Road Trip – Wyoming and South Dakota.
A/N: This whole story idea is based on several road trips I have taken over the years. Wyoming is breath taking in its natural beauty and I have seen some sights in my day. Also, as I am from a foreign country, I couldn't resist the chance to just drive and go see things that people take for granted here.
"Day Three and we're off to the 'Take that Yankee' monument and Mt Oppression in South Dakota," Jai said from the passenger seat of the land rover.
"You have a running commentary going or something?" Chris asked from behind the wheel.
"I have a trip log I'm writing," Jai replied. "Besides, I love the names Lian and Mila came up with for where we're going today," he added with a chuckle.
"Nerd," Lian snorted across the video comm they had set up. The two boys could hear Milagro laughing besides her. Lian was driving the coach with Milagro riding shotgun.
"You know?" Chris commented as they left Salt Lake City behind them. "For a major city, during the morning rush hour…that was nothing."
"Yeah and now it's just thirty miles straight uphill until we hit Park City," Lian replied.
"You'll be fine," Milagro assured her.
Further inside the coach, Damian was reclined on a sofa playing with Nefertiti. Iris was seated across from him working on her manicure. Gravity became noticeable as Lian drove up a particularly steep incline and Iris couldn't help but comment on it. "Damn that stretch never seems so steep when I'm running it."
"That was impressive," Milagro stated.
"That was white knuckle inducing," Lian managed to get out between clenched teeth.
"Want to switch wheels?" Chris offered.
"I'm not stopping until we're on relatively flat ground," Lian bit out.
"You're doing fine," Milagro reassured her.
"From now on, I'm driving this thing on flat ground," Lian shot back. "Only!"
"Park City is just up ahead, we can swap out there if you like?" Chris offered. Lian agreed to the suggestion before tuning everything out and concentrating on the road.
"Oh look!" Milagro grinned as they rounded a sharp bend and Park City came into view. She was pointing towards the large Olympic Rings that greeted drivers to the former Winter Olympic host city.
"There's a parking lot over there so people can take pictures," Jai suggested. Chris turned on the indicator lights as he slowed to take the exit. He could see in the rear view mirror that Lian was doing the same. Lian parked the coach in a spot reserved for large recreational vehicles as Chris parked across from her.
"Whew," Lian let out, as she stepped from the coach flexing her fingers.
"You did fine," Chris told her as he placed an arm across her shoulders and ruffled her hair.
"I need coffee," Lian stated. "Strong, black, and possibly illegal."
"How's coffee illegal?" Milagro puzzled.
"Mormons aren't allowed to consume caffeine," Lian replied. Milagro blinked a few times before muttering something under her breath in Spanish.
"See? We're not abandoning you this time," Iris cooed as she followed Damian out of the coach. Damian had a backpack slung over his shoulder and Nefertiti was poking her head out of the top. They took pictures and wandered around for a while until Lian spotted a local coffee shop.
"Okay, Damian wants a cup of black death, Irey wants sugar flavoured coffee, and Mila is getting the iced version of Irey's….got it," Lian said as she, Chris, and Jai went inside to get their orders.
"She's calmed down somewhat," Damian smirked.
"Yeah…less grumpy," Iris snorted. Milagro laughed.
Drinks in hand they returned to their vehicles and Lian headed for the land rover after surreptitiously handing Iris a small bag. Iris felt the contents with her hand and smirked. Lian had found another souvenir for their collection. "I'll drive for a while," Jai offered and Lian took him on it.
"All aboard the crazy bus," Chris chuckled as he held the door. Iris elbowed Milagro and slyly showed her the bag Lian had just handed her. Milagro smirked.
"You still have your nail stuff out Irey?" Milagro asked.
"I just put it away," Iris replied.
Damian shook his head and flopped into the shotgun seat next to Chris. Nefertiti jumped onto the dash and got comfortable as she gazed out of the windscreen. Chris meanwhile was muttering about how petite Lian was, as he readjusted the driver's seat to accommodate his much larger frame. In the master suite, Iris ripped the souvenir from the little plastic bag and gave a diabolical chuckle. "Press here," she read aloud and pressed the small button on the side of the gaudy refrigerator magnet. It began to flash and play a tinny version of the Olympic theme.
