The ultimate Ultimate

>> Kahala

Kamasami Khan jogged onto the beach, turned right, saw his target three estates down. Passing a dad and a boy playing catch with a fluorescent green Frisbee, Khan slowed to a walk as he reached the estate, and was shocked at the lack of visible security. The local members of Te-Wu, in their undercover roles as employees of the Bank of Lhasa's downtown office, were living a very casual, open lifestyle at home.

Over a 2-foot lava rock wall was a golf putting-chipping green surrounded by a Japanese-style garden with a 5-foot lava rock waterfall cascading into a koi-filled pond.

Inside, he could hear voices speaking Mandarin, but looking from the late afternoon sunshine into the shadows, he could not see anyone beyond a series of sliding screen doors across the beach side of the house.

Khan heard the Mandarin equivalent of "F--- off."

Then another male voice. "You forget that I am in charge here. Your orders say you report to me."

Then the first voice, and the Mandarin equivalent of "Papers schmapers."

He heard a female sobbing uncontrollably.

The lack of physical security could be explained, Khan figured. The FBI had rounded up four Te-Wu agents earlier at the East-West Center, and HPD nabbed a fifth yesterday. Others were at the Waikiki hotel where the second Lama Jey Tsong Khapa was awaiting Bodhicita Guzman, the woman who was sobbing and whimpering inside. But surely there was electronic security of some kind -- lasers, lights, alarms.

"Head's up!"

The green Frisbee splashed into the sand at his feet.

Khan bent to pick it up.

"Sorry!" the dad said. "Josh is just learning."

Josh must have been about 8. He shrugged, grinned.

The dad started walking toward Khan.

"That's all right, here you go."

He backed up a few steps, made a couple of practice wrist-flips.

"Watch out, it's been a while since I've thrown a Frisbee."

In fact, he was a regular in Ultimate games at UH and Ala Moana. So he knew well the right-handed throw that begins on target, but almost immediately slices hard to the left.

The bright disc curved over the lava rock wall, landed on its edge on the golf green, rolled and rolled and clattered against a sliding screen door.

No alarms went off. That was a good sign.

"My bad," Khan hollered to the dad and son. "I'll get it."

Khan leaped the wall, reaching for his favorite silent weapon. It was loaded.