Qatar

Adnan Al-Ansari heard the screams and gunshots and knew that today may be the day he died. 

He sat in his office inside the palace that he had had built after he’d taken over power in Qatar.  The region was extremely unstable since his coronation and this palace had played host to many assassination attempts.  And with every new attempt on his life, Adnan felt the same feelings.  He was mortal.  He could die.  He knew fear.

Adnan stayed seated behind his desk.  There was no point in trying to escape now.  It was too late to save himself.

The screams and the gunfire continued until Adnan recognized them as being outside his office.  There was a slam against the door.  Then another as a foot sought to gain entrance for its owner.  Adnan had purposefully built his office doors of the thickest wood knowing that, as a ruler, he was a target.  However, how long the door would withstand a direct assault still remained to be seen.

And then he saw the enemy face to face.  The doors parted and allowed the man entrance.  The lower half of his face was covered by a bandana and he was clutching an Uzi for dear life.  Adnan knew the man more by reputation than anything else.  His name was Hayder and he had christened himself the leader of a local terrorist unit that existed to bring about human suffering.  He was a bad man, though Adnan had been called such before too.

“<Congratulations,>” Adnan said, rising from his seat.  “<Usually intruders never make it this far into the palace.  You must have planned exceptionally well.>”

“<Save your compliments,>” Hayder shot back, vehemently.  He stood before Adnan’s desk, his weapon pointed at the ruler’s forehead.  “<If you want any chance of surviving this confrontation, surrender your power.  If you refuse, you get a bullet to the brain.  Either way, you lose.  Decide quickly.>”

Adnan looked away.  He appeared as if he were contemplating the choice that had no right answer.

The smile that broke on his face frightened Hayder to his core.

“<You’re going to die,>” Hayder said, “<and yet you smile.  Why?>”

“<I’m not dying today,>” Adnan responded, still smiling.

The bullet whizzed by Adnan’s head and shattered the window.  It was meant as a warning shot to prove Hayder’s severity and determination.  To Adnan, it proved nothing but showing the man’s fear of losing control.  The ruler of Qatar began to laugh.

“<Stop it!>”

“I can see your fear.”

Hayder started.  His eyes darted around in every direction, looking for the source of the voice that had spoken directly into his head.  Hayder laid eyes on Adnan once more and wet his pants.  He knew immediately he should have avoided the palace altogether today.

“Are you scared for your life, terrorist?”

Hayder turned and ran as fast as his legs would take him.

“Stop!”

And Hayder did.  He halted in mid-step, nearly falling over in the process.  His mind and instincts were screaming for him to move forward but his legs were no longer under his control.  He looked over his shoulder and found that Adnan was nearly nose to nose with him.  The breath caught in his throat.

“Are you wondering how I’m doing this?  Speaking to you without actually speaking?  I have a power that I never told another living soul about.  With it, I can speak into your mind, I can control your motor functions, and…I can control what you think.”

Adnan Al-Ansari wrapped his hand around Hayder’s throat.

“<Please,>” Hayder whimpered.

“Shh,” Adnan ordered telepathically and Hayder could no longer speak.  “It’s time to die now.”


XXX

Cheshire America's Personal Meta-Team...


:Division of Checkmate

“Suicidal”

Part 1 of 2
Task Force X #12 - November, Year Five by Matt Hrubey


XXX


Washington, D.C.
The Citadel

The picture in Amanda’s hand showed the face of a man who, by her standards, was relatively attractive.  It was the face of a man who considered himself grander in the scheme of things than he truly was.  It was the face of a man who would soon be dead.

The knock at the door drew her attention away from the mission at hand.  She put down the picture.  “Yes, what is it?”

A woman sporting the Checkmate insignia on her shirt entered the room with a handful of papers.  She was cute in a homely manner with her unkempt hair pulled back into a ponytail and her face devoid of any and all make up.  “I have what you asked for, White Queen.”

“You managed to track him down?” Waller asked, her eyes moving back to the photograph.

“I believe so,” the female agent replied.  She laid down a small stack of papers on Waller’s desk and took a step back.  “I started the search with his country of Vlatava as you suggested, but found nothing.  I had one of our agents ask around.  It seems Count Vertigo is on an excursion through the Swiss Alps.”

“Sightseeing or running away?” Waller asked in reference to rumors of civil unrest as a result of Vlatava’s declining economy.

