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"Checkmate"
Original Air Date on April 9th, 2010
Oliver: You just listen. That's when you let go.
[ Jones Grunts ]
John: Doctor Fate's final act was to restore my Martian abilities. So I will continue to protect and serve using every tool I've got.
This blood confirms my suspicions. These things are alien.
Lois: I need a blood sample analyzed.
Sylvester: You're the one they call Watchtower.
Chloe: Who are you?
[ Screaming ]
Sylvester: They came after us. They'll come after all of you. Check ...
Chloe: Check what?!
Waller: Agent Mercer, we have a lot to catch up on. There's an army of heroes growing.
Clark: Someone's collecting them. It's just a question of who.
Waller: Welcome to the Suicide Squad.
[ Gunshot ]
[ Waller knocks over a chess piece ]
[ Door opens, and closes ]
[ Tess notices the chess piece on the desk ]
[ Cabinet door opens ]
[ Cocks gun ]
[ Door opens, zipping up bag ]
[ Throws bag in trash can ]
[ Car engine starts ]
[ Tess shoves man ]
Man: Hey.
[ Gun cocks ]
[ Both grunt ]
[ Tess and woman fighting, man fires gun ]
[ Tess throws the lady over the trash can, kicking the guy making him hit the fall ]
[ Woman shouting indistinctly ]
[ Tires screech ]
[ Tess kicks the door causing the guy to hit it, driver groans ]
[ Gunshots, arrow hits the gun ]
Oliver: You could use some conflict resolution. Rule number one, you don't shoot your date. Rule number two, think about your wardrobe choices.
Man: You're one to talk.
Oliver: Oh, no. Don't get me wrong. I love black on black. It's just really hard to pull off.
Man: It's easier than you think.
[ Man grunts, electricity crackling ]
Oliver: And rule number three, you got to know when to say good night.
[ Tess punches Oliver ]
Tess: Checkmate.
[ Credits roll in ]
[ Keyboard clacking ]
[ Air whooshes ]
Clark: Did you try the power switch?
Chloe: Didn't you see my texts? I lost Oliver. He was tracking some armed men, followed them under the monorail, and then it was like a massive mute button went on. No radio, no beacon, nothing.
Clark: I'm sure it's fine. Just because he doesn't check in ...
Chloe: You know, unlike some people, Oliver actually follows protocol.
Clark: What protocol?
Chloe: Exactly. He and everyone else dial in with Watchtower while they're on patrol. Clark, you spend so much time watching everybody else's back, you forget that we need to watch each other's backs too.
Clark: Well, this isn't about us. Did you check the local security cameras?
Chloe: Every surveillance feed is down. ATMs, traffic lights, convenience stores. It's like someone threw a big blanket over the whole area.
[ Monitors beep ]
Clark: You fixed it.
Chloe: Or whoever did this finished what they started.
[ Beeping ]
Clark: Where is that?
Chloe: That's where I saw Oliver last.
[ Beeping ]
Chloe: John Jones?
Clark: Well, your buddy system works.
Chloe: I didn't call him.
[ Air whooshes ]
John: Clark. What are you doing here?
Clark: Looking for any sign of Oliver. You didn't know he was missing? He was here on patrol when Watchtower lost contact.
John: Well, I'm here on police business. But I'll keep an eye out.
Clark: It'll be faster if we work together. Unless you've already found something.
John: You need to trust me, Clark.
Clark: You first.
[ X-raying ]
Clark: What do you know, John?
John: [ Sighs ] You shouldn't have done that, Clark.
[ Flies away ]
Tess: Radio ahead. We're 20 minutes to the airfield.
Waller: Stand down, Agent Mercer. [ Chuckles ] You know the rules. You don't have clearance to peek under the hood.
Tess: I was just making sure that our acquisition was still secure.
Waller: I'm sure you were.
[ Scoffs ] Oh. Congratulations. You were able to re-engage so quickly after being dormant so long. Dismissed.
[ Door opens and closes ]
[ Electricity crackling ]
[ Groans in pain ]
Waller: Green Arrow, welcome to Checkmate.
Oliver: I think you've got the wrong Green Arrow. I don't remember signing up for any chess club.
Waller: You are a guest of the U.S. government. And the time has come for you to do your patriotic duty.
Oliver: Yeah, well, I didn't know Uncle Sam was into drugs and bondage. Kind of gives a whole new meaning to the "I Want You" posters, doesn't it?
