+The following morning a very groggy Lina stumbled into the B Squad common room. Some events of the previous evening were a little foggy. She remembered arresting a few suspected drug dealers at Piggy's bar not long after meeting Z. The pair then spent several hours talking on the roof of some building downtown until they stumbled into their quarters around 2am. It was now 7:30am and Lina felt absolutely terrible. She was tired, her throat was dry and even making the most basic of movements was a challenge. Turning on the coffee machine at the second attempt the blue ranger rubbed her eyes before fumbling around in a cupboard for the largest mug she could find, "Fun night?" a sudden voice startled her and the entire contents of the cupboard almost tumbled out onto the counter.
Lina spun around, instantly regretting that decision as she nearly lost her balance and found a smug looking JJ sitting on one of the couches with a cup of coffee in his hand, "Jesus Oliver, you scared the shit out of me", the blue ranger spat, "ever thought of announcing your presence".
"Like you and Z did last night", JJ calmly took a sip of coffee, "or should I say this morning". Lina scratched her head and attempted to look as innocent as possible, "You two weren't as quiet as you thought".
The dark haired woman pushed aside her raging headache, her defensive barriers coming up instantly, "You here to tattle on me?" she began, "there's nothing in the rules stating I can't go out when I'm not due on shift the next day".
"Very true", Lina was alarmed hearing Bridge's voice from behind her, "but considering your tenuous employment at SPD, I thought you would be a little more prudent". Lina wanted to rage against her squad leader but her hangover was preventing her from forming any significant retort. Instead she stared back blankly as the only sound to fill the recreation room was the percolating coffee machine. "I looked up to once", Bridge continued, "in early days at the academy, Sky wanted to score as highly as you had done".
That wasn't a comment Lina was expecting to come out of the red ranger's mouth. It knocked her out of her defensive mindset briefly, "Thank you", she sighed and shook her head, "bet those days are long behind him, right?"
Bridge took a very deep breath and lowered his coffee mug to the table, "Actions speak louder than words in my book Song", he said slowly and deliberately, "rolling in at two in the morning, clearly drunk, isn't a great action. Especially as your drinking partner is still under age", he added with a frown.
"Under age to purchase not to drink", Lina quickly pointed out, "technically I brought it before Lizzy joined me". It wasn't completely true, Piggy had given it to her as a thank you for arresting the dealers in his bar, "Don't forget that Lizzy assisted me in apprehending those dealers at the same time".
"Yes I was very intrigued to see that in the log when I got up this morning", Bridge replied, "I'm also amazed that you coherently filled out the custody log in your state". An uncomfortable silence fell on the room as the red ranger pushed his mug between his hands, "I do agree with you that the team needs more coaching for uncover situations, myself included". Lina could see that Bridge's admission was difficult and wisely decided not to tease him, "If you're willing, would you help us?"
Lina frowned and crossed her arms across her chest, "Why me? SPD has numerous instructors that could help you".
"Because", Bridge's words stuck in his throat before answering, "because I think you're the best person qualified to teach us how to infiltrate Lothor's opertation". Another difficult admission from the red ranger Lina noted, "And I know you want to do everything possible to keep Z safe".
Suddenly all the pieces fell into place for the blue ranger, it wasn't emotional blackmail but it was pretty close. Bridge was right though, she did want to keep Z as safe as possible. Sometime during the last couple of weeks the pair had formed some kind of bond, culminating in their night on the rooftop. Just as Lina was about to reply, she spotted something else in Bridge's eyes. He looked more uncomfortable in her presence than usual. A small smirk flashed across her face, "Tate doesn't know about this", she commented.
Internally she cried in triumph when Bridge didn't deny her statement immediately. Instead he sat in his chair and wrung his hands together nervously, "Not exactly but he expects the squad to do whatever is needed to make sure their ready. I believe having you prepare Z and the rest of us is the best course of action".
