Skull and Dagger

Gerard gave Frank a sympathetic look as he stepped from the empty storage room they were using as the ‘brig’ for Quinn and his associates.

The normal brig had been taken up by all the surviving attackers.

“Any of the prisoners talk?” Frank asked, already knowing the answer.

“No,” Gerard shook his head. “They say they don’t know who hired them.”
Frank sighed. “Not surprising,” he agreed before turning back to look at the door he’d just exited.

“Not a task I envy you,” Gerard commented simply, taking in the furious expression on Frank's face.

“Some day when you’re captain…” Frank countered.

Gerard shook his head. “Not for a long while, mate,” he insisted.

Frank raised an eyebrow at that. “You could take the derelict as yours,” he commented, removing a cigarette from the silver case he kept in his pocket and lighting it up. He let out a little relieved sigh and breathed out a stream of warm smoke.

“I could,” Gerard agreed, “but then who would watch your back?”

Frank shrugged. “I'd work it out.” He watched the smoke in the air thoughtfully for a minute. “You’d make a good captain,” he finally commented. “Did a great job arming the men before you checked out that ship. If you hadn't’a done that…”

Gerard nodded grimly.

“Now,” Frank said with a coy little smile, “don't you have a woman round here somewhere that deserves your time much more then I do?”

Gerard cracked a wide grin at that as well. “Can’t imagine what I’m thinking,” he joked lightly, “hanging around your ugly face instead…”

Frank chuckled slightly before turning to head back to his quarters. “That's quite a woman you’ve got yourself, mate,” were his parting words. “I'd tell her before you lose her…” He vanished into his room.

“You, too,” Gerard commented under his breath before returning to his own wonderful world of Elizabeth…