Chicago

They stood across the street, atop a building that housed one of many Starbucks within the city limits.  All eyes were on the deli that resided down below.

“What are we waiting for?” Cheshire asked impatiently.  She was dressed from head to toe in a black body suit.  Her flowing black hair was tied up into a bun.  “If we don’t act soon, it’ll be morning and then we’re fucked.”

“I’m doing reconnaissance of the immediate area,” Captain Atom, looking through a set of binoculars, responded.  “I’m trying to gauge how much resistance you’ll encounter inside, Jade.”

“That’s all well and fine, except for the fact that I haven’t seen one single person in an hour.”

“That doesn’t mean they aren’t there.  This place is supposed to be a regional stronghold for the Strong Arm of Humanity.  That makes it important.  There may be security set up that can’t be seen with the naked eye.”

“Then I’ll deal with it as I go along,” Cheshire replied nonchalantly.

“It could be a trap.”

“With the lack of action I’ve seen in the past few weeks, I sure hope it is.”

Captain Atom looked to Cheshire.  The moonlight refracted off his silver skin.  “That’s entirely the wrong attitude for this mission.  If you’re caught inside—”

“I’ll kill all the witnesses.  Problem solved.”

“No, not problem solved!  Are you out of your—”

Doctor Polaris interjected himself between the assassin and the military man.  “Okay, guys, it’s getting a little heated.  Can’t we just get this over with and head back home?”

“We need to know what we’re up against,” Captain Atom said through gritted teeth.

“The binoculars you’re using are worth a half a million dollars.  There’s x-ray and thermo specs built in,” Emerson explained.  “Use them to scan the building.  If you don’t find anything with those, then it’s time to move in.  Agreed?”

“You’re the last person I expected to be the voice of reason,” Cheshire said to Emerson.  He nodded his agreement.  Cheshire turned to Captain Atom, who was once more studying the deli through the binoculars.  “Do you see anything?”

Atom hesitated.  “No.”

Cheshire grabbed the duffel bag she had brought with her.  “Then I’m on.  I’m staying radio silent the duration of the intrusion but I’ll let you know if I need back up.”

“I get to play your knight in shining armor?” Emerson asked.  His helmet was masking the smile that Cheshire knew was there.

She flashed him one in return.  “Not if I can help it…but you never know.  Today might be your lucky day.”

XXX

Cheshire America's Personal Meta-Team...


:Division of Checkmate

“King/Queen of the Mountain”

Part Three - Breaking and Entering

Task Force X #10 - September, Year Five by Matt Hrubey


XXX

The Citadel

Inside Mission Control, there was a flurry of activity.  Technicians and problem solvers, all Checkmate affiliated, went about their jobs, working to make sure that operations were successful and fatality rates were zero.  Sometimes they succeeded; sometimes they failed.  However, neither outcome dissuaded these Checkmate grunts from putting forth anything but their greatest effort.

Overseeing their actions currently was a woman that produced fear in them all.  Her reputation preceded her and spoke of both her tactical genius and unfeeling savagery.  Every single man and woman working below the platform Amanda Waller stood on avoided the White Queen when they could.  They preferred to keep their jobs and their dignity in tact.

Thanks to communications devices implanted in their costumes, Waller had been eavesdropping on the entire conversation Task Force X had had atop the rooftop.  She shook her head at their bickering and at Emerson’s blatant sexual innuendo.  They didn’t understand the severity of what this mission meant for the country.  Of course, she was partially to blame for that.  Waller had downplayed the Strong Arm of Humanity and their overall goals.  They wouldn’t rest until every meta on the planet had been wiped out.  If the existence of such a radical organization were to go public, the public relations backlash would be outrageous and the country would go crazy.  People would die; anarchy would prevail.  That couldn’t be allowed to happen.

The doors at her back hissed open.  “And this is the final stop on the tour,” the voice of Sergeant Steel, the Black King, said.  “Mission Control.”

“Impressive.”

Waller stiffened.  She was here.  The Wall turned slowly and glimpsed the beautiful blonde, whose eyes drifted from wall to wall, taking in the interior of the room.  Amanda wanted to growl in anger for allowing herself to be manipulated; for giving permission to let her lead Task Force X, much less be on the squad at all.  But it had happened and now she was here.

Dinah Lance.  The Black Canary.

Waller plastered the fakest smile she could muster on her lips.  Then she moved to the former Leaguer’s side and extended her hand.  “Dinah, I’m glad you decided to take Sarge up on his offer.  I look forward to seeing what your experience will do for Task Force X.”

