Hey guys. Sorry I've neglected you, but I've had no internet access due to a bubblehead of a housemate (but I'm not going into that because I'll just get annoyed lol!) Anyway, enjoy!
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As the officers filed out of Halcón's cabin, Gillpoyo stopped and leant in for a quiet word.

"What do you want to do with las madrileñas until we reach Oro Negro, capitán?"

"Nothing. I see no reason to deprive them of work while we still need hands."

"And the americanos? Mulder, Benson, Bosworth, Van Müller? We still need to find out what they know about that key. From the way Van Müller is acting, I believe Oro Negro is important in some way."

Halcón considered. "Yes… We need to find out what they know." His hand wondered to the pocket where he had secured the key, after the escapade during the storm where it had nearly been lost, and drew it out. "I don't think-" he stopped short and stared. His eyes remained fixed on the key in his hand, but filled with panic and confusion. "Gillpoyo," he said, very slowly. "This is not the key."

"Cómo? (What?)" Suddenly forgetting all protocol, he snatched it from Halcón's hand. "No lo creo… (I don't believe it…) Somebody must have switched the real key with this one!"

Halcón regarded him for a moment, then realisation dawned and his expression clouded over with a fury to rival that of the storm. His voice became disturbingly quiet. "Gillpoyo, venga conmigo. (Come with me.) I know exactly who it was."

Halcón burst through out of the cabin with Gillpoyo in hot pursuit. He spied the culprit off to his left, swabbing the deck. He was upon her before she even had time to look up. He knocked the mop out of her hands and sent it clattering to the ground. Grabbing her viciously by the throat he pulled her face to within inches of his own. When he spoke, his voice was a low rumbling growl.

"Listen to me you worthless puta, I know you have my key, where is it?"

Soledad raised her hands to his, trying to loosen the grip on her neck.

"I don't know what you mean captain."

With a roar of frustration, Halcón threw her to the ground and brought his foot down on her chest, applying pressure and causing Soledad to struggle for every breath. She writhed and clawed at his boot, but the harder she tried to move it, the harder he pressed down. The commotion attracted the attention of some nearby crew, among them Mulder, who stepped forward and strained to understand what was happening. As he looked on in alarm, Halcón dropped down beside Soledad and pulled her up roughly by the collar, to back-hand her across the face and let her fall back onto the hard deck.

"Dónde está la clave? (Where is the key?) I know you have it!"

Soledad was coughing and rolling onto her side, and somehow still protesting, in indecipherable Spanish. Gillpoyo stepped forward to join his captain; when he dealt her a kick to the side of head, Mulder snapped.

"Stop!" he blurted, rushing forward. And to the surprise of all those watching, they did stop. There were several lengthy and tense moments of silence. Mulder swallowed.

"She doesn't have it."

Rising slowly to his feet, Halcón regarded Mulder for a second before stepping forward.

"And how would you know this, chico?" Mulder paused, floundering for a response. In the background, Soledad was struggling to sit up; Gillpoyo tried to push her back down, but she brushed him off forcefully.

"Jódete, gilipollas."

Meanwhile Mulder had found his voice.

"Because I have it."

Halcón was on him in an instant.

"Cómo?"

"I have the key," Mulder repeated. "I'm the one who stole it."

The panic was evident on Soledad's face.

"Qué haces? (What are you doing?)" she said, stumbling upright, forgetting that Mulder couldn't understand her.

Yelena, who had been listening intently from somewhere at the back of the crowd, chose this moment to push her way through and come to Mulder's aid. She grabbed his arm.

"What the hell are you doing?" she hissed through gritted teeth. He simply shrugged her off.

"I stole it from you during the storm."

"No he didn't," Yelena interrupted. "He was too busy being sick to do anything." Mulder glared at her as Soledad broke forward.

"Yes, it was me and Yelena. He had nothing to do with it."

But Mulder was having none of it. "It was me, Captain. They're just saying that to protect me."

"No," Yelena insisted, "he's the one doing the protecting, it was us all along and you know it!"

"No it wasn't!"

"Yes it was!"

"No it wasn't!"

Soledad leant on one hip, away from Mulder and Yelena, and rolled her eyes with exasperation.

Halcón clearly felt the same way about the exchange he was witnessing.

"Basta ya! Enough! As far as I'm concerned, you're all as guilty as each other! Throw them in the brig!"

Mulder tried a frantic, last ditch attempt at exonerating Soledad and Yelena. He pulled the key from his pants pocket.

"Look it's here! I have it!"

Halcón shot him a look of pure disdain.

"Oh, how heroic," he replied sarcastically, and snatched the key out of his hand.

The sudden emptiness in Mulder's hand was compensated for by Gillpoyo's fist, pummelling his stomach. He doubled over with a groan as all the air was forced from his lungs, but was quickly wrenched upright, only to be dealt another blow by Gillpoyo. Gritting his teeth, Mulder stood once more, but before he could be struck again, landed a swift, hard right hook to Gillpoyo's face, sending him sprawling backwards. He shot a triumphant look toward Soledad and Yelena, who were both being retrained by other members of the crew, but still managed to grin at him in order to convey their approval of his actions. His success was short lived however, as Halcón brought a wooden post down on the back of his head, knocking him unconscious.

"Take them away," Halcón commanded with a sweep of his hand, and two men grabbed an arm each and dragged Mulder in the direction of the brig, followed by a struggling Soledad and Yelena.

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Hope you enjoyed it, prob going to add another post, just hope we get some more reviewd!
Lily & Sirocco
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