[[Washington, D.C.]]

“I’m glad you both could come so promptly,” the President of the United States said from behind his desk in the Oval Office.

“Of course, sir,” Amanda Waller replied with a nod.  The man seated to her left, Sergeant Steel of Checkmate, said nothing.

The President continued, “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately—”

Steel snorted but continued to say nothing.

“—and I’ve come to the conclusion that things need to change,” the Commander-in-Chief responded, ignoring Steel’s attempt at an insult.  “My popularity is just short of abysmal so I’ve decided that I need to make some adjustments to my administration.  I’m starting with my stance on meta-humans.”

Eyes locking after that comment, Waller and Steel were almost afraid of the consequences that would result from the President’s statement.

“I’ve made it no secret that I think Metas cause more harm than good when they get involved in volatile situations,” the President explained.  “However, I’ve finally accepted that, regardless of my feelings, they aren’t going anywhere.  Now, it falls to me…excuse me, to us…to rework the system so we don’t have anymore Themyscira-like situations.  Meta-humans are getting more ambitious so we have to be twice as strict in our resolve to protect this country.”

“What did you have in mind, Mr. President?”

“I’m glad you asked, Amanda, because both you and Sergeant Steel here are going to be the cornerstones of my plans.”  He leaned across the table and winked at them.  “We’re going to revitalize Checkmate with you both at the head.”

Steel shot forward in his seat, showing for the first time any interest in the conversation.  “What are you talking about?”

“Checkmate is an asset in its current form, but has the potential to be so much more influential with a little bit of a facelift,” the President explained.  He was all smiles.

Steel, on the other hand, was not.  “And what kind of facelift are we talking?  I’ve given my time and energy, my life, in restoring Checkmate to its former glory.  I think it’s starting to make an impact again and now you’re going to switch things up on me?  This is my organization.”

“It’s the American people’s organization,” Waller shot back.  “After all, it is paid for by the people.”

“Quite right, Amanda,” replied the President.  “Checkmate exists to protect American citizens from the overzealousness of meta-humans who have taken up residence within our borders.”  He could see Steel was fuming under the surface.  “Sergeant, please calm down.  I am not removing you from your position as Black King.”

“Good,” he replied.

“I am, however, restructuring the organization, starting with the institution of a multi-person executive system.”  Seeing confusion on the faces of his guests, the President knew clarification was needed.  “It goes without saying that Checkmate is gimmicked off of chess.  In that game, there are two sides: the black and the white.  In our Checkmate, the same will be true; two sides working together toward a common goal while at the same time keeping each other in check so one side doesn’t become too powerful.”

“And how exactly do I fit into this?” Waller asked.

“You will be taking over the position of White Queen, Amanda,” the President explained.  “With your experience, you are the ideal choice.  You will work with Sergeant Steel and guide Checkmate into a new era of greatness.”

Waller had broken out into a huge smile.  Steel looked like he was going to vomit.

“This can’t be happening.”

“Oh, it is, Sarge,” Waller taunted.  Turning back to the President, she asked, “What about my position in your Cabinet?”

“Untouched.  You will continue in your duties just as before.  However, I will be counting on you, Amanda, to keep me informed as to what is going on inside Checkmate.”  Waller nodded her agreement.

The President rose to his feet and turned to gaze outside his office at the well-groomed landscape of the White House.  His vision stayed for but a moment before he turned back to the new heads of Checkmate.  “I want you to understand the severity of what I’m asking you both to do.  The world is becoming more and more dangerous, you have seen that.  Right now, there are too many rogue elements in the meta world.  The Justice League, in its many incarnations, runs around acting as protectors.  Then there are the Titans, the Outsiders, and too many other groups that pop up from time to time.  There’s no way to stop them from doing what it is they do.  However, they have to be policed and watched so they do not overstep their boundaries.  That is where Checkmate comes in.  Assess situations and deal with them.”  He smiled.  “I want you to make me proud.”

There was a momentary silence before Steel asked, “What about all of my agents?”