Taking her hand reluctantly, Dinah responded, “It’s good to see you again, Waller.”

“Where are we at with the op, Amanda?” Steel interjected.

“Cheshire is moving in now,” she replied.  “Polaris and Captain Atom are staying back, giving her room to work, but they’re ready to intervene at a moment’s notice.”

Steel nodded.  “Hopefully that won’t be necessary.”

“Yes, hopefully.”

Dinah was scanning the multitude of screens lining the walls of Mission Control.  “What’s the mission?” she asked.

“You’ll be briefed once you get settled in,” Waller replied.  “As team leader, I will expect you to be up to date on everything that’s going on.  The situation is potentially critical so the sooner you get changed and read through the files the better.”

“I’ll work on it right away,” Dinah said.  “If someone could show me to my room.”

Waller snapped her fingers and a female agent appeared at her side.  “Yes, ma’am?”

“Take Black Canary here to her quarters on the third floor and then report back,” Waller instructed.  “Understood?”

“Yes, ma’am,” the agent replied.  She turned to Dinah.  “If you’ll follow me.”  She then proceeded to complete her duty.

Dinah made eye contact with Steel as she passed by him.  He could see the worry in her eyes clear as day.  In response, he gave her a confident nod that told her everything would be okay.  Then she was gone from sight.

“I can’t believe you got her,” Waller said.  She had turned back to the screens, no longer looking at the Black King.

“I can be persuasive when I need to be,” the response was.

“Did she have any problems with team members when she found out who they were?”

“She had some concerns about Polaris given his criminal and psychological histories and about Cheshire given their combined pasts,” Steel explained, “but I’m confident she can work through any issues she has.  She had no qualms about Atom or Dugan.”

“Speaking of Dugan.  Some things happened while you were in Gotham.  Dugan is—”

“Right here,” a voice interrupted.

Waller and Steel turned to find Patrick Dugan standing inside the Mission Control, a sour look on his face.  He was without the S.T.R.I.P.E. armor.

“You shouldn’t be here,” Waller stated bluntly.

“Yes, why aren’t you on the op with the rest of the team?” Steel asked.  His eyebrows were raised and he had the feeling he was missing something.

“Well, sir, as Waller said, some things have happened in your absence,” Dugan explained.  “I was wondering if we could talk.”

“Sure, that’s no problem.”

“In private.”  Dugan was gazing directly at Waller when he said those two words.  Waller was staring daggers through Dugan for his blatant disregard of her orders.  The nerve of him!

Steel spared a glance at Waller before he followed Dugan out.  He could feel the tension in the air.

Frustrated, Waller turned back to the screens.  “Somebody get me a status report!” she exclaimed.


XXX

Chicago

The front door wasn’t even an option.  There was no telling what kind of security measures were in place.  The place was a deli, but if what that deli was hiding was as important as Waller claimed it to be, a simple breaking and entering wasn’t going to get the job done.  This was all about stealth and finesse.  That was why Cheshire had been chosen for the initial intrusion.  Doctor Polaris and Captain Atom were more blow through the front door kind of guys, so in the end, the options for this mission were really rather limited.

Cheshire didn’t mind though.  It had been a while since she had had the chance to use the skills she had learned.  The martial arts was one thing and the knowledge of poisons quite another, but this mission was all about sticking to the shadows and being covert.

The blueprints of the building found by the Department of Meta-Human Affairs had been old, but looking at the deli now, Cheshire doubted many, if any, renovations had been done.  There was an outside entrance to the ventilation system that fed out into the alleyway next to the building.  That was the point of entrance.

Pulling out the screwdriver she had hidden in her cleavage, Cheshire went to work on prying open the cover to the ventilation shaft.  It was far easier than she had expected it to be.  These people were just asking for someone to break in and steal their secrets.  She gave a thumbs up to Captain Atom, who she knew had been following her progress since she left him and Emerson on the rooftop across the street.  With that, she slid inside.

The shaft was dusty and disgusting, but she thought nothing of it.  She began inhaling and exhaling solely through her nose to keep from ingesting the particles that were stirred up as she moved.  The blueprints had been sketchy on the exact path she would need to take once inside the shaft, but she figured she would find her way soon enough.  The building wasn’t that big.

She came to the first exit and looked down through the grating.  Down below, the room was dark.  Letting her eyes adjust fully to the darkness, she scanned what little of the area she could see.  There was nothing there that she didn’t expect to find in a deli: a display case, a register, and a few tables and chairs.  There didn’t seem to be any security system to speak of. 

