Charles Lane (Raider: Last Blood)

== Charles Lane ==
Charles Heinz Lane (also known as Charles Lane) is a main character and a supporting antagonist in the "Raider: Last Blood" series.
Serving as the hidden main antagonist in the first chapter, Lane is Jay Roberts' former criminal partner who wants to acquire control of the Bellcroft code to cause catastrophes all across Atlanta.
== Background ==
Born on April 8, 1991, in Kelowna, Canada, Charles grew up in Vermont with a family of cops and quickly became an expert forensic technologist at a young age.
However, he became a criminal in his 20s and worked for the Underworld for years, becoming one of their well-known hackers and earning himself a spot in Brother Matthew's Wayward Home. Here, he met Jay Roberts and taught him the world of hacking, and together, they made a good team, robbing and hacking into small banks and criminal depots to live off the grid.
== Biography ==
In the past, Jay is robbing an armored truck while Charles is using the cameras to provide overwatch. Suddenly, they detected another hacker in the system. Though Jay insisted that they cut the link, Charles refused so he could find out more, but his protégé refused to let his recklessness endanger them and was forced to terminate the link and make a run for it. However, the second hacker was able to discern their identities and a hit was put on them. Charles was violently attacked, leaving him in a week-long coma and crippled in his left leg, while a failed assassination attempt on Jay resulted in the death of his son Daryl.
Eleven months later, Charles began making subtle attempts to contact Jay, involving paying off a stranger to make a prank call to his sister Mila to set her on edge. This led to Jay chasing down the caller and attempting to trace who hired him. Eventually, Jay found Charles' digital breadcrumbs and a message to meet. Upon coming face-to-face, Charles was drunk and started rambling on how he had suffered as much as Jay had. He then revealed that he had traced the IP address of the second hacker and insisted on working with Jay. However, Jay refused and insisted that he didn't need him.
Jay later called Charles to find out what he knew, but the latter failed to show up at their new rendezvous. He then revealed himself on three large TV screens, revealing he was in Lara's house. Jay raced there and confronted Charles, who revealed he had taken Lara captive and demanded that Jay do what he wanted in exchange for her safety after killing her son Dustin. Jay checked out the IP address and got a corrupted video of a woman.
Eventually, Jay managed to get a partial download from the location, Russo-Green, discovering the woman's identity as Juliette Ehrmantraut, though the files were encrypted. Charles refused to release Lara, as he wanted the data decrypted, forcing Jay to seek the aid of Victor Kenney, which Charles advised against, knowing Victor's reputation as a whistleblower, who would release the blackmail publicly and thus render it worthless. It was then that Jay realized that Charles wanted the blackmail data Evan "Patriot" Rogers (who turned out to be the third hacker at the Bailey job) possessed.
Charles later went to Burnside Corporation's Johnstontown office to tip off their HR director Hannah Stoltz to Victor's location, demanding access to VXOS in exchange for the blackmail data. Jay, who was hacking into the network to erase Victor's biometrics, eavesdropped on the meeting and left to alert Victor.
With Victor on his side, Jay later assaulted Russo-Green to retrieve the data. But just after informing Charles of his success, he remembers Charles' deal with Burnside Corp, forcing him to turn up to their meeting with nothing. Jay tried backing Charles into a corner, pointing out that without the blackmail, the Underworld would most likely send mercenaries after him. Charles then allowed him another phone call with Lara. However, believing his protégé was not taking him seriously, Charles had a mercenary waiting in a GPB TV truck broadcast images of Jay's vigilantism on all the large TV screens, effectively blowing his cover. As Jay runs for his life, Charles shows off his own VXOS hacks to interfere with Jay's getaway.
After escaping, he then discovered that it was the Atlanta North Club's boss Declan "Clover" Barrington who ordered the hit and went to the Shamrock to confront him. After killing Barrington and obtaining blackmail footage of Mayor Donovan murdering Juliette Ehrmantraut, which Barrington assumed was what Jay and Charles were searching for in the first place, Damien calls Aiden, revealing that his former ally, Charlotte Russo, unaware that Lara was already dead, was willing to give herself up and Barrington's hitmen were going to kill her because she's a liability (unknown to Jay, she was a CIA hacker planted in the Underworld's ranks to aid them).