"Perfecto," Milagro laughed. The two returned to the living area of the coach and as Milagro made herself comfortable on a sofa, Iris placed their latest piece of tacky on the refrigerator door.
They saw the first billboard advertising a resort destination just outside of the Wyoming border. Lian flipped open Jai's laptop and looked up the web address advertised on the sign. "Resort, slash truck stop, slash wholesome family vacation spot, out in the middle of bum-fuck nowhere," Lian read aloud. "Looks like a god damn cult commune," she added derisively.
"It looks positively terrifying," Damian muttered as he looked the website up in the coach.
"So sixty miles ahead is full of loco cult people…got it," Milagro stated as she read over Damian's shoulder.
"Well we're fully gassed up, so we can just drive right on by the place," Chris chuckled. Fate had other ideas.
As they were nearing the turn off for the remote resort in the Wyoming wilderness, Jai could see flashing lights up ahead. "Why do they have the highway closed going eastbound?" Lian pulled up the local website dedicated to road conditions and gave Jai his answer.
"Big rig accident up ahead. Estimated time for them to clean it up and reopen the highway is another hour."
"Great," Jai groaned. "So we are going to the crazy cult place."
"Can you hear that Mila?" Chris asked as he slowed to take the exit. Milagro strained to listen for a moment before she heard what Chris had.
"One of the belts is slightly off," she stated. "No problemo though. These engines need a little tweaking in the first few thousand miles," she added as she checked the odometer and saw that there were less than five thousand miles of total travel distance indicated.
They found adjacent parking for the coach and land rover at the edge of the massive lot. Milagro went to the tool box to get what she needed for the belt fix as Jai and Lian left the land rover for the more spacious coach. A few minutes later, Milagro was in front of the coach, propping the hood up when Lian and Iris suddenly walked by, heading towards the tourist centre of the resort.
"Where are you two going?" she asked.
"Baño," Lian replied.
"Watch out for the cultists," Milagro snorted before turning her attention to the engine.
Just inside the sliding doors, a middle aged greeter welcomed the two girls. "If you girls need anything, feel free to ask," the woman smiled sweetly.
"Thanks," Iris replied, as they walked past. Both girls eyed the door greeter and her uniform that looked a lot like medical scrubs.
"No…not creepy at all," Lian muttered. "That way," she said, pointing to a large sign indicating the restrooms.
There were two elderly women in the rather plush restroom as Lian and Iris entered. The elder of the two had a dark scowl on her aged face as she eyed the teenagers up. Iris went into one of the stalls while Lian went to the sinks and splashed cool water on her face. She dried off and began twisting her long hair up into a bun. Iris finished and came out to wash her hands, when the elder of the two women piped up.
"I don't like this place," she griped. "It's full of weirdoes."
"Now Mom," the younger of the two scolded.
Iris barked out a laugh as Lian chuckled. "We totally agree with you Nana."
Outside in front of the coach, Milagro was inspecting the belts and had narrowed down the culprit that was slightly off. An attendant from the gas station came over and asked if she needed a hand. "Gracias no, Señor," she replied. "Okay, turn it on," she called out. Damian turned the engine on and Milagro turned her ear towards the belts. "Rev it," she instructed. Damian did so and Milagro smirked. "Gotcha." She indicated with her hand for Damian to cut the engine. Crouching down slightly, she fit the socket wrench to the appropriate bolt and began tightening it. She stepped back when she had the belt realigned properly and had Damian turn the engine on again. Milagro turned her ear to the engine again and had Damian rev the engine. "Got it!" she called out and flashed a thumbs up to Damian.
Lian and Iris held the door for the elderly mother and daughter as they were leaving the tourist centre. The daughter thanked the two while the mother just gave them an approving grunt. "She kinda reminds me of Grandma Joan," Iris mused as they headed back to the others.