“Good question, White Queen,” the woman replied with the fakest of laughs Amanda had heard in a while.  She cleared her throat and went rigid.  “I, um…know this is probably me overstepping my bounds, but isn’t it time you found yourself a Bishop to help you with things around here?  You’re a busy woman and I’ve enjoyed helping you out, but I didn’t join Checkmate to be someone’s secretary.”

Amanda straightened up.  “You know, you’re right,” she said, “you are overstepping your bounds.  Get the hell out of my office now or you’re fired.”

The woman frowned and did as she was told.  “Bitch,” she muttered on her way out.

Amanda shook off the insolent words and picked up the phone on her desk.  She hit a button and the call went through immediately.  “This is the White Queen,” she said, interrupting the speaker on the other end.  “I need transportation.  Make it something fast.”
XXX

In mid-flight, Amanda put her ringing cell phone to her ear.  “What?” she asked.

“It’s Steel.”

“Yes, I know.  My caller ID told me that,” Waller responded harshly.  “Now, tell me something I don’t know or get off the line.  I’m busy at the moment.”

“Dinah and I are on our way back from Gotham.  We got the data from the Strong Arm files.  We need to plan our next step immediately.”

“When I return to the Citadel, it will be priority number one.”

“Where the hell are you?  This is important, Amanda!”

“DOMA business,” Amanda replied.  The lie streamed from her mouth without the slightest hesitation.  In her line of work, lying was an everyday occurrence and the Wall had gotten very good at it.  “I don’t know how long I’ll be so take a chill pill.”

“You’re a heartless bitch, Amanda.  Has anyone ever told you that?”

“Everyday, Sarge,” she muttered before hanging up the phone. 

She rubbed the stress from her eyes and took a deep, calming breath.  Between her duties as the White Queen of Checkmate and the Secretary of Meta-Human Affairs under the current presidential administration, Waller had plenty on her plate.  Now, the President had dumped another matter on her to take care of.  It was getting ridiculous!  She was a hard worker, not the President’s damn mother! 

But in the end, she would do as she was told.  Such was her duty.

Below the plane, the terrain had turned white with snow.  She wouldn’t have to wait much longer.
XXX

Gotham City

“Everyday, Sarge.”

With a soft click the sound of Amanda Waller’s voice was replaced by a dial tone.  Sergeant Steel stared at the cell phone in disbelief.  Stopping the Strong Arm of Humanity was a serious matter and Waller had brushed it off like it was nothing.  He slipped his phone back into his coat pocket and turned back to the women staring at him.  “Unbelievable.”

“What did she say?” Dinah Lance, the Black Canary, asked.  She was sitting beside her best friend, Barbara Gordon, the computer mastermind who had broken through the encryption on the Strong Arm files Cheshire had stolen.

“Nothing,” Steel responded.  “She blew me off.  She’s up to something.”

Dinah rolled her eyes.  “Isn’t she always?”  She saw a severity in Steel’s eyes that she couldn’t ignore.  “What do you want to do about it?”

“Ms. Gordon?”

Oracle perked up.  “Yes?”

“I don’t mean to intrude on your already accommodating hospitality,” the Black King of Checkmate said, “but I was hoping you would do me one more favor.”
XXX

Switzerland

For as spacious as the Swiss Alps were, the search hardly took any time at all.

Waller found him standing on the edge of a precipice…literally.  The object of her search was looking out over the canyon below, his back to her.  His body language was relaxed, which amplified Waller’s surprise when the man spun around and unleashed his power upon her.

Amanda immediately felt her world begin to spin.  Nausea gripped her stomach as she felt her lunch start to climb back up her esophagus.  She fell to her knees, a sweat colder than the snow breaking out across her forehead.  The onslaught continued for a few more moments before ending abruptly.

“Oh, it’s you,” Count Vertigo said with recognition.  “From the description I was given, I didn’t expect you to be the one on my trail.”  As Waller climbed back to her feet, grumbling about the attack, Vertigo continued.  “That’s right, Amanda, all the questions being asked throughout Vlatava by your worker bees were directed right back to me.  I may have been gone for a time, but my people remain faithful to me.”

“Do you want a medal, Werner?” Waller asked.  She brushed off the snow caked on her clothing.  “I’m here with a proposition for you.”

“No,” Count Vertigo responded immediately.

“Do you really think it’s beneficial to say ‘no’ before hearing the actual proposition?  For all you know, this could be the Holy Grail of missions.  It could be the kind of position that could give you that badass reputation you’ve been seeking since you put on those ridiculous tights.”

