Moving day for uncle

This was moving day. Many days were thus for al-Qaeda's leader. The trick was to stay on the move, a step ahead of American soldiers and CIA and Pakistani traitors of Allah. So he was awoken while it was still dark by his aide Ali. The cave was filled with the smell of coffee brewing.

"Allah be praised, a new day begins, Prophet Osama."

He did not rebuke Ali for naming him among the great prophets.

"There is much good news to report. Brave resistance in Iraq. The Boston and San Francisco cells are making progress. Likewise Tokyo."

The leader rose, accepted a small cup of coffee, nodded. "Allah be praised. And my niece arrived safely in Honolulu?"

Ali was grateful to serve the prophet, but feared his wrath as well. He hated being the bearer of bad tidings. "There is some unfortunate news."

Prophet Osama motioned with his cup to continue.

"The news has just come in, the FBI and other American law enforcement agencies captured the entire cell of Chinese secret agents in Honolulu yesterday."

"All, Ali?"

"Nine."

"What about our cell in Hawaii?"

"I thought of Awad, but by that time her plane had already landed."

He liked to keep his operations separate and secret from one another. If one was captured, the other continued unknown. This would have to be an exception. "Get back to Awad. Tell him ... to find my niece and offer such assistance as she requires to assure success. But him alone."

"Yes, Prophet Osama. The horses are nearly ready."

And so as al-Qaeda's leader mounted up and headed out, a message worked its way around the globe through a series of conduits, each aware only that the coded message had arrived from an anonymous source, and that he would pass it along anonymously to an anonymous third party.

It arrived in Honolulu as an e-mail, which Awad, a cabbie, retrieved and decrypted on his BlackBerry. Osama's niece was right here in Honolulu, and in need of assistance! He was to find her and do whatever he could to help her mission. Her photo was attached to the e-mail. What a stunning beauty.

His reply followed a similar but different route back to the rugged mountains along the border. The leader received it as an encrypted cell phone call as they broke for lunch.

"Tell Awad we are grateful, and yes, if he can find Fatima and assist her, he will have my blessing to marry her. That should serve as incentive."

The message found him again, to his elation. But dropping off a customer at the Makiki Palms condo, how could Awad have known she was upstairs, beginning to panic about dancing in front of men for the first time?