"Mrs Garrick? How?" Lian gaped.
"Really stubborn," Iris smirked. "Oh…my…God!" she said suddenly. "Even the cat doesn't like this place," she howled. Lian looked up and spied Nefertiti perched on the dash scowling. The tip of her tail was flicking against the hardwood dash.
"Hold that pose Pretty Girl," Lian laughed as she took a few pictures of the irritated cat. Nefertiti glanced down at the two of them and meowed before returning her reproachful gaze to the tourist centre.
"Verdict?" Damian asked as the two girls entered the coach.
"Kooksville!" Lian proclaimed. Iris told them about the two elderly women they'd encountered and the others laughed.
"Hey?" Jai piped up suddenly. "According to the road site, the highway is going to be open in another ten to fifteen minutes."
"Let's get rolling now," Chris suggested.
Lian and Jai dashed off for the land rover. Iris and Milagro both jumped into the roomy passenger seat as Damian stood behind the driver's seat. Chris fired up the coach and waited for Lian to pull ahead in the land rover. Nefertiti hunkered down on her perch on the dash and meowed loudly. A highway patrolman was just opening the gate closing off the highway as the two vehicles approached the on ramp. He informed them to take it slow until they passed the accident site and waved them through. They went about a mile before coming across the accident and picked up speed as they drove past.
"The driver's shaken, but okay," Chris pronounced as he let his eyes readjust to normal vision.
The scenery began to change from high plateau to ragged red canyon. Lian would glance occasionally up at the rock face as they drove past and spotted something that caught her eye. "No way," she murmured.
"Wha?" Jai asked.
"See that line of grey through the rocks up there?" she asked. Jai took a moment until he spotted what Lian was referring to.
"Yeah, so?"
"That's the friggin' KT boundary!"
"The what?" Jai huffed, raising a puzzled eyebrow.
"The Cretaceous – Tertiary boundary," Lian specified. "The line in the dirt that says; the dinosaurs died here!"
"Okay…and you have the gall to call me a nerd?" Jai snorted.
In the coach, Chris tuned out the argument that ensued in the land rover ahead of him as he focused on the spot Lian had pointed out. "Hnn. It is the KT boundary," he muttered.
"And you know this because?" Iris asked.
"I saw it last year when I went with Mom to Haiti. It's really thick there," he explained. "I know what it looks like microscopically and that stuff up there matches." Damian interrupted Chris from explaining further with a sudden sneeze.
"Bless you…oh someone's having desert issues," Milagro said when she got a good look at Damian.
"It came on suddenly," Damian murmured before sneezing again. His eyes were bloodshot and watering heavily. "Do we have anything for allergies?" Iris zipped back to where the first aid kit was kept and checked.
"Nope sorry," she stated a moment later. Damian made a small noise of disgust.
"There's a town just up ahead, let's pull off there," Lian stated. They pulled off the highway and into the lot of a large rest area. Damian and Milagro went inside in search of relief for Damian's sudden allergy attack as the others got out to stretch their legs. Lian sidled up to Chris and smiled sweetly up at him. "Would you be so kind and zip up there to get me some KT boundary clay…please?" she asked, handing him a small plastic bag.
"You want sixty five million year old dirt?" Chris teased.
"No. I want sixty five million year old apocalyptic fallout," she corrected.
"You're twisted," he laughed. Chris wandered to a spot behind the coach and then took off to get Lian her sample. He returned a moment later and handed the now full plastic bag back to her. "Here's your apocalyptic fallout Madam. A fine vintage if I do say so myself," he said as he bowed before her.
"You're a sweetheart," she grinned and kissed the top of his bowed head.
"And you're psychotic," Jai snorted.
"Meh. I'm my mother's daughter," Lian shrugged. Jai couldn't help but laugh at that.
Iris was shaking her head and laughing softly when she glanced towards the store and saw Damian and Milagro. "Jesus Mila…you bought out their entire stock of allergy stuff?"
"Allergy stuff," Milagro stated, holding up the smaller of the two bags. "And junk food." She flinched when Iris zipped over to snag the bag with the junk food in it.
