The choices were narrowed down to four people. Sarah had to select three of them to be Ranger candidates and one would be the final cut. That morning, twelve people had been in the running and before Sarah had to finish her lunch, she had to have the final decision.
It was a lot of pressure for a new job. Sarah had never had to choose who would make a good Ranger before. She had created the green Ranger powers for Kelly, but her fiancée was just a bonus Ranger. The Prism had already selected a full team and Kelly was there to help whenever and however she could.
Sarah was responsible now for assembling a team. She had to consider strength, intelligence, the chemistry between all three final candidates. She had to judge their courage, persistence and compassion. She had to pick candidates who wouldn't be afraid of danger, but who also weren't going to abuse the powers they would be given. Once bonded with their powers, there was no going back.
Blaze, Roxy, Ravi and Zoey were the final candidates and Sarah thought they would all make wonderful Rangers, but someone had to be cut. There were only three suits.
Ravi seemed to be the most natural choice. Sarah was almost certain she would choose him. He was strong and had outsmarted or physically beaten the other candidates in a spar. He had strong survival instincts and a dedication to following the Ranger rules that Grid Battleforce had put into place. He seemed honourable, if a bit stubborn, and showed respect for his fellow candidates even in the middle of a competition. Sarah could see herself trusting him if he had been on her team, so it seemed right he be chosen.
"Maybe not for red or yellow, though," Sarah said.
"Blue?" Commander Shaw asked. Sarah nodded her head.
"He's got that loyalty trait I think a lot of blue Rangers seem to have."
"He'll be fused with gorilla DNA," Commander Shaw reminded Sarah. "It'll increase his strength on the battlefield."
"I think that's a good match. He's loyal and dedicated to doing what's right. Giving him the ability to crush almost anything, knowing he'll stay true blue is probably the best choice we can make."
"So, Ravi Shaw, then," the Commander said with a slight smirk. Sarah looked up, confused.
"Shaw? As in…"
"My son."
"Oh? So… is this… okay?" Sarah asked. "When my mom found out about me being a Ranger, I'm pretty sure she gave birth to a cow. She worried all the time and…"
"And I'll worry for my son too," Commander Shaw said. "However, he had made this decision for himself, and I wouldn't have let him get this far if I didn't think, as a Commander and his mother, that he was qualified for the position."
"Okay," Sarah nodded. "So that leaves us with… Roxy, Blaze and Zoey."
"Any others seem obvious?"
"Roxy… I think," Sarah said. "She kept her head on straight, always tried to do what was best, and followed her heart, even if that wasn't the command."
"And that's a good trait to have?" Commander Shaw asked with some doubt. Sarah nodded her head.
"Everyone makes mistakes," Sarah nodded. "You heart is always a good guide when you're not sure. I think, if Roxy was on the team, she would have the courage to stand up and do what's right, even if that meant defying your orders."
"When you selected my son first, I thought I'd be able to count on you to give me a team that would follow orders and respect me."
"She will," Sarah said. "I mean… it seems like it. But there are times you'll make a call she won't agree with and, no offense Commander but you'll probably be wrong. I think she'll know when it's time to stay in line and when it's time to push the limits a little bit. If we're going to have a blue Ranger who follows commands almost no matter what, we need someone who'll be okay with breaking them as long as there is a good reason."
"I guess I'll have to agree with you there. As much as I would hate Rangers who disobey my direct orders, the safety of this city is far more important that my title or ego."
"I don't think Roxy can make those decisions on her own, though," Sarah pointed out. "In training, she always looked to the others to make sure she was on the right track."
"So…"
"Well, typically the guy in red in in charge. And while I say guy, I mean person, it just happens to be a guy 99% of the time."
"You think Roxy would serve best as yellow?" Commander Shaw asked, "Provided red is the leader?"
"She's not ready for a leadership position," Sarah confirmed.
"So that leaves us with Zoey and Blaze for red," Commander Shaw stated. "Any preferences?"
Sarah really didn't know what to say here. She had seen them both in training and they were pretty opposite of each other. Blaze was strong and competitive. He was an alpha male for sure, who liked taking command and who could react quickly on the battlefield. His decision-making skills were top-knotch and with a team like Ravi and Roxy, Sarah could see him thriving.
However, Commander Shaw had suggested that Sarah pick people for the team who she would trust in battle. Sarah couldn't see herself trusting Blaze with her life. While he was a good candidate, he seemed to be the type of person who didn't like hearing the word no. He had to do things his way, or he wouldn't do them at all. While training with small groups, Blaze took control, which was needed if he was going to be a leader – however, he didn't lead, he commanded. He told the rest of his team what to do, and for better or for worse, stuck with his plan until the end. Anyone who dared to challenge him was met with adversity instead of an open mind.
And then there was Zoey. She was sweet and desperate to help Grid Battleforce in any way she could. She listened to her teammates ideas and didn't mind as much when she was outvoted on something. She wouldn't be suited to the leader position, but Ravi could easily pick up the slack there. After all, red didn't necessarily need to be in charge. Still, Sarah hesitated to pick Zoey because Zoey often hesitated herself. In the end, she always did what needed to be done, and looked after her teammates while she did it, but any hesitation in battle could mean the difference between a victory and a brutal loss.
The big difference, though, was that Sarah would trust Zoey – just like she had trusted Preston. Her blue Ranger had also been one to hesitate, though he was on a bigger team and his hesitations were balanced out by a lot more Rangers who could go with their gut.
"Any preference?" Commander Shaw asked again.
"I'm torn, Commander," Sarah answered honestly. "Blaze seems like the stronger choice but… I personally wouldn't trust his judgement in battle."
"So, you would trust Zoey?" Commander Shaw asked. "Despite her times showing she lost valuable seconds simply summoning up the courage to face challenges?"
Commander Shaw had shown her cards. She was leaning towards selecting Blaze. He was a bit more ruthlessly, which the Rangers might need. Sarah did only get a snapshot of him and was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt. Maybe once he had the role of the red Ranger, his competitive spirit would settle to something a little more leader-esque. However, Sarah still couldn't shake the feeling that Blaze wasn't a teammate she would want for herself.
"I think it'll be easier to build her up than it will be to knock Blaze down a bit," Sarah said.
"Our Rangers are going to be online by tomorrow," Commander Shaw said. "We need someone who is ready to go tomorrow. If there's a threat…"
"This is your team, Commander," Sarah nodded. "I don't think Zoey is ready for the job either, but I'm just a consultant. We agreed on Ravi and Roxy and honestly, I won't take it personally if you override my decision here. This is your project."
"Blaze it is, then," Commander Shaw said with a smile. "I'll go tell the remaining four our decision."
"I'll go find Nate, then," Sarah said. She grabbed her lunch tray and cleaned it off before leaving the cafeteria. She was glad she had already eaten because right now, she wasn't sure she could stomach food. She knew regardless, Blaze and Zoey were both great choices, but she couldn't help but think Blaze simply wasn't the right fit for this team.