Gotham

As soon as she saw the man waiting outside her apartment building, Dinah Lance considered turning around and walking the other way.  It wasn’t that she didn’t like the man; it was the fact that every time he showed up, he asked her to do something that would inevitably put her into danger.  However, despite her head telling her to run like hell, Dinah continued the journey to her doorstep.

“I heard you were back in town,” the older man said when Dinah had reached him.  He was sitting on the bottom step reading through the day’s Gotham Gazette.  He began to fold the paper once he spoke again.  “Did you enjoy your vacation?  London, right?”

Hands on her hips, Dinah looked the equivalent of a cat ready to pounce.  “I guess I shouldn’t have expected any kind of privacy from you.  And yes, I did enjoy London.  It helped me clear my head of the past few months.”

“Good,” Sergeant Steel replied, “because it’s time to start focusing on the present.”

Dinah moved up the steps to her apartment building.  “Well, Sarge, my present entails a hot shower and a nap.  What about you?”

“I was planning on spending the afternoon with a beautiful blonde,” Sarge responded as he followed her up the stairs.

Though she tried to hold it back, a small smile broke out on her face as she fingered her keys to find the right one.  “Cute but flattery isn’t going to get you anything from me.  Why are you in Gotham?  And what the hell does it have to do with me?”

They moved inside and up the stairs to Dinah’s apartment.  Steel’s eyes scanned the interior of the lobby.  He was mildly impressed.  For the seedy reputation that Gotham possessed, this building looked newly renovated.

When the two were locked away inside Dinah’s apartment, Steel answered the questions that had been asked of him.  “I’m in Gotham because I came to find you.  Airline records showed you coming back to the states two weeks ago.  I figured your house would be the best place to find you.”

“And what if I had been out of town?”

“I would have been sitting outside a lot longer than I had been,” Steel replied.  “As for why I came to find you, it’s going to sound like I’m beating a dead horse.”  When Dinah had stopped her shuffling through the apartment and focused on Steel, he continued.  “Some…things have happened recently involving myself, Amanda Waller, and Checkmate.  Let’s just say the status quo has changed and I’m not too thrilled.”

“Stop dancing around the issue,” Dinah replied.

“I came to you before to join Checkmate and you turned me down*,” Steel responded.  “I’m here for the same reason, but this time I need to call in a favor.  Please let me explain before you say anything.”

(*In BIRDS OF PREY #14)

Dinah, arms crossed, gave a solitary nod.

“When I came to you before it was because Amanda Waller, with my help, had been ordered to reform Task Force X and I wanted you to be a part of it.  I know you’ve heard of Task Force X and the Suicide Squad before, but let me assure you that this time is different.  Task Force X was originally created so that the President would possess his own personal team of superheroes.  However, as I already said, things have changed.  Checkmate has been reorganized.  I am still the Black King, but the President has made Waller the White Queen and my equal in terms of power.  Task Force X is being completely molded into the Checkmate organization and is undergoing changes.”

“And you want me to be a part of it?” Dinah asked.  She already knew the answer.  Her body language told Steel that she was not buying at his offer yet.

“I don’t just want you to be a part of the squad, Lance.  I want you to lead it.”

XXX

BC America's Personal Meta-Team...


:Division of Checkmate

“King/Queen of the Mountain”

Part Two - A New Purpose in Life

Task Force X #9 - August, Year Five by Matt Hrubey


XXX

The Citadel

Amanda Waller was waiting for him outside the conference room when he arrived for the briefing.  Her face was stern and unhappy; nothing new for the White Queen of Checkmate.  Her imposing frame was standing between him and the door to the conference room, blocking his entrance.

Patrick Dugan looked down at the watch on his wrist and saw that the briefing was scheduled to start five minutes previous.  He sighed.  “Look, Waller,” he said, “I’m sorry that I’m late.  I just got back from Idaho and I wanted a quick shower before I—”

“It doesn’t matter,” she interjected.  “You’re free to go.”

“Excuse me?”

“It came to the attention of the Black King that your reasons for being here are not of your own choosing.”

Dugan smiled.  “The old man found out that you’re blackmailing me?”

“Task Force X is undergoing some changes and your skills are no longer needed,” the Wall replied, purposely avoiding the answer to Dugan’s question.  “You can pack your things and head back to Nebraska.  I would prefer you did so immediately.”

Dugan crossed his arms.  “What did Steel have to say about you using my kids as a bargaining chip?  He must have ripped you a new one.”

“The Black King knows nothing about the details of our arrangement,” Waller stated, “and I would prefer that it stays that way.  Sergeant Steel and I have found ourselves in an uneasy partnership and erroneous facts like our arrangement will only make things more tense.”

“So I can go home?”

“That’s what I said, wasn’t it?”

“Just like that?”

“Would you prefer a parade as you walk out?” Waller asked.  Her sneer and obvious hatred were unceasing.  “You’ve gotten what you wanted.  You’re free of your service to Task Force X and now you need to leave.”

“What if I choose not to leave the team?”

Waller sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.  “Then I’ll call you a fool and fire you.  One way or another, you’re time here is through.  Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a briefing with your former teammates.  I would prefer that you be gone by the time I’m through.”  Waller turned without another word and entered the conference room.

Dugan stood by himself for a moment, contemplating what had just happened.  It was true that he wanted no part of Checkmate or Task Force X.  He never had.  However, now that he had gotten his freedom back, there was something keeping him from walking out and going back to his family.

XXX

Gotham

Dinah’s eyebrows shot up.  Steel suppressed a grin; for a woman who thought she knew all, Dinah hadn’t expected that.  “You want me to lead Task Force X?”

“I do.”

“And I would have to answer to Amanda Waller?” Dinah asked.  The notion made her queasy.

“You would but I would be there to back you up every step of the way.  The Wall and I would dictate mission objectives to you but you would have a reasonable degree of free rein to achieve those objectives in the field.”

Dinah appeared ready to say something more, but she stopped and turned away from Sergeant Steel.  She moved into the kitchenette and began to look for something to occupy her hands.  She settled on chopping up a carrot.  “I…I don’t think so, Sarge,” she said, purposely avoiding his gaze.  “I don’t know how comfortable I am with being Superhero Espionage Barbie.”

Steel stepped into the kitchenette.  “It’ll be no different than the missions you used to do at the behest of Oracle,” he responded.  “Except this time you’ll be paid handsomely for your efforts.”

“How much is handsomely?”

“Name it and it’s yours.”

“I’m not a government lapdog,” Dinah stated, putting down the knife.  “I’m not going to go running into battle just because you tell me to and especially not because Waller tells me to.”

Steel shook his head.  “I don’t expect you to.  In fact, I expect you to keep me honest.  I already told Waller that Checkmate wasn’t going to fall to corruption and I meant it.  I’m doing what I’m doing to protect the country.”

“Very endearing, Uncle Sam, but give me one really good reason why I should do this.”

Steel responded, “Because I’m asking you to.”

XXX

The Citadel

The slide showed an overhead satellite image of a city.  With a click of the mouse, the image zoomed in on a specific portion of the picture, magnifying the image.  With a second click, a red arrow appeared and pointed to the building that was the focus of the zoomed image.  “This is the target,” Waller told the gathered members of Task Force X.

“What exactly are we looking at?” Captain Atom asked.  His eyes scanned the room and spotted both Cheshire and Doctor Polaris, but Dugan was nowhere to be found.  Waller hadn’t said anything about his absence leading him to believe that something was up.  For the moment, however, he would hold his tongue.

“This is an overhead shot of Chicago, Illinois,” Waller explained.  “The building in this picture is a deli owned by Preston Varner, a middle-aged, middle class man with a hard on for pastrami and vinyl records.”

“A real winner,” Cheshire muttered under her breath.

“How does an owner of a Chicago deli possibly fit into our jurisdiction?” Captain Atom asked.

“The deli is a legitimate business,” Waller responded, “but it is also a cover for a much more sinister operation.  The deli has been uncovered to be a regional headquarters for a radical group called the Strong Arm of Humanity.  Varner, though a good natured businessman on the outside, is also secretly a crass and bigoted jackass.”

“The Strong Arm of Humanity?” Captain Atom asked; brows furrowed.  “I’ve never heard of it before.”

“That’s because my department has been covering up its existence for the past two years,” Waller answered.  She produced three folders thick with papers that she handed out.  “The members of the Strong Arm of Humanity are incredibly anti-superpower and it is reflected in their actions.”

“There must be dozens of incident reports in this file on what they’ve done,” Cheshire said, flipping through the pages.  “They’ve committed assault, arson, robbery, and murder.  Why haven’t they been arrested yet?”

“As I’m sure you can attest to, Cheshire,” Waller replied, “escaping the authorities is not as hard as it sounds, especially when you have the resources.  It is a firm belief of my department that there is a military presence within the Strong Arm of Humanity.  I don’t know if it’s former military men or gamers with a fetish for Metal of Honor, but someone knows what they’re doing.”

“If they’re so secretive, then how did you find out about this regional headquarters?” Emerson asked.

“Five weeks ago, the local police department in Strongsville, Ohio, interrupted the attempted murder of a man with x-ray vision.  All of the Strong Arm members that were there got away, except for one.  A stray bullet clipped the guys head and he lost consciousness.  By the time he came to, he was in my custody.  I questioned him and he gave up the name of his handler, Preston Varner.”

“Where is this man now that you have in custody?” Captain Atom asked.

“Dead,” Waller replied.  She saw the frown on the captain’s face but ignored it.  “After getting his name, I tracked down Varner and set up surveillance on his home and deli.  With the number of people that have been coming and going from his business, there’s no way they’re all there for sandwiches.”

“So you want us to what?” Captain Atom asked.  “Take out Varner and this headquarters?”

“Not without solid proof, I don’t.”

“Then what’s our next move?”

“You break in and find the proof, of course,” Waller replied with a smile.

XXX

Gotham

“I need you to do this for me, Lance,” Steel told Dinah.  “I’ve been backed between a rock and a hard place and I need all the help I can get to stay floating in a sea of bureaucratic and political bullshit.”

“Okay, I’ll buy that,” Dinah replied, “but why me?  There has to be a list of people more suitable to lead a government task force.”

“More suitable?  Maybe.  However, there’s more to my choosing you than your ability to lead.  You inspire people, Lance, I’ve seen it before.  That’s not the issue at hand.”

Dinah saw something in Steel then that she hadn’t seen before.  It was a kind of genuineness betrayed by his battle worn eyes.  Thus far, she had shrugged off his recruitment attempts.  Dinah had never anticipated that Steel was actually serious in his job offers.  That all changed as she watched the Black King now.  “Then what is the issue?”

“I believed you would say yes because Task Force X would give you a direction in your life.”

Dinah couldn’t keep from feeling mildly offended at Steel’s statement.  “It would give me direction?  I have direction!  I’m the Black Canary.”

“Yes, you are, but as the Black Canary what have you done recently?”

“I was a part of the Justice League—”

“Until you quit.”

“I was one of Oracle’s Birds of Prey—”

“But you’re obviously finished with that seeing as how you’re speaking in the past tense.  Besides, when was the last time you went on a mission?”

Dinah considered that question but said nothing as she realized the point Sergeant Steel was trying to make.  Her head drooped.

Steel placed a hand on her shoulder.  “If I could make a guess, I would say that you find yourself at a crossroads.  You’ve tried the normal life thing but found yourself unsatisfied.  You tried to follow in your mother’s footsteps by joining the JLA but found yourself overwhelmed and underappreciated.  You found a home here in Gotham with Oracle but didn’t feel you were accomplishing anything.  So you ran away to London.”

“I went on vacation,” Dinah muttered.

“When you left, did you honestly think you would be coming back?” Steel asked.

“I…I honestly don’t know.”

“What made you come back?”

“The world went crazy,” Dinah responded.  “I had this vision and I saw things; things I can’t explain*.  But I knew I had to come back to the states.  I figured I would be able to help.  I figured—”

(*See JLA #39.)

“You would be able to find something to fight,” Steel interjected.  “You hoped you would find something that you could focus on; something that you would give you purpose.  Have you?”

Dinah shook her head.  “No.”

“That’s why I chose you, Lance.  I want to give you the purpose you have been searching for.”  He looked right into Dinah’s eyes.  “You help me out and I’ll help you out.”

Dinah was speechless.  “I-I…”

“You’ll do a lot of good.  I know you will.”

It was a few more seconds before she spoke again, but when she did, Dinah accepted the Black King’s offer.

XXX

The Citadel

She felt his presence before he stepped into view.  Frances Kane smiled as the object of her affection appeared before her cell in the Brig.  He was wearing violet body armor and holding in his hands the most ridiculous looking helmet she had ever seen.  However, despite the obnoxious headgear, she found her desire for Neal Emerson even greater than before.  “I love a man in uniform,” she purred.

“Are you crazy?”

Kane cocked an eyebrow.  “Excuse me?”

“It’s a valid question.  Are you crazy?  I’m talking certifiable, should be in the nuthouse crazy.”

“What makes a person crazy?” Kane asked with a shrug of the shoulder.  “It’s all in the eye of the beholder.”

Emerson rubbed the bridge of his nose.  “What the hell am I doing down here?”

Magenta moved to the glass barrier of her cell.  “I was wondering the same thing, though I’m not going to complain.  After our first meeting, I expected it to be some time before you came to see me again.”

“We’re not meant to be together,” Emerson stated.  “I don’t even know you.”

“Ignorance won’t stop fate,” Kane replied, smiling.  She placed her hand on the barrier.  “We don’t know each other yet, but we will.  All you have to do is break me out of here.”

Emerson turned away.  “It’s not going to happen.”

That’s when he felt it.  It started out as a buzzing as it had the last time, but this was different.  He knew it was Kane’s doing, whatever it was.  A wave of pleasure swept through Emerson’s body causing him to shiver uncontrollably.  “Stop it,” he said softly.

“Why?  You’re obviously enjoying it.”

“Stop it!”

Had Emerson been consciously using his power, he would have ripped from the walls and the floor every piece of furniture in the Brig.  Instead, the room simply buckled and whined as the metal of the walls threatened to rip from its housing.  Emerson took a deep breath and regained control of his power.

Meanwhile, Kane was standing with her hands on her hips.  “Are you done?  Temper tantrums are not attractive.”

“Go to hell,” Emerson replied a moment before he stormed away from Magenta.

“I’ll go anywhere you’d like,” Kane called after him, “as long as you’re beside me.” 

Emerson didn’t turn back.  She looked at him longingly as he left the Brig.  When she was sure Emerson would not return then, she shook her head and smiled. 

“Men,” was all she said.

XXX

To be continued…

XXX


Next Issue:  “King/Queen of the Mountain - Part 3”

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