- Amanda Waller: Green Arrow, welcome to Checkmate.
- Green Arrow: You got the wrong Green Arrow. I don't remember signing up for any chess club.
- Amanda Waller: You're a guest of the U.S. government. And the time has come for you to do your patriotic duty.
- Green Arrow: 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?
- Amanda 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.
- Green Arrow: Recruitment? Well, I gotta tell you, it feels more like kidnapping than a booth at a job fair.
- Amanda Waller: Well, call it what you will. But it's time you elevated your service to your country. You have a long plane ride coming to think it over.
- Tess Mercer: So it's you... parading around in tacky green leather.
- Oliver Queen: It was me.
- Tess Mercer: I can't believe you wear tights.
- Oliver Queen: They're *not* tights.
- Tess Mercer: They look like tights.
- Green Arrow: You could use some conflict resolution. Rule number one, you don't shoot your date. Rule number two, think about your wardrobe choices.
- Edward Lott: You're one to talk.
- Green Arrow: Oh, no. Don't get me wrong. I love black on black. It's just really hard to pull off.
- Tess Mercer: You buried an arrow into my chest, Oliver.
- Oliver Queen: Actually it was a Taser.
- Tess Mercer: Well, it bruised.
- Oliver Queen: Well, better bruised than dead.
- Tess Mercer: I didn't think you were gonna show.
- Oliver Queen: Well, you know, I figure it's a public place. There's only so many weapons you can throw at me.
- Tess Mercer: I'm sorry. For everything I've done that's destroyed your trust.
- Oliver Queen: I don't think there's enough stationery for that, Tess.
- Tess Mercer: I told you how to shut down The Castle's power grid. That's worth something, isn't it?
- Oliver Queen: What am I supposed to do here? You want me to do, uh, handstands because you helped solve a problem that you created?
- Tess Mercer: I never would have gone after you if I had known that you were the Green Arrow.
- Oliver Queen: So it's back on me?
- Tess Mercer: 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 Queen: [sighs] What are you gonna do?
- Tess Mercer: [Clears throat] I'm gonna go AWOL. I'm gonna go underground.
- Oliver Queen: 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 Mercer: Oliver, I'm taking a chance just being out here with you in the open.
- Oliver Queen: 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 Mercer: Forgive me, Oliver. Oliver, I need your help. Please.
- Oliver Queen: 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 Mercer: [Breathes shakily, starts crying]
- Chloe Sullivan: 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 Kent: I'm sure it's fine. Just because he doesn't check in...
- Chloe Sullivan: You know, unlike some people, Oliver actually follows protocol.
- Clark Kent: What protocol?
- Chloe Sullivan: Exactly.
- Clark Kent: Why would the government take Green Arrow?
- Oliver Queen: Considering what I pay out every year, it better not be for tax evasion.
- Clark Kent: She's not wrong, you know? Waller.
- John Jones: How so?
- Clark Kent: When I saw the future, Zod and his people had already started World War III, and we weren't winning. Tess was right about being prepared. Because as much I want to believe that I've stopped that day from happening, it still might.
- John Jones: You don't have to join her.
- Clark Kent: No. But, like she said, eventually I'll have to choose sides.
- John Jones: You can't. You are here for something far greater, Clark. You will be the ambassador who bridges all the sides together.
- Amanda Waller: 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. You came for what's in there, didn't you?
- John Jones: That doesn't belong to you.
- Amanda Waller: That blood traveled light-years to get here. And it's foreshadowing a threat we will not take lightly.
- John Jones: Your preparations for war are unnecessary. You're simply reacting out of fear.
- Amanda Waller: Fear? Fear is what prompts us to protect ourselves. And studying fear gives us insight to others' phobias. A police detective who won't go near fire. Makes it hard to protect and serve, doesn't it?
- Amanda Waller: 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 Kent: To do what? Chase down rumors and UFO stories?
- Amanda Waller: What if I have proof? Actual alien blood. The keystone to World War III.
- Clark Kent: Maybe these aliens aren't here to start a war.
- Amanda Waller: If you don't stand with us, you stand against us. It's time for you to pick a side.
- John Jones: [Whooshing] John Jones: Your identity's safe, for now.
- Clark Kent: Clark Kent: She's not wrong, you know? Waller.
- John Jones: John Jones: How so?
- Clark Kent: Clark Kent: 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 Jones: John Jones: You don't have to join her.
- Clark Kent: Clark Kent: No. But like she said, eventually, I'll have to choose sides.
- John Jones: John Jones: You can't.
- [sighs]
- John Jones: You are here for something far greater, Clark. You will be the ambassador who bridges all the sides together.
- Clark Kent: Clark Kent: What were you doing, John? Why not include the rest of us?
- John Jones: John Jones: 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 Kent: Clark Kent: But you're not in this alone. Who are you working for?