Waller: Well, I'm sorry you think these tactics are crude. But I fear for our country's security.
That's why I'm recruiting capable people like you.
Oliver: Recruitment? Well, I got to tell you, it feels more like kidnapping than a booth at a job fair.
Waller: Well, call it what you want.
[ Handcuffs click ]
Waller: But it's time you elevated your service to your country. You have a long plane ride coming to think it over.
[ TV clicks off ]
[ Handcuffs click off ]
[ Bomb goes off ]
[ Oliver throws himself off, grunting ]
[ Tires screech ]
[ Car alarm chirps ]
[ Whooshing ]
Lott: What do you want?
John: I'm afraid you've made a critical error. I believe this is yours.
[ Gun goes off ]
John: Tell me the location of Checkmate's headquarters. The place you call The Castle.
Lott: Who are you working for?
John: Someone who will not hesitate to expose your double life.
[ Grunts, falling down ]
[ Vehicle approaches ]
[ Engine shuts off, car door opens ]
Waller: Clearly, you are rusty. You think I didn't know the second we lost him? Did you properly secure the detainee?
Tess: He had a hidden lock pick.
Waller: The correct answer is "No, I did not properly secure the detainee!" I'm disappointed, Tess.
Green Arrow may not have been the endgame, but he was our opening move.
Tess: I can get him back. I'll set a new net myself.
Waller: You skipped a few check-ins the last few years. Maybe your loyalties lie with someone else.
Tess: I swear, I am fully committed to Checkmate.
Waller: You better be. Or you're out. And we both know there is only one way out.
[ Pounds truck ]
[ Keyboard clacking ]
Clark: Chloe, seems to be taking longer than normal to find an earwig serial number.
Chloe: That's because someone's hidden it, but after cross-referencing those last four digits, Clark, I think that the earpiece in John's pocket was government-issued.
Clark: Why would the government take Green Arrow?
Oliver: Considering what I pay out every year, it better not be for tax evasion.
Chloe: Oh, my god. You're safe.
[ Hugs Oliver tightly ]
Oliver: Of course I'm safe.
[ Chuckles ]
Clark: I'm glad you're safe too. You want to fill us in on what happened?
Chloe: Definitely.
Oliver: Absolutely. Uh, so let's see. One minute, I am saving someone's bacon. Uh, next thing I know, I'm the only pig on a Pork Chop Express. Some harpy gets on a monitor. She starts telling me this is the welcome wagon and she's recruiting heroes for the U.S. of A. I'm guessing you didn't get the Evite.
Clark: No, someone else did. And that explains why John Jones was covering for them. Did this woman give you her name?
Oliver: Nope. No name. Just that her organization was called Checkmate.
Chloe: Wait a minute. Checkmate? When Sylvester Pemberton from The Justice Society was murdered, he warned me that, "They came after us, and they'll come after you." His dying word was check. If he meant Checkmate, these are the same people who took down the JSA.
Chloe: I searched the archived security footage that was taken from the cameras across the city. This was taken a few hours ago.
[ Camera scanning ]
Clark: That was right after I confronted him. Who's he talking to?
[ Beeping ]
Chloe: We got a hit from the passport agency. Edward Lott. He's the CEO of a consumer manufacturing company. He seems pretty high-profile for a secret-agent man.
Oliver: Well, maybe they recruit people that are already established in the private sector.
Clark: Or plant them there.
[ Beeping ]
Chloe: You're not gonna be happy where he was planted next. Within an hour after this footage was taken, he was on the list of Metropolis General morgue.
Oliver: Whoa, slow down, guys. You can't think john murdered this guy. Come on, now.
Chloe: Clark, I'll come with you. I can run some ...
[ Whooshing ]
Chloe: Support on-site.
Oliver: Looks like you got benched.
Chloe: Sylvester Pemberton came to warn me about Checkmate the moment that he was attacked by ...
Oliver: Icicle. Huh. Well, either that's quaintly coincidental or he's working for the same lovely lady whose gaze wilts small trees. What do you think?
Chloe: Last I heard, he was in the psych ward at Met Gen.
Oliver: Let's go.
Chloe: You know, Oliver, now that Green Arrow is officially on Checkmate's radar, I think it might be a good idea for you to just hang your tights for one night. Go civilian.
