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Tallinn had never liked Jack.
She didn’t like the look of him, his too-big jaw, his carefully-cultivated stubble, his smarmy grin. It wasn’t that she didn’t like Americans; she’d met plenty who were perfectly fine. But she didn’t like Jack.
Jack was an Air Force pilot bucking for admission to the space program. Tallinn was convinced he had set his sights on Renee for reasons related to that as much as any attraction he might have to her. She wasted no time in monitoring his texts and learning his intentions toward her charge. Whilst his words only revealed the usual meatheaded proclamations – “I’m gonna hit that” – she was convinced he was no good, and was a bit frustrated that Renee’s endearing tendency to believe the best of people seemed to deter her from rejecting him as soundly as he clearly deserved.
Humans had a word for men like him: douchebag. But more to the point, something in Tallinn’s gut told her that he was actually a danger.
And yes, of course. Of course it had occurred to her that she was simply jealous because Renee seemed to respond to his broad shoulders and cheesy charisma. But Tallinn had watched Renee in a number of relationships by now, and had generally found it in herself to be glad that someone was loving her, if perhaps not as deeply or appreciatively as Tallinn felt she deserved.
She sat now, watching them on a date. He’d taken them to an obviously expensive French place in a clear bid to impress her. It was their third date, and Talinn knew from monitoring his texts that he was getting a bit impatient to go to bed with her. She also knew from Renee’s texts to one of her close friends that she was finally beginning to have some misgivings about him: Of course he’s hot, but I don’t know… doesn’t it bother you when a man seems so goal oriented about sleeping with you?
Goal oriented, to Tallinn’s mind, was a nice way of saying “pushy.”
She could listen in, but she chose not to. The visual was, frankly, nauseating enough: Jack was overly solicitous and Tallinn could smell the testosterone from across the street as he attempted to order for her, dominate the conversation and pontificate about god knew what. Renee listened boredly through his speechifying through the hors d'oeuvre course. About halfway through the entree, what looked like duck a l’orange with haricots verts, Renee finally seemed bothered enough by something coming out of Jack’s mouth that she straightened up in her chair, and with furrowed eyebrows, leaned forward and challenged him.
The back and forth between them grew more heated over the next several minutes. Tallinn’s stomach tightened as she watched the escalation. Jack’s fists were balled up in his lap underneath the table.
And then Renee stood up, tossed her drink in his face, and stormed out.
Tallinn watched her march down the sidewalk in her silvery high-heeled shoes, away from the restaurant. It took a great deal not to cross the road and offer comfort. The disappointment in her face was clear even at this distance. Of course, she couldn’t do that.
Renee could have gotten in a taxi, but Talinn could see her tugging on her ear the way she did when she was feeling overwhelmed. She probably just needed to walk it off for a bit. Renee was not generally someone who threw drinks in peoples’ faces, so whatever he said must have upset her quite a lot. Tallinn gave her enough distance before strolling casually after her in the same direction, most likely toward home.
A good ten minutes went by, walking away from the restaurant district into a more residential area that was less well-lit, and whose streets were a bit narrower. Tallinn’s instincts didn’t care for that decision one bit. Her senses seemed to intensify; she was far enough behind Renee that she shouldn’t be able to hear her sharp footsteps on the pavement, but she could. The scents of this part of town –– car engines and cut grass–– were sharp in her nostrils. Her eyes fixed on Renee’s sylph-like shape, so intently she could practically see the wrinkles in her cocktail dress.
She heard Jack’s footsteps behind her, and her adrenaline ticked upwards. She knew it was him. She smelled his cheap cologne or body spray or whatever it was he wore. It was perfectly rancid and overly masculine, not unlike his personality.
He blew past Tallinn a moment later in pursuit of Renee. Tallinn picked up her pace as she watched him disappear down the street.
Renee disappeared around a corner, and Talinn’s heart began to hammer in her chest. She broke into a jog, following Jack’s loud footsteps as he disappeared around the same corner a moment later.
She heard Renee shout, “What the hell is wrong with you?”
Tallinn shifted to a run and pounded down the sidewalk, blood roaring in her ears. This was the reason she was sent here; to watch over Renee, to keep her safe. No good could come of whatever was happening around that blind corner.
As she hurried nearer, she heard Jack’s voice: “You just plan on playing with me forever? What, you think you’re better than me?”
