Checkmate: Operation Outsiders #3

Arsenal - Lian Harper, master marksman, Black Queen's Knight and team leader.

Elasti-Girl - Rachel Dibny, the new Stretchable Sleuth.

Tempest - Sarin of Atlantis, super strong son of Aquaman and master of water.

Cyclone - Maxine Hunkel, happy-go-lucky wind witch.

Animal Man - Warren McCabe-Shaw, inheritor of the Tantu-totem and master of the animal kingdom.

Cassandra Cain - The former Batgirl and the world's deadliest martial artist.

Gene Nigma - White Queen's Bishop and manager of the Outsiders.

Natasha Irons - Pilot of Checkmate Jet 206.



Checkmate 206 rocketed through the air, heading over the Pacific Ocean towards Japan. The Outsiders each stared out the window of the jet as Natasha Irons kept it steady in the sky.

“Japan’s a big place. Are we sure we can find the Lazarus Pit?” Lian asked with obvious cynicism, still bitter over her loss of the argument over Bronze Tiger.

“Richie gave us a map.” Animal Man chipped in.

“How do we know it’s even accurate?” Arsenal asked.

“Don’t know.” Warren said, his voice dripping with sarcastic bitterness. “I guess we’ll just have to trust my brother.” He laid particular stress on the last three words.

“Yes, trust the guy who has a record of murder. We’ll get so far.”

“Will you both please just shut up?” Rachel said, rubbing her temples.

There was silence for a moment. Then Cyclone asked, “Where’s Tempest?”

“He’s in the bathroom.” Rachel answered. “He said he had to go breathe.”



Tempest was in the cramped bathroom, continually filling the paper cup in his hand with cold water from the sink and drinking it down in one gulp.

“’Live on the surface world’ he says.” Sarin muttered. “’It will make you a better ruler’ he says.”

He chugged down his tenth cup and said “Good lord, how did you think this was a good idea father?”

“Ladies and gentlemen, this is your captain speaking.” Natasha Irons’ voice came from the intercom. “We’re about to begin our decent into Tokyo. Please return to your seats and buckle up. We’ll be at the landing site soon.”

Sarin crumpled his cup and dropped it in the bathroom. He came back to his seat, sat down and stared out the window at the wide blue ocean below.

“I’ll come back soon, Orin.” He whispered to nobody. “I’ll come back soon.”



The jet drifted over a forest, each of the Outsiders staring out their windows at the trees below.

“What are we supposed to be looking for?” Rachel asked.

“Anything that seems out of place.” Lian answered.

“Would that do?” Tempest asked.

The team all rushed to his side of the jet and stared eagerly out the window. Below them, the trees rumbled and shook, birds flying out en masse. At that moment a group of men in business suits flew out of the forest and landed hard on the ground.

“We’re jumping!” Arsenal yelled. “Cyclone, get the door. Nat, circle around and wait for us. If you don’t hear anything in half an hour, call HQ.”

“Brace yourselves!” Maxine yelled. She pulled on the emergency exit and the door swung open outward. Immediately, the cabin became a din of noise. Whether air was rushing in or out was unknown to the passengers. It was trivial, however, as their primary concern was the pain in their ears from the sudden change in pressure.

“Elast-Girl!” Lian yelled over the roar of air. “Go limp!”

Rachel barely heard her, but did as she was told. Arsenal leapt to her feet and rushed towards the door, grabbing her teammate by the arm, pulling her out of her chair and leaping out.

Shocked, Elasti-Girl was snapped out of her confusion by Lian yelling “Chute! Now!” Rachel’s malleable body then stretched and pulled until it was a parachute for her teammate.

The moment the pair began to lower slowly to the ground, Arsenal pulled out her communicator and yelled into it “Get the lead out, people!”

Rachel looked up to see the rest of the team leave the jet. Cyclone was the first out, carrying Tempest, her hands under his armpits, as her winds carried them both downwards. Animal Man soon followed, flying with the powers of an eagle and holding on to a thin black cord. Cassandra was on the other end of the cord and swung down.

The group landed softly on the ground. It didn’t matter if they had or not, however, because the sound of gunfire and screaming was powerful enough to block any noise they might make.

Arsenal immediately turned to the bodies that lay just outside the forest. She grimaced as she looked over them and cursed. “This isn’t good.”

“Why? What’s up?” Rachel asked.

“These guys are Yakuza; members of the Japanese mafia.” Lian explained. “Their organization and the League have been at each others throats for years now. We just walked into the middle of a war.”

“Guys, you better see this.”

The group followed Animal Man’s voice to the source of the forest’s boisterous noise. A line of Japanese men, each armed with automatic firearms, were shooting ahead. Their targets were a group of advancing soldiers; each dressed in black and blue uniforms and each with powerful muscled physiques.

“It just keeps getting worse.” Arsenal whispered. “They’re all hopped up on venom.”

“Can we just let these villains fight amongst each other until they’re all dead?” Tempest asked.