"That's still an impressive haul of allergy stuff though," Iris commented as she dug through the junk food bag.
"We're heading into my potential downfall in a few days…farm country."
"Oh yeah," Iris nodded.
"Shall we…I'm not even going to ask, Lian," Damian stated when he saw the plastic bag she was lovingly cradling to her chest.
"Sixty five million year old apocalyptic fallout," Jai snorted as they turned to get back into the vehicles. Damian mouthed the words to himself as he shook his head in complete bewilderment.
The rest of the drive to South Dakota was uneventful. It was early evening when they drove past the Crazy Horse monument on their way to their campground. Lian strained to see if she could spot the massive sculpture in progress from the highway, but she couldn't. They could see glimpses of Mt Rushmore though as they drove closer to it. Damian checked them in at the campground and came back with a satisfied smirk on his face. Taking the wheel of the land rover, he had Chris follow him to their assigned spot for the next two nights. It was remote and far enough away from the main campgrounds that it seemed as though they were the only people there.
Built into the coach was an outdoor kitchen. Jai slid it out from the space where it was stored and fired up the grill. Milagro and Iris had spent part of the drive up, preparing dinner for that evening. Chris rubbed his hands together in delight as the first of the steaks hit the grill; the smell had been maddening when Milagro had seasoned them a few hours earlier. Jai tended the steaks with expert care before deciding that the smallest one on the grill was ready. He pulled it off and let it sit for a few minutes before cutting it up into bite sized pieces. Everyone took a piece and to Milagro's delight, the appreciative compliments came gushing forth.
"To hell with kryptonite…this could take me down," Chris groaned. Jai rattled off the word delicious in several languages, while Lian moaned and sagged against the coach in pleasure.
"I actually cringe at the misuse of the word awesome, but that is awesome!" Iris stated.
"I am about to utter a blasphemy…so profound in my family, that it could shake the very heart of the universe," Damian muttered. "But that is better than any steak Alfred has ever placed before me."
"Damn," Lian murmured, as she, Chris, Iris, and Jai all gaped at him.
Milagro gave him a wry smile as she thanked him for the compliment. "But aren't you exaggerating a bit there, Ese?" she teased. She'd recently met the Wayne's faithful butler and highly doubted that she could prepare anything, let alone a humble steak, better than he could.
"As much as it burns my soul to admit this, I am not exaggerating. That is superb," Damian stated.
Milagro's jaw dropped. "Okay damn! Muchas gracias!"
Iris excused herself suddenly and took out her mobile. "Hey Grandma Joan? It's Irey," she said when Joan Garrick answered. "Have you and Aunt Iris gone shopping for the cookout on Sunday yet? You haven't…you're going tomorrow? Cross the steaks off the list. We're bringing them!" Iris went on to explain the meal the teenagers were about to indulge in as she insisted that they take care of the steaks. "Damian swears, as much as it burns his soul to admit, that they're better than anything Alfred's ever come up with…uh-huh, exactly! We've got the steaks covered. Alright, see you Sunday! Love you, bye," Iris said as she finished her call. "Guess what you're doing Sunday morning," she directed at Milagro.
"Attempting to impress your family," Milagro laughed.
"Bingo!"
"Chow's on!" Jai declared. He jumped back suddenly as he was swarmed by the others in the mad dash to grab food.
Dinner finished, they lounged around for a while letting their meal digest, when the first flickering lights began to appear around them. "Oh wow!" Milagro exclaimed.
"You've never seen fireflies before?" Chris asked incredulously as Milagro attempted to coax one to land on her finger.
"They don't live in the desert," she replied in awe.
"Or in Cali," Lian added, as she gazed at the floating lights.
Unlike Milagro, Lian had seen the summer insects a few times before. The sight of them though still dazzled her. Milagro stood up and then lifted off the ground to float up into the heart of the lazy swarm. The faint green aura her ring was casting around her, attracted the insects and she floated among them in childish delight. Damian watched her for a while before something beyond his teammate caught his eye. He glanced around and spotted a clearing in the trees and headed for it. Looking up, it was his turn to stare slack jawed in sheer awe.