The coffee machine announced that it was finished and Lina poured herself a mug of the hot liquid. Grabbing the mug she crossed the room and took a seat opposite Bridge. The red ranger looked a little wary, then again most of the team still did. Commander Tate and Doctor Manx always looked ready to stun her at a moments notice, Syd generally kept her distance and who knows what went through JJ's mind half the time. After sitting in silence for a few moments Lina stated, "You remind me a lot of a legendary ranger".
"What?" Bridge gasped, "what do you mean?"
Lina nodded, "He was my instructor during basic training, his name was Casey and he was the Jungle Fury red ranger", she smiled at the memory, "I felt sorry for him, getting stuck with a skinny kid from a rich family as a recruit but he didn't care. He always wanted to do what was best for the team". She paused, bringing up Memories of the Jungle Fury red always brought back painful memories, "His sacrifice inspired me to be a ranger like him", she snorted bitterly, "that worked out well didn't it".
"You achieved your dream", Bridge shrugged, "that's a positive".
"Did I?" Lina replied, "I was a pink for just over a year and most of them were under the employment of the enemy".
Lina drank some of her coffee, not really caring that it was still extremely hot. She needed to do something to distract herself from her own self loathing. She could see that Bridge wanted to probe further but looked hesitant. Part of her wanted to stand up and walk away but maybe she needed to get everything out in the open. She would never move on if she kept holding onto the past, "You know what everyone said about me, privileged Ranger Brat buying her way to the top", she began, "after a while even the thickest skin person begins to turn bitter".
"Yeah I noticed", Bridge said, "you always used to help out with the new recruits but one day you stopped". He fiddled with his mug again, "I know Sky remembers you from the early days, probably Syd does too. Don't tell him I said this but I think Sky used to have a crush on you".
The blue ranger chuckled with laughter. She wondered why twelve year old Sky kept signing up to her extracurricular classes that were often too advanced for his age. Shame he would never have a chance with her. Her mood became a little darker as she remembered back, "That was about the time I became TimeForce pink ranger", she began, "everything was very insular, we had to protect our identities so the only people we could talk about our work with was each other". A few bitter memories began to bubble to the surface, "We knew that everyone in the academy was vying for our spots, it was us versus everyone else".
A look of realisation came across Bridges face, "And once those promoted from the academy joined, they too felt privileged and protected their spot".
"Exactly", Lina nodded, "some TimeForce members weren't so bad, Steven was one of them and once he became leader he tried to stamp our attitude out". Lina sighed and took another swig of coffee, "He might've succeeded if he hadn't gotten injured which left me in charge". She paused for a moment, her eyes firmly on the table, "I had achieved my dream and no one was going to take that position away from me and I wanted to do whatever it took to keep the power for myself".
"I see", JJ said slowly, "I guess everything does make a little more sense now".
Lina suddenly felt a lot lighter, like a huge load had been taken off her shoulders. Admitting her failures hadn't fully removed the guilt but it was taking her in the right direction. "It wasn't just me", she continued, "the others on the team were just as bad. We all walked down the wrong path but ultimately I lead them there and as their leader I had to take that responsibility".
"It's hard, being in charge", Bridge admitted, "but you've taken responsibility, that's a step in the right direction". He reached into his pocket and slid over a keycard, much to the confusion of Lina, "A key to the holding cell, before our session later today I want you to interview one of the suspects you arrested last night". He stood up and straightened out his uniform, "This is your last chance though Song, the only reason I'm not writing you up is because I don't want to drag Z's name into your mess".
Now Lina felt really guilty, both Kat and Sky had avoided writing up the blue ranger to protect Z. The red ranger was right though, it wasn't fair for Z to suffer just because she had been dragged into Lina's mess. She flashed Bridge a small smile of appreciation, although he had a funny way of showing his acceptance, "Oh and have a shower, you still smell of cheap booze", he called as he left the room.
It took Lina a few seconds to realise what he said, the post alcohol fuzz still very much in effect, "Hey", she called out after a retreating Bridge , "screw you Carson". If Bridge heard her then he didn't acknowledge her comment. She didn't want to admit it but he was right, a good shower might wake her up.
An hour later, a refreshed Lina entered the detention block where JJ, Z and Syd were waiting. There were huddled around a monitor in the middle of the room, "Morning team, what's so interesting?"
