Zoey felt on top of the world in this moment, though her body would say otherwise.
She had used all her energy in her fight with Roxy but it was well worth it. With some help from her teammates, they managed to stop Blaze and Roxy from stealing too much Morph-X and bringing it back to the Cyber dimension. Zoey, on her own, stood against Roxy and despite all she had going against her, the yellow Ranger managed to think on her feet and figure out a way to get Roxy to back off. It wasn't an easy feat. Zoey remembered Roxy from their Ranger training together and had always admired her confidence and strength She had not been surprised to hear Roxy had been chosen in the yellow Ranger position.
Now an avatar, Roxy was confident, strong and ruthless. The cybervillain held nothing back. She wanted to take all the Morph-X or destroy everything that stood in her way.
But Zoey stepped up, and if she could do it with everything on the line, she knew she could do it again with her project and the mayor. Facing Mayor Daniels wouldn't seem so big now that she knew she could, confidently, outwit an opponent she once considered stronger, smarter and better.
After the battle, with very little energy to speak of, Zoey needed some time to recover. Fortunately, carrots worked quickly and so the yellow Ranger only had to spend a couple of hours on the hospital floor before she was clear to head back home. Just as she was getting changed into some fresh, clean clothes, Devon and Ravi rushed into her room.
"Zoey! You have to see this," Devon said and he showed her the tablet he was carrying. Zoey looked to the video he was showing and nodded her head.
"That's my mom," she said, pointing to the news anchor. "I'm not surprised she got our Ranger story…"
"Not that, look at what she's featuring," Ravi said. Zoey knew her mother could be a little biased with her stories. Since there usually wasn't much in the way of breaking news in Coral Harbour, Muriel liked to include stories from her own life to "spice things up". Every year, when Zoey participated in the science fair, Muriel would be at her school to cover it. The winner would always be featured in a story, and Zoey remembered her own projects getting a shot in the limelight.
She wasn't surprised to see her mother's story featured her Morph-X bikes. Her mother was a proud one and so would do whatever it took to help Zoey succeed.
During the Ranger battle, Blaze had tried to get away from the Rangers with Morph-X. He used one of Zoey's bikes for his getaway. To keep up with him, the Rangers needed to move quickly. Their feet wouldn't be fast enough and calling their Zords was going to be overkill. Since the Morph-X bikes were nearby, the Rangers each took one and chased Blaze across the city. That lead to the battle that Zoey had with Roxy.
Since Power Rangers were a big deal in any city they were in, and an attack in any part of the city, never mind downtown, was a huge story, Zoey wasn't surprised to see her mother on the scene from a helicopter. However, the shot from the helicopter gave a very interesting perspective of the Rangers using the Morph-X bikes to ride around. Muriel couldn't stop raving about the bikes and how convenient it was that they were around the city when they were needed, and even tossed in a reminder or two that these bikes were completely eco-friendly.
At the end of the day, no damage was done to the city from the bike chase and from the comments pouring into the stream, it seemed the bikes were a huge hit. Many people were asking where they could pick up the bikes and talking about how convenient they would be for quick errands or for getting to work in the morning.
"They're a hit, Zoey," Devon told her with a smile. "Everyone loves the bikes."
"Mom even said we're getting requests from the city to make more of them," Ravi added. "Nate's flooded with work."
"I should probably help him," Zoey said, realizing that if Nate was flooded, she should probably lend a hand. This was a personal project, after all and it wouldn't be fair to ask Nate to do all her work for her. She thanked the guys for showing her the video and hurried to the lab. There, Nate was busy overseeing the Morph-X project while the Beast Bots helped him build them all quickly.
"I came as soon as I heard," Zoey said, almost apologetically, but Nate shook his head.
"It's fine, really. We're actually almost done," he smiled. "These bikes are amazing, Zoey. You did an excellent job."
"Thanks."
"I'll bet the Mayor's going to regret not backing you in the first place. It… it really was an awesome idea."
"Having the Rangers use them really helped me out. I thought for sure this was going to be a flop; that they weren't cool enough."
"They're cool now," Nate said. He looked to Zoey, "I know I believed in you."
"We did too!" Betty announced as she and Ben walked into the lab with their version of the Morph-X bike in tow. However, this one seemed to be a tandem bike. "Ta-da!"
"What's that?" Zoey asked.
"Morph-X Bike 2.0," Betty said proudly.
"The 2 is for two people," Ben clarified. "Carpooling, but for bikes."
"So… tadem?"