"And to think, that's just our home galaxy," Chris said a few minutes later. Damian glanced over his shoulder towards his teammate before returning his gaze to the impressive night sky. A massive swath of starlight dominated the sky with countless stars twinkling around the main band.
"As many times as I've seen that on the reservation, it never gets old," Lian commented as she and the others joined Damian and Chris.
"Hop on," Milagro said, creating a floating platform with her ring. The four non-flyers all got on the platform and Milagro took them up to just above the tree tops. They star gazed for nearly an hour before Iris suddenly yawned loudly. She gave everyone a meek apology as they chuckled at her.
"We have a long day ahead of us tomorrow," Damian murmured as Milagro brought them back down to the ground. He reached for Milagro's shoulder to halt her for a moment. "Thank you," he offered.
"Denada," she grinned at him. "Wait until we get to El Paso. That's even more impressive out in the desert," she added.
The following morning, Jai rolled out of his bunk and crashed to the floor. "Ow," he muttered as he lay there for a moment.
"You climb out of the bunk…not fall out of it," Lian stated as she stepped over Jai's prone body.
"Bite me," he muttered as he flashed his middle finger in her general direction. With a heaving grunt, Jai got up off the floor and wandered over to the table. Lian was prepared for it and easily deflected the swat he aimed for her head.
"Drink," Iris instructed as she held a cup of coffee in front of her brother. Jai snarled at her but took the mug and ambled towards the front of the coach. Iris rolled her eyes as she went back to making breakfast while Lian fought to contain a fit of giggles.
"Where is everybody?" he asked.
"Damian and Mila went for a jog and Chris is wandering around having a nosy of the place," his sister answered. Jai shrugged before taking a long swig of his coffee and stepping outside. He was hit suddenly with a bucketful of ice cold water and let rip with a stream of expletives that would have given the most profane abuser of the English language pause.
"Wow," Chris laughed. "You managed to get bestiality in that litany…twice! I am impressed."
"You are dog chow, pal…dog chow!" Jai vowed as he pushed his wet hair out of his eyes.
"Looking forward to it, buddy," Chris laughed. He lifted off and flew away as Jai glared daggers at him. Chris decided to give Jai about twenty minutes before heading back to join the others.
"Damn yo," Milagro called out as she and Damian rounded a corner. "That is was impressive!"
"Christopher?" Damian asked as he took in Jai's soaked appearance.
"Is a dead man," Jai scowled. "Kryptonian or not." Jai glanced at his coffee cup and scowled deeper. Tipping the now watered down contents out he turned and stormed into the coach. Damian shook his head in amusement before following Jai. Milagro took a little longer as she was doubled over and howling in laughter.
Chris returned to the others just as Iris was serving breakfast. Jai flipped him off, but that was as hostile as it got. Chris snorted a laugh and ruffled Jai's damp hair. "You sounded like you needed the wake up call," he shrugged as he took a seat across from Jai.
"I hate you," Jai growled into his coffee.
"At the manor, violence and death threats are usually prohibited at the dinner table," Damian piped up. "This omelette is delicious Iris, thank you," he added.
"You're welcome," she smiled, polishing off the first of two omelettes.
"Do you guys even follow the no violence and death threat rule?" Lian asked. "I mean between Cass, Jason, and you, meals must be an event at Wayne Manor."
"Sadly, much to dear Alfred's chagrin, we do not abide by the rule on most occasions," Damian chuckled. "Especially if it is a meal that one of the diners particularly enjoys."
"An example would be?" Jai asked out of curiosity.
"Timothy and lamb can be quite eventful," Damian smirked.
"I'll bite," Jai grinned.
"Timothy is of Welsh descent," Damian pointed out. Lian and Chris smothered their laughter behind their hands. Jai lunged forward a bit in an effort to keep from spraying everyone with the gulp of coffee he'd just taken, as Iris howled in laughter. Milagro simply looked a little confused. "Richard and Jason informed me the first time we all ate lamb together, that the Welsh have a rather…intimate relationship with sheep," Damian informed her.