Carefully lifting the grate, she slipped down.  She crouched as she hit the floor, making no sound whatsoever.  Thus far everything seemed legit.  However, as Cheshire had learned in the past, looks could most definitely be deceiving.

She slipped through the deli interior, careful not to touch anything or trip any of the number of alarms that could be in place.  Moving through a door behind the register, Cheshire found herself in the kitchen.  There was a cooler off to one side and a door in the way back that led outside.  If there was a secret entrance to a basement level, it would be in this room.  It was just a matter of finding it.

XXX

Across the street, Doctor Polaris had taken up the watch and Captain Atom had taken up pacing.  He passed back and forth behind Emerson, who looked irritably over his shoulder.

“What is taking her so long?”

“Chill out, Nate,” Emerson responded.  “She’s been inside the lion’s den for ten minutes.”

Captain Atom shook his head furiously.  “We’re missing something here.”

“Like what?”

“Waller was too vague on the details.”

“You think she’s trying to hide something?”

“This is Amanda Waller we’re talking about, Neal.  Of course, she’s hiding something.  It’s just a matter of what it is and how damaging it’s going to be when we find it out.  Jade could be in trouble and we wouldn’t even know it out here.”

Setting his gaze back on the deli, Emerson responded.  “If there’s one thing I’ve learned about Cheshire in the past few months, it’s that she can take care of herself.  I wouldn’t be too worried.”


XXX

The Citadel

It was…quaint.  That was the only word Dinah could use to describe her quarters.  She had bigger closets in the past than her new living space.  The walls were bland, the carpet even blander.  Her bags, which had been brought up by a Checkmate agent whose name she hadn’t gotten, were sitting at the end of her bed, waiting to be unpacked.  Overall, the situation wasn’t appealing, but she had given her word to Steel that she would stick around for a little while so he didn’t lose total control.  Not that she knew how her presence was going to help in that arena.

Dinah had just opened her suitcase and pulled out the infamous fishnets when there was a knock at the door.  She moved across the too small space and opened the door.  Surprise, surprise, it was someone else she didn’t know.  The female agent said nothing but handed Dinah a file that she gladly accepted.  The agent then turned tail and left.

Dinah shook off the strange encounter and closed the door.  She had reading to do and, from the appearance of the file, a lot of it to accomplish.  She would be damned if she were going to look unprepared and unprofessional in front of Waller.  That bitch would be on the look out for anything to belittle Dinah with.  The Canary wasn’t going to give her the chance to find something.

“The Strong Arm of Humanity?” Dinah asked as she read the first page in the file.  “What a stupid name.”

XXX

“What’s up, Patrick?”

“She fired me.”

“What?  Who?”

“Waller.  She fired me.”

Steel took a seat behind his desk and rubbed his head.  “And?”

“And what?  The bitch fired me!”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I was under the impression that you were here against your will.”

Dugan took a seat too.  “Yeah, I am.  And your point?”

Steel put his hand up to halt the conversation.  “Hold the phone.  You didn’t want to be a part of Task Force X and you only did so because Waller blackmailed you.  Right?”

“Right.”

“And now she’s fired you.  You can go back home without any problem.  Right?”

“Well, that’s debatable but—”

”Then what’s the problem, Patrick?”

“My kids,” he said.  “It was my kids.”

Steel cocked an eyebrow.  “What was your kids?”

“The blackmail.  She threatened to hurt my son and stepdaughter if I didn’t join Task Force X.”

Steel sat forward in his chair.  “She threatened your kids?”

“On several occasions, yeah.  How am I just supposed to walk away when Waller could still get at Courtney and Mike?  It’s not like they’re making themselves hard to find.  They’re both a part of Young Justice.”

Steel sat back, shaking his head in disbelief.  “She threatened to harm your kids,” he said.  It was a statement, not a question.

“Yeah.  And then after all that, she fired me.”

“That was my doing.”

“What?” Dugan asked.

“I’m not blind, Patrick.  I saw that you were…are unhappy.  I figured Waller had something on you, but I never anticipated it being the lives of your children,” Steel explained.  “I told Amanda that I wouldn’t tolerate blackmail in Checkmate and that she had to lay off you.  Apparently, she took that literally.”

“What am I supposed to do now?  Waller has resources.  She can launch an attack against my kids anytime she chooses.”

“You want to stay?”

“As much as it kills me, yes.  I want Waller where I can reach her.”

Steel nodded.  “Understandable.  I have a solution then.  You’re unfired.”

“Waller doesn’t want me on the squad.”

