Chapter Thirty Four

Mina rested on her soft bed, outside of the Liberty Island complex. She was on her bed fighting back tears, while Eleanor allowed the tears to come. They had just learned of the death of Lowell Morgan.

"It's okay…we'll take care of both of you…until you both can get back on your feet." Julia said.

Then there was an alarmed squeak and Rat leapt up on the bed, licking the girl's face like a dog would.

From her bed, she could hear and see James arguing with Ranger officers, and the archbishop. They were arguing over what to do with the bodies of the dead Lab 18 soldiers.

James was arguing that the bodies would be burned along side the dead Rangers and Regulators, while the officers demanded they were simply cast into the sea.

In the end though James won, after backhanding both an officer and a Regulator.

Thankfully for Mina, Lowell's body was saved from the cremating fires by Adam, and he would be taken back to the Vault to be buried next to his cousin.

Mina didn't hear the archbishop's holy benediction, and simply watched as the two freighters, one loaded with the dead coalition soldiers, including Scotti Toye, and the other with the Lab 18 personnel.

After a few more moments, they all turned to leave.

A day had passed, the Liberators as well as the Brotherhood began collecting items and picking up the pieces left behind by the old regime of Lab 18.

At the docks, James, Julia, and Sufia loaded the last supplies on the Half Moon, while Ellie, Rat, and Mina stood by. Mina's arm was in a sling so her shoulder wouldn't have to move so much.

Julia then stared at Ellie and said. "You know, you can stay with us as long as you need to. We know places that will be safe that will always need a doctor." She said.

Eleanor simply shook her head. "Thank you…but I think I'll be returning north to the Commonwealth. I made a promise to my dad before he passed. If I ever got the chance I was going to return and take control of Lab 18; make sure stuff like this never happened again." Ellie replied.

James who had been eavesdropping, nodded in approval. "Redemption is always better than outright destruction." Julia then said, "All right, but we're sending you with a caravan escort. No arguments."

James then turned to Mina. "How about you, Mina? What are you planning?"

That was a good question. With Lowell gone, she really had nowhere to go. Nor did she have any caps, and she was without any real sense of what else to do.

"I think I will stay here for awhile. You know if Francis might have a team that needs an extra hand?" Mina finally asked. James pointed to the old man.

"I'm sure he does but it's best you ask him yourself on that matter."

It was then Sufia stepped in. "On that matter, I have a similar question, Mr. Vanderbraun." She said, and James just glanced at her.

"You can call me James." The doctor said.

"Yes. Anyway, do you think your boss will accept me as a Regulator?" Sufia asked. James took a good and long look at her.

"No offense, but when I first laid eyes on you, I was not sure you survived so long out in the wastes. The first time I saw you pick up a gun, I was fairly certain the only thing you were dangerous to was yourself." James stated and Sufia gapped in horror and disappointment.

"But from what I saw yesterday…you have drive. You go with Mina and talk to Francis yourself. If you need an endorsement, you'll have mine." James finished, and Sufia smiled and bowed gently.

"Thank you…friend. Both of you, for what you have done. For everything." Sufia said, and then took Mina's good hand and both of them headed off to Francis.

To their futures. Both for the short term, and the long term.

-One Year Later-

Mina walked briskly alongside Mark and Cindy, a very familiar double barreled shotgun rested on her shoulder. On her head rested a large wide brimmed grey hat, and on her thigh was a single action .44 magnum.

She had be seconded to Mark's team, as a replacement for Norad. This was at first suppose to be temporary, but she had been working alongside them now for about a year.

Though the battle walker Phleygas had done most of the work.

"So you think Phleygas will be alright patrolling the city by himself?" Cindy asked, feeling obviously uncomfortable about the giant in the city alone.

"He's a giant war machine. The scribes assured me that his programming is pretty sturdy. It's not like he hasn't followed my instructions before." Mark replied.

"True…and it's not like we're going to be able to lose him." Cindy said, adding the last fact.

"That would be most certainly difficult." Mina said chuckling.

"Well, there it is, the new headquarters." Mark announced. They all took a moment to pause and look over the place.

"Otherwise known as the Liberators' vault." Mina added.

"Yeah well, the old man never did get around to replacing the old cabin."

Mina sighed as she slung the shotgun on her shoulder and rubbed her eyes. It was a long patrol they were on.