“You know we can’t.” Lian answered without taking her calculating eyes off the battle.

“Then what do you propose we do?”

Arsenal turned to her ally and said with a sly smirk “Make an entrance.”



A crew of Yakuza soldiers of Tsuruki were firing straight ahead of them, trying desperately to defend themselves from the oncoming League of Assassin troopers.

“{They can’t be stopped!}” One of them yelled in Japanese. It was true; the bullets barely managed to pierce the skin of their foes’ sinewy bodies. Even so, they proceeded, seemingly unaffected by their wounds.

“{Aim for their heads!}” Another yelled. A few of the opposing troops had indeed fallen due to shots to the skull.

Suddenly, a man in a red and black outfit leapt out from nowhere and punched the ground in front of him, making a large crack. A purple and white ball bounced in behind him and unfolded itself into the body of a red-haired woman. A man in a brown costume rushed in next to them and a woman descended from above them, the winds picking up around her as she did so.

Both forces stopped and stared at the arrival of the Outsiders. “{Who are they?}” One of the Yakuza asked.

“{American supers!}” Another said, and then cursed in Japanese. “{Focus on the League!}”

And the venom soldiers kept marching silently.

“You two, go for the League!” Rachel told Animal Man and Tempest. “Cyclone and I will handle the Yakuza! Let’s go, people!”

Elasti-Girl and Cyclone immediately went to one side of the battlefield, while the other two watched them go.

“Was she trying to sound like Arsenal?” Warren asked.

“I don’t care.” Sarin answered as he rushed towards the League troops.

Animal Man watched him go, said to himself “There’s a team player.” And rushed after his ally.



While four of the Outsiders were taking on the small armies, Arsenal and Cassandra Cain had gone ahead to find the Lazarus Pit. The two were each holding their weapons and ready for anything.

The pair of Outsiders found one of the venom soldiers, digging at the rocks and trying to move them. Lian and Cassandra immediately ducked behind a boulder and watched him dig through the dirt with giant hands. Arsenal slowly and silently aimed her gun at the League soldier.

“{Freeze where you are!}” A voice yelled from behind them. The Outsiders, as well as the venom soldier, turned to see a Yakuza man holding a gun to all of them.

“{You will stay out of our business.}” The League member said. “{This is no place for you or your organization.}”

“{This is our territory! You have no right to steal from it!}” The other soldier said angrily.

“{We are only taking what belongs to us. Your interference will be costly.}”

“Do you understand what they’re saying?” Lian whispered as the enemies argued in Japanese. Cassandra shook her head no, but never took her eyes off the Yakuza man. “Good, neither do I.” Arsenal said. “How fast can you throw one of those rangs?”

The Yakuza soldier was interrupted from talking by his own shriek of pain.

“Fast.” Cassandra answered, smiling under her mask at the metal batarang stuck in her foe’s right hand.

Immediately, however, she was caught by the venom soldier, who wrapped his gargantuan arms around her small body. She kicked back wildly, but each attack bounced harmlessly off his tense muscles.

Arsenal immediately picked up her handgun and pointed it towards the League member’s chest. She hesitated, then pointed her weapon at her opponent’s foot and fired. He screamed and released Cassandra, who quickly snatched the gun from Lian’s hand and struck the venom soldier in the head with it. He fell to the ground unconscious with a loud thud. Arsenal then turned towards the Yakuza soldier and took him out with a single right hook.

The pair then turned to look at each other. “Nicely done.” Arsenal said with a grin. Cassandra, as usual, said nothing, but merely nodded her head like she was saying “Thanks.” Or possibly even returning the compliment.

Arsenal’s face returned to its normal seriousness and the two Outsiders approached where the venom soldier had been digging. It looked like he had made some progress, but there was still a boulder in the way.

“You Gothamites still carry explosives?” Lian asked. Cassandra reached into her belt and placed a small grenade at the base of the stone. The two backed away from the explosive. It went off with a loud crack and a cloud of dust flew up. When it cleared, the two approached and looked in to see a black chasm where the sun above them was shining in.

“Oh my.” Cassandra whispered in shock. “That’s not a pit. That’s…”

“Checkmate 206, this is Arsenal.” Lian interrupted as she spoke into her communicator. “We found what we were looking for. Come around and pick us up, then we’ll get the team.”

“Got it.” The voice of Natasha Irons came out from the communicator. “I’ll report to HQ then grab you guys.”

“Over and out.” Arsenal said and put away her communicator.



Meanwhile, the rest of the team had all but eliminated their competition. Cyclone and Elasti-Girl had easily taken out the Yakuza side with no injuries to themselves. Animal Man and Tempest had taken a few hits, but their versatility had allowed them to overcome the venom soldiers of the League of Assassins. Unfortunately for the team, several of their foes had scattered and escaped arrest. All in all, the Outsiders still considered it a victory.

