Checkmate
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The group known as Checkmate or The Agency is a clandestine organisation within the United States government, primarily as part of the United States Secret Service. It was established in the wake of the Vigilante Regulation Act by those who felt that the government was making a mistake by turning its back on the Justice Society of America, and exists to protect the United States from extreme threats, preferably without the American people ever being aware - of the threat, or of Checkmate's existence. Over time that mandate has expanded to strive towards the general betterment of the United States, acting through proxies and manipulation to guide America towards a better future. Much of the cult mythology regarding the Men in Black derives from the actions of Checkmate.
History
Following World War II, a culture of costumed crime fighters emerged in the United States. Concerned about the abundance of these vigilantes, but unwilling to tempt the public backlash that might result from attempting to oppose them directly, the US government created the Justice Society of America: an organisation affiliated with the Department of Justice, which allowed select vigilantes to gain legitimacy and endorsement from the government. While some members of the Justice Society were government assets, the JSA was largely allowed to police itself, relying on a community of heroes to keep each other in check.
Unfortunately, the Golden Age of the Justice Society didn't last, and when a Crisis brought the JSA crashing down, the government was quick to pounce on the opportunity to condemn the superhero population, drafting the Vigilante Regulation Act that formally condemned all costumed heroics as unlawful. The Department of Extranormal Operations was established to enforce the VRA, and America's superhero population was forced either into retirement, or underground.
Some of those underground individuals banded together. They felt that Congress was being naive in their condemnation of the Justice Society, and with the support of the incumbent President, established Checkmate as an undocumented branch of the Secret Service. Initially, the idea was to ensure that the President would be protected in the event that foreign nations saw the VRA as an indication of America's vulnerability; one of the first Checkmate agents in the Secret Service was Jay Garrick, a speedster who contributed his abilities to the President's personal detail.
Over time, Checkmate's mandate expanded. The leadership saw how the likes of ARGUS and the DEO were arranging America's protection from foreign and domestic dangers, and felt that there were gaps in that protection that they were uniquely positioned to (secretly) fill. Checkmate began to reach out, forging alliances with prominent figures in politics, the military, and business, trading favours and influence to promote the development of useful technologies, or the investment in important initiatives. Though still technically a government organisation, and technically still subservient to the whims of the President of the United States, Checkmate began to start making its own decisions, and acting towards its own goals and objectives. At this time, Checkmate began to embrace a more morally grey set of ethics, leading to the advent of initiatives like the Suicide Squad, which made use of convicted meta-criminals on covert missions.
Over the last decade, Checkmate has engaged in its most ambitious plan. Following the deaths of Robert and Moira Queen, individuals loyal to Checkmate gained control of Queen Industries, allowing it to become the centerpiece of Checkmate's plans. Through acquisitions and mergers it became Queen Consolidated, and migrated to Gotham City, where it grew into a titan of industry that quietly exploited the lax regulations and lawlessness prevalent in the city. Those ambitions further expanded with the creation of Intergang, an organisation that sought to reduce crime through control, rather than direct opposition. Working through Queen Consolidated and Intergang, Checkmate set out to gain control of Gotham City, using it as a proving ground for new technologies, pathogens, and techniques for pacification that could, through Checkmate's network of influence, eventually be rolled out to other agencies. To Checkmate, the objective was clear and simple: sacrifice Gotham, and use the lessons learned from its slow decline to help save the rest of America.
Hierarchy
Over time, Checkmate's hierarchy has grown broad and amorphous, making it difficult to be sure of the true extent of the organisation. For the most part, Checkmate uses chess terminology, using Kings, Queens, and Bishops in various colours to represent members of the Checkmate leadership; Knights (♘) to represent agents who are free to act on Checkmate's behalf; Rooks (♖) to represent allies and assets in key positions within government and industry who are aware of their association with Checkmate; and Pawns (♙) to represent assets who can be manipulated and directed towards Checkmate's goals. Other terminology helps identify specific individuals, such as "King's Knight" to identify the senior field agent.
Colours also play a significant part in Checkmate's terminology and hierarchy. White represents the somewhat official aspects of Checkmate - such as Checkmate knights who are also Secret Service agents - who are aware of Checkmate as a clandestine agency, but aren't necessarily aware of the deeper extent of the organization. Black meanwhile represents the more morally ambiguous aspects of Checkmate, such as Intergang and the Suicide Squad. Occasional other colours, such as Red, are used informally to denote specific individuals.
In addition to being identified as white knights, Secret Service agents of Checkmate are also numbered. Allegedly Checkmate was founded with sixty-four agents - one for each space on a chess board - though whether that number is still valid, or was ever valid, is not widely known. Checkmate's lead agent, or King's Knight, is Jay Garrick, who currently carries the designation Agent Zero, and acts as the leader of Checkmate's involvement in the Secret Service.
Checkmate Members
- White King / President of the United States -
- Black King / Administrator of Black Castle -
- Black Queen -
- White Queen / President of Queen Consolidated - William Glenmorgan
- Red Queen / CEO of Queen Consolidated -
- King's Bishop / US Attorney General - Maxwell Lord
- Queen's Bishop -
- King's Knight / Agent Zero - Jay Garrick
- ♘ Agent 37 - Richard Grayson
- Queen's Knight - Unknown
- King's Rook -
- Queen's Rook -
