Revolution revelation

Lt. Basel Zakly Faris, USMC, pulled his black Mustang off the H-3 into the observation area overlooking Kaneohe Bay, twin pipes growling. Before returning to base, he needed a moment not just to think, but to breathe.

Until about 30 minutes ago, there wasn't anything he wouldn't have done for Fatima bin Laden, known to him as San Marcos, a simple Filipina from Davao. Until she posed the biggest question a Muslim could ever be asked. Will you follow the call to jihad, including the use of violence against those you deem worthy of death?

That wasn't the way Fatima, the women he loved and wanted to marry, phrased it exactly, but that was the nut of it. She was a modern but modest Muslim woman, beautiful and smart, whose beautiful eyes and smile took his breath away. The brief, unfortunate, accidental touching of her arm was electric. Maybe that's why he needed to catch his breath, emotionally and otherwise, and sort things out.

Baz was a good Muslim, quietly and proudly carrying out the precepts of his faith.

But Baz was also a good American and a proud Marine.

He'd never tried to rank faith, patriotism, duty, or now the love of a beautiful woman, in importance -- they were all part of what he believed in, who he was. He couldn't separate one from the other.

Now, however, Fatima's proposal would force him to do just that. There really wasn't much question about which way he would go.

"We have several targets in mind," she'd said over coffee on the lanai outside the UH-Windward cafeteria.

We. Baz could guess who we was.

"The primary target," Fatima continued, "and surely it must be a blessing from Allah the Most Merciful that we met that day registering for classes, is the Navy brig at Pearl Harbor."

Where Baz worked as an MP. Where his buddy Lt. Joe Matsuo had brought his new gal pal Jennifer Hira and her friend Fatima. Baz, on duty that day, happily gave this would-be terrorist a VIP tour of the island.

But why the brig, of all targets? Baz knew in an instant. The terrorist Muhammed Resurreccion, who'd been held there since his aborted attempt to blow up the Arizona Memorial with plastique explosive posing as florists' putty at the base of a floral arrangement, was a pal of Osama bin Laden.

"Muhammed Resurreccion is a friend of my uncle," Fatima said. "Our first choice is to remove him from the island, alive and in one piece, to simply drive him across the bridge to freedom."

"Second choice?"

"To allow him the chance to die a martyr."

Which, she said, would involve more plastique.