“They may stay on as you see fit,” the President replied.  “Every organization, especially one of this nature, needs a support staff.  I leave that to your discretion.”

“And Task Force X?” Waller asked.

“The squad is a functioning part of Checkmate,” the President responded.  “Once again, I leave the future of the squad up to your judgment.  However, I did envision Task Force X acting as your field agents.  The team members are all trained in combat situations and it is inevitable that situations will come up that cannot be solved politically or diplomatically.  Your meta agents may be of use to you down the road.”

Steel stood up.  “If this is going to work—”

“It will work,” the President interjected.

“If this is going to work,” Steel responded, “then there are going to need to be some changes.  Starting with Task Force X.”

Polaris America's Personal Meta-Team...

“King/Queen of the Mountain”

Part One - The Big Shift

Task Force X #8 - July, Year Five by Matt Hrubey


[[The Citadel]]

There was a buzzing in the back of his mind that he couldn’t shake.  It was incessant and unending and Emerson wanted nothing more than for it to go away.  He couldn’t concentrate long enough to pay attention to what was going on around him.

As Emerson walked the corridors of the Citadel, the buzzing increased exponentially.  He sighed irritably.  Just what he needed.  The buzzing was now a whine that immediately caused a pain to burn through his head.  Emerson winced in agony.

That’s when he noticed it.  With every step he took in the direction of his quarters, the pain increased.  Emerson paused in the hallway and began stepping backward, slow at first but increasing speed with each step.  The pain was being caused by something and Emerson had been heading right toward it.

He took off at a sprint, his path being guided by the pain in his head.  He was close, so close that it felt like his brain was going to explode inside his head.  His eyes darted to each door that he passed.

Emerson ran past one and skidded to a stop.  Somehow…someway he knew that the cause of his pain was behind that door.  Now he was going to go kick its ass.  Reaching out with his abilities, Emerson wrenched the metal doors apart and stepped inside.

It was the Brig that lay behind the doors.  Currently, very few of the cells were occupied.  However, there sat a woman alone in the far corner of the Brig.  It was her, Emerson knew.  He gritted his teeth and made his way toward her.

“You need special access to be in here.”

Emerson hadn’t even seen the female Checkmate agent standing guard inside the door.  From the quiver in her voice, Emerson’s sudden entrance had startled her.  She had her gun trained on him and was trying her best to appear imposing.

Emerson didn’t even bother to respond to the woman.  He stuck out his palm and the gun was wrenched from the agent’s hand.  It floated in the air between the two of them before whipping through the air and striking the Checkmate agent in the jaw.  The gun hit the ground moments after she did.

“Amateurs,” he muttered.

The pain in his head had become so intense by that point that Emerson could hardly see straight.  He limped over to the cell holding the woman he believed to be responsible for his ailment.  Because of the commotion, she was looking straight at Emerson when he appeared before her.  She smirked a bit and rose off of the uncomfortable cot that was a part of every cell in the Brig.

“It’s you, isn’t it?” Emerson asked, wincing still.

The woman, incredibly beautiful now that Emerson could see her whole body, broke out into a wide smile.  Then the pain was gone.  It stopped so suddenly that Emerson wondered if maybe he had created the pain in his mind and was losing his sanity once again.  But he wasn’t, he knew he wasn’t.  She was responsible, whoever she was.  “Who are you?”

“Frances Kane,” the woman replied without hesitation.  She was pressed up against the clear, hard plastic that kept her locked way.  “I knew I wasn’t crazy.  When the robot and the silver guy brought me here, I kept feeling something that was drawing on my powers.  I didn’t know what it was.  But now I do.  It was you…”

“Neal Emerson.  Doctor Neal Emerson.”

“Well, Doctor Emerson, I’m sure you feel it too, don’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”  It was a lie, but she didn’t have to know that.

“There’s no point in lying to me,” Kane replied.  She strode to the back of her cell, lying down upon her cot and stretching out.  “Sorry about the pain, by the way.  Even with my powers negated in this cell, I am still able to manipulate the magnetic fields around me.  Nothing too extreme, but enough to get the job done.  I needed to draw you to me and creating a disturbance only you would notice was the brightest idea I had.  I’m not out to get you, Neal, I promise.”

