Angel sat on Tariq's cot, putting his things in a box to send home to his family. The more things he packed, the more the reality hit him that Tariq was gone. He checked around Tariq's trunk once more and found something at the bottom that he missed. He picked it up and, in Tariq's distinctive writing on the front was SMOKE. "Hey man." Angel looked up as Smoke walked in. "Tariq left this for you, I guess."

"Me?" Smoke took the envelope, surprised that Tariq would leave him anything. He sat on his cot and carefully opened the envelope. "You want me to read it aloud, Angel?"

Angel folded one of Tariq's shirts and put it in the box. "That's up to you."

"A'ght." Smoke sighed. "Let's see. It reads Smoke...if you're reading this, I guess I made it out of Iraq in a pine box with a cheap flag and you know that's the truth truth." Smoke smiled at the memory of them talking about death in the back of the truck on the way to pulling prison guard duty. "I know that we didn't hit things off in the beginning. I think we both distrusted each other because of goddamned stereotypes, but the truth is, Smoke, you've become a Soldier that anyone would be proud to have on his team. Sure, you're still a little self-centered, but that's what keeps you alive. To be honest, Smoke, I'm glad that I had the chance to call you 'friend'. I don't know what you think, but if you think for one moment I hate you for calling me 'Ahab', don't. You're the only one who could. I'd kick Dim's ass if he tried it. I just hope that your life turns out how you want it to. I hope that you can get past any prejudice you might have to someone of Arabic descent. Maybe Dim's right. Maybe we're not all savages. Only those of us from Detroit aren't. Tell everyone to not cry. I'm one of the Chosen, right? Okay...I gotta cut this out. Thinking about death right now...shit, Smoke. I don't want to think about it. Take care of yourself and of Dim. He needs someone to kick his ass. 'Ahab' (But don't forget my name's Tariq!)"

Angel wiped a tear. "Hard to believe he's gone."

"Female!" Mrs. B's soft voice echoed in the tent.

"Yeah." Smoke looked up as Mrs. B and DoubleWide walked in.

"Haven't seen you guys since we've been back. How you holdin' out?" Mrs. B sat on Dim's cot.

"Ya know, when Tariq first joined us, I didn't think he'd fit in." Angel sighed. "After all, we didn't train with him and we didn't know a thing about him. Kind of like Scream must have felt when he was assigned to us."

"They've moved Dim to Landsthul. He left last night and they're thinking of..." Mrs. B's voice stopped when Captain Baron and Scream walked in. "Sir."

Captain Baron ignored the fact that two women were in the men's tent, disregarding the rules. "Have a seat." They all sat on the nearest cot. "I'm going totally against protocol, but Sergeant Silas and I think that this is for the best. First, I think we should all talk about what happened and then I've given each of you leave to attend Private Nassiri's funeral. Sergeant Silas will go along as well."

Scream looked around the group. He sighed heavily, his ribs hurting from crying private tears. "Dim's going to be okay. He gave us more than enough scares. He, uh, he had forgotten that Angel had told him Tariq died and we nearly lost him again. Captain Callahan has no explanation of why Dim would be fine one moment and the next near death. He thinks it has to do with the friendship he and Tariq shared and..." Scream wiped a tear. "...and knowing his best friend had died nearly...he's fine now, though."

Captain Baron sat on Angel's cot, across from Angel. "You okay, Soldier?"

"Yes, Sir." Angel wiped a tear. "He actually left Smoke a letter and we just read it and...well, Sir. I don't think it's hit fully he's never...that he's gone, you know, Sir?"

Tariq looked at Dim, who was laughing. "What are you laughing at?"

"Thanks for the tension relief, Tariq."

Tariq smiled. "Of course, but you're up to something. I just know it." He had known Dim would get him back, but was never sure of when, where or how.

"Nah. I needed to relax." Dim smugly smiled.

Tariq laughed. "You're up to something and don't pull the bullshit you ain't." He sat on his cot.

Dim stood up and looked Tariq in the eye. "I ain't up to nothing."

"I see it in your eyes, Dim. You're..." Tariq was taken by surprise as Dim kissed him. Tariq backed away so quick he fell off his cot. "What the fuck!"

Dim laughed and said nothing as he walked out of the tent.

"How come it didn't affect their friendship?" Smoke asked.

Scream smiled. "It was Dim's way of paying Tariq back for the blow up dolls. He knew Tariq would expect something to that extent, but not something so small. I think it was after that they decided to stop pulling practical jokes on each other...or Tariq did, at least. Dim's smart, but he couldn't hold a candle to Tariq's practical jokes. He couldn't think, really, of how else to get back at him."

Baron was smiling. "Good thing it was you, Silas, that knew about that. That could have gotten their asses booted."

"Yes, Sir. It's why I made sure that the others were on watch, Sir." Scream smiled.

"He ever talk to you about what he was going to do with the Army, Sarge?" Mrs. B quietly asked, her eyes focused firmly on Scream's feet.

"Who? Tariq?" Mrs. B nodded. "Nah. He never did. I sometimes felt as though he felt that he couldn't talk to me." Scream sighed.

"We all kind of felt that way, Sergeant." Angel looked at Scream. "We all like you and were glad when you reupped, but we always felt that, despite what a great leader you are, we couldn't talk to you."

"Well, you had no problem asking me about my reupping." Scream smiled back at Angel. "And yes, it's because I love ya'll." Laughter filled the tent.

"What was he going to do with the Army, Mrs. B?" Smoke asked.

"He was going to make it a career. After he married Adiva...he wanted her to have a life that...and now..." Mrs. B broke down in tears.

"Tariq was married?" Scream asked, surprise present.

"No, Sarge. He was going to get married when he got back. He had planned to ask her in the place in Chicago where they met." Angel looked down to the box.

"He had quite a few secrets, didn't he?" Smoke lay back.

"Yeah, he did." Angel picked up a photo from the box and gave it to Mrs. B. "Like this one."

Mrs. B looked at the picture. "That his niece?"

Angel smiled. "Her name's Zaiba. Tariq told me that her name translates to beautiful or adorned."

"She is cute." DoubleWide sighed as she looked over Mrs. B's shoulder at the picture.

"That's his daughter." The tent fell silent as they all looked at Angel. "He talked a lot about her."

"He never said anything to any of us." DoubleWide spoke.

"He kept a lot of things to himself." Angel sighed.

Angel and Tariq sat in the tent, each writing letters home. Angel looked over at Tariq, who fumbled as he tried to catch a picture that had fallen off of his cot. Angel picked it up and looked at it. "She's a cutie. What's her name?"

"Zaiba." Tariq took the picture back.

"How old is she?"

"She's three."

"She your niece?"

"She's my daughter." Tariq looked at Angel, who looked surprised. "Why are you surprised?"

"I thought that your religion frowned on..."

Tariq smiled. "I don't practice my religion. Haven't since the attacks, man."

"Why not?"

Tariq sat up straight on his cot. "I don't know. Maybe because I saw what the extremists did to America and I just lost whatever hope." Tariq shrugged. "I don't know." He looked at the picture of his daughter. "What I do know is that I want my daughter to grow up in a safer world, where she doesn't have to worry about extremists flying planes into buildings or using suicide bombers."

"I thought having a kid would make one more religious." Angel smiled.

Tariq quietly laughed. "Yeah, it should, shouldn't it?" Tariq then paused and looked at Angel. "But how can you be religious when you have no faith?"