The two groups separated and Stephen and Alexander found themselves on point at the front of theirs. As they crept up the suddenly silent street, the unit kept their guns at the ready and constantly scanned in front and above them, looking for snipers in all directions. At the first door, Stephen stood back slightly and to one side, kicked the door open and threw a grenade into the house. A loud explosion and burst of light swiftly followed and the men rushed in to the sounds of women screaming and men cursing. The Iraqis were quickly herded into an inner courtyard and quickly searched. While the soldiers were carrying out a search of the house, Alexander started conversing with the oldest man in the house, showing him pictures and trying to calm the whole group down.

After several minutes of listening to exciting babbling from the group, Alexander raised his hands to get their attention and started talking rapidly to them in their own language. As they listened, the men and women started listening to him and soon were asking to see the photographs again. They were soon engaged in an animated discussion and Alexander was nodding enthusiastically, writing down what they told him in a little pad. By the time he had finished conversing with the family, the rest of the soldiers had finished their sweep of the house and had piled numerous weapons in the doorway of the courtyard.

"Tell them that if they show us where the hidden weapons are, we won't haul them off to prison," instructed Higgins. Alexander relayed the message the family erupted in a cacophony of denials and explanations that they were being forced to hold onto those weapons by extremists. "If they don't knock it the fuck off and tell us what we need to know, there'll be one less family member going to prison!" Higgins screamed. He grabbed a middle aged woman and forced her to her knees, cocking his rifle and aiming the barrel scant inches from her head. "Tell them," he screamed again at Alexander, "tell them to bring us the weapons or Mommy gets her brains splattered all over the wall!"

Alexander relayed the message over the wailing of the women and the patriarch gestured him to follow, his expression stony. Alexander and Stephen followed the old man inside and he stretched to turn a couple of clips on the kitchen wall and the shelves holding their food and dishes swung open to reveal an extensive cache of weapons. Alexander patted the old man on the shoulder and whispered an apology while he and Stephen gathered up the weapons and threw them outside. The old man stared at them and Alexander asked softly for the rest of the weapons. The old man pried up a loose tile from the floor and there were more explosives stored under the floor.

After clearing the house of weapons, the trio went back out to the courtyard and Alexander told Higgins that the house was clear. The soldiers gathered up the extensive stockpile of weapons, piling them in front of the house until everything was clear. Alexander apologized softly to the entire family for the abuse they suffered at the hands of the other soldiers and then shut the door behind them. He and Stephen were assigned to haul the weapons back to the main compound and the three soldiers waited for them, keeping an eye out for hostiles the entire time.

"I don't get it," Alexander said to Higgins when they had finished. "Command so keen on having us capture these Iraqis, but yet they tell us to use whatever force is necessary. It's almost like they really don't want these guys brought it."

"They don't," Higgins replied shortly. "The orders are a way for us to cover ourselves and avoid prosecution for war crimes. They tell us they want these guys alive, but also authorize the use of necessary force. That way if they get accidentally shot it's because they didn't want to give themselves up and come quietly. It makes us look good because we tried to apprehend them, but it's not our fault they went out and got themselves killed."

Alexander shook his head and was about to reply when he felt a hand on his forearm. Stephen was standing next to him and gave a small shake of his head. "Drop it," he said in a low tone. "This is all part of His infinite wisdom."

Alexander looked back at the other angel for a moment. "I never know when to take you seriously," he said at last, "it's a good thing He does."