After passing a few Regulators, who were fresh faced recruits, they all smelled Carl's famous cooking. This was good thing too, cause Brahmin jerky does not last long in the stomach as Mina's growled angrily.

When they stepped inside, they found Francis sitting at what had been made into a desk, complete with a lot of papers, his plasma rifle leaning to it's side, and a glass of liquid that Mina could only guess at.

"We're here to stop for a bit…and to collect our bounties." Mark said, and dropped a bag full of fingers. Garrett only grunted and totaled them out before dumping them into the chute for the incinerator.

"So where's everybody else?" Mina inquired. Francis raised an eyebrow and said, "I take it you mean the Liberators? Busy. Sven and James are working on getting a robobrain up and running." Francis said.

"Whatever for?" Mina asked. Robobrains are only used for menial tasks, such as cooking, cleaning, and home defense if needed.

"Julia can tell you. There she is right now." Francis said pointing in the right direction.

They all turned to see a smiling Julia, wearing her scribe robes, and in each arm, was a newborn. Fraternal twins.

Mina laughed hoarsely when she saw this. "They're all a couple weeks old. James and I were a bit surprised when we found out I was expecting. We had kind of given up hope about having children of our own. Julia said, happily.

Mina cooed them gently then asked, "What are their names?"

"I'd like you to meet, Lowell," Julia said, holding up the feisty boy. "And Evelyn Leslie Vanderbraun." The girl was asleep in the arm. "It was Adam who gave James the idea about Lowell, James had always been set on Evelyn's name." Julia said.

Then Mina remembered something. "What about Isaac?" It was then the Rat squeaked happily, then ran back around the corner to drag a toddling Isaac, who was determined to crawl the other way. Everyone laughed, even Francis cracking a grin.

"Rat has been Isaac's friend and babysitter…well, ever since the very beginning in case you didn't notice. I think it's only fitting since the rodent was in fact the one that sniffed him out in Albany. Still, James thought it was best that we're all going to need a little more help keeping an eye on all of them…especially with three of them now." Julia said, sounding a little tired.

For good reasons too.

"And where's Adam?" Mina asked.

"Out speaking with the captain." A voice behind them said. It was Sufia. She was still wearing her head scarf, but now she was wearing the Regulator green.

"A little experiment that I thought about going on. Sufia has shown it was a good idea. She's hired security on the Half Moon. Yes she helps out Alexandra but she answers to me and helps keep the shipping lanes as well as the ports of any raiders or pirates. It's not an easy job but Sufia has shown herself capable of it." Francis explained.

"Thank you, sir." Sufia replied.

"Ah, so you mean they're on a date." Mina replied with a grin.

"More than a date." James said, as he and Sven walked in. "Adam asked me to go make something in the vault forge. He wanted to make a ring. I'm pretty sure he's out there popping the question to her." James finished, and Mina giggled.

"So we have something to look forward to when he gets back, yes?" Mina asked.

"It better be a yes. Making that ring was not easy." James muttered loudly.

Then Saffron walked in. "Did anyone hear from them yet?" She asked excitedly.

Mina had heard that Saffron now was herself a captain, working alongside her sister often, on her new ship the Clermont, the former pirate ship. She ran cargo up and down the Hudson with her sister, and had her own routes even.

"No but you're welcome to join us to dinner while we wait I suppose." Carl announced walking in with large platters filled with various cuisines of Mirelurks.

Dinner was quite nostalgic, for it was like the dinners they had on the Half Moon. Albeit without Lowell, and Ibrahim. Their memories were not forgotten, but honored with the lives they all lived now.

Mina was no alone as she ate her delicious meal from Carl. The Rat was sticking his whole head into a can of Pork n' Beans.

Then Adam and Alexandra walked in. Everyone stared at them as Adam said, " So James…I think I owe you an apology…" He began and James and Sven gapped at him. "I think I better apologize for the hard time I gave you about going through a wedding and all with Julia…because I'm about to do the same with Alexandra. You think you could talk to the priest for me? Alexandra said yes." Adam finished, looking sheepishly.

They all smiled and congratulated the pair.

It was then Mina caught everyone's attention, when she singled out Francis.

"Sir, do you remember a year ago when I said I had intended to return back to the Capital Wasteland?" She asked, and Francis nodded.

"After this payment, I have enough to return. I'm going to have to request your leave. I'll transfer to the Capital Wasteland Regulators over there, but…my time is done here." She announced. Everyone all stared at her as Francis thought it over.