"How bad are the sheep shagging jokes?" Lian asked before dissolving into laughter.
"Ay Dios mio," Milagro groaned as she caught on.
"Sadly, Father and Alfred do manage to keep anyone from being too crude," Damian sighed. "Eventful mealtime with my family aside, in what order are we going to see the monuments?" he asked, changing the subject.
"Rushmore gets insanely crowded towards the evening according to the interwebs, so there and then Crazy Horse?" Jai suggested.
"Sounds like a plan to me," Iris shrugged. She reached across the table and swapped out her empty plate for Lian's abandoned one. Lian managed to snag a piece of toast from her unfinished breakfast before Iris pulled the plate out of reach. "How about we do Rushmore first, then back here for lunch before hitting Crazy Horse?" The team agreed with the plan, figuring that it would be the most simple way to enjoy the day.
Iris cleaned up the breakfast dishes at speed as the others got ready for the day. "Sorry Nefer-kitty," she said, patting the cat. "No pets allowed…so we can't smuggle you in with us." Nefertiti let her annoyance show with a loud squawk of a meow as she skulked off to the girl's quarters. Damian took pity on his pet and placed a small handful of treats into her bowl before they all left for Mt Rushmore.
Prior to hitting the open road, Damian had acquired a pair of passes that allowed free access to all national parks in the country. One each for the coach and land rover. The ranger waved them through to the main parking area without directing them to stop and pay admission first. They all piled out of the land rover and began walking towards the granite faces carved into the mountainside.
Chris had a smirk on his face as he suddenly cleared his throat. "Abraham Lincoln was born in a log cabin in Illinois," he stated in a childish version of his voice. Jai continued the scene in a childlike voice as Lian, Iris, and Milagro were laughing and leaning on each other for support. Jai managed the entire monologue with a straight face, much to the amusement of the others.
"Huh?" Damian gaped at his friends in stunned confusion.
"You've never seen 'I'm Gonna Git You Sucka'?" Milagro asked, wiping a tear from her eye.
"Huh?" Damian repeated.
"We've got webflix, right?" Lian asked Jai.
"We're camping in a mobile wi-fi hotspot," he snorted. "We've got webflix."
"Movie night!" Iris and Chris chimed together.
"We will broaden your horizons tonight, Ese," Milagro stated, patting Damian on the shoulder.
"Huh?" Damian uttered again.
"Jesus quick! Someone write down the date…we've stunned him to the point of stupidity," Iris teased.
"I'd argue," Damian stammered. "But unfortunately you are correct. What the hell are you going to make me watch tonight?" he demanded.
"A really funny cult classic of a movie," Chris replied. "Now c'mon, we haven't got all day," he added, taking Damian by the elbow and leading him onwards.
"Thank you Jesus," Jai suddenly intoned in a deep voice. Damian was left confused again as the others started laughing once more.
"Oh cool, check it out," Milagro said, pointing to a scale model of the mountain. It was right next to the gift shop and Lian and Iris caught on immediately. Chris glanced over his shoulder when he heard Milagro first speak up and shook his head. Positioning himself next to Damian, so that his slightly larger frame blocked the view, he waved to the three to indicate that the coast was clear. Lian and Milagro stayed near the front of the gift shop as Iris went in to find their souvenir.
"I always thought it was bigger than that," Damian stated, staring up at the monument.
"Why? Because in photos of it, it looks bigger?" Chris asked. Damian merely nodded.
Lian spotted Iris leaving the gift shop and reached for Milagro's shoulder. Milagro turned so that Lian could quickly unzip the backpack slung over her shoulder. Iris walked past and quickly dropped the gift bag into Milagro's backpack. Lian zipped it back up and the three girls shared a smirk as they rejoined the boys. The team toured the site and listened to a few presentations being given before returning to the land rover and heading back to camp for lunch. Milagro left her backpack in the land rover. They'd wait to plant the newest souvenir when Damian's guard was down.