“Your promises don’t mean shit to me, woman.  I don’t know you and you sure as hell don’t know me.”  He was angry, but he didn’t know why.  Maybe it was because he was tired of people playing with his mind.

“Frances,” she said.

“What?”

“My name is Frances, not ‘woman’.”  She was still smiling like a Cheshire cat.  “And yes, you’re right, we don’t know each other, but we definitely have something in common.”

Emerson was getting tired of listening to her.  However, his curiosity was piqued.  “And what exactly is that, Frances?”

Kane laughed before responding.  “I just told you, silly.  We have the same powers.  We both manipulate magnetic fields.  I figured you would have noticed.  You know, for a doctor, you let that fly right over your head.”

“Would you shut the hell up and tell me why you dragged my ass down here?” Emerson asked.

Kane frowned.  He was brash; much more so than she had ever seen in a person.  However, there was a fierce passion about him that she found attractive.  The frown turned into a smile.  “I can see now that we were made for each other.”

“What?”  That was the last thing Emerson had expected to hear.  “Did you just say that we were made for each other?”

“Biologically speaking, of course.  We were born and given these powers that mimic each other nearly to perfection.  Even now, I can feel our bodies intertwining and reacting to each other.  Don’t tell me you can’t feel it too.”

Emerson said nothing.

“Fine, be that way,” Kane replied after an awkward pause.  “It’s only a matter of time anyway.  You’ll see that we are destined to be together.  Then you’ll break me out of this hell hole and we’ll run away together.”

Emerson rolled his eyes.  “You’re off your rocker, lady.  Stop fucking with me or I’ll stop the blood flow to your brain.”  He turned and walked off without another word.

As Kane watched Emerson leave, she couldn’t help but smile.  “He’ll see,” she said with complete confidence.  “We’re meant to be together.”


“Could you have made a bigger scene?” Waller asked as she followed Sergeant Steel into his office.  She closed the door behind her as Steel fell roughly into the chair behind his desk.

He was rubbing his eyes, hoping the scene at the White House hadn’t been real.  He had been screwed.  “It didn’t happen, it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen,” Steel repeated to himself over and over.

Waller leaned across the desk, a devilish smile on her face.  “Oh, it happened, Sarge.  It would be best if you just accepted it and moved on.  We have a lot of work to do and a mission that needs our attention.”

Steel glared at Waller.  “How did you do it?”  Seeing that Waller was confused, Steel spoke again.  “How did you convince the President to make you a royal in Checkmate?  As if you didn’t have your hands in enough.  You really are on a fucking power trip, aren’t you?”

“I have made no secret that I am a manipulative bitch and yes, it is true that my hands are full,” Waller replied, “but did it ever occur to you that maybe, just maybe I wasn’t involved in this decision?  Because if it had, I would have to say you were right.  This decision was made by the President and the President alone.  I am just an unwitting—and gracious—pawn.  Well, queen rather.”

“You’re loving this.”  It was a statement, not a question.

“Oh, I am,” Waller said.  “I love to see you squirm.”

Seeing no way out of this nightmare, Steel straightened up.  “I wasn’t kidding when I said things needed to change.  The President left decisions on the logistics of Checkmate to us, so we need to discuss some things before we do anything at all.  I have some issues with Task Force X—”

“That is my squad and you will have no part in it,” Waller stated.

Steel chuckled bitterly.  “You don’t get it, do you?  The President may have made you my equal in power, but now we’re just that.  There can’t be and won’t be anymore secret agendas.  Everything we do must be run through you and me before action taken.”  He paused for a second and stared directly into Waller’s eyes.  “And that means that since Task Force X is Checkmate’s primary strike team, it isn’t yours any longer.  It’s ours.”  He stood up and moved around his desk.  “I’ve had many problems with the way you have run things, but up until this point, it wasn’t my squad so I held my tongue.   There isn’t going to be anymore of that either.”

