Canyons of Steel - Still Just a Rat in a Cage Pt. 1

Niaomi Running Cloud tilted the seat back as the sound of the road seemed to drone on and on. She hadn't spoken a word since she and her brother Maxwell crossed the border, and the radio didn't help at all. Even the few CD's they had ran out long ago. And now, she was just getting tired. She looked to the back seat of the Bronco and smiled. Her son, Petey, was fast asleep. Niaomi wished that she could just nod off quickly in a blissful slumber. "Oh, to be eight again," she muttered with a smile.

Maxwell glanced to his nephew in the rear view mirror and smiled. "I think he fell asleep as soon as we entered the city limits."

Niaomi chuckled as she looked to her brother. "City limits. That's funny, considering this is Columbus, Ohio. It's not like Saskatoon. There we know where the city limits are. Here, it's kind of like southern Ontario. Mississauga runs into Toronto, which runs into Hamilton and so on and so forth."

"It is a different world, that's for certain," Maxwell replied with a smile. He checked his mirrors and watched the traffic. They'd been driving for a while now. Ohio State University had invited him to speak to students about Native American history, the affect European settlers had on them, and how many tribes interacted with them. His main goal was always to wipe clean the myth of First Nations tribes being filled with ruthless savages, and bring about the stories of many of the chiefs and elders who were very peace loving. Much like the old chief from his home's history, Chief Whitecap.

"You never answered my question before, Maxie," Niaomi stated as she settled back into her seat. "Why didn't you book a flight?"

"You know why," Maxwell furrowed his brow as he glanced to his sister. "I hate to fly."

Niaomi laughed a loud, covering her mouth as she looked to her son who was still asleep. Behind her son sat suitcases and other packages. Included in those was a rig that Maxwell had created, one that allowed him to assist the police in Saskatoon. He didn't consider himself a superhero, but he was dubbed one by the media. "So says the man who wears a pair of wings on his back," Niaomi teased.

"Hey now," Maxwell said with a slight grin. "I'm not the only one in this vehicle with a set of wings on their back."

Niaomi sat back in the passenger's seat, a cheshire grin on her face. She would often tease her brother. Even though in a way she also admired him. He was an intelligent man, who made his own luck. No wonder he built his flight rig and sonic amplifier. The media had dubbed him Hawk's Scream, but he didn't fly with a secret identity. Unlike Vancouver's dark avenger, the Mannequin, Maxwell's identity was known. Many would think that would interfere with his position as professor at the University of Saskatchewan, but Maxwell made certain it didn't. Besides, Niaomi had a rig of her own.

After a decade with the Canadian military, she was brought into the fold of CSIS Paranormal Division. And they gave her a rig all her own, but much more streamlined and sleek than Maxwell's. And she had claws. Her code name was Grey Kestrel, something she thought was a play on her brother's monicker. And she also had brought her rig with her. Her thoughts seemed to drift a bit as they drove. The adventures she'd had, and the ones she'd read about involving Maxwell. "Ya know," she said with a smile. "I think it'd be nice if the two of us fought side by side."

"We are going to be in another country," Maxwell reminded her. "I'm not exactly sure how well the United States government would look upon a pair of Canadian superheroes fighting crime on their soil."

"I thought you hated that term," Niaomi chuckled lightly, indicating the word superhero.

"Note, I made certain it was sarcastic."

"Then why do you do it?" Niaomi asked genuinely. "I mean, I have my orders. But you don't have to. But you do anyway."

Maxwell shrugged and shook his head. "I just want to help people. Maybe some of the kids I work with can have someone to look up to. Maybe they'll see that if you put your mind to it, anything is possible." He signaled as he guided the Bronco onto an off ramp. "And now, I am going to assume that thanks to your connections, we don't have to worry about the government or authority in Columbus."

"Spook hotline," Niaomi said with a chuckle. "Canadian spook going into U.S. territory. I had to let the American spooks know I was there, just to be polite." She looked out the window as the buildings past the vehicle. "I think that's the hotel."

Maxwell slowed the vehicle down and sighed. He was going to be happy to get out of the Bronco. "Maybe next, we can take a flight." The pair of them laughed a loud, which waken Petey.

"Mom!" the eight year old said with a very tired yawn. "We there yet. I gotta go to the bathroom."

"Just pulling into the parking lot now, sweetie," Niaomi said with a smile. "Not too much adventure here. I think it's gonna be a quiet convention, so we'll get a chance to see the sights."

Maxwell steered the Bronco into the hotel parking lot with a smile. It had been a long trip. It was going to be nice to have a rest before any action, no matter how mundane, took place.