- John Jones: John Jones: 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.
- Clark Kent: You want to fill us in on what happened?
- Chloe Sullivan: Definitely.
- Oliver Queen: 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.
- [to Clark]
- Oliver Queen: I'm guessing you didn't get the Evite.
- Chloe Sullivan: Every surveillance feed is down. ATMs, traffic lights, convenience stores. It's like someone threw a big blanket over the whole area.
- Clark Kent: [the feeds come back up] You fixed it.
- Chloe Sullivan: Or whoever did this finished what they started.
- Checkmate Guard: When our system's back up, do you wanna move forward with our operation?
- Amanda Waller: [seeing something] Who's been in here?
- Checkmate Guard: No one. We're secured.
- Amanda Waller: [seeing a red Queen on her chessboard] We won't be renewing the operation. We've been blocked by a new player.
- [knocking it off the board]
- Amanda Waller: It's time for a new game.
- Chloe Sullivan: Thanks for keeping my seat warm at Watchtower.
- Oliver Queen: Well, you're welcome. Don't get used to it.
- Chloe Sullivan: Oh, but your timing is so good. I mean, if you hadn't flipped back Castle's electric switch when you did, I would have been...
- Oliver Queen: Chloe...
- Chloe Sullivan: But, uh, you know, I kind of liked being out in the field, knowing I had a warm bed to come home to.
- Oliver Queen: That's very, very funny. It scared the life out of me.
- Chloe Sullivan: You better be careful, Ollie. I'm gonna start to think you're falling for me.
- Chloe Sullivan: Boy, am I glad to see your friendly face. Did you, uh...
- Clark Kent: No. I didn't tell her anything.
- Chloe Sullivan: At least we have that.
- Clark Kent: I'm sorry, Chloe. I'm sorry for everything.
- Chloe Sullivan: I think we're both a day late and a dollar short in that department.
- Clark Kent: I abandoned you. I keep seeing you on the sidelines, but the truth is, with Watchtower, you're right in the middle of the game.
- Chloe Sullivan: You didn't abandon me, Clark. You pushed me out of the way.
- Clark Kent: Maybe I thought you'd be safer there.
- Chloe Sullivan: 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 Kent: I didn't give you enough credit. You're the one who brought us together. You're the one who saw our potential.
- Chloe Sullivan: That potential's gonna be short-lived. Waller saw our faces, and she's not gonna stop coming after us.
- Clark Kent: [seeing Chloe held at gunpoint] Let her go.
- Amanda Waller: I'm not being unreasonable. If you step forward, out of the shadows, I will let Watchtower go.
- Clark Kent: [revealing his face] Release her now.
- Amanda 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.
- [he steps foward threateningly]
- Amanda Waller: Nah. 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 Kent: That would be murder.
- Amanda Waller: It's not murder. It's strategy. Something you could have used more of before coming here.
- Clark Kent: What more do you want?
- Amanda Waller: The location of Watchtower's central database.
- Clark Kent: You're after everyone who's ever worked at Watchtower.
- Amanda 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.
- Clark Kent: Even if I gave you Watchtower's database, you know I'll come after you.
- Amanda 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 Kent: I did not abandon her.
- Amanda Waller: Didn't you? You left your greatest asset vulnerable. All you have to do to save her life is give one simple address.
- Amanda Waller: Get me out of here. The prisoner over powered me.
- Checkmate Guard: [turning the cell of flames off] No alarms have been reported yet.
- [checking a GPS tracker]
- Checkmate Guard: There's no sign of Jones.
- John Jones: [shifting back to his regular form] That's because I'm still here.
- Oliver Queen: What the hell do you want? Round two?
- Tess Mercer: Oliver, Clark's in trouble.
- Oliver Queen: Oh. You know, Tess, if you wanted a rematch, all you had to do was ask.
- Tess Mercer: I'm serious. He made me tell him where Checkmate's headquarters are, after he found out they captured something called Watchtower.
- Oliver Queen: [blocking a knife Tess throws at him] What, are you crazy? Tess, this isn't a cartoon. You're gonna hurt somebody.
- Tess Mercer: That's the basic idea.
- Oliver Queen: All right, then.
- Tess Mercer: Don't you come near me.
- Clark Kent: [whooshing in] Stop.
- Tess Mercer: Stay out of this, Clark.
- Oliver Queen: Our little lady here is a Checkmate agent. She knows my identity.
- Clark Kent: Not just yours. Tess, I need some answers.
- Tess Mercer: I'm not telling you anything.
- Clark Kent: Maybe the view will change your mind.
- Tess Mercer: [he grabs her and whooshes away to the roof of a tall building, dangling her over the edge] Let me down from here.
- Clark Kent: [pulling her back] Tell me about Checkmate. No lies.