After lunch, they all piled into the land rover again and headed for the Crazy Horse monument. Lian stayed fairly quiet as the others chatted on the short trip and Chris noticed it. He figured out why when they got to the monument. He heard a soft sniffle coming from Lian as she looked out towards the unfinished carving with tears in her eyes. Milagro noticed too and put an arm around Lian's shoulders. "Chica?"
"I've always wanted to see this," Lian commented softly. "Even though Crazy Horse was Lakota…the Navajo who raised Dad always held him in high regard."
"So this is like a pilgrimage for you then?" Chris asked. Lian nodded.
"Kind of," she replied. "Dad and I donate annually to the memorial, but we've never had a chance to take advantage of it. I mean we're not Navajo by blood, but in our hearts…"
"According to Jaime's scarab, about eighty percent of my DNA is Aztec and Mayan, so I can relate," Milagro said, giving Lian's shoulders a squeeze.
"The scarab knows where all your DNA comes from?" Jai puzzled aloud.
Milagro laughed and told the others about the time Jaime had seen a program about a project that was tracking humanity's migration across the planet. "The scarab had Jaime go online to their website and studied the information, before analyzing Jaime's DNA and figuring out where it all came from," Milagro chuckled. "We're mostly Aztec and Mayan, but the Spanish on Mom's side had some fun stuff thrown in too."
"Introductions from the Moorish occupation of Spain?" Damian guessed.
Milagro pointed towards him. "Got it in one," she said. "Mom is also the primary source of Neanderthal DNA in Jaime and me. Something our Dad loves pointing out to get her going," she laughed.
Damian narrowed his eyes and smirked. "That, I can relate to. I'm familiar with the program you speak of, and had a sample analyzed. Information I delighted in informing Mother of last year."
"When she had you trapped for nearly a week in order to 're-educate' you?" Iris asked.
"Yes. For someone who professes advancements in human evolution, she found the information…upsetting," he replied. "The bulk of my Neanderthal DNA is from the Arabic half of my heritage, whereas my European heritage is more 'human'," Damian waved his fingers in quotation marks as spoke.
"Ouch," Chris and Iris laughed.
"Betcha that burned Talia," Jai cackled.
"It did," Damian smirked. Pulling the collar of his shirt down a little, he pointed out a scar over his clavicle. "I smile when I see this in my reflection." Iris playfully smacked him.
A young Lakota woman wandered up to greet them and welcome them to the monument. She introduced herself as Shelly and offered to guide them around the site if they were interested. "We'd love that, thank you," Lian replied gratefully. Lian introduced the team to Shelly.
"Nice meeting all of you," Shelly smiled. "There's a board over here that I like to show people to first," she added. "This is the finished monument, as imagined by Korczak Ziolkowski and Chief Henry Standing Bear back in 1948." On the board was a painting illustrating a finished monument and surrounding area that included camping and educational facilities.
"I love that the family is determined to do this with only donations from the public," Lian stated.
"No federales?" Milagro asked.
Shelly laughed. "Nope. No federales. They wanted too much control and Korczak wouldn't have any of it. So he turned down their offers of assistance."
"Right on, Ese!" Milagro cheered, pointing to the sky.
"Which reminds me, where would I make a donation?" Damian asked.
"The Cultural Centre. It's over this way," Shelly replied.
"That's going to trump this one from Dad and me big time, isn't it?" Lian smirked, holding up an envelope she had retrieved from her backpack.
"Most likely," Damian replied. Lian shot him a wry look as Shelly led them to a reception area where they could make donations. "Father was inspired by your father's story and has contributed annually to the memorial for years."
"Your family contributes annually?" Shelly asked.
"Yes, the Wayne Foundation." Shelly gaped at Damian.
"You're Damian Wayne? Bruce Wayne's youngest son?" Damian acknowledged the query with a nod. "Whoa," Shelly exclaimed.