"Very well. Keep the duster, you'll need it. I think it may even be starting to fit you." Francis said.

"Thank you, sir." Mina said in response. Then she felt Rat pawing at her leg, and whining sorrowfully. This surprised the Liberators, seeing as they had never heard him whine before this.

"I'll miss you too, Rat. If I'm ever back in the area, I'll look you guys up." Mina said, not sounding like she did a year ago, and stroking the rodent's head.

"Well, before you all leave, I think you'll want to see this." Julia said, pulling out several photos. "Remember back at Liberty before the battle? Did you notice a scribe going around with a camera?" She asked, though everyone shook their heads.

"Scribe Lex understood something very important was happening and he wanted to have it documented. Well, here are the copies of the pictures that were made." Julia explained and began handing the black and white photos out.

There were pictures of Mark, Cindy, and Norad in the foreground of Phlegyas' legs, and another was starring up at the behemoth war machine.

The next photos were off Delta Sierra and his pilot by their Vertibird, and of Francis and Scribe Lex conversing with each other.

Next was of the Iron storm troopers standing at attention, and to Mina's delight, Lowell and Adam have a drink together.

Finally there was a picture of all four of the original Liberators standing together, the famous 'L' on their sleeves. The last, and considered the best, a picture of everyone standing in front of Phlegyas. Lowell Morgan, Adam Anders, Carl Thompson, James and Julia Vanderbraun, Sven, Francis, Sufia, sisters Alexandra and Saffron, Scottie Toye, Mark, Cindy, Norad, the Iron Storm Troopers, Two known Paladins from the Brotherhood, and finally standing in front of them all was Eleanor Morgan, and Mina Jordan, who held the Rat in her arms.

Mina smiled at the good memories that overshadowed the bad ones.

It was a strange thing. It had been exactly one year and four months since she had arrived in the New York Wasteland and it had changed so much in that time.

Mina wondered what would have happened if she and Lowell had not come here. Would the Liberators have survived the plague? Would Adam and Alex have married? The Vanderbrauns have three beautiful children? How many lives would have been lost if they had not come here?

These were all questions that she was thankful would never be answered.

She spent one more night in the vault before she would make the long arduous journey home.

Only half an hour before dawn, she had something interesting happen; a feeling of being awoken by something or someone kicking her in the foot. When she looked around she found her room completely empty.

She smiled and pulled herself out of bed. "Time to bite some jerky and collect my gear." She muttered and yanked her boots on.

After eating a meager breakfast, she slapped her shotgun shut and spun the wheel of her revolver. Once everything was in order she quietly began making her way to the door.

There she saw Francis awake and nodded respectfully and bid him farewell.

Once outside, she was surprised to find Adam outside, standing over the graves of the Morgan's.

"Hello Adam." She said. Not looking at her, Adam said, "Hey kiddo."

She walked past and then stood beside Adam. Mina sighed and stared down at the grave of the person she considered a father. She remembered how hard he drove her, so that if anything did happen to him, she could learn to adapt and survive out in the hell they call the wasteland.

"I miss him." Mina said. "Me too kiddo. Me too." Adam said.

He then turned to her and asked, "Are you going to be alright?"

Mina nodded. " I believed once that we were all alone in this world once. But after I meet him, I knew as long as we hold faith in what we believe in, we will never be alone." She said.

"And that's why I know, that Lowell will be by my side."

As the sun began rising, Mina then shook his hand and tipped her hat. "You take care of yourself, Adam Anders." Mina said smiling.

Before she left, she knelt down at Lowell's grave, and brought her hand up to her lips, planted a kiss, and then held the cross. "Good-bye. Thank you." She whispered then stood and began walking west.

The warm morning sunlight on her face, she closed her eyes and breathed in deep.

It was a long road that they chose, but for Mina, she knew that as long as she believed, he would be walking beside her.

Let me savor the moment and congratulate myself on actually complete THE first story in my career of writing. It's funny, it is a strange feeling, but not as exciting as I thought it would be.

Ahh, but never mind that stuff. This is the end of Fallen Angels. Please! Tell me what you thought of this story.

First I want to thank all of the loyal readers that followed me through this story, and to the future readers. I all hoped that you had enjoyed Fallout: Fallen Angels.

Finally I want to thank to thank AugustianFrogs the author of Half Moon, which this story coincides with. Without his permission when this first began, and his help, this story would not have been possible.

Thanks man.