The garage falls silent as Dom calls for the vote. All eyes move around the circle, everyone waiting for someone else to speak first. Your system calculates the crew's likely responses based on their personalities and previous behaviors, but this is a human moment that transcends algorithms.
"I vote we modify our approach completely," you say, breaking the silence. "Not abort, not proceed as planned, but rethink the entire operation."
Dom raises an eyebrow. "Explain."
You stand, moving to the center of the garage where everyone can see you. "Our initial plan relied on direct interception—vehicle-to-vehicle contact on the highway. That's exactly what they're trained to expect and respond to."
Your system rapidly generates alternative approaches, highlighting one with particular promise:
[Tactical Alternative: Indirect Acquisition]
[Success Probability: 78%]
[Risk Reduction: 62%]
[Critical Element: No Direct Confrontation]
"What if we never touch the truck at all?" you suggest.
"Then how the hell do we get the merchandise?" Vince asks, clearly skeptical.
"By manipulating their protocol, not fighting it." You grab a marker and start sketching on the whiteboard. "When drivers face a potential hijacking, they have procedures—they radio in, they may increase speed, they look for safe locations. But what if they face something entirely different?"
Your diagram takes shape—a simple but elegant plan that avoids direct confrontation entirely.
"Road construction," you explain. "Official-looking, complete with proper signage and uniforms. We create a detour that routes the truck exactly where we want it to go."
"Construction crews don't just appear overnight," Letty points out.
"They do after 'emergency' water main breaks or sudden road damage," you counter. "Cities scramble crews within hours for those situations."
Jesse nods slowly, catching on. "We'd need the right equipment, permits that look legitimate..."
"All manageable," you assure him. "The key is, the driver never feels threatened. He's just following official instructions, taking a brief detour through an industrial area where we happen to have a garage ready."
Your system projects the scenario:
[Phase 1: Create Credible Road Emergency]
[Phase 2: Establish Convincing Detour Route]
[Phase 3: Guide Truck to Secure Location]
[Phase 4: Execute Rapid, Non-Violent Cargo Transfer]
[Phase 5: Release Driver on Original Route]
"Once in our controlled environment, we can access the cargo without violence, without speed, without risk of police pursuit." You finish your diagram with a flourish. "The driver never sees our faces, never feels threatened, and by the time he realizes something's off, we're long gone with the merchandise."
Dom studies your diagram, expression thoughtful. "This isn't a highway heist anymore. This is... something else entirely."
"It's smart," Letty admits, surprising everyone with her immediate support. "Smarter than playing chicken with semis on the freeway."
"It's... elegant," Jesse adds appreciatively. "Social engineering instead of brute force."
Leon looks less convinced. "Seems complicated. Lot of moving parts, lot of things that could go wrong."
"Fewer things than trying to hijack a truck at 70 miles per hour," you counter. "And if something does go wrong, we abort with minimal exposure. The worst case is a construction crew that packs up and disappears."
Vince has been uncharacteristically quiet, studying your diagram with unusual intensity. "The driver never gets hurt?" he finally asks.
"That's the point," you confirm. "He follows the detour, stops where directed, maybe gets offered coffee while 'waiting for the road to clear.' He's inconvenienced for thirty minutes, max."
"And we get what we want without anybody getting hurt," Dom concludes, nodding slowly. "I like it."
Your system highlights Dom's response:
[Relationship Insight: Dom Toretto]
[Values Protection of Innocents]
[Appreciates Creative Solutions]
[Trust Level: Increasing]
"So we voting again?" Vince asks.
Dom looks around the room. "Anyone opposed to Michael's approach?"
No hands raise. Even Leon, despite his reservations, seems to accept the reduced risk level.
"Then it's unanimous," Dom declares. "We shift to the new plan." He turns to you. "This is your show now. What do we need?"
Your system immediately generates a comprehensive list:
[Equipment Required]
[Personnel Assignments]
[Timeline: 7 Days Preparation]
[Budget Estimate: $12,500]
As you detail the requirements, assigning roles based on each person's strengths, you notice a subtle shift in the room's energy. The tension has transformed into focused excitement. Even Vince appears engaged, offering suggestions for acquiring construction equipment that won't be traced back to the team.
"One more thing," you add as the planning session concludes. "No guns. Not even for show. Construction workers don't carry weapons, and we're construction workers for this job."
Dom nods approvingly. "Agreed. We do this clean."
As the crew disperses to begin preparations, Dom pulls you aside. "That was impressive. Not just the plan, but how you brought everyone on board."
"It just made sense," you say with a shrug. "Lower risk, better outcome."
"It's more than that," Dom insists. "You found a way that respects everyone's boundaries. Letty's concern for safety, Jesse's technical mind, even Vince's..." he pauses, searching for the right words, "...Vince's need to do this without crossing certain lines."
You hadn't consciously factored those elements in, but your system had been analyzing crew dynamics all along:
[Crew Assessment]
[Individual Moral Thresholds Identified]
[Plan Designed to Accommodate All Parameters]
[Team Cohesion: Significantly Improved]
"That's what makes a good leader," Dom continues. "Seeing the whole picture—not just the objective, but the people."
The compliment catches you off-guard. You've been so focused on proving your value to the crew that you hadn't realized how deeply you've begun to care about them as individuals, beyond their utility to your missions.
"We start tomorrow," Dom says, clapping you on the shoulder. "Get some rest. You're gonna need it."
As Dom walks away, your system displays an unexpected notification:
[Character Development Detected]
[Identity Shifting Beyond Parameters]
[Mark/Michael Integration: Accelerating]
[Warning: Original Self Preservation Recommended]
You dismiss the alert, unsettled by its implications. Are you becoming more Michael than Mark? Is that a problem or an evolution? The line between your original identity and this new life blurs further with each decision, each connection formed.
Looking around the garage at the scattered plans and diagrams, at the crew—your crew now—you realize something profound: You're no longer just playing a role in this world. You're building a life here, with real stakes and real relationships.
Whether that's what the sardonic deity who sent you here intended, you can't say. But for the first time since your arrival, you feel something close to belonging.
[Mission Status: Replanning Phase]
[Crew Confidence: High]
[Personal Integration: Deepening]
[Next Objective: Execute Modified Heist]