“You aren’t going to be a part of Task Force X.  I’m going to hire you as my Bishop.”  Seeing the confusion on Dugan’s face, he explained.  “The job of a Bishop is to gather information and be my go-to person.  I trust you, Patrick, and I couldn’t think of anyone else better for the job.”

“You want me to be your Bishop?”

“I do.  It’s an upgrade really.  Each member of Task Force X is technically classified as achieving Knight status.  That in turn is a step above Pawn, which is all the people you see around the Citadel and some undercover agents that are out in the field gathering intelligence.”

“And you want me to be your Bishop?”

Steel nodded.  “It’s a solution to both our problems.  It’ll allow you to stay in the Citadel and keep an eye on Waller.  And it will also give me someone else to trust.  I’ve already hired Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, as my own personal Knight.  Between the three of us, we’re going to make sure that Waller doesn’t overstep her bounds in this new Checkmate that the President was so adamant in creating.”

Dugan nodded to convey his understanding.

“So what do you say?” Steel asked.  “Do you accept?”

XXX
Chicago

The door was in the cooler.  It took some time to find, more than Cheshire would have preferred, but she quickly made her way down the staircase that led to the basement below.

Where the deli above was homely and in need of repairs, the base below was state of the art.  The walls were metal and the entire room clean, almost sterile even.  This first room she passed through was a conference room, made evident by the long rectangular table and chairs placed around it.  Moving past it, Cheshire took in her surroundings.  She needed a computer.

She found several in the next room.  Computers were spaced periodically around the perimeter of the makeshift Situation Room, but that wasn’t what grabbed Jade’s attention.  Directly across from her was a wall length map of Northeast America.  On it were pictures and addresses, the identities of metas around the country.  These people, each and every one of them, were now targets.  Were they still alive?

Cheshire shook her head.  She couldn’t worry about that now.  All that mattered at the moment was the mission.

Reaching down into her cleavage once again, Cheshire withdrew a flash drive.  Sticking it into the nearest computer, she clicked the mouse of the computer and was met by the first obstacle.  The computer needed a password.  Fortunately, this barrier had been counted on and the flash drive was already working on bypassing the firewalls and security barricades within the computer mainframe.  She was actually impressed by the technology Checkmate had at its disposal.

The desktop appeared on the computer and Cheshire went to work.  She didn’t have an extensive background in computers, but she knew enough to get the job done.  She began working her way through the hard drive, copying every file she could to the flash drive.

That’s when she heard the footsteps.  They were faint but Cheshire was trained to notice even the smallest details.

She stiffened up and turned just as several armed men and women appeared in the room, guns trained on the intruder.

Cheshire looked each Strong Arm of Humanity member in the face and smiled.  “Your mistake.”

XXX

The Citadel

He stared at her and resisted the urge to attack her from behind.  Instead, Sergeant Steel chose to use words.  “You really don’t have a soul, do you?”

Waller glanced over her shoulder.  “I’m going to regret asking this, but what are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb.  You’re one of the smartest and most devious people I know.  You know damn well what I’m referring to.”

“So Dugan told you.”

Around the Royals, Checkmate agents went about their work methodically, one ear turned to the squabble about to take place.

“His kids, Amanda?  You used his kids to get him here?”

She said nothing, but the way she looked at the ground, Steel had his answer.

“Goddamn it!  Do you not get it?” Steel asked, his every syllable betraying his infuriation.  “Task Force X and Checkmate are not going to be successful if you are manipulating everyone!  Sure, they might fear you, but fear isn’t going to get the job done.”

“It’s worked for me so far.”

“I’m sure it has,” he retorted.  Steel rubbed his forehead.  “The President was out of his mind when he named you White Queen.”

“Or maybe he was right on target in choosing your successor, Sarge,” Waller responded.  “It makes sense and you know it.  Maybe you’ve been too lenient with the way you run things.  Maybe the President is looking for someone who will make a splash and get the organization functioning efficiently and effectively.  That’s something you can’t accomplish by being everybody’s friend.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I don’t?  I head up a federal department.  I am a Royal in this organization.  My name is known and feared through political and meta circles around the country, maybe even around the globe.  I get things done.”

“I won’t have you threatening children in your quest for results!”

“Is that why you’re mad?” Waller asked.  “Because I can feel good about using a person’s most prized possession against them?  Or is it because you didn’t think of it first?”

“How can you even suggest—?”