In fact, Tallinn thought, she is better than you.
“I don’t think you see me as a whole person! I can’t sleep with someone who doesn’t see me as a whole person!”
“You’re a whole bitch!” he shot back.
Tallinn was ready to murder him just for that.
“Let go of me!”
Tallinn’s heart pounded in her ears, in her chest, in her guts, somehow all at the same time. This was her mission, her life’s purpose. She was called upon to intervene and the need to do so was all but woven into her DNA.
She rounded the corner and found Jack pinning Renee against the stucco wall of an apartment building, growling, “You’ve been wasting my time.”
“Jack, get off me!”
“Hey!” Tallinn shouted as she charged toward them. “Why don’t you get your filthy paws off her… Jack, is it?”
He turned to her, sneering. “This isn’t your business, lady.”
Urgency is plastered across Renee’s face. “Is this guy bothering you?” Tallinn asks, knowing full well that he is.
Renee nods. “Very much so, yes.”
Tallinn walks closer, staring him down. She has one hand in her pocket, fingers closed around the smooth device that will administer a brutal electrical shock if she presses it into his skin.
Jack steps back from her. “Just get the fuck out of here, this isn’t your concern.”
“Or what?” Tallinn challenges.
The question seems to surprise him for a second. He scoffs. “Are you kidding me? What are you gonna do?”
Tallinn had known his type; flyboys who thought they were invincible because well, they were. They often paid no consequences for their bad behavior. She was not impressed by anything she saw. Renee’s eyes were now fixed on Tallinn as she moved closer to him.
Tallinn decided to skip the electrical shock. He was the type that needed an old-fashioned beating to comprehend the word “no.” There was also too much adrenaline coursing through her and it needed someplace to go.
He was a full head taller than her. It didn’t matter. Before he could blink, she punched him in the throat, sent a knee into his stomach, and then kicked his legs out from under him. The impact in her body was so satisfying, mollifying the panicked chemicals in her blood.
She kicked him a few times more. It felt awfully good. He was a fit specimen, but he had been not at all prepared for what he was receiving in no small part because of his chronic underestimation of women. She stopped and looked over at Renee while he lay on the sidewalk, groaning in pain.
Renee stood there, stunned, terrified, amazed, impressed. Her face was registering too many things at once.
“Should I stop?” Tallinn asked, her chest heaving.
Renee couldn’t seem to form an answer.
“Or, shall I dislocate his jaw and then stop?”
Renee smiled nervously. Talinn smiled back, and then stomped on his face. His jaw popped satisfyingly under her foot. He yelled again.
She put her hands on her hips and looked down at him disdainfully. “Now, you’ll make sure to stay away from her, or I’ll make sure everyone you’ve ever met finds out you had your ass handed to you by a woman half your size and twice your age.”
He lay on the sidewalk, groaning. He couldn’t even properly cuss her out because he was evidently in too much pain.
Talinn looked over at Renee, who leaned back against the wall, trembling. “Thank you,” she finally said, breathless.
This was the closest she had ever stood to Renee, except once or twice when Renee was a little girl. Certainly the closest she had stood to her since she had begun to feel… well, it didn’t matter. “Can I put you in a cab or something?” Tallinn offered, trying to sort out her exit strategy.
Renee looked around for a moment, seeming suddenly disoriented. “I… oh, yes I suppose I should go home.”
Tallinn nodded. “All right, well, I suggest we head back toward the boulevard.”
Renee nodded and fell into step with Tallinn as they walked back together the way they had come separately.
She was only doing her job, Tallinn thought. She was only doing exactly what she had been sent here to do, protect Renee from harm. Still, she felt more than a twinge of guilt at the fact that she was now walking beside her, that she had looked her in the eye.
“So, uh,” Renee asked after a block or two of silence, “was that Krav Maga or something?”
“Or something,” Tallinn answered. She wasn’t supposed to say too much or give herself away.
“So you’re going to be mysterious about it?”
Tallinn smiled. “It’s called Llaekh-ae'rl.”
“And you learned this where,” Renee speculated, “Israeli special forces or something?”
“Israeli? Are you sure about that guess?” Her inquisitiveness was going to run this entire thing into a ditch. What a delightful way to go.
