This is the 4th in the Anthem of Angels series following Time for Miracles, This is War and Hurricane. If you haven't read any of those, you probably should. This is also a Fallout (video game) and Wrestling x-over. If you are unfamiliar with Fallout, usually I try to provide definitions or explanations. If you need something explained, please ask.

Features: the Undertaker and the Undertaker -twice the yum!, Shawn Michaels, John Cena, Chris Jericho (Irvine), Melina Perez, Kane and whoever else I toss in.

Summary: The Courier has won the battle for the Mojave. She is the last man standing after the bloodbath at the Dam but there have been causalities. Her allies from the East have disappeared, presumed dead and her own personal demon is MIA. The battle for the Mojave is settled now Courier must return to the Divide and wage a war for her soul.

Everything hurt. Her lungs burned, so did her throat, even as she violently spewed water and blood. She was on her back maybe, most of it went right back down her throat, causing her to choke. She was dying.

"Grandma's here, grandma's here, yay!"

"What the-"

"Oh my goodness, look at these little angels!"

She knew that voice, it was Lily. She could hear Lily, she was dying.

"Hey, hey!"

Someone was yelling at her, but she was trying to focus on Lily. She heard children. Blackness was crawling back into her vision.

"Christ lady, you're messed up."

"I'm dying." She whispered hoarsely, more blood and water trickling past her lips.

"Let grandma see what she's got…"

1: After the Battle

After the battle of the Hoover Dam, Chris Irvine had received his orders. They, and by they it was meant the entire NCR and its forces, were to evacuate the Mojave. They had three days to get out and any act of aggression would be met with robots equipped with rocket launchers. He hadn't been surprised, Courier had made it clear during their few encounters over the past months that she wasn't NCR friendly anymore. She hadn't approved of their methods and she sure hadn't approved of how they thought they were going to run her desert. He wasn't that impressed anymore either, which was why he had resigned, effective immediately.

He was no longer an NCR Ranger. He had led his rangers into battle, helped win the day, and then called it. He was tired of the politics and he was ready to retire. Hell, Courier might even put him up for a bit, she probably owed him a favor or two.

He had been trudging along the edge of the Colorado, unsure just what to do. Sure, going to New Vegas seemed like an idea, but it was probably overflowing with refugees. Courier had her hands full there. Maybe he'd head to Reno, or go further east. His musings had been interrupted by a hoarse hacking, someone had been coughing violently and he had spotted something very battered laying near the shallows.

On the other side of the river, he could see tired NCR troops heading back to the various forts and camps that scattered the Mojave. No doubt to rest up and spread the word that they had to leave. None of them were sparing a glance anywhere but at their feet and he felt a twinge of guilt about his resignation. He hadn't even bothered waiting long enough to get back to a camp, he had just upped and quit.

Sighing, Chris approached the hacking thing, knowing it was probably a survivor of the battle. Depending on which side this person had fought for, that survivor status was in question. When he was at the person's side, he crouched down, frowning. It took a moment of really staring past the blood and bruises before he realized he had seen this woman before. She had been at Courier's side during the fighting. "Christ lady, you're messed up."

"I'm dying…" She managed to whisper, blood and water both trickling from her cracked lips.

He believed her.

"Where is she?"

River had just stepped out of the Lucky 38 to go search along the banks of the Colorado for Faith, Mark and Kane. Shawn, John and Melina had all been on board with this and Yes Man had already dispatched what Securitrons could be spared days ago. She had not been expecting to find the The King standing there, flanked by a handful of his men. They all looked a little rough for wear, the fighting had just barely spilled into New Vegas during the fight and afterwards the NCR had, for the most part, left her city peacefully but there had been some skirmishes. It was the fourth day and she could finally spare her time to go personally search for her new friends. "She went over the dam." She said finally, feeling Shawn's hands coming to rest on her shoulders, offering her support. She swallowed down the unexpected emotions that threatened to choke her when she seen the look on The King's face. "I'm… I'm sorry."

He cleared his throat several times, his long eyelashes blinking rapidly as he struggled to keep himself in check. "Her body been recovered?" He asked thickly.

"Not yet. I've had the Securitrons out looking for her, for them."

He nodded. "And her husband, he make it?"