"Bless you," Betty said to Nate, before hopping on the front seat of the bike, while Ben climbed onto the back. "See, riding with a buddy is so much more exciting then…"
As Betty tried to explain her project, she felt something shift in her bike. Before she could realize what was wrong, one screw came loose, and then another and suddenly, the bike collapsed. Fortunately, Ben and Betty were both wearing helmets as they crashed into each other on the ground.
"Okay, maybe Morph-X Bikes 2.0 isn't such a good idea."
"It's a good idea," Zoey assured her while she helped her up. Nate came over to help pull Ben up to his feet. "It just… needs a little work, I guess."
"You really think?" Betty asked and looked to Zoey hopefully. Zoey nodded her head.
"Don't give up on it, alright. You'll make it work."
"Then back to the drawing board, Benjamin!" Betty called to the brother as she grabbed her half of the bike. Ben groaned loudly as he turned to follow his sister.
"But we just left the drawing board."
"And now we're going back!" Betty announced. As she marched out of the lab, she bumped into Sarah. The pink Ranger had to excuse herself from the battle earlier and hadn't been seen since. Now that she was back, with a sick look on her face, Betty assumed she had been sick the whole time. "Wow, you don't look good."
"Thanks," Sarah muttered.
"Everything okay?" Nate asked her. Sarah shook her head.
"I… I think I'm having a baby."
"Congratu… Nope!" Betty pulled back when she saw Sarah's response didn't seem to be a happy one. Then she frowned. "Wait… how do you get pregnant?"
"Betty, that's personal," Ben scolded her. Betty frowned.
"She's marrying a girl, Ben," she reminded her. "And you and I received the same talk about how babies are made."
"We're adopting… maybe."
"Congratu…. Nope!" Betty responded again when she was met with the same look as the time before. She was still confused, though. Adoption was supposed to be a happy time for the parents-to-be. They were receiving a child they had been waiting for. While her own relationship with her parents was strained, she had heard happy stories of her own adoption. She couldn't imagine why parents-to-be would be upset by the news.
"You're… maybe adopting?" Zoey asked. Sarah nodded her head.
"Kathryn… my biological mom, is pregnant. Apparently, making babies is the one thing her body can still do well, despite all the abuse she's done to it. Not to mention her age."
"Are you sure she's pregnant?" Nate asked.
"Kelly asked her all the right questions. There's the ultrasound…"
"Easily faked," Nate said.
"Do you want a baby?" Ben asked. Sarah shrugged.
"Eventually… but… my own sibling?"
"Families come in all shapes and sizes," Betty told Sarah. "The important part is that everyone is safe, the kids are loved and cared for and the parents are happy. Would adopting make you happy?"
Sarah thought about it for a minute. She knew Kelly had made the point earlier about what might happen to the child if they didn't take them in. Thomas had been raised by his parents until he was removed from their care and placed in foster care. He had a rough time in foster care, with some homes being the reason for his discontent. However, considering his actions, Sarah had to assume that even with a loving and stable family. Thomas would have been miserable. He wanted to be raised by his birth parents, and couldn't understand why he couldn't ever return to them.
On the other hand, she herself had been removed from her first family, but placed with a father who loved her. She grew up happy, strong and cared for, despite her background. While she was sure there was a family out there who would adopt her sibling in spite of the background, it was also possible that wouldn't happen. That parents looking to welcome someone new into their family wouldn't want a child with a questionable background, and if parents didn't find the baby soon enough, they would be too old. When adopting, a lot of families wanted to start fresh, with brand new babies or infants. If the baby didn't find a family right away, the odds would continue to slim down until they aged out.
However, Sarah wouldn't see a questionable baby. She would see herself, and the potential of her child. She would know that the past didn't dictate the future. Kelly too; having biological parents who were careless monsters didn't influence her own character. Kelly was kind, compassionate and open to different ideas and lifestyles.
On paper, they were the perfect parents for this child. The question was, were they ready for a kid? They were still kids themselves.
"I want a child," Sarah said. "Having a baby would make me happy but… am I ready?"
"Were you ready to be a Power Ranger?" Betty asked her. Sarah turned to her.
"Huh?"
"You were chosen to be the pink Ranger, right?" Betty asked. "At least, that's what you said in the interview. You didn't apply for the job, it just happened. Were you ready for that responsibility?"
"I made it work," Sarah said. "But I don't want to make a baby work. I want to enjoy being a parent."
"We can't make this choice for you," Ben told Sarah. "But you do want a baby and in a few months, there will be a baby that wants to have a real family. This opportunity might not come around so easily again. Once you think you're ready, it could still be years before you're chosen again."
"But do the right thing for you," Betty said. "If it's not right for you, it won't be right for the baby either."
"I guess I have a lot to think about," Sarah nodded.