“You fight well.” Tempest said to Warren.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” Animal Man responded, exhausted from the fight

Abruptly, a noise caused them to clutch their ears. Up to this point, they had only heard the roar of Checkmate 206’s engines from inside the cabin. Hearing it from the outside was…unpleasant.

The jet landed in the clearing with a cloud of dust. The door on the side opened and Arsenal looked out at the team and what few captured members of the League and Tsuruki were there.

“Local authorities have been alerted about the Yakuza. They’ll be here to pick them up soon.” She said to the Outsiders. “Take the venom guys and throw them into the jet. We got what we came here for.”

“We came here for something?” Warren asked as he and the rest of the group filed into the jet. “I thought we came to protect the Pit.”

“That’s what’s in the back.” Lian answered.

“How do you transport a pit?” He asked.

“Don’t ask so many questions.” Arsenal said as she returned to her seat and buckled in.

The panel in the ship opened and the screen flickered on, Eugene Nigma looking to the rest of the team.

“So, kiddies,” He said with his ever-confident smirk. “How was your first mission?”

From all sides, responses came in. They varied from “Exhausting” to “A barrel of laughs” to simple groans, and everything in between. When the hail of words finally stopped, Gene nodded his head and stated, “Glad to hear it.”

He then looked towards Cassandra and said “Cass, Black Queen wants to see you when you get back.”

“Why?” Lian asked before Cassandra could.

“She didn’t say.” Gene responded. “I guess it’s need-to-know.”



Back at Belle Reve, Cassandra followed Gene upstairs to meet the Black Queen. She was silent, as always, but her mind was racing, wondering what was going to happen upon meeting the royal. Would she be honored? Rejected? Rewarded? Punished? Promoted? Fired? Or something else entirely?

Gene opened a door at the top of the stairs. Cassandra walked in and heard the door click closed behind her. Inside, an aged Japanese woman sat alone. It had been years since the two had seen each other, but Cassandra still recognized the woman immediately.

“Katana.” She said, a hint of surprise in her voice.

The woman chuckled a bit. “I’m not Katana anymore. I’m just Tatsu Yamashiro, Black Queen of Checkmate.”

“It’s been a long time.” Cassandra said.

“Yeah, we haven’t spoken since the last Outsiders parted ways.” The Black Queen said.

Not one to waste time, Cassandra asked “Why did you call me here?”

Tatsu took a breath and began her explanation. “The rivalry between the Tsuruki Yakuza family and the League of Assassins has reached its peak. So much so that the former has resorted to the use of ancient magic to give them and edge. Most of their ‘arcane tools’ are nothing, but a few are as dangerous as ever; including my sword.”

“Soultaker.” Cassandra said.

“Yes. I want someone to infiltrate the Tsuruki, interrupt their operations as much as they can and bring me back my sword. I want that person to be you.”

“Why me?” She asked.

“You’re perfect for the job.” Tatsu said. “You can pass for Japanese. You’re human enough that they can trust you and still prove to them that you’re invaluable. You’re more than adept enough to pass any test they give you and you’re willing to go any distance to earn their trust.”

There was silence for a moment before Cassandra asked “Did Bruce tell you all that?”

“Some of it.” She answered. “The rest I picked up.”

The Black Queen looked directly at Cassandra and said, “So, what do you say?”

She said nothing, but a sly smirk curled in the corner of her mouth.



Richard Turner was not one to argue with his blessings. Whereas before he didn’t have any way out of the marsh or any money to do anything afterwards, this stranger had took him from Belle Reve to a private jet and provided him with as much food as he could eat. Richard wondered why, but didn’t bite the hand that fed him.

“You’re probably wondering why you’re here.” The stranger, who had told Richard his name was ‘Carmichael’, said.

“It crossed my mind.” Bronze Tiger said as he sipped his drink.

“The president would like a word with you.”

Richard looked surprised. “The president? Of the United States?”

“The one and only.” Carmichael said. He picked up a black telephone, placed it in front of Bronze Tiger and pushed the speaker button. The president’s voice came out distorted and full of static, but still audible.

“Richard Turner.” The machine said. “I knew your father.”

Richard said nothing. He just sipped his drink and looked confused.

“You’re a lot like him. Strong, fast, skilled; but you’re also rash and short-tempered. And you are one to make stupid decisions.”

“What do you want?” Bronze Tiger finally said.

“Richard you’ve been drafted into an elite squad; one that will work on my behalf specifically and do whatever it is necessary to protect the United States and her interests.”

“No deal.” Richard said. “I already spilled my guts to Checkmate and they said I could walk.”

“One good deed does not forgive six years of killing for money. You will either accept this job or be jailed for lifetime. And I just may notify the League of Assassins who sold them out.”

Bronze Tiger’s hand shook uncontrollably, fear showing in his eyes.

“I hold all the cards, Mr. Turner. I always have.”

Finally, the static cleared and President Amanda Waller’s voice came in loud and clear.

“Tell me, Richard, what do you know about Task Force X?”

******

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