Detained

"I will not let you destroy this family!"

Simon Tam looked at his father, slightly amused, somewhat annoyed, and absolutely still. Without the betrayal of a smile, Simon replied evenly, "I didn't realize it was that easy."

"I wouldn't dare take that flippant tone if I were you, son!"

For a fleeting second, Simon expected his father to strike him then and there. But, what sort of impression would that leave of his father while they were still in the penitentiary.

Simon had argued the same case he fought for the last four months – his sister was in trouble and he needed to help her. In the beginning, his parents dismissed it the same way they did anything else that wasn't seriously important to them. This time, however…

"Dad," he said, continuing his protest, "I- I didn't do anything."

"You were in a blackout zone!" Gabriel shook his head. 'This is a slippery slope young man. You have no idea how far down you can go."

"Meaning what?" Simon asked, not listening for an answer as his mind raced with yet another plan to meet with the informants in the alley located in the blackout zone. He had enough credits left with him to buy-.

"We're going home," Gabriel Tam said.

Simon shook his head, focused on rethinking an item of his plan.

"You're coming home, now," his father said, grabbing Simon's arm none too gently.

It was raining when they made it to the parking area. Simon noticed the family driver, Benat, waiting for them, without an umbrella. Why it didn't register with Simon until it was too late, he didn't know as his father steered him to the back of the car.

Benat punched him in the stomach with enough force that Simon doubled over in pain. One arm wrapped around his stomach, struggling to regain his breath, as the other went up to block any more hits. Instead, Benat grabbed the offered elbow, twisted it in the direction of the now opened back door of the car, and pushed Simon in.

Simon responded by kicking wildly at Benat while reaching for the other door on the driver's side. His father entered the front passenger seat, grabbed both of his son's wrists and pulled him towards the front. Benat closed the door before climbing behind the wheel. Simon continued to struggle against his father's grasp until Benat delivered a second punch to the stomach.

His wrists released, Simon curled up in a fetal position, fighting to breathe, fighting to make sense of what was happening. He turned to look up at his father. "T- This…is…k-…kidn-!"

"Kidnapping?" Gabriel finished for him. "Taking you home isn't kidnapping, son." Before Simon could say anything else, Benat struck him in the jaw.

The last thing he saw was the rain, sparkling against the streetlights.