“And these problems that you had?”

“Dugan for starters,” Steel responded.  “I don’t know what you have over him but he is being kept here against his will and I won’t have blackmail in Checkmate.  This is going to be a legitimate organization, not one ruled by manipulation.  Dugan is free to go if he so chooses.  If he wants to stay, he can do that as well.  Agreed?”

“It’ll leave the squad shorthanded,” Waller replied.  “We need him.”

“Which brings me to my next point,” Steel continued.  “The current roster of Task Force X was chosen by you and you alone.  Since it will now be overseen by the both of us, I feel it is my right to add a couple new team members into the mix.”

“And who exactly were you thinking of?”

“For starters, Beatriz DaCosta,” Steel said.

Waller rolled her eyes.  “Fire?  That girl’s incompetence is going to get her killed in the field.  Besides, she’s serving with the Justice League at the moment.  I ran into her recently at Belle Reeve.”

“That version on the League has disbanded,” Steel shot back.  “And Bea is a lot stronger of a person than you think she is.  She is an asset and one that I want representing Checkmate.”

“Fine,” Waller said.  There were many battles that were going to be forthcoming so she was going to hold her tongue for the moment.  She considered DaCosta an idiot but if it would keep Steel happy, she would agree.  “Who else?”

“There are one or two others, but I don’t know yet if they would agree to join up.”  He crossed his arms.  “And that brings me to my last issue for the moment.  Team leadership.  It’s going to change.”

Waller cocked an eyebrow.  “And why exactly is that?”  She had handpicked Captain Atom to be the field leader of Task Force X for a reason and she didn’t appreciate this geriatric asshole second guessing her actions.

“Atom is a great soldier.  He knows how to follow orders and usually keeps a cool head in the field,” Steel said.

“But?”

“But he’s a follower, not a leader.  We need someone out there leading our troops who has experience.”

“Who exactly did you have in mind for the job?”

Steel told her.

“You are kidding, right?” Waller asked.  “Her?”

“Absolutely,” Steel responded without the slightest bit of laughter.  “She has more than proven herself to me.  She’ll be good for the squad.”

“Or she’ll cause it to combust.  She has history with some of the current roster.  They won’t take kindly to her being here.”

“Relax, Amanda,” Steel replied, placing a hand on her shoulder.  “We’ll deal with that as it comes.  Besides, she hasn’t even said yes yet.”

“And she will?”

Steel smiled.  “I’ll make sure she does.”


Captain Atom stood outside the Citadel, watching as the helicopter landed upon the grass.  He stood completely still as the helicopter powered down, the propellers slowing and finally drifting to a halt.  The side panel of the chopper slid open and Patrick Dugan, wearing the full S.T.R.I.P.E. armor, disembarked.  From the inside of the helicopter he pulled out an unconscious man whose arms and legs were hogtied like he was an animal.

Dugan crossed the grass, his bulk leaving footsteps in the earth.  He strode past Captain Atom and gave him a nod.  The captain fell into step alongside his teammate.

“How was your trip?”

{{Fine,}} Dugan replied.  The comment was brusquer than he had intended.  He sighed.  {{I’m wiped and need to sleep.  And instead of sleeping on the trip back out here, I had to make sure this asshole didn’t wake up and start raising hell,}} Dugan explained motioning to the unconscious Stephen Duffy thrown over his shoulder.

“So this is the pedophile?” the captain asked.  Dugan nodded.  “How did the clean up go?”

{{Honestly?  It made me miss my kids,}} Dugan replied.  {{The kids I found were kidnapped at such young ages.  Then they were manipulated and abused until they believed they deserved no better.  It took all my self-control not to rip this jerk off’s head off.}}

“Maybe you should have,” Atom said.

Dugan cocked an eyebrow.  {{I never expected that out of your mouth.}}

“He was raping children.”

Dugan nodded.  {{Good point.}}

They strode into the Citadel and into an elevator that would take them downstairs to the Brig.

