but River had been the one more confident with others. And much as he’d wanted to trust the crew, had found himself warming and opening to them, he’d always held himself back. Protecting them, shielding himself from betrayal.

“And I’m sure you miss her.” The operative nods firmly. “Which is a compelling reason for you to take this offer, Doctor Tam. Besides, I’m sure you wouldn’t want those you’d entrust her to bearing the burden of your error. Make no mistake, I will destroy everything standing between your sister and myself, I have no desire to kill anyone but I will. If you force me to.”

Simon’s wide-eyed, caught between disgust and horror, which clearly shows on his face as he spits the words flatly out, “You’re insane.”

The operative smiles, it’s a small smile but very real, very amused. “I dare say you see me as that now, but in time you’ll come to understand what must be done.” He pauses, “You may want to drink that. I can see you won’t be taking my offer today?”

It’s phrased as a question and Simon answers it as such, “I won’t ever help you catch River.” He’s trembling slightly, though whether it’s out of fear of anger he’s not sure. Not sure he wants to find out, either, as the operative nods at the mirrored wall behind him.

“Shame.” The operative means it too, he can see the potential in Simon, can only shake his head at the oversight that allowed the elder Tam to slip away and not be conditioned before the younger. Had her brother been a part of whatever training River had undergone, by now she’d be perfect. Before now, possibly. “We’ll speak again in a few days. Such matters should be handled in a civilized manner to my thinking.” He pauses, “Though you may wish to rethink the offer over that time. When we next speak, I can assure you there'll be nothing but conversation, but, sadly, until that time, other avenues must be explored.”

Other avenues…Simon’s heart sinks at that, though it had already been a foregone conclusion. Interrogation, torture even. Simon isn’t a stranger to the worst things a person can do to another, but he has never been all that intimate with pain. The first time he’d been punched had been by Captain Reynolds; he has no scars, not even calluses to his palms, but he has no doubt that will change.

“I see.” He’s not sure what he’s meant to say, the operative’s looking at him expectantly, but Simon just presses his lips together and after a long pause the other man stands and moves over to the wall. In a seamless movement the door slides open, Simon can’t see what button the man pressed or even how the door opened. One moment there’s a wall, the next there’s a door in it.

The operative inclines his head to someone on the other side of the door, a person who must step aside, and then the man’s gone. Nothing left to indicate his presence save the water, which Simon quickly gulps down. Intuition tells him the man wasn’t lying when he advised Simon to drink quickly, the water could have been poisoned or drugged, but those thoughts no longer plague him. They’d had ample opportunity for that if they wanted it and intravenous drugging worked better then oral anyhow.

The cold feeling settles back in his stomach and Simon forces himself to keep still as the innocuous smiling man walks through the door, nondescript save the blue gloves adorned on his hands. His presence starts up a tremor that Simon has to tense his entire body not to show as the door whooshes back into place and the blue-gloved-man turns his smile on Simon.