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.
History
Following World War II, the signals intelligence operations of the United States Army were organised into the Army Security Agency, or ASA. Initially, it was conceived with a responsibility for electronic and communications intelligence, but in 1947 officers intercepted radio bursts and interference that ultimately led to the discovery of a crashed alien spacecraft in Roswell, New Mexico. Following this confirmation of alien life, coupled with an increase in the emergence and exploitation of metahumans during the early stages of the Cold War, the ASA's mandate unofficially expanded, tasked with studying matters that were deemed "extranormal", and suppressing public knowledge of them where possible. Through these actions, the plainclothes agents of the ASA would go on to inspire much of the reports and mythology relating to the Men in Black.
The ASA continued in this capacity until 1977, when it was merged into the United States Army Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM). Officially, the ASA's extranormal and extraterrestrial mandate was handed off to the newly-formed A.R.G.U.S. agency, part of the Department of Energy. Unofficially, the work of the ASA continued under the auspices of the Secret Service, working as a covert counterpart to the Justice Society of America. Their primary concern was the protection of "individuals of extranormal interest", particularly the identities and families of individuals working with the JSA, as well as extraterrestrial refugees, and metahuman individuals who had no interest in any sort of public activity. When the JSA was later disbanded, and the Vigilante Regulation Act (VRA) was introduced in 1989, Secret Service became responsible for facilitating and reinforcing the retirement of the JSA's heroes.
Not everyone in Washington saw the dismantling of America's superhero infrastructure as a sensible move, however. The President conceded to allow the Secret Service to recruit outgoing members of the JSA, and others whom they identified as being of "strategic benefit" to the Secret Service's existing mandate. The poster child for this effort was Jay Garrick, already a government agent as well as the speedster known as The Flash, whose capabilities made him a natural choice for any protective detail. With approval to treat Garrick as their "Agent Zero", the Secret Service was allowed to begin recruiting other such individuals, with the President appointing a member of his Cabinet to oversee and supervise these selections.
Over time, this branch of the Secret Service expanded and evolved, particularly under the administration of President Henry Knight, under whom they adopted the name Checkmate and the associated chess motif, becoming a quasi-autonomous agency though still officially part of the Secret Service. Following the death of Robert Queen, Checkmate began to work in secret with Queen Industries, and with the death at sea of Oliver Queen, the company was taken public as Queen Consolidated, with Checkmate acquiring a controlling interest through various corporations and aliases. Aside from providing an international front company for Checkmate operations, Queen Consolidated also functioned as a framework for acquiring off-the-books funding, as well as proprietary research and patents to be adapted for use by Checkmate agents in the field. Through various mergers and subsidiaries, Queen Consolidated provided access to R&D, medical research, communications networks, private security, military contracts, and more. Within the last few years, these activities have further expanded to incorporate the criminal network Intergang, providing a front for Checkmate's illegal operations, and a framework through which Queen Consolidated can release experimental products and technology for "field testing" by the populace of cities like Gotham.
Hierarchy
Over time, Checkmate's hierarchy has grown broad and amorphous, making it difficult to be sure of true extent of the organisation - even among the organisation's agents themselves.
For the most part, Checkmate uses chess terminology, different pieces representing different positions and tiers. The title of White King (♔) identifies the President of the United States, who functions as the organisation's official leader - despite being part of the Secret Service, Checkmate is considered to answer directly to the President - and more broadly to the United States Government and to Washington, DC. Typically, the President appoints a cabinet or council to oversee Checkmate's operations, with the King's Bishop (♗) acting as the chairperson for that group, and as the direct political oversight for Checkmate. The King's Rook (♖) meanwhile is the Director of Operations at Checkmate's secret headquarters, located in the United States Bullion Depository at Fort Knox, and codenamed The Castle: they function as the de facto leader of Checkmate on a day-to-day basis, with subordinate Rooks functioning as specialists and support officers in various capacities. The King's Knight (♘) is considered the Special Agent in Charge, and functions as Agent Zero, overseeing and coordinating Checkmate's numerically-identified field agents. The pawn (♙) is used to represent low-level operatives and support staff, though because of the connotations of the term, such individuals are usually addressed officially as Officer, or informally (and collectively) as "Kingspawn". Other informal nicknames for certain positions exist, such as the adjutant to Agent Zero, who is known as KNP in internal memos - short for the King's Knight's Pawn. Collectively, these aspects of Checkmate operations is referred to as "Kingside".
The "Queenside" aspect of Checkmate operations represents those embedded in the corporate leadership of Queen Consolidated, which functions as a front company, research and development branch, and revenue stream for the organisation. It is overseen by the White Queen (♕), a position thus far only ever filled by William Glenmorgan, the President of Queen Consolidated. The positions of Queen's Knight and Queen's Rook exist as subordinates to White Queen, though given the nature of Queen Consolidated operations, such terms are reserved mostly for internal Checkmate use. In addition, many Queenside operations are unofficial and illegal, such as the activities of Intergang, with many of the participants unaware that they work for a government-sanctioned organisation. These individuals are represented (internally) by black chess pieces rather than white, to emphasise the unofficial nature of their associaiton.
Allegedly, an entirely separate facet of Checkmate exists, overseen by an individual codenamed Black King (♚). Supposedly, Black King oversees Checkmate's black sites and black ops missions, and may have access to operatives and "Black Knights" to facilitate this.
Membership
- ♔ White King - President of the United States
- ♗ King's Bishop - Maxwell Lord (Attorney General)
- ♖ King's Rook -
- ♘ King's Knight - Jason Garrick (Special Agent in Charge)
- ▶ ♘ Agent 37 - Richard Grayson
- ♕ White Queen - William Glenmorgan (President of Queen Consolidated)
- ♖ Queen's Rook -
- ▶ ♜ Intergang - Morgan Edge (Galaxy Communications)
- ▶ ♜ Intergang - Oswald Cobblepot
- ▶ ♜ Intergang - Bruno Mannheim
- ▶ ♟ Intergang - Bane
- ♚ Black King - (Director of (Black) Operations)
