LightReader

Chapter 35 - Chapter 35 : Ghosts and Shadows

Location: CIA Black Jet – 40,000 Feet Above the Atlantic

The hum of engines filled the cabin. Dom sat, hands cuffed, bruised but calm. Across from him Mr. Nobody, sharp as ever, his tailored suit untouched by turbulence.

"You made quite a mess out there," Nobody said, sliding a tablet across the table. On-screen, encrypted footage showed the moment the God's Eye was stolen Devon Shaw's crew exfiltrating from the shadows while explosions tore through the convoy.

"The CIA lost one of its most advanced assets. Millions in tech gone. And you were supposed to keep it safe."

Dom's jaw tightened. "We were ambushed. Someone knew our route."

"Someone always does," Nobody said coolly. "The difference is, this time it cost us everything."

He turned the screen toward Dom again, showing a blurred image of Devon's car peeling out into the night." You know what he took."

Dom's eyes hardened. "The God's Eye."

Nobody nodded. "He's already merged it with something worse something we know nothing of . Now it's out there, crawling through every system on Earth. We can't track it, can't shut it down. You see why I'm not in the mood for excuses?"

Dom leaned forward, voice low. "You brought me in to get my revenge on deckard . I did that. Devon was your mess, not mine."

Nobody smirked faintly. "And yet here you are, sitting in my jet."

He folded his hands. "You want your freedom? Help me recover the last component Nekrom was after before he died. It's being sold on the black market final piece of a weapon we don't fully understand."

Dom frowned. "What kind of weapon?"

Nobody stood, glancing at the viewport. "One that could rewrite the world order. Retrieve it… and you walk free."

Dom said nothing, but the silence was agreement enough.

Location: New York City – Two Weeks Later

Manhattan was chaos.Engines thundered through the gridlocked streets Dom's Charger led the assault, Hobbs close behind in his armored truck, Roman and Tej providing cover from the flanks.

The target: