Checkmate #3

Writer: Greg Rucka
DC Comics, $2.99
"The Game of Kings" Part 3


In Hebei Province, China, a military transport truck comes upon what looks to be a couple making love in the road. When one of the soldiers investigates, Sasha Bordeaux (Black Queen) and Thomas Jagger (White King's Knight) spring their trap, and along with Count Werner Vertigo (White Queen's Knight) and Fire (Black King's Knight), they capture the two soldiers. While Thomas takes them and Vertigo off to prepare for infiltration of the cyclosarin manufacturing facility, Sasha and Fire have a heated exchange over Fire's continuing disapproval of Sasha's willingness to kill.

At The Castle, Checkmate's headquarters in Switzerland, Taleb Beni Khalid (Black King), Jessica Midnight (Black Queen's Bishop), King Faraday (White Queen's Bishop), Mister Terrific (White King's Bishop) and Shen Li Po (Black King's Bishop) monitor the infiltration team's progress. Tension continues to rise over the question of Shen's loyalties — to Checkmate or to his native China — and his reluctance to share information on the secret facility. From an aerial photo, Mister Terrific deduces which building the cyclosarin is being manufactured in, and from Shen's reaction, that Kobra has a mole in the facility. If they can uncover this mole, they can use it as leverage to reverse China's vote to disband Checkmate in the U.N.

Alan Scott (White King) walks the French Ambassador to the U.N. back to his car in Paris, and receives assurance that France would again support to renew Checkmate's mandate if another vote should take place. A Kobra assassin sharpens and poisons a piece of wood and follows Alan into an alley, but is captured when Alan wields his power ring. Calling Amanda Waller (White Queen) in London, he informs her of the attempt on his life and warns her. Amanda says that the American and British ambassadors will also vote for Checkmate, and, once she confirms that Alan's captive is alive, hangs up and executes the wounded Kobra assassin she has subdued.

The team at The Castle is alerted to the assassination attempt. Mister Terrific has been thinking, and has decided that the cyclosarin is not the Chinese facility's primary purpose — it's the location of their secret metahuman program, and suspects that Amanda and King are aware of this. Shen admits that it's true. He acknowledges that the Chinese are keeping the program secret to hide Kobra's infiltration and are preparing to "sanitize" the facility.

The infiltration team, using masks made to resemble the captured soldiers enters the facility. But, as they prepare to find the cyclosarin, they are thrown off balance by an explosion. Sasha saves Fire, and they all turn to see the source of the blast — The Immortal Man in Darkness of the Great Ten destroying the facility.

Submitted by Bram. Thanks, Bram!