"I recognized her from when she saved me and my family. She and your father had been undercover on the Estate where we were enslaved.
"The scar on her neck was from a half breed that was able to get behind her while your father was busy fighting off ten others. Your mother was able to kill the man that garroted her but the damage was done.
"Fortunately the fight helped her with her story. Your father posed as her slave and the Other was impressed by his loyalty to your mother and so saved his life. The problem came when he wanted to use your father as a stud with his slaves.
"Your parents were already married at that time and the bond formed. It's physically painful for bond-mates to cheat. At least that's what I understand. I didn't have a bond with my wife, she wasn't high enough Other blood to form it.
"A slave was sent to serve your mother while your father was serving the slave. They used that time to tell the slaves about the next attack and tell us to prepare to leave. Your mother didn't cheat but your father had no choice.
"Your father came to warn your mother that the planes were on the way and they needed to leave but my Master was there. He gave your mother the scar on her face and the nasty one on her arm. Reese told me that she sewed that one up herself.
"Your mother was one very tough woman.
"She sacrificed nearly everything for HC knowing that they were going to kill her. But when she miscarried that child everything changed. She almost died and I thought and told her that she would never have children because of it.
"I think she knew then that I would likely be wrong but she didn't say a word. She just got that smile, that secretive smile. When your father saw it he stopped short and said, 'oh, shit.'"
Reese looks at his sister and she looks back at him, "Why?"
"Because your mother only ever got that look when she was going to cause mischief. And she did. She had Reese contact Command. She worked out a deal with them. They help her out and she would take out HC. Reese refused to let her go against HC alone and so she took him.
"She posed as his prisoner so that he wouldn't be killed as a traitor. Your mother didn't tell me everything that went on after that, just that she found out that her mother was the one that ordered her torture for all those years.
"They were leaving HQ when she and a bunch of guards found them. Reese shot at her and she shot at Betsy. The body guard for the commander died taking the bullet for her and your father was fatally wounded.
"Your mother went crazy, she killed all the HC she could see before taking Reese to the helicopter. She said that he died in her arms but not before he made her make a promise. He made her promise to finish the fight that she started and destroy the HC. He knew that would keep her from dying.
"Or at least dying for a reason.
"It took her three years, but she hunted down and destroyed every last base HC had. By the time she finished HC personnel called her a ghost and were abandoning the bases.
"She went back to Command and took your father's body and brought it here to bury.
"To keep her from dying your father used all his strength and took a physical form once more. That night he gave your mother his final gift, you two.
"It was enough to keep her fighting for life and she came here to live it.
"She did the best she could, not having a proper role model, but she could never bring herself to date another man."
The three sit in silence, the two younger trying to absorb the fact that their parents were in fact the heroes they'd always heard about. No wonder their mother was able to teach about the wars so completely.
"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."