The next morning was spent watching videos and taking notes. The videos were- more or less- highlight reels from various movies and cartoons. The Justice League, the Avengers, a few others. Though there was a shocking lack of Ace Savvy, who even Leni knew was Lincoln's favorite superhero.

"Oh, yeah," he sighed upon being prompted. "he doesn't really have a movie, or a tv show. At least, not yet. Maybe one day. Plenty of other superheroes though."

Leni nodded and jotted down some notes, usually just written questions so she could keep track of her own thoughts among the flowing information.

"So…" she wondered, "A lot of costumes are, like, super bright and colorful, but others, like, are super dark and depressing."

"Oh, well, using just these two as an example," he pointed to the muscular Superman and Batman facing off on the screen. "Superman is invulnerable- er, he can't ever be hurt- and he's super strong, so he doesn't need to worry about gunfire affecting him. Batman, on the other hand, doesn't have any powers."

"Wait, he doesn't?"

"No…" Lincoln smiled, though his face suggested he was restraining himself from saying something else. "He has to out-think his opponents; using gadgets and armor and sneaky stuff."

"Guess that's out of the question," Leni muttered under her breath. She admittedly wasn't the most aware person in the room, but she knew her limits. Sometimes she'd get too excited about something or make some mistake that was so obvious to everyone else. She'd have to do better, if she really was going to follow through with this.

"What was that?" Lincoln asked.

"Er," Leni thought for a moment. "What about that guy? The…spider…guy…"

She could feel her face scrunch up at the character. Spiders were disgusting. She instantly regretted choosing him as the subject of conversation.

"Oh, well, he's kind of different," he continued, "He has powers, but he's not invincible. He can climb walls, and has the proportional strength of a…"

Lincoln examined just how curled up she was on the bed. They had retreated to his room after breakfast, the rest of the family going about their business, though no one was really planning on going anywhere.

"Uh," Lincoln thought for a second, "He had to build his web slingers, so he can get around the city swinging like Tarzan."

Leni relaxed a little. "So that stuff isn't…coming out of him?"

"No." Lincoln reassured her.

"Okay," she nodded, jotting down another thought. "What else can he do?"

"Well…"

In a few minutes, Lincoln set up a game of the titular hero and was scrolling through a menu. She watched as he flicked from costume to costume, changing the hero's appearance.

"Each suit has a power," Lincoln explained. "they serve a different function. Or just have an ability that changes the fight. This one gives him electric punches that shock enemies. This one sends out a little drone to attack enemies. That one sends out holograms as decoys. So on and so on. The suit powers just kinda… cover your weaknesses in a fight."

Leni tapped the pencil to her lips. This was…fascinating to her. Fashion and function. She jotted down some of the examples. Leni was not a scientific person. She had no idea how she was going to modify a suit with technology like this.

"The suits… cover your weaknesses…" Leni thought aloud.

"Yeah…" Lincoln gave her a strange look. The two of them sat in silence for a moment. "Hey, Leni? What, uh…what brought this on? You designing a cosplay commission, or something? I mean, I'm happy to help, but… I was just curious."

Leni thought for a moment. Pondering.

"Could you do me a favor, and call for a sibling meeting in like... an hour?"

"Uh, sure?"

Leni abruptly got up and left Lincoln's room. Pacing her way to her own room and to the sewing machine. She had plenty of materials to work with, just not the design.

She had just started finalizing some designs in her notebook when she heard a knock at the door.

"Uh, Leni?" It was Lincoln again. The others shuffled into the room behind him.

"Oh," Leni looked at all of them. They all wore worried expressions. Even Lily looked at her funny. "Has it been an hour already?"

"Ah, no," Lincoln answered, "just a few minutes, but-"

"We got a little worried about you," Luan interjected herself. "What have you been up to?"

Leni looked at her design notebook. She guessed now is as good a time to tell them as any.

"I, uh," she stammered. "have to, uh, like… It's kinda hard to explain..."

"Dude," Luna stepped forward, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's okay. You can tell us."

Leni breathed out a heavy sigh.

"Okay," she breathed. "Here it goes."

She closed her eyes and concentrated. She felt herself become…lighter. She could feel her feet coming off the ground, and when she opened her eyes, her brother and sisters where all gazing up at her in astonishment.

"Leni! You're-!"

"She's flying!"

"Whoa!"

"Holy-"

Leni planted her feet back down; a soft thud hitting the carpet.

"Guys!" She tried to hush them. "Shh!"

They all crowded her, bombarding her with questions that she herself had no answers for.

"Guys, guys!" Luna shoved everyone back. "One at a time! Let's give her some air, huh?"

They all quieted down and backed away, waiting with wide eyes and open ears.

Leni sat on Lori's bed, borrowing it for support. She spilled everything she knew, and Luna had to stop her to tell to slow down every minute or so, but she was able to tell them how she flew home and how she thought it was all a dream.

She sighed again. "Everyone out there… there's so much happening, and almost none of it is good. I want to help them, but… I can't do it by myself."

"What do you want to do, exactly?" Luna kneeled in front of her.

"I want…" Leni huffed. "I want to fly more. And I want to help people. Like…"

"Like a superhero?" Lincoln offered. The hope in his voice was all too present.

Leni nodded. "…Yes. That's what I want to do."

The room was silent. Leni thought that maybe they'd start laughing at her. Or maybe some stifling laughter. She swore she could feel them breathing around her.

Leni didn't look up at any of them, but she felt the baby waddle up to her leg and reach her arms up at her. She picked Lily up and held her. The barely two-year-old apparently decided that Leni needed a hug.

"Alright then," Luna decided. "Let's get to work. Lisa, you think you can help Leni with a… super suit?"

