Chapter 25 – Bad Reputation
On the outskirts of the city sat the walled compound belonging to alleged crime lord Michael DiAngelo. The house itself was practically a mansion that almost rivalled the Hartford Mansion, a property that used to stand in the city of San Angeles. The house was surrounded by an imposing ring of steel and concrete designed to keep out almost anything that the world could throw at it. Along with the impressive house came an equally impressive private parking lot filled with several brand new and expensive cars. Sitting behind the wheel of a shiny black Mercedes was Charlie Matthews, however, cars was the last thing on her mind.
The green ranger had the car's sun visor down to utilise the small mirror built into the fabric. Charlie winced the moment she saw the purple bruise on her jawline, "Lizzy you really pack a punch", she groaned. Along with the swelling bruise, there was a black eye slowing forming and some dried blood underneath her nose. Using a bottle of water stashed in the cup holder, Charlie swilled a bit in her mouth before spitting the contents out the window. The bleeding in her mouth must've stopped as the liquid on the ground was perfectly clear.
Not too concerned about the car she borrowed from Michael DiAngelo, Charlie tore off some fabric from the passenger's seat. Using the water bottle again, she dabbed some cool liquid on to the leather before patting the blood on her nose. "Son of a bitch", she swore as a stabbing pain shot through her nose.
She couldn't be mad with Z, it probably wasn't the best idea to have tracked her down. As far as the yellow ranger knew Charlie was a traitor and wasn't to be trusted. She probably should've counted herself lucky that she wasn't shot on sight. After blasting Z a few days ago it was probably all she deserved. It didn't matter that she was technically undercover, she had caused deliberate harm to the woman she loved. A broken nose and black eye was the least she deserved.
The beginning of this insane plan could be traced back to a surprise visit around six months ago. Her containment card had been unsealed and after a quick shower, she was dumped into an interview room. To her surprise sitting on the other side of the table was Supreme Commander Andros and his daughter Kenzi Hammond. They gave her a quick overview of Operation Sandstorm and the traitor within SPD and practically begged for her help.
Charlie distinctly remembered breaking into a laugh at that moment. She had been locked away for several months and now SPD had come running for help. The former red ranger wanted to refuse them on the spot but Kenzi made her an offer she couldn't refuse. A full pardon together with a completely clean slate and once their mission was over, freedom to do whatever she wanted.
Almost instantly Charlie suspected there was a major condition to their terms and unfortunately she was right. B Squad was struggling to fill the green ranger spot on their team so Charlie would be parachuted into the vacancy. That's when Charlie suspected Kenzi Hammond was either completely reckless or totally insane. She expected the former red ranger to drop down two ranks and join up with the SPD Squad that sent her to prison, all to find some traitor within SPD. For the second time Charlie was inclined to refuse the generous offer.
Kenzi and Andros had saved their trump cards until the end though. The traitor had known connections to her parents but what those connection were, they had absolutely no idea. Charlie had an awful, almost nonexistent relationship with her family and the chance to get back at them for years of emotional torment was too good to refuse. It was certainly better than paying for a psychiatrist at least.
The final straw was the rectonned mission reports that the Supreme Commander showed the former Ranger. The reports and half truths painted A Squad as a bunch of unhinged psychopaths who made even the worst dictators look like Saints. Charlie could handle her name getting dragged through the mud but the rest of her team deserved better. Sure they might've been arrogant assholes but they were decent people, well until Emperor Grumm entered the picture anyway.
Truth be told A Squad were ripe for a heel turn when they departed Earth on that reconnaissance mission at the beginning of 2025. The squad's level of arrogance was at its peak, something which Charlie now attributed to the relatively simple assignments they had been given over the previous year. When Grumm's forces shot their transport ship down, the sudden and quick defeat came as something of a shock. Fuelled by the belief in their own superiority, A Squad came to believe that Grumm would easily overcome Earth's defences. After all they were the best the planet had to offer, if they could be beaten then surely everyone else would crumble in defeat.
B Squad's eventual defeat of Charlie's team and then Grumm was a humbling and sobering experience. Maybe they weren't the best in the world after all and the long, lonely months in containment allowed Charlie to think about nothing else. Her team had done some questionable things whilst under Grumm employ but nothing like the reports portrayed them. The more Charlie considered the evidence, it was probably the traitor who pushed all the easy missions their way. Even more likely it was probably this traitor who told Grumm exactly where to find their transport vessel. Her team had been manipulated and Charlie wanted to get revenge on the bastard who did this.