Oliver: Well, t-they're not tights. They're not tights. But I see your point. Yeah. Hm. Unfortunately for me, that means attending a LuthorCorp shareholder dinner, which..Yeah, I'd rather be shot at.
[ Both chuckle ]
Oliver: Hey, Chloe. Um, just I was just gonna say, be careful out there, because it, there's Checkmate agents everywhere, so be careful.
[ Chloe smiles and leaves, leaving Oliver smiling back ... but worried ]
[ Crickets chirping ]
[ Soft piano music playing ]
[ Indistinct conversations ]
Oliver: You're late.
Tess: Mm. If you know what's good for you, don't start.
Oliver: [ Chuckles ] Whatever kind of day you think you've had, trust me, I've had it in spades.
Tess: Ohhh. What happened? The jet late leaving Paris? The beluga not the right temperature?
Oliver: That's very, very funny.
Tess: Yeah.
Oliver: You might want to save the song-and-dance routine for the shareholders when you try to explain to them, uh, the sketchy deal with China. It's terrible.
Tess: So that's what got you out of bed before the dinner bell.
Oliver: I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Barely had time to change clothes, actually.
Tess: I can tell. Black on black. That's hard to pull off.
Oliver: Well, it's easier than you think.
Tess: Green Arrow.
[ Door opens ]
Clark: Tess.
[ Whooshing ]
[ Door opens ]
[ X-ray vision ]
[ Whooshing ]
Waller: Thank you for coming, Detective Jones.
John: You know who I am.
Waller: [ Chuckles ] Don't be so naive. Where's the rest of your team?
John: I came alone.
Waller: Ah. All for the better. I was hoping I would get the chance to enlist you. But I have the feeling somebody already has. Somebody with a very high level of intel.
[ Chuckles ] You came for what's in there, didn't you?
John: That doesn't belong to you.
Waller: That blood traveled light-years to get here. And it's foreshadowing a threat we will not take lightly.
John: Your preparations for war are unnecessary. You're simply reacting out of fear.
Waller: Fear? Fear is what prompts us to protect ourselves. And studying fear gives us insight to others' phobias.
[ Beep ]
Waller: A police detective who won't go near fire. [ Chuckles ] Makes it hard to protect and serve, doesn't it?
[ Elevator dings ]
Dr. Brenner: Excuse me. Those are my charts.
Chloe: Dr. Brenner. I was looking for you. You were the evaluating doctor on several patients who came through the psych ward in Met Gen who were special.
Dr. Brenner: Unless you are directly related, I'm afraid I can't discuss patient information.
Chloe: Um, none of them actually made it to Belle Reve after you signed off on their transfer, including Cameron Mahkent.
Dr. Brenner: Well, once I sign off, those people belong to Belle Reve. Why don't you take it up with them?
Chloe: Well, that's just the thing. Belle Reve was never even notified that they were coming.
Dr. Brenner: Look, young lady, if you don't leave immediately, I will call security.
Chloe: No. That's not necessary. I was just trying to get some answers.
[ Beep, vibrating ]
[ Beep ]
Dr. Brenner: I'm sorry. Perhaps I was a bit abrasive. It's been a really long day. I'll tell you what. Why don't I walk you down to archives and we'll see if we can't clear this up?
Chloe: That's the bedside manner they say has been missing.
[ Phone beeps ]
Man: Please follow me this way to the dining room.
[ Door opens ]
Oliver: The only way you'd get me back in here is by force.
[ Throws vase, Tess grunts ]
Tess: Don't flatter yourself. The best thing I ever did in this bed was kick you out of it.
Oliver: That's something out of your mouth I can believe.
Tess: So it's you. Parading around in tacky green leather.
Oliver: It was me.
Tess: I can't believe you wear tights.
Oliver: They're not tights.
Tess: Hey.
Oliver: They're not tights.
Tess: They look like tights.
Oliver: You've been keeping more secrets than Lex ever had. Isn't that right? Who knows how many deals were sealed right here?
Tess: You buried an arrow into my chest, Oliver.
Oliver: Actually, it was a TASER.
Tess: Well, it bruised.
Oliver: Well, better bruised than dead.
[ Tess throws knife, but Oliver stops it with a book ]
Oliver: What, are you crazy? Tess, this isn't a cartoon. You're gonna hurt somebody.
Tess: That's the basic idea.
Oliver: All right, then.