Renee shrugged. “Not entirely. I can’t place your accent, but it’s not quite American. I’m not a linguist, but Llaekh-ae'rl sounds like it could be a Hebrew word, maybe. I know that the Mossad has several fighting styles apart from Krav Maga. That sounds like it could be one.”
Her bright eyes inspected Tallinn now; nothing aroused Renee’s curiosity like a mystery, after all. Tallinn sighed. It wasn’t as if she could explain that it was a Romulan street-fighting style among the array of styles taught to the Tal Shiar's agents. “All right, you’ve got me. And in case you were wondering, the translation of that name to English is ‘laughing murder.’”
“Laughing murder? Well, that’s not disturbing at all.”
“See? Now you’ve learned something.”
“Well, then I guess the evening wasn’t a total waste.”
Renee was clearly still shaken, but even at that moment, her spirit was not easily broken. Even at that moment, the flow of conversation was too easy.
The evening was cool, and Renee’s cocktail dress wasn’t offering much warmth. Tallinn however, was wearing layers, so she took off her jacket —a half-length belted trench coat— and offered it to Renee. Whether she was shivering from cold or shock, it didn’t matter. The gesture seemed to comfort her.
“Thanks. I swear, you’re like my guardian angel.”
You have no idea, Tallinn thought. “I was in the right place at the right time,” she said dismissively.
“Yes, but you also did the right thing. Not everyone would have.”
“I’ll bet you would have,” Tallinn parried.
“I’d have tried,” Renee chuckled weakly. “But since I don’t know Krav Maga–“
“Llaekh-ae'rl.”
“—Llaekh-ae'rl, pardon me— I don’t think I’d have been quite as helpful.”
“You strike me more as a sneak up behind them and whack them with a tire iron sort of girl.”
Renee snorted. “I suppose. I mean, what do you expect, I’m a scientist. We’re not generally known for our combat prowess.”
Tallinn was trying to avoid looking at Renee dead on. She feared that her eyes would give her away. She feigned surprise at Renee’s revelation. “Oh, a scientist? Me too.”
“Stop. You are not.”
“Well some people aren’t meant to stay in the military forever.” Tallinn had done her time in the Tal Shiar before being chosen as a Watcher. She had been more than thrilled at the opportunity to get away from work that had been feeling more pointless the longer she spent doing it.
“I don’t know, you seem like you were probably quite good at it.”
Tallinn gestured vaguely. “Eh, I was. But… more to life than that, isn’t there. The universe is vast and beautiful and filled with strange and terrible and wonderful things.”
“And in the military, you spend much of your time trying to blow them up?” Renee prodded.
Tallinn laughed quietly. “Yes, that’s … not inaccurate.”
“And now?”
“A scientist. Involves 95% less ass-beatings.”
Rene chuckles. “So, are you going to ever tell me your name?”
They’d reached the boulevard. Tallinn hailed a taxi that slowed down and pulled up to the curb. “In fairness, you’ve never asked it.” She opened the door of the cab to let Renee into it. “Your chariot awaits.”
Renee took hold of her wrist. “Come with me. I… I’d rather not be alone now and I could use a good, stiff drink or five. Surely I can tempt you to join me? I need to thank you properly.” She gazed entreatingly at Tallinn; she needed company. She wanted Tallinn’s company.
Talinn hated herself for the way her heart skipped at this. She should have declined politely. “I mean … I could see you home…”
“Yes, see me home. But know that we’re stopping for drinks along the way.”
Renee slid into the cab, and yanked Tallinn in after her. As she scooted across the back seat, Renee said, “So, are you ever going to tell me your name?”
“It’s Tallinn.”
“Tallinn.” Even in the dark of the taxi, her eyes sparkle. “I knew it. That’s Israeli, isn’t it. It’s got to be. Am I right?”
Tallinn smiled at her. “Where are we going? I’m not going to an unknown destination with a complete stranger, you know. That’s the first thing they teach you.”
“In the Mossad?”
“In kindergarten.”
Renee actually laughed out loud at that. “My name’s Renee. And we’re going to go get hammered now at a small, cozy little bar in Redondo, if that’s all right.”
“That sounds delightful.”
It’s rare that one can pinpoint the exact moment of their undoing. But that moment, the moment she agreed to get into the taxi with Renee Picard, was the moment that Tallinn was well and truly fucked. She had fallen into Renee’s close orbit, had no exit strategy, and she was headed toward the sun.