The California desert shimmered beneath the brutal sun, an endless expanse of arid silence stretching out in all directions. A convoy of black correctional buses thundered across the tarmac; dust kicked up in massive plumes behind their armored wheels. Inside the lead vehicle sat Dominic Toretto, hands chained, eyes forward, jaw locked in defiance.
The sentence had been handed down. Twenty-five years with no chance of parole.
The court hadn't seen remorse. Only grit.
What it didn't see coming... was the ambush.
Three modified Dodge Chargers roared from the overpass just ahead. They weren't in formation. They were an impact.
Boom.
Metal collided with steel. Tires screeched. The desert screamed. Dom's bus tilted sideways, wheels lifting off the ground before the whole structure tumbled like a missile in slow motion.
Dust, silence... then chaos.
Dom emerged from the wreckage with barely a scratch. Because that was the plan.
Because Brian O'Conner and Mia Toretto never missed.
Across the state line, Leonardo watched the news unfold from a luxury lounge at a private airport near Phoenix. The broadcast flickered on the wall-mounted screen behind the bar.
"Breaking news: Dominic Toretto escaped custody today in a daring and highly coordinated ambush just outside of Los Angeles..."
He sipped his coffee. It was good. Brazilian roast, strong and sharp—like the message he'd received only an hour earlier:
[SYSTEM UPGRADE COMPLETE. SIGN-IN ACCUMULATION REWARD AVAILABLE.]
He didn't react visibly, but the notification hovered in the corner of his vision. Quiet. Tempting.
He ignored it. For now.
"Alfred," he said calmly.
"Yes, young master?"
"Have the car prepped. We're heading back to Rio."
Leonardo had known the prison ambush would happen. The pieces were aligned. The moment was canon. And he had no part in it—for a reason.
The escape had to belong to Dom's family. To Brian. To Mia. It was the moment that re-forged them in steel and fire.
He respected it too much to steal it.
His job wasn't to lead the crew.
It was to prepare the world they were about to enter.
He made calls. Koko relayed assets. Aegis Tactical shifted personnel.
The fallout would come quickly.
He had to be ready.
Meanwhile, in a nondescript safehouse on the outskirts of Baja, Mia stared at her brother with tired, anxious eyes. Dom was back. But the price of freedom was steep. They were now internationally wanted.
Brian ran his fingers through his hair. He hadn't stopped moving since they got back.
They needed a plan. They needed a miracle.
What they didn't know... was that Leonardo De Luca was already paving their road forward.
Back in Rio de Janeiro, night cloaked the city in a warm, humid haze. Leonardo arrived at the private compound nestled in the hills above the bay. Koko greeted him at the gate, eyes gleaming like she'd been waiting all day for this exact moment.
"You watched it?" she asked, nodding toward the sky as if the stars themselves had carried the news.
"Of course," Leonardo said, unbuttoning his coat as they entered.
"You're late."
"I wanted to let the dust settle."
Koko handed him a tablet. "Interpol chatter is off the charts. They're moving teams. But the U.S. Marshals are keeping things quiet—for now."
He skimmed the details. It was all unfolding exactly as he remembered.
"Let's begin asset preparations. We'll need vehicles, logistics, properties. Move things under the shell companies. Leave no trail."
Koko grinned. "Already done."
He paused. "And Alfred?"
"Managing the west coast front. I left him a to-do list. It was five pages."
Leonardo smirked. "He'll survive."
Then the system pinged again.
[Would you like to claim your Sign-In Accumulation Reward?]
He nodded once.
[Reward Received: Private Arms Manufacturing Company - Cerberus Solutions]
[Bonus Item: 1x Summon Ticket (Origin: Fictional Multiverse)]
[Note Attached: "You've earned a wildcard. Use it well. – ???"]
Leonardo stared at the golden ticket floating in his mind's interface. It shimmered with energy unlike anything he'd received before.
But he didn't activate it.
Not yet.
There was a time and place for wildcards. Right now, what he needed was stability. Order. Precision.
He placed the summon ticket in a locked vault within his system inventory, surrounded by digital safeguards. One day, when the right situation called for it, he would use it. Not for flash. Not for power. But for purpose.
Koko noticed the pause.
"Something else in the package?" she asked, pouring them each a glass of whiskey.
"Let's call it a contingency plan," he said, accepting the drink.
She raised her brow. "You're planning deeper than usual."
"I've seen how easily a good plan can fall apart. This time... I want to be three moves ahead."
They clinked glasses.
And Rio, warm and restless, pulsed quietly beneath them.
The next week was a flurry of activity. Leonardo personally oversaw the relocation of Aegis Tactical's black site operations to a new off-grid location outside the favelas. He met with local arms suppliers under Koko's watchful guidance, ensuring their new front—Cerberus Solutions—was seen as a legitimate partner in high-grade military tech manufacturing.
He funded construction of a false shipping yard under the name of a South American import-export business. Koko handled permits and backdoor negotiations. Alfred, ever the phantom in the background, made sure all documents were airtight.
But more than logistics, Leonardo focused on building their safe haven. A space that could hold Dom's crew if needed. He sourced garages with reinforced walls. Apartment units shielded from surveillance. An old cathedral turned hideout, wired with a failsafe tunnel beneath.
He was building a web.
And soon, the flies would land.
By day, Leonardo toured the city, meeting stakeholders, discussing defense contracts. By night, he stood on his balcony with a pair of binoculars, watching the coastline. Somewhere out there, Dom and the others would be arriving.
The game was about to begin.
And Leonardo was ready.