"Hey you're still alive then", Z smirked, "I'm amazed you're conscious after last night".
"That was you?" Syd snorted, "you interrupted my beauty sleep".
Lina opened her mouth to retort but Z beat her to it, "Actually it was both of us", she stated, "I guess we got a little carried away celebrating our bust". The blue ranger offered a small smile and gentle nod of appreciation, "Not that we got much out of the suspect JJ and I interviewed", the yellow ranger continued, "He's just a kid who happened to be caught in the wrong place at the wrong time".
Looking over Z's shoulder, Lina saw a viewing screen with Bridge in another interview room with another one of the dealers she arrested last night. The red ranger was sitting stoically on one side of the table with his arms firmly folded across his chest. The footage wasn't crystal clear but he didn't appear to be saying anything. Seconds later the criminal placed his head in his hands, his shoulders and chest rapidly moving up and down, "Is he crying?" Lina asked, pointing at the monitor.
The other members of B Squad gathered around the screen, "I'd say so", Syd began, "how long was that this time?"
JJ looked at his watch, "Six minutes, I'd say that's a new record".
"Six minutes?" Lina frowned, "six minutes for Carson to do what?"
"Get the suspect to crack", Z stated, "he's been working on his Tate stare, trying to make a suspect so uncomfortable they confess without him saying a word".
Lina had to nod respectfully, getting someone to confess without actually conducting an interrogation was impressive. Maybe she had underestimated Bridge, perhaps she was underestimating all of them. "He doesn't know anything", Bridge announced as he entered the observation room, "nothing significant anyway". He noticed Lina's presence in the room, "Song, good of you to join us. I trust you slept well after your big arrest", he added with a cold edge.
"Nothing like a bust to get the blood flowing", Lina sniped back. It seemed like Bridge wasn't publically acknowledging their meeting in the rec room earlier in the day. What the purpose of that was, Lina wasn't one hundred percent sure.
"Good", the red ranger began, "since this is your bust, perhaps you'd like to interview the last suspect". He handed over a tablet to the blue ranger, "I assume you still know your way around the room, it has been sometime since your last interrogation".
Lina couldn't disagree with him there. Once she made TimeForce, she and the other members were forbidden from conducting the interviews themselves in order to preserve their identity. Checking over the information on the suspect, she noted previous for possession, dealing and violent crime. The suspect was also from the Baltimore area, offering a potential connection to Lothor. The blue ranger began to head for the room but not before calling out, "Looks like you're with me Barbie".
It took Syd a few moments to realise Lina was talking to her, "Me, you want me to go with you?" The pink ranger glanced over to Bridge who looked curious to see where Lina was going with this.
"My technique requires a second person", Lina began, "and I don't think this guy will be able to resist two pretty faces". The blue ranger looked past Syd and winked at Z before continuing towards the interview room.
Moments later Syd caught up to the blue ranger, "I don't like the nickname Barbie by the way".
"You'll get used to it", Lina stated unapologetically and quickly changed the subject, "tell me Barbie, what do you know about interrogation techniques?"
Syd stared at the blue ranger sourly before replying, "I assume you're talking the legal kind?" Lina raised an eyebrow but didn't say a word, "Well I know Bridge is working on perfecting the psyche out method, He used to just babble at them until they confess in order to shut him up and Z just has this knack of knowing when someone is lying".
"All very good methods and everyone has their preferred method", Lina handed over the tablet to Syd, "Capri, age 29 from Sentai 6 and to say her record is extensive would be an understatement". Syd nodded, all of this was basic information in the report, "A good interrogator can know which technique will work just by reading the front page of a suspects file and this technique is one of my personal favourites".
"And that is?" Syd asked.
"The classic good cop, bad cop", Lina flashed an evil smirk in the pink ranger's direction, "guess which one you are". The blue ranger placed her palm against the cell door and waited for it to unlock, "Just follow my lead and most importantly be yourself". Once again she left the pink ranger looking confused and stepped into the interview room to conduct her first interrogation in nearly six years.