Charlie had been back inside the compound for over ten minutes and if she was honest, she was stalling for time. The team had teased her mercilessly for going after Z tonight, the ribbing she was going to get for returning with a busted nose and bruised face was going to be horrendous. Deciding that she had put it off for long enough she stepped out the car and entered through a side door into the house.
The DiAngelo residence was so vast that on the first night, Cliff had gone off to use the bathroom and didn't return. They eventually found him three hours later wondering around the upper levels because he couldn't find his way back. The worst part was that he hadn't even found the bathroom, instead he found a vacant room somewhere on the first floor and relieved himself there. The rest of the team immediately decided to avoid the upper levels all together, just to be safe.
The team had set up residence in what they thought was the main living room. They found five mattresses and moved them into two adjoining rooms, creating makeshift quarters for each other. They had also moved anything they classes as entertainment equipment, televisions, computer consoles and the like, into the room. When Charlie entered the room she found Cliff and Rachel playing pool in one corner whilst Ivan and Beevor was watching a movie on one of the big screen. The moment Rachel laid her eyes on Charlie, she let out a small snort of laughter, "Well if it isn't the black ranger", the Asian woman chuckled.
"Nah, I'd call her the purple ranger personally", Cliff added. Charlie smiled sarcastically in responded and promptly flipped him off, "Ooh someone's touchy tonight", the green ranger continued, "I take it she didn't put out?"
"Maybe she like it rough", Ivan's voice called out from the opposite end of the room.
Charlie seethed internally, the comments were meant in good humour but she didn't want to hear them talking about Z in that way. The B Squad ranger wasn't one of her conquests, she felt something much deeper for the woman, "Guys knock it off alright", she snapped, "at least pretend you're civilised human beings".
"Charlie's in love", Rachel teased in a sing song voice. Charlie shot her fiercest glare at the pink ranger, "Chill out girl", she continued, "I've got just the thing to cure a broken heart". Charlie noticed the pink ranger reach underneath the pool table and wondered what she was doing, "Think fast", Rachel cried.
A Squad's leader noticed something flashing towards her and briefly wondered if Rachel had discovered her secret. She was slightly relieved to see that it was a bottle of beer coming her way until she realised that getting hit by a glass bottle would still really hurt. Instinctively she stuck out a hand and effortlessly plucked the bottle out the air, "She's not concussed", Cliff sniggered and returned to his game of pool.
"Yeah cause that's exactly how a doctor perfoms a concussion test", Charlie grumbled. Deciding to ignore the green and pink ranger's, she wondered over to the sofa and plopped down between Ivan and Beevor. In all the time she had known the blue ranger, she had never once heard him utter a word. She always knew what was on his mind though. Like now for example as Beevor had an amused look in his eyes, "Not you too big guy", she sighed, "you were my last hope for a grown up conversation".
Beevor shrugged dismissively before plucking the cap off Charlie's beer with his bare hands. The A Squad red ranger took a long drink from the bottle then placed the chilled glass against her throbbing jaw, "Still doesn't put you in my good books", she snorted towards the blue ranger.
"Maybe this is a sign", Ivan prodded Charlie in the side, "cut all ties with your past life". Charlie thought about his words for a few moments, A Squad still saw Z and the rest of B Squad as the enemy. Maybe enemies was a harsh description, rivals was probably a better word to use.
None of A Squad knew who had released them from containment, at least that was the impression Charlie was getting. They could've been lying but if they were, they were extremely convincing. Cliff had relayed an unbelievable tale of a hooded stranger releasing them in a dingy warehouse somewhere on the East Coast. The stranger told them to clean up and report to Newtech City where they were instructed to attack and release Michael DiAngelo. If they completed their task, they would be rewarded handsomely.
Only their reward hadn't arrived and in desperation, Cliff and Rachel had tracked Charlie down and practically begged for her assistance. The chance meeting came as a gift from the heavens for the red ranger. She had spent almost all her waking hours planning how to do rejoin A Squad as part of her own assignment. During their meeting she wove a story about how she was the advanced party, sent to infiltrate SPD to get revenge on B Squad. Her former team mates ate it up and gave her the access codes to the compound.
