The Others

20

"Was mother really the reason the war between human and Other ended?" Rosemarie softly and hesitantly asks.

"Yes, she said that if the fools at HC would have listened to her sooner that she would have ended the war five years before she was finally able to."

"Did mother really love father? or was it all just the bond?"

"If there's one thing I know about your mother is she never did anything she didn't want to. She said that your father saved her life even though he hated her, that was why she actually trusted him. It took him a lot longer to win her love and even longer to convince her to marry him. Yes, she loved your father more than anything. That's why she fought so long to stay alive after his death. She wanted to raise you two, his final gift to her.

"Never for a moment think that she didn't love you. She did. She fought tooth and nail to stay alive for you two when I heard her more than once talk to your father about how tired she was and how much she wanted to be with him."

The doc gets up from the kitchen table and goes to his study. He comes back in with a bunch of papers and a box. "Your mother knew that she was going to lose the fight soon and so she entrusted me with these things."

He takes the papers and reads from them. It's her will. Then he gives them the envelopes, "These are introductory letters to Command from your mother. She says the commander at the base should believe you since she knew both your father and her. These are the directions on how to get there and also a communicator to call a helicopter. She wasn't sure if the communicator would still work to call for the transport, hence the directions."

Finally he sets the box down on the table and opens it. Inside are discs and discs of information and a disc reader. "This is the device you'll need to listen to the recordings on those discs. Your mother made these for you. In them I believe all your questions will be answered." 

After that he leaves them to their privacy. 

"What do you mean you've received a signal from General McQuinlin?" The commander says sitting shocked at her desk.

"The signal is an old one and when we looked it up it belongs to General McQuinlin. She's requesting an audience with you and has given us coordinates for where to pick her up.

"What should we reply?" The Corporal asks his superior.

"Tell her that the helicopter will be there tomorrow at noon," the commander replies in complete shock. It's been twenty plus years since any of them had heard from her. They had assumed that she died once her vendetta against the HC was finished.

The next day she goes to meet the helicopter when it returns from picking up General McQuinlin. She is shocked instead to see Reese, just as she remembers him when they were lovers more than twenty years ago. Then she sees the female, a duplicate of Betsy if she ever saw one.

"Reese?" She can't help herself and says as the two come near her.

"Yes, that is my name, but I think you mean my father. Mom always said that I was a dead ringer for him." Reese says giving her a brilliant smile.

"Betsy?" The commander says looking at the girl before her. She and Betsy never did become friends.

"No, that was our mother. She gave us these to give to whoever was in Command."

"Thank you, please follow me," the commander takes the envelopes and leads them into the base and to her office. She orders her aide to make sure that there are no interruptions. She had already cleared her schedule.

She has the two sit as she opens the letters and reads them. She sets them down. "Your mother is dead then?"

She's not sure how she feels about that. She always did resent her for taking Reese away. But Reese would never have been happy with anyone else, she has to admit.

"Yes, she died a few days ago, when our house exploded. We buried her by father."

"So did she teach you all about herself?" The commander is smirking sure that she had.

"No, ma'am. We had no idea who she was until after her death. She kept quiet and taught school and self defense.

"We only learned the rest once our adoptive uncle gave us the discs. Then she told us about everything." Reese answers the commander.

The commander sits forward more than a little intrigued. "Did she teach you defense? No one could compare to your mother, not even your father. She fought and won against whole squadron's of Death Guards."

"Yes, she taught us everything she knew. She did say that father was almost as good as she was and was pleased with how good we are." This time it's Rosemarie that answers.

"Well, we are always looking for good people. Things are quiet now so we aren't doing much fighting, but you never know when it will be needed. Welcome to Command Rosemarie and Reese McQuinlin."