“This world that we live in isn’t black and white anymore.  There’s a lot of gray and I know how to solve gray.  No, I think what you’re really upset about is the fact that without me, Checkmate would be nothing.  If I hadn’t come to you last year, you would still be an alcoholic with no future.”

Steel was shaking in fury.

“You need me and my tactics,” Waller stated, “and it’s eating you up inside.  You know I’m right, but you can’t bring yourself to admit it.  Well, wake up and smell the coffee, Sarge!  This is a whole new ballgame.  Jump onboard or get the hell out of my way.”

XXX

Chicago

“That’s it,” Captain Atom said after a long period of silence.  “She’s been in too long.  I’m going in to get her.”

“And risk compromising the mission?” Polaris asked.  “You won’t do it.  Sit back down.”  Polaris was still looking through the binoculars.  “There’s nothing to give us even the suspicion that she’s under attack.”

“She shouldn’t be on radio silence!”

“That was her choice to make,” Emerson replied.

“She could be hurt!”

“I’m glad you care so much,” Cheshire said sarcastically as she hoisted herself onto the rooftop, “but as you can see, I’m alive and in one piece.”

Atom looked to Emerson for an explanation as to her surprise appearance.  Emerson shrugged.

“You guys should be more careful,” Cheshire said as she reached into her cleavage and withdrew the flash drive once more.  She handed it to Atom.  “Anyone could have snuck up on you.  You’re lucky that it was me.”

“The mission?” Atom asked.

“Accomplished.”

“Did you run into any resistance?”

Cheshire stared Atom directly in the eyes.  “Nope,” she lied.  “It was just little ole me.  Kind of pathetic really.  For a base that’s supposed to be as important as this one, I expected to find someone.”

XXX

Epilogue 1

The Citadel

They sat in near complete darkness, the only light coming from the desk lamp, which was on its lowest setting.

“I’m sorry to wake up both up so early—”

“I was still awake.”

“Well, that’s…that’s good for you, Dinah.”  Steel gathered his thoughts before speaking again.  “I wanted to have this meeting now, because I want it to stay on the down low.  Waller cannot know that we’re plotting against her or she’ll have an aneurysm and none of us need that.”

Dugan interjected, “Why don’t we just kill her?”

Dinah and Steel both turned to Dugan with awkward looks on their faces.

“What?” he asked.  “It’s a valid plan.”

“There will be no killing,” Steel said.  “We’re going to beat Amanda at her own game.  She thinks she can control everything behind the scenes, but we’re going to get there first.  When we’re done, she won’t know what hit her.”

“This sounds like more than professional jealousy,” Dinah observed.

“Waller needs to pay for the crimes she’s committed,” Steel responded, “and as my Knight and Bishop, I’m trusting that you will both help me bring about that justice.  Do either of you have a problem with that?”

Dugan shook his head.  Dinah did as well.

“Good.  Then let’s figure out how to take down Amanda Waller.”

XXX

Epilogue 2

Chicago

The sun was shining brightly as Preston Varner stepped into his deli.  Soon, the smell of fresh breads would waft throughout this place that he had worked so hard to build.  The thought brought a smile to his face.  That smile was not long in standing as a horrified woman appeared from the backroom.

“Oh my god, Preston!” she exclaimed.

“You know better than to be up here!” Preston exclaimed.  “What’s going on, Olivia?”

“You…you need to come downstairs.  Fast.”

With a hurried pace, Preston followed Olivia down the stairs to the lower level.  He knew something was wrong the moment he stepped into the conference room.  He passed through into the next room where he was halted in his tracks.

The blood was everywhere.  Preston recognized the mutilated bodies resting awkwardly on the floor as those of his closest friends.  His eyes began to water as he took in this atrocity that had been committed on his property.

“Sir,” Olivia said, motioning to the wall behind him.

Preston turned.

YOU DON’T KNOW WHO YOU’RE MESSING WITH, the wall said in the life liquid of the deceased Strong Arm members.

Olivia watched her commander to give her some idea of what she should do next.  The murders made her queasy and she didn’t want to be around the bodies anymore.

Preston reached into his pocket for his cell phone.  Flipping it open, he activated his speed dial and waited.

“What is it?” a voice asked seconds later.

“We have a problem, sir,” Preston responded.  “There’s been a break-in.”

Next Issue:  The mission was accomplished but was it worth it?  Did Checkmate get the information they were looking for or just a bunch of useless data?  How are Preston Varner and the Strong Arm of Humanity going to react to the atrocious murders of their brethren?  Find out as Oracle guest stars in “Encrypted!”

Story © 2008 Matt Hrubey and may not be reproduced without permission.