"He was at least as strong as me, maybe stronger. If it weren't for the Lightning, he could have easily won."

Rio Mgomo sat in her bedroom, waiting for her mother and father to get home. As usual, she didn't have a date for Valentine's Day. She did have a very nice origami rose from an anonymous schoolmate, which she had hoped would lead to someone asking her out, but the identity of her apparent admirer had remained a secret. And no date meant simply sitting at home all night and behaving, hoping her parents would be inclined to say yes when she asked to stay at her best friend Ellie's house after school tomorrow.

Speaking of secret identities, Ellie was one of only a handful of people in Rio's life who knew something not even her parents knew: Rio was the superhero Captain Lightning. Another person who knew her secret was Victor Stone, or as her fanboy father called him, "The Sensational Cyborg". Victor was Rio's team member on the government-endorsed Justice Alliance, and the person she was currently speaking with on a secure call.

"I've got his files, and you won't believe this," said Victor. "Strong is more than just his superpower. It's his name."

"I call BS," said Rio.

"It's both hilarious and true. Horatio Strong. Check it out."

Rio examined her phone screen as Victor displayed records of Captain Lightning's most recent opponent. Oddly enough, while most of his features remained familiar through the various images, only the bystander footage of today's encounter showed him with the defined muscles that had given her so much trouble in their fight.

"So he wasn't ripped or strong until today?" Rio asked.

"Yeah, I'm looking into that," Victor replied casually. "As soon as the police and hospital records are updated, I'll know more. Until then, I'll check out his day-to-day routine and see if anything sticks out, and I'll make sure he gets added to the watchlist."

"That list has gotta be twenty pages by now," Rio noted.

"Thirty-five pages," said Victor. "Thankfully, your new friend Horatio seems low-threat for now. Nothing you can't handle."

"Please. I can handle anything, Vic," Rio said playfully.

"Oh, before I let you go, some of the team members were wondering… anything special you want for your birthday on Saturday?"

"Knowing who my secret admirer is would be nice," said Rio, looking over at the origami rose on her dresser.

"My snooping skills aren't suited to high school crushes," Victor remarked. "We were kind of hoping you would say 'a necklace.'"

Rio laughed. "Did you already get me a necklace?"

"Barry picked it out. Hopefully it's not stolen," Victor half-joked, making Rio's smile even bigger. "Anyway, happy early birthday, Captain Lightning. Vic out."

The call ended just as Rio heard her parents coming inside through the garage door, something she guessed Victor had intentionally timed. He seemed to enjoy a kind of theatrical omnipresence.

Putting her phone in her back pocket, Rio rushed down the stairs to greet her parents, then decided to slow down a little so she didn't seem too eager. Attempting to play it cool, she greeted them just as they approached the bottom of the staircase.

"Hi sweetie," Rio's mother smiled. "How was your Valentine's Day?"

"Ha. Boring," Rio answered. "How was your date night?"

"The restaurant your father picked out was very nice," Clarissa smiled, "though it was obviously nothing compared to what he experienced before dinner."

"Oh, Rio, sweetheart, it was amazing. I saw THE Captain Lightning, up close and personal!" Benny gushed. "I was as close to her as I am to you right now!"

"Oh… really?" Rio thought carefully about what to say, as she was genuinely surprised. "Where?"

"The shops on Beck Street. Right in the middle of the parking lot. I got a picture! Look!"

"Your father was so excited about this, he almost scared our waiter away," Clarissa smirked as Benny showed Rio the photo he had taken on his phone. Sure enough, there was Rio in her hero form, punching out the man she had just learned was named Horatio Strong. "But that's not all. Benny, tell her what you asked me."

"Oh, honey, you're going to embarrass me like this? In front of my own child?"

Clarissa giggled. "Go on, tell her."

"Well, let me explain myself," Benny started. "Look at this picture. And then look at your mother. There's a resemblance, right?"

"Oh… wow. So, you asked mom if… she's Captain Lightning?" Rio stammered, even more taken aback now, and trying to decide how to play this. "Come on, dad. Mom is…"

"Mom is what? Too lame to be a superhero?" Clarissa teased her daughter.

"Clarissa, I don't think teenagers say 'lame' anymore."

"What I mean is… they just look totally different," Rio attempted a save.

"I suppose they do," Benny laughed at himself. "Hey, maybe Captain Lightning looks more like you, huh?"

"Well, I'm glad you guys had a good night," Rio faked a laugh to play along, then attempted to change the subject. "Oh, there was something I wanted to ask you."

"And what's that?" Clarissa asked, making her way into the living room to sit down.

"Well, I turn fifteen on Saturday," Rio reminded her parents, following them and sitting down on the couch opposite her mother.

"Do you?" Benny joked.

"Well, I was wondering… or, Ellie and I were both wondering… if I could spend the night at her house tomorrow after school?" Rio asked.

After a bit of light questioning, Rio ensured them that Ellie's guardian was already okay with it, and she was able to get a yes from both her father and mother without any real pushback. She was glad, since there was a lot she wanted to talk to her friend about. She couldn't wait to tell Ellie all about her close call with her father. And now that she was thinking about it, there was someone else who would need to know.