"Affirmative," the four-year-old answered, "I've come up several designs in the last eighty-six seconds."

"Great, take Lucy and Lola with you, crank out some designs," Luna moved on, "Lincoln, you still got that police radio? Yeah? Go get it and bring it to my room. Then, you and Luan will brainstorm on some gadgets. Lynn? You're are on fitness duty-"

"Wait, hold on!" Leni stood from the bed. "You're all just… okay with this?"

"Well," Lincoln shrugged. "It's your decision. I think I speak for all of us when I say we're happy to help."

"Yeah!" everyone chimed in.

"Lily," Luna continued, rubbing the baby's head, "You stay here and keep looking cute."

The baby threw an arm out.

"Yay!"

"See?" Luna lightly gushed, "You're doing great already." She turned to Leni. "Be right back."

The siblings disappeared in a cloud of dust, leaving Leni with three of them.

"Alright," Lynn put her hands on her hips. "Put down the baby. We got muscles to build."

Soon, Leni was outside, wearing workout clothes and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. Lynn stood across from her wearing some kind of leathery mattress and grill.

"Umpire gear," Lynn corrected her. "Plus, a couple of pillows. We know you can fly, but we need to see if anything else changed. Like super strength. I want you to hit me; hard as you can."

"What?"

"You know, throw a punch! Hit me!"

"Ladies don't punch," Leni quoted her parents, "Not unless we have to. We have principles. And mace."

"Ugh, Leni," Lynn complained. "Just… push me."

"But-"

"Shove me."

"But-"

"For crying out loud, Leni! Hit! Me!"

Leni cringed away from her voice, lashing out her arm with an open palm.

"Oof!"

Leni opened her eyes in time to see Lynn land several feet away. She heaved and rolled on the ground in pain.

"Good… Hit…" she gasped.

Leni, horrified, stepped forward to help her.

"Wait..! Wait..." She held her hand up. "Stay there."

She pulled out a tape measure and fed it out to Leni. Leni grabbed the end for her.

Lynn looked at the measurement and whistled.

"Okay…" Lynn croaked, slowly getting back up. "That's enough… super strength training."

She took a minute to catch her breath and remove her extra gear.

"Is there anything else you can do?" she coughed, throwing the helmet and padding to the side.

"Um…" Leni thought. "I don't know."

She tensed up as she heard something pierce through the air. She turned her head towards the main city.

"Did you…hear that?" Leni wondered, though her thoughts weren't on the question or her sister's confused answer.

"Hear what?" Lynn looked around.

Leni didn't explain. She zipped across the back yard, her toes barely skimming the grass. She sped through the house and back to her room. She didn't have a costume, but she had to protect her identity somehow.

That's when she had the thought to where clothes that were completely out of season. It may not be a mask, but it would have to do. She quickly changed into a sweater, jacket, gloves, skirt, black leggings, and winter boots. All matching, of course. To hide her face, she wrapped a scarf securely around her neck and stuffed the rest of it in her jacket.

"Leni, what's-"

She didn't have time to address Luna's concern, as she threw the window open and jumped out into the sky.

The autumn weather could do little to her winter outfit, but she felt chills all the same as she took flight through open air. She soared higher and higher, the brutal wind telling her she was going faster than any red convertible. Or roller coaster. She was glad her hair was in a ponytail. It wasn't exactly her style, but it would have gotten in the way.

She stopped when she reached the downtown. She turned in a circle, looking for the source of the scream. She spotted it: a column of rising smoke from one of the buildings.

She flew to it without a second thought. The building was two stories, at most. People were lined up on the sidewalk, watching the blaze.

Or watching her, as she soon realized. She drifted to one of the windows to get inside, as another scream echoed in her ears. She was in the right place. The fire was too hot here. She tried another window, and then another, but was met with the same resistance.

"Over there!" someone pointed out from down below. Leni glanced at them and saw them pointing at a window on the far side. There was, admittedly, less fire in that entrance, though not by much.

Well, it was something. Leni flew over and ducked inside. Her senses were bombarded, as she inhaled smoke through her nose and the fire roared in her ears.

"Hello?!" she called out. The scarf was muffling her voice. She had to remove it.

"Anyone here?!" she tried again, inhaling more smoke and coughing. She fell to her knees, under the rising smoke. Right, smoke and fire; you can't stand up. She took a second to catch her breath and hack out the impurities in her lungs.

"Help!"

Another desperate cry. Somewhere above her. Luckily, a part of the ceiling crumbled in front of her. She could hear the woman cry out again in surprise.

Leni took flight again, diving through the hole and spotting the woman in a far corner. The walls were being devoured by flames. They blocked the way to a window.

"Don't worry!" Leni called out, drifting over to her. "I'll get you out!"

She hooked one arm under her legs and the other around her back. Lifting the woman up was…easier than she expected. Easier than when she and her sisters were goofing around a year ago, trying to lift each other up.

Focus, Leni, Focus.

She looked around, and spotted a hole in the roof, perhaps the same spot that crumbled through the multiple floors.

She whizzed through the opening, going over the roof and down to street level with the other pedestrians.

"Oh my gosh…" the woman stumbled into the arms of a friend. "I thought I was going to… thank you. Whoever you are."

Leni meant to say, "You're welcome," but ended up hacking and coughing. She then remembered that her face was exposed. She pulled her scarf up in time for the phone cameras to aim themselves at her.

"Who are you?" Someone asked her.

"I'm…" she fought to breath. She almost answered with her name. Superheroes are supposed to be a secret. "I'm here to help."

With that, she shot up into the sky like a rocket, flying above the buildings and back home to her awaiting family.