Vertigo gazed out over the Alps.  “My time working for you is long over.  I’m sorry you came all the way out here for nothing.”

“What if I could make it worth your while?”

“You have nothing I want,” Vertigo stated confidently.  He started to move away down the mountain, signaling that the conversation was over.

“Maybe nothing you want,” Amanda replied, “but what about your people?”

Vertigo paused.

“If you want to be ruler again,” Waller continued, “you need to show the citizens of Vlatava that you have the stones to do the job.  What if I promise you monetary aid from the United States to help Vlatava rise above its enemies?  America can be a big help to you, Werner.”

Count Vertigo was stroking his chin.  “Keep talking, Waller.”
XXX

Star City

“No.”

“What do you mean ‘no’?”

“What the hell does it sound like, Amanda?  Take your mission and shove it up your fat ass.”

Amanda Waller sneered.  “You don’t say ‘no’ to me, Lawton.  I own you.”

He took back a shot of tequila and slammed the shot glass down on the bar.  “You don’t own shit, Waller.  The only reason I worked for you is because you offered me things.  You’re like a fat, black version of Daddy Warbucks,” Lawton said with a chuckle.  “You wipe out my prison sentence, I kill people for you.  You give me money, I get my hands dirty.”

“What do you want this time?”

“Nothing,” the assassin replied pointedly.  “I’m out this time.  I want to sit here, enjoy getting drunk, and have you leave me the hell alone.  Can you give me that?”

Waller flashed a devilish smile.  “C’mon, Lawton.  You’re not even the slightest bit curious about the mission?  It’s right up your alley.”

For a solitary moment, Waller thought her approaching Deadshot was a lost cause.  When she saw a flicker of curiosity in Lawton’s eyes, however, she knew she had him.  “It’s high profile,” she said, piquing his interest even more.

“How big?” Lawton asked.

“We’re talking the potential destabilization of the Middle East here.  That big enough for you?”
XXX

Keystone City

Mark Mardon, the Weather Wizard, glanced up from the escape plans that he was sketching to find a familiar individual staring at him through the bars of his cell.  Mardon put aside the legal pad and flashed a smile.  “Well, I didn’t think I would see you ever again, Waller,” he said in a tone reserved for an old friend.

Waller sneered at the criminal’s misguided sense of familiarity.  “Don’t think that you’re that lucky in life.  Prison life treating you well?”

“About as good as the last time,” Mardon replied with a shrug, “which really isn’t saying much.”  He crossed the short distance from one end of his cell to the other.  “I assume you’re here to make me some kind of offer.  That’s the only reason you ever show up in a place like Iron Heights, am I right?”

“I’m going to make this short and sweet: I’m sending you into one of the most unstable places on earth to liberate a country from tyranny,” Waller replied, getting straight to the point.  “Your payment is the usual fee: years off your prison sentence.  Maybe then you can do something with your freedom instead of getting your ass handed to you by one hero or another and ending up right back here.”

“Nah, going straight isn’t in my future,” Mardon replied, waving off Waller’s suggestion.  “Besides, I’ve been beaten up so many times I’m due for a break.”

Waller rolled her eyes.  “You go ahead and think whatever you need to get you through the day.  I’m going to work on getting you out of your cell and into something that doesn’t make you look like a six foot parking cone.”

Mardon cleared his throat.  His facial expression had become a serious one.  “Newsflash, Waller: I never said I would do it.  I’m not one of your cronies that will be there at your beck and call.  I may have worked for you in the past, but you don’t control me.  I’m a grown man.”

“Are we really going to have this conversation, Mark?” Waller asked.  She placed her hands on her hips.  The gesture was small, but it succeeded in making her appear more intimidating than before.  “Because I could just as easily go down the hall and get another one of your Rogue buddies to take your place.  I bet they’re all itching to get out of prison.”

A smile broke across Weather Wizard’s lips.  “Ah geez, Waller, you’re no fun.  I was just busting your balls.  Of course, I’m in.  Next time you should play along for comedic effect.”

Waller stood in place, face barren of emotion.  “You’re an idiot.”

“It’ll be nice to get out of here,” Mardon said as if he hadn’t heard Waller.  “It’s been too long since I’ve seen sunlight or touched the elements.”  He realized then he was talking to himself for Waller had gone to speak with the Iron Heights administration about processing his release quickly.