"We don't know…" River took a deep breath. "We were getting ready to go out and help with the search but…"

"But there's a chance we're not going to find anything." John said finally, stepping up to stand alongside River. His normally ice blue eyes were soft with sorrow, knowing that look on the other man's face all to well. "If nothing's been found yet… there's a chance the bodies were taken downstream, pass our borders."

"Me and my boys, we're coming to help."

"You don't-" River stopped and nodded when he simply gave her a look. "All right, let's go."

Chris had no idea where he should go. He had managed to cart the woman to relative safety but that was about it. She needed medical attention, more than he could provide. She had several broken bones, probable internal bleeding, the works. He was on the wrong side of the river, he knew that. He was in Legion territory, such as it was, and he was sure there would be a few remaining Legionaries, hell bent on defending their fallen leader or out for revenge.

Carefully, he re-positioned her over his shoulder, glad she had passed out or else this would hurt her even more. Chris took a good look around, his eyes bleary, and finally spotted what looked like a door built into a rock wall. He'd risk it.

"Damn, we fucked that up." Melina whistled when Boulder Dam came into view. There were still bits of it smoking from the battle that had waged only days prior. "I see you already got people on it." Making repairs she was assuming. People and robots, working side by side, it was… amazing actually. "Where'd you get those folks?"

"All over the Mojave. I had runners sent out ASAP, work is available with fair wages. You'd be surprised." All those squatters and beggars in Freeside had, for the most part, jumped at a chance to actually earn a living. She had plans, a lot of plans, and there would be plenty of work for all for several years to come. "They went over up there, and the current is going that way." She pointed. "So we need to go that way. Two parties, one on either side of the river." Automatically, she turned to John.

"I'll lead the team on the other side. Melina?"

"Oh you already know I'm coming with you." The fiery brunette laughed, toasting him with her ever present flask.

The King was surveying the damage. He hadn't been out of Freeside and in the actual Mojave in years. Not much had changed. He smiled wryly as he took in the Dam. "Half my boys will go with you." He gestured, said boys automatically moving to stand behind John. "Let's go." One way or another, he needed to know what had happened to her.

Dead or alive, he needed to see.

It was a shack, built into the rock wall. It was deserted and looked like it had been for quite some time. Chris took in the dust and sand covering everything. Lamps, oil, food and water… some weapons. For now this would do. He could only hope the previous owner didn't decide to come back anytime soon though from the looks of the place, nobody had been here in months which meant they were unlikely to return at all. Gently, he lay her down on the simple army cot, taking a moment to gather himself. She needed medical treatment, and those wet clothes removed. Given that it was warm, he figured the clothes could wait a moment or two longer while he scavenged for things to tend to her.

Stimpaks, there were a few of those, bandages, he would definitely need those… Old rags that weren't to bad off and purified water. It wasn't much but it would do. He also found two extra blankets in a cabinet and he brought those with him as well. He set up next to her, removing his dusty jacket and then poured water over his hands. It had been awhile since his last refresher on medical training, it was something NCR was supposed to do every year but… like everything else the NCR did, it hadn't worked out.

Chris had stripped her of all her things but her underclothes and it was worse then he had imagined. She definitely had internal bleeding, it looked like something had been punctured. Even with his training, this was out of his depth, she needed a doctor. "Fuck…"

"Reset the ribs."

He nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the hoarse whisper, eyes moving to her face. She was staring at him out of her one good eye and he frowned, noticing the way the left side of her face appeared sunken in. After wetting a cloth, he gently began cleaning away the blood and filth, hissing along with her when he seen what was underneath the superficial layer. "You hit the side of the dam…"

She nodded once, her good eye closing. "Broken."

"I'm… I'm not a doctor- I don't remember your name." If he ever knew it.

"Faith."

River had known going into this hunt that finding any of them: Faith, Mark… or even Luke, was a lost cause. Luke, she was sure had survived. She would have felt it if the bastard had died. Mark and Faith though, there was no sign of either. Chances were they had been carried away by the Colorado and their bodies were further on down the river, past the Mojave.

On day six, she called off the search.

Shawn had known it was coming, and he had known their chances of finding any of them was slim. But hearing River announcing they were done seemed to make it real. He felt something in him breaking and hung his head, reaching up to remove his straw cowboy hat. He'd have to send off a letter to Doc Church back East, back where she had come from.

He'd have to send news to the Capital Wasteland that their Savior, their hero… that their Lone Wanderer had met her match in the Mojave.