Immediately upon rejoining it became clear to Charlie that someone was using A Squad as their own personal mercenaries. On their orders of their mysterious benefactor, Charlie was made to turn over any personal electronic devices. With all external communications cut off, the only means of contact was a lap top which had limited internet access and a built in email account. On two occasions they received instructions as to their next steps, one of these was to lure B Squad to the warehouse as an ambush. Charlie still wasn't happy that Ivan dropped Z off the roof and a few choice words were exchanged between the pair.
The group could still leave the compound although they guessed their movements were being monitored closely. Charlie had the bright idea to disable as many security cameras in the area as possible. It served a dual purpose, to stop any unwanted snooping on their movement and to let Kenzi and Cruger know she was alright.
That brought her back to the present, holed up in what was effectively an expensive prison with four people who she had once considered friends. A Squad were like a sports team, good comrades and willing to fight for each other to gain victory but it was on B Squad that she truly found lifelong friends. If they would ever speak to her again after this, "This rivalry is getting a little old", Charlie sighed, "can't we all just get along".
"Get along?" Cliff snorted, immediately forgetting about his game, "if I recall you were the one who encouraged us to assert ourselves over them several months ago".
Charlie winced internally, she knew that idea would come back to bite her, "Yeah and look where that got us", she replied pragmatically.
"They got lucky", Ivan grunted.
"No we got beaten", Charlie said firmly, "we would get to the bottom of this mystery much quicker if we asked for their help".
"Yeah look how far that got you today", Rachel said sarcastically, "face it, we're on our own here".
The mood became despondent in the room as A Squad suddenly realised how much trouble they were in. Five judged criminals trying to evade the might of SPD whilst trying to avoid falling foul of their mystery benefactor. "Look I don't like it either", Charlie slipped into her old persona, "but how long before the guy on the end of his computer asks us to kill someone for him". Her team looked at each other nervously, "We told Grumm that was a line we wouldn't cross and it's exactly the same here".
"At least with Grumm we were free", Ivan grumbled, "now we locked up like sheep with the big bad wolf waiting for us".
Charlie shook off the yellow ranger's weird analogy along with his misty eyed longing for Emperor Grumm. Buried in his strange words though was a good point. Inside the compound they were sitting ducks because none of them knew if the place had been booby trapped in case they tried to go against their orders. Before she arrived the others had made a cursory sweep of the building and found nothing but that didn't mean the place was clean. If their 'employer' turned against them, no one would notice for a long time. Not even B Squad would be able to breach the defences quickly enough to mount a rescue.
"Charlie we've been set up as the bad guys", Cliff began, "that's a story the public would buy very quickly".
"I'm not sure I understand", Charlie frowned.
"Look at us", Rachel picked up the green ranger's train of thought, "an African American, an Asian, a Russian and an alien. There's four minorities that the public have always trusted and respected", she added bitterly.
"Easy to believe we were evil masterminds", Ivan sniffed, "allows true bad guy to get away with it".
Charlie didn't think of it like that before, just how much planning had gone into the creation of A Squad by the traitor? Throw in the spoilt rich kid and you had an almost perfect group of ready made scapegoats. Now she was back in the fold, it was probably only a matter of time until the endgame began. Seconds later Charlie wished she hadn't thought that as the laptop chimed, "His ears must've been burning", Cliff snorted and grabbed the laptop from the floor.
The A Squad green ranger seemed to have designated himself as the group leader in Charlie's absence and truthfully she was more than happy to allow that to continue, for now at least. She would have to make it clear that she was the leader on the battlefield quickly though. Reading through the email over Cliff's shoulder a feeling of dread washed over her, "Looks like our services are required at the docks tomorrow morning", she grumbled.
"Great", Cliff snapped the laptop shut angrily, "if I ever get my hands on this guy I'm going to snap his skinny neck".
"Save some for me", Ivan commented just as Beevor cracked his knuckles, "and big blue here".
"We should probably get to bed then", Rachel said before looking over at Charlie, "you coming Caz?"
Charlie nodded vaguely, "Yeah in a minute, gonna finish my beer and ice my face first". The others nodded vaguely and retreated to their respective rooms, leaving Charlie alone. Immediately she grabbed the laptop and opened it back up again. She reached under the sofa cushion and retrieved a data stick, "Let's see how much Doctor Strange rubbed off on me", she mumbled to herself, referring to Bridge. She plugged the stick into the computer and her fingers began to move quickly over the keys. If A Squad were going to be at the docks tomorrow then she was going to make sure that B Squad was there waiting for them.