Weather Wizard sat down on his cot.  He found himself with nothing to pack before his departure as all his possessions were in lock up.  He grabbed the legal pad he had put aside and read through the inane plan he had been concocting.  Marton threw the pad across the cell where it slammed first into the wall and then onto the floor where it came to a rest.  He had no need for any more ridiculous plans that had no hope of succeeding.  Waller had just become his “Get Out of Jail Free” card once again.

XXX

Central City

“Isn’t this a little beneath you?”

Bette San Souci, Plastique, started.  She hadn’t even heard anyone approaching at her back.  Bette leapt to her feet and spun around prepared to strike with a tight fist.  The person who had spoken made no attempt to defend herself.  When Bette realized who it was, she stopped her attack and frowned.  “What do you want?  I’m in the middle of something at the moment.”

“A bank robbery?” Waller asked.  “With the all the things you’ve done and everything you’ve played a part in, you’ve resorted to a bank robbery?  Isn’t that taking a step backward?”

She peered off the roof the women were on, gazing at the bank down below.  To the casual observer, there was nothing out of the ordinary.  The day was one just like any other.  To Waller, however, she saw the calm before an impending storm.

As if on cue, the street side of the bank went up in flames.  There were multiple denotations, one right after another that lasted until the entire scene was obscured by smoke.  The unlucky people that had been caught in the blast lay unmoving in the street.  Anyone who was able ran away screaming.  It was the essence of chaos.

“I do what needs to be done,” Plastique responded, “so get off my back.  A bank robbery pays the bills for a few months.”  She had begun to pack up what few belongings she had brought with her, namely the detonator for the bank explosives.  “I’m only going to ask you once more, Waller: what are you doing here?”

“Ironically enough, I’m here to offer you a job.”

“I think I’m going to have to turn you down, Waller,” Plastique responded, hefting her duffel bag over her shoulder.  “Mostly because the last job you sent me on ended with me being at the mercy of a woman who thinks a red, white, and blue corset is fashionable.”

“I will admit that sending you and Lawton alone against an entire island of warrior women probably wasn’t the best idea,” Waller said, “but I assure you that the odds of this new mission are definitely much more in your favor.  It’ll pay handsomely.  You won’t have to worry about your bills for a long time.”

Plastique looked from Waller to the scene of carnage that she had wreaked on the street below.  Against her better judgment, she turned away from the street.  “What cool shit do I get to blow up?”

XXX

Later
Air Transport En Route to Qatar

Amanda Waller stood before the gathered villains she had spent the last day collecting.  “By now,” she said, “I would hope you’ve all looked over the dossier I’ve prepared for you on your new target.”

“Is this right?” Deadshot asked, dropping the folder of information onto his lap.  “We’re taking out a king?  That’s pretty ballsy.  Even for you, Waller.”

Amanda shook her head.  “Adnan Al-Ansari is no king.  He’s a conniving telepath who has used his power to usurp power from an administration that had the potential to make a real difference in Qatar.  Since then, he’s continued to use his power to make damn sure he remains on the throne.  In his eyes, he’s infallible.”

“Hmph.  We’ll see how long that lasts,” Weather Wizard muttered.

“I don’t pretend to have the best moral compass, but as a former ruler myself,” Count Vertigo said to the rolling eyes of the other villains, “I feel like this hit could have a huge impact on the stability of the entire region.  I mean, I’m all for offing some pain-in-the-ass mindfucker, but this could be bad.  Really bad.”

“Werner, you’re not being paid to think,” Waller shot back.  “Let the world deal with the consequences of this mission.  I want you to focus on what I’m asking you to do here.”

“Isn’t this op a little too…I don’t know…in the public eye?” Plastique asked.  “Murdering a national figure is going to garner a lot of attention.  I don’t know if I’m—”

“Jesus Christ!” Waller exclaimed, slamming her fist against the cabin wall.  “What’s with all the questions?  You’re not being paid to think!  Get in to the country, off the bastard, get out, and get paid!  Which of you idiots can’t understand that?”

No one said a word.  All eyes avoided Waller.

Waller shook off her frustration.  “Leave the consequences of the mission to those who can handle them.  Believe me when I say that every contingency has been accounted for.  You all are just a small part of a bigger picture.”  She took a deep breath.  “Okay, does anyone have any questions about the target?”

“We’re good to go,” Deadshot said, speaking for the group.

Waller smiled.  “Welcome back to the Suicide Squad, boys and girl.”

XXX

NEXT ISSUE:  The Suicide Squad goes hunting!

Story © 2009 Matt Hrubey and may not be reproduced without permission.