- Tess Mercer: 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 Kent: But then Lex's files changed your mind.
- Tess Mercer: 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.
- Clark Kent: [pushing her up against a pillar] I wouldn't believe your dying breath.
- Tess Mercer: None of this should have happened. Oliver wasn't even the real target.
- Clark Kent: Then who was?
- Tess Mercer: I don't know. Something they called Watchtower.
- Oliver Queen: [being led into Tess' bedroom] The only way you'd get me back in here is by force.
- Tess Mercer: [throwing a statue at him] Don't flatter yourself. The best thing I ever did in this bed was kick you out of it.
- Oliver Queen: Oh, look, something out of your mouth I can believe.
- Oliver Queen: You're late.
- Tess Mercer: Mm. If you know what's good for you... don't start.
- Oliver Queen: Whatever kind of day you think you've had, trust me, I've had it in spades.
- Tess Mercer: Ohh. What happened? The jet late leaving Paris? The beluga not the right temperature?
- Oliver Queen: That's very, very funny.
- Tess Mercer: Yeah.
- Oliver Queen: You might wanna 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 Mercer: So that's what got you out of bed before the dinner bell.
- Oliver Queen: I wouldn't have missed it for the world. Barely had time to change clothes, actually.
- Tess Mercer: I can tell. Black on black. That's hard to pull off.
- Oliver Queen: Well, it's easier than you think.
- Tess Mercer: [realizing] Green Arrow.
- Chloe Sullivan: Sylvester Pemberton came to warn me about Checkmate the moment that he was attacked by...
- Oliver Queen: 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 Sullivan: Last I heard, he was in the psych ward at Met Gen.
- Oliver Queen: Let's go.
- Chloe Sullivan: 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 Queen: Well, t-they're not tights.
- [seeing her amused grin]
- Oliver Queen: They're not tights. But I see your point. Yeah. Hm. Unfortunately for me, uh, that means attending a LuthorCorp shareholder dinner, which... yeah, I'd rather be shot at.
- Clark Kent: Did this woman give you her name?
- Oliver Queen: Nope. No name. Just, uh, that her organization was called Checkmate.
- Chloe Sullivan: 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".
- Clark Kent: If he meant Checkmate, these are the same people who took down the JSA.
- Chloe Sullivan: I searched the archived security footage that was taken from the cameras across the city. This was taken a few hours ago.
- Clark Kent: [seeing a picture of John Jones with someone] That was right after I confronted him. Who's he talking to?
- Chloe Sullivan: 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 Queen: Well, maybe they recruit people that are already established in the private sector.
- Clark Kent: Or plant them there.
- Chloe Sullivan: [her computer beeps] You're not gonna be happy here he was planted next. Within an hour after this footage was taken, he was on the list of Metropolis General morgue.
- Oliver Queen: Whoa, slow down, guys. You can't think John murdered this guy. Come on, now.
- Chloe Sullivan: Clark, I'll come with you. I can run some...
- [he whooshes away]
- Chloe Sullivan: ...support on-site.
- Oliver Queen: Looks like you got benched.
- Amanda Waller: Clearly, you are rusty. You think I didn't know the second we lost him? Did you properly secure the detainee?
- Tess Mercer: He had a hidden lock pick.
- Amanda 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 Mercer: I can get him back. I'll set a new net myself.
- Amanda Waller: You skipped a few check-ins the last few years. Maybe your loyalties lie with someone else.
- Tess Mercer: I swear, I am fully committed to Checkmate.
- Amanda Waller: You better be. Or you're out. And we both know there is only one way out.
- Edward Lott: What do you want?
- John Jones: I'm afraid you've made a critical error. I believe this is yours.
- [John shows him the radio earpiece; Lott takes out his gun, but John stops the bullet with his hand]
- John Jones: Tell me the location of Checkmate's headquarters. The place you call the Castle.
- Edward Lott: Who are you working for?
- John Jones: Someone who will not hestitate to expose your double life.
- Clark Kent: Where is that?
- Chloe Sullivan: That's where I saw Oliver last.
- [zooming in]
- Chloe Sullivan: John Jones?
- Clark Kent: Well, your buddy system works.
- Chloe Sullivan: I didn't call him.
- John Jones: Clark, what are you doing here?
- Clark Kent: Looking for any sign of Oliver. You didn't know he was missing? He was here on patrol when Watchtower lost contact.
- John Jones: I'm here on police business. But I'll keep an eye out.
- Clark Kent: It'll be faster if we work together. Unless you've already found something.
- John Jones: You need to trust me, Clark.
- Clark Kent: You first.
- [with his x-ray vision, he sees something in John's pocket]
- Clark Kent: What do you know, John?
- John Jones: You shouldn't have done that, Clark.
- John Jones: 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 Kent: But you're not in this alone. Who are you working for?
- John Jones: 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.