“Something strange is going on around here,” Atom said once the elevator began its downward trip.  Before Dugan could ask what he was talking about, the captain explained.  “Sarge and Amanda got back from D.C. about a half hour ago.  Steel was upset and Amanda was smiling, neither of which bodes well for us.  I think something’s up.”

{{Fantastic,}} Dugan replied sarcastically as he spotted the door to the Brig.

They prepared to move inside when the doors slammed outward and Emerson appeared.  He blew past Dugan and Atom without saying a word to them.  Dugan, however, thought he heard the man mutter “crazy bitch.”  Atom and Dugan glanced at each other for a moment but decided to dismiss their teammate and continue on.

As they stepped through the doors into the Brig, lights started flashing and alarms began to blare.  Both men knew well what was happening.  There was another mission that required their attention.

{{Damn it, I just got back,}} Dugan muttered.  {{I was looking forward to a shower.}}  He sighed.  {{Alright, let me drop off Duffy the Child Slayer and we can head up to the Womb.}}


Jade Nguyen had actually considered ignoring the alarms once they sounded off.  She had been in the middle of a trashy romance novel and this interruption was bordering on just plain rude.  However, remembering that Task Force X was a job and not simply an obligation prompted Cheshire to rise up out of bed and get changed.

Confident she had all her weapons, she moved out into the corridor and found herself face to face with Sergeant Steel.  The man was obviously angry; his face was contorted in ways that she had never seen on the man.  However, the last thing Jade really cared about was his feelings.  She tried to brush past him until he stuck out his arm and stopped her.

“What are you doing?” Cheshire asked.

“I want to make something perfectly clear between the two of us,” Steel said, staring the former assassin straight into the eyes.  “I don’t like you and I’m pretty sure I never will.  I think the fact that Amanda offered you amnesty from your crimes in America is bullshit and if I had my choice, I would throw you in prison so fast you would whiplash for the rest of your life.”

Cheshire rolled her eyes.  “And?”

“And I wanted to tell you to watch your step,” he told her.  “Things are changing around here, the beginnings of which you’ll find out in a few minutes.  Let’s just say that I took a vested interest in you and I think you don’t belong here.”

“That’s nice,” Cheshire said, trying to push past him.  “I guess it’s convenient that you don’t have a say in anything I do.”

Steel pushed her against the corridor wall and smiled devilishly.  Her eyes widened.

“Let’s just say, killer,” Steel replied, “that is not completely true anymore.  I know what you have done in the past and I know what you have done since becoming a member of Task Force X.  You nearly killed Donna Troy and then you viciously attacked cops.  Cops!  Do you not get that, even though you have a certain amount of exemption now, you can’t run around half-cocked!  If I was Amanda, you would already be gone.”

Cheshire glared at him.

“Fortunately for you, I’m not Amanda so you were touched by an angel in this instance,” Steel replied.  “I’m just saying to watch yourself.  If you fuck up again like you’ve been doing, I will be all over you like white on rice.”

They stared at each.  Cheshire wanted to lash out and murder this man for the things he said.  She had never let anyone talk to her like that and walk away unscathed.  Steel wanted the woman out of his sight and away from him forever.  She was a bad egg and deserved to put down like a rabid animal.

“Enjoy your meeting,” Steel finally said, teeth gritted.  He brushed past Jade and continued on down the hallway.  Over his shoulder, he called back, “I have to go pick up a friend of ours.”

Alone, Cheshire stood, fuming.  What the hell had he been talking about?  Something was going on in the Citadel and she didn’t particularly like it.  She had never had a problem with Steel before, but the man had chosen now to get in her face.  That was a mistake on his part.

She moved on down the corridor, heading toward the Womb where the rest of her teammates were inevitably already gathered.  Her thoughts were focused solely on the retribution that she would exact from Steel’s body.  As she passed through the doors into the Womb, she secretly hoped that her payback would come sooner than later.

It was all a matter of timing.

Next Issue:  More on the changes taking place within Checkmate.  Plus, Sergeant Steel approaches a new face and a new leader for Task Force X!  Who is it?  Find out in the next chapter of “King/Queen of the Mountain.”

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