Tess: Don't you come near me.
[ Air whooshes ]
Oliver: Stop.
Tess: Stay out of this, Clark.
Oliver: Our little lady here is a Checkmate agent. She knows my identity.
Clark: Not just yours. Tess, I need some answers.
Tess: I'm not telling you anything.
Clark: Well, maybe the view will change your mind.
[ Air whooshes ]
Tess: [ Gasps ] Let me down from here!
Clark: Tell me about Checkmate. No lies.
Tess: [ Breathing heavily ] A month after I started working at LuthorCorp, I was approached by the White Queen. It's Waller's code name. She wanted information about Lex's alien investigations. At first, I thought she was crazy.
Clark: But then Lex's files changed your mind.
Tess: After I took over LuthorCorp, I saw she knew a lot more than I did. But I swear, I never told her the Kryptonians were here. I never told her about you.
[ Air whooshes ]
[ Gasps ]
Clark: I wouldn't believe your dying breath.
Tess: [ Voice breaking ] None of this should have happened. Oliver wasn't even the real target.
Clark: Then who was?
Tess: I don't know. Something they called Watchtower.
[ Opens door, the guards shove someone down ]
[ Revealing Chloe, Whimpers ]
Oliver: What the hell do you want? Round 2?
Tess: Oliver, Clark's in trouble.
Oliver: Well, you know, Tess, if you wanted a rematch, all you had to do was ask.
Tess: I'm serious. He made me tell him where Checkmate's headquarters are, after he found out they captured something called Watchtower.
Waller: [ Muffled ] Somebody get in here! Soldiers. I need your help!
[ Fire crackling ]
Waller: Get me out of here! The prisoner overpowered me.
[ Beeping ]
Man: No alarms have been reported yet.
[ Beeping ]
Man: There's no sign of Jones.
John: That's because I'm still here.
[ Guard groans and falls down ]
[ Air whooshes ]
Waller: I must say, I liked your colors better when they were more patriotic.
Clark: Kidnapping is illegal. Even for the government.
Waller: I don't have time for polite requests. I have reason to believe there are aliens among us. They have designs much bigger than just getting green cards. I need your help.
Clark: To do what? Chase down rumors and UFO stories?
Waller: What if I have proof? Actual alien blood? The keystone to World War III.
Clark: Maybe these aliens aren't here to start a war.
Waller: If you don't stand with us, you stand against us. It's time for you to pick a side. Maybe this will help your indecisiveness.
[ Beep ]
Waller: Stand ready for immediate orders.
Clark: Let her go.
Waller: I'm not being unreasonable. If you step forward, out of the shadows, I will let Watchtower go.
Clark: Release her now.
Waller: You sure are nice to look at. But I like to have my cake and eat it too. Mm. I want your loyalty to Checkmate. Nuh! Anything happens to me and bye-bye, Blondie. I know you're fast. But you can't stop a bullet when you don't know where she is.
Clark: That would be murder.
Waller: [ Scoffs ] It's not murder. It's strategy. Something you could have used more of before coming here.
Clark: What more do you want?
Waller: The location of Watchtower's central database.
Clark: You're after everyone who's ever worked at Watchtower.
Waller: Names, faces, addresses. The Black Canary, Impulse, Aquaman, Cyborg. I need people with the abilities to end the war quickly and decisively. It's your move.
[ John makes himself invisible, burning the blood sample ]
Clark: Even if I gave you Watchtower's database, you know I'll come for you.
Waller: The Blur. He patrols the streets of Metropolis, protecting every citizen he can. But he, he lets the most valuable ally fend for herself.
Clark: I did not abandon her.
Waller: Didn't you? You left your greatest asset vulnerable. All you have to do to save her life is give one simple address.
[ Alarm sounding ]
Guard: Come in, White Queen. Come in, White Queen.
[ Super hearing ]
Guard: I'm showing external power breach. Am I clear to shoot? Over.
[ Whooshing ]
[ Gun cocks ]
[ Clark hits the guards ]
[ Bullet flies out but is stopped by Clark ]
[ Blaring continues ]
[ Chloe Sighs ]
[ Blaring continues ]
[ Air whooshes ]
Chloe: Boy, am I glad to see your friendly face.
[ Handcuffs click ]
Chloe: Did you, uh ... ?
Clark: No. I didn't tell her anything.
Chloe: At least we have that.
