Disclaimer: I do not own Human Target and intend no copyright infringement.
~ for tree979 ~
The circumstances under which they first met were far from ideal.
Mildly put.
She was the kidnap victim and he was her warden.
When they brought her into the cellar, Guerrero noticed she was shivering. It grew worse during the night. He brought her water, a blanket, sent Joubert's newest pet project to get medicine. Didn't leave her side till she was better.
"We told her husband he'd get her back unharmed in exchange for the codes. Breaking that agreement would damage our reputation and badly influence future deals. If people think we won't keep our part of the deal, they'll go to the cops instead of playing along", he explained Joubert's boy.
She thanked him as he wiped sweat off her forehead. He didn't reply. Never talk to the victims.
"What's that called?", she asked another time, eyeing the complex knot he was tying with a single string, apparently to pass the time. This was way before Sudoku found its way into the western world.
Again, he didn't bother replying.
Years later, however, they met again.
And ended up in a cheap hotel room.
"I know now what it's called", she said after they were done. She reached into her purse and produced a piece of string, intricate knot in the middle. "It's a Rorschach knot, inspired by the silhouette of Rorschach inkblots." Her nimble fingers pulled at the cord. To Guerrero's utter surprise, it dissolved. Rorschach knots are not supposed to do that.
With impressive skill and speed, she retied the knot.
Into a Celtic Heart shape.
"Ever heard of Stockholm syndrome?", he asked her and got ready to leave. This had been a bad idea from the very beginning.
A couple of weeks later he ran into her again. This time she had news for him. And an ultrasound image.
Talk about unfathomable knots.