The receptionist handed Damian a form to fill out when he said that he wanted to make a personal donation. Iris filled one out on behalf of her and Jai, while Chris and Milagro each filled one out as well. "Is the story true that your father was inspired by a young orphan brave of the Navajo?" the woman asked Damian.
"You know the story better than any of us," Damian playfully suggested to Lian. Lian backhanded him on the arm.
"My Dad was born on a reservation in Arizona," Lian started. "He was orphaned at the age of three and the tribe took him in and raised him as a Navajo." Lian continued telling Shelly and the receptionist Roy Harper's story and fudged a little on how Bruce Wayne came to hear of it. "When I told Dad we were heading here on this trip, he asked that I personally deliver our annual donation," she concluded and handed the envelope over.
"How do you always find the regular donors?" the receptionist teased Shelly.
"I have no idea, I swear Liz," Shelly defended, holding up her hands after she saw the names on the cheque Lian handed over. Lian gave the pair a puzzled look.
"Shelly always seems to find regular donators and offer to show them around," Liz offered. "I have a photographic memory and I recognise the names Roy and Lian Harper. At least now I know why we didn't get your cheque earlier this year," she added.
"Dad'll be stoked," Lian grinned.
"Seriously?" Liz asked Damian when he handed the form back to her with his credit card.
"There are six of us here," he replied. Liz smiled gratefully as she processed the returned forms and donations.
"They're all yours Shelly," she stated once she handed them their receipts.
Shelly enthusiastically led them to the various museums and educational sites scattered throughout the memorial. Lian beamed with pride when she spied an exhibit that had been donated by the band of Navajo, Roy had been raised by. Shelly laughed as she recalled the donation ceremony several years earlier. "The chief's daughter, Smiling Water, has a wicked sense of humour," she recalled.
"Aunt Carrie is definitely a handful," Lian agreed. "Some of my best jokes are from her."
"Is this the one you said we're going to get a kick out of, when we hit the reservation?" Iris asked.
"Yup."
Shelly laughed. "Tell her we said 'hi' from South Dakota." Lian promised to pass on the message. The tour continued until Shelly led them to an awaiting bus that took visitors up the mountain to get a close look at the face of the monument. The stunning detail of the face left the six teenagers in awe as they looked up at it. Lian had been taking pictures all day and asked Shelly to take one of the team in front of the monument. Chris suggested that they ask someone to take another group shot with Shelly included. Shelly called over to another Lakota guide and asked if he would do the honours. He took several pictures before handing Lian her camera back.
After several more hours of touring the site, they parted ways with Shelly. "Thank you so much," Lian gushed, hugging Shelly. Lian removed an arrowhead necklace she was wearing and presented it to Shelly. Shelly gratefully accepted it and presented Lian with horn bead leather cuff she had been wearing.
"Indeed, you were most informative and a delight to have as our guide," Damian added, taking her hand and placing a chaste kiss on the back of it.
"You guys are welcome back anytime," Shelly offered, as she exchanged hugs with Chris and Milagro.
"Gracias," Milagro grinned.
"It was really great meeting you," Chris added.
Jai and Iris bowed before her and thanked her in Korean. "We'll definitely look you up when we come back," Jai said as he took his turn hugging Shelly.
"Do you have an email address we can write to you at?" Iris asked.
"I'd like that," Shelly grinned. Jai took down her email address and told her what to look for from the team. "Have a safe journey," Shelly called out as she waved to the team one last time.
Jai fired off an email to Shelly as soon as they returned to camp. He included the group photos in the message and extended the team's thanks once again for showing them around. Shelly would reply to it the following day. They were the first of a lifetime of correspondence between the Titans and Shelly.
TBC...
A/N: (part 2) Yes… I did recite the Abraham Lincoln school report monologue from I'm Gonna Git You Sucka' at Mt Rushmore. I managed to do it in one take, straight through, and with a straight face…before I doubled over and howled in laughter for about 5 minutes with me mates. For the record! One of my very American friends in that group started it all, by trying to recite the thing himself. He could only remember the first line though…unlike moi, who practically has that whole movie memorised.