Clark: I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm sorry for everything.
Chloe: I think we're both a day late and a dollar short in that department.
Clark: But I abandoned you. I keep seeing you on the sideline, but the truth is, with Watchtower, you're right in the middle of the game.
Chloe: You didn't abandon me, Clark. You pushed me out of the way.
Clark: Maybe I thought you'd be safer there.
Chloe: Maybe you just didn't trust me. I've broken your confidence in me, Clark. You saw Watchtower as big Brother, and you turned away. And the less you confided in me, the less you have to depend on me. It's smart, probably.
Clark: I didn't give you enough credit. You're the one who brought us together. You're the one who saw our potential.
Chloe: That potential's gonna be short-lived. Waller saw our faces and she's not gonna stop coming after us.
[ Door opens ]
Waller: Tell me you caught them. I can't wait to see the defeat on their faces.
[ Air whooshes, John extracts her memory ]
Tess: I didn't think you were gonna show.
Oliver: Well, you know, I figure it's a public place. There's only so many weapons you can throw at me.
Tess: I'm sorry. For everything I've done that's destroyed your trust.
Oliver: I don't think there's enough stationery for that, Tess.
Tess: I told you how to shut down The Castle's power grid. That's worth something, isn't it?
Oliver: What am I supposed to do here? You want me to do, uh, handstands because you helped solve a problem that you created?
Tess: I never would have gone after you if I had known that you were the Green Arrow.
Oliver: So it's back on me?
Tess: This might be the last time that I ever see you. When I joined Checkmate, I took an oath. An oath I wanna break. But there's only one way to leave Checkmate.
Oliver: [ Sighs ] What are you gonna do?
Tess: [ Clears throat ] I'm gonna go AWOL. I'm gonna go underground.
Oliver: That's good. You know, I got to ask you a question, though. Did it hurt to do something moral for once, Tess? Did it hurt you?
Tess: Oliver, I'm taking a chance just being out here with you in the open.
Oliver: Yeah, okay, I understand that. Okay, we've gotten that far. W-what is it that you want? You're asking me for something. What is it you want? What do you want?
Tess: Forgive me, Oliver. Oliver, I need your help. Please.
Oliver: There are times when I wish I could go back, those Santorini sunsets, your freckles and your big dreams of changing the world. Back when I could trust you. Then you betrayed me, Tess. You, of all people. And if you ever come near me or my friends ever again, I will expose you to the world. Do you understand?
Tess: [ Breathes shakily, starts crying ]
Chloe: Hi.
Oliver: Hey.
[ Both smile back at each other ]
Chloe: Thanks for keeping my seat warm at Watchtower.
Oliver: Well, you're welcome. Don't get used to it.
Chloe: Oh, but your timing is so good. I mean, if you hadn't flipped that Castle's electric switch when you did, I would have b ...
Oliver: Chloe ...
Chloe: But, you know, I kind of liked being out in the field, knowing I had a warm bed to come to.
Oliver: That's very, very funny.
[ Grabs her ]
Oliver: It scared the life out of me.
Chloe: You better be careful, Ollie. I'm gonna start to think you're falling for me.
[ Smile at each other, Oliver grabs Chloe's hand ]
[ Whooshing ]
John: Your identity's safe, for now.
Clark: She's not wrong, you know? Waller.
John: How so?
Clark: When I saw the future, Zod and his people had already started World War III, and we weren't winning. She was right about being prepared. Because, as much as I want to believe that I've stopped that day from happening, it still might.
John: You don't have to join her.
Clark: No. But like she said, eventually, I'll have to choose sides.
John: You can't. [ Sighs ] You are here for something far greater, Clark. You will be the ambassador who bridges all the sides together.
Clark: What were you doing, John? Why not include the rest of us?
John: I would have told the team what was going on. But I wanted you and the rest of them to stay off Checkmate's radar.
Clark: But you're not in this alone. Who are you working for?
John: Let's just say that ... there are more players on the board than you think. And when it comes to choosing sides, things aren't always black and white.
Waller: I want the report of Agent Mercer's last physical.
Man: When our system's back up, do you want to move forward with our operation?
[ Beeping ]
Waller: Who's been in here?
Man: No one. We're secured.
Waller: We won't be renewing the operation. We've been blocked by a new player.
[ Smacks the chess piece off ]
Waller: It's time for a new game.
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