Failing to save Charlotte, Jay soon uploaded all of the blackmail Patriot had on the city to the general public, much to Charles' anger. He then revealed that he has gained control of VXOS and the trust of the Underworld, believing that he should suffer as he has, but he shows mercy and gives him his location, a lighthouse east of the city, to convince him that they can control the city together.
Once at the lighthouse. But upon confronting his old ally, Damien Barrett turned up to kill both Jay and Charles, having taken a new contract. However, Damien shoots Jay before shooting Charles in the head, killing him.
== Personality ==
Extremely intelligent and egotistical, Charles is a vengeful man who wishes payback on those who were all responsible for leaving him crippled and broken. Despite this, he does show to be agreeable as he wants to team up with his old partner to find their attackers, hoping that they can relate to how they were both attacked. Upon Jay's refusal, however, Charles goes a step further by kidnapping Mila to get him to play along.
Despite showing a somewhat charming and welcoming attitude, underneath he is extremely ruthless, calculating, sadistic, and destructive in pursuing his vengeance. He was willing to tip off Charlotte Russo's location as revenge for her selling them out, while also taunting Jay over his mishaps and past. He later revealed that he planned to destroy and cripple Atlanta and try to convince Jay to help him, to make everyone know what it’s like to be in him. Even in his final moments, he showed a lack of fear in knowing that he would die but still succeeded in his goal to some extent. Charles' calculating mindset and the power of his vendetta paint him as a vengeful psychopath who is bent on his goals while overviewing his whole situation strategically.
Charles can also serve as a dark reflection of Jay. While the Ghost was willing to take lives and go to great lengths to seek his vengeance, he still had his morality and wouldn’t have vented Daryl's death on the innocent people in the city. Charles does the exact opposite and is willing to tear Atlanta apart to exact his revenge.
== Appearance ==
Charles is a Canadian-American man, standing at 5'11. He has a muscular build, green eyes, spiky black hair, a heavy stubble beard, and a notable brace on his left leg.
Charles wears a gray suit, except for a black blazer, a beanie, and a black vest throughout most of the chapter. However, he wears a black suit when he talks to Stoltz and during the ending, where he loses the jacket and vest.
== Skills ==
* Hacking Skills: Charles is a highly intelligent hacker, being the man who taught Jay Roberts how to breach a network and hack into any system. Although the Bailey heist was a bust, he was able to locate the other hacker who snuck into the server.
** VXOS Manipulation: Upon getting access to its servers, Charles can cause blackouts and hack into camera systems, traffic lights, and trams with a click of a mouse.
* Combat Skills: While not as skilled as Jay, Charles has some experience in weapons handling and notably kills Lara and tries to use Jay's pistol to kill Damien, but dies before getting a chance.
== Equipment ==
* H&K USP: Jay's sidearm. He tries to use it but dies before getting a chance.
* Beretta PX4 Storm: Damien's primary weapon. He is notably seen using it to shoot Lara.
== Deaths ==
Murders committed by Charles:
* 25 Civilians: Blown up and crashed.
* Lara Winters: Shot in the back.
* Dustin Winters: Strangled to death.
== Death ==
Killed by:
* Damien Barrett (Directly Caused)
* Jay Roberts (Indirectly Caused)
After a brief standoff between him and Jay, Damien arrives and informs Jay that he has a new contract (later revealed from the Underworld) before asking him to drop his gun. After doing so, Jay tries to use the phone but is shot by Damien, who then shoots Charles in the head when he tries to reach for Jay's gun. Charles' body was found 3 weeks later by maintenance workers.
== Trivia ==
* Given his past and background, Charles was the most intelligent antagonist in the "Raider: Last Blood" series.
* Despite Patriot and Barrington being the most dangerous antagonists, Charles is the true antagonist in the 1st chapter because he was the one who indirectly caused Daryl's death by choosing the Bailey Job.
* Charles is the only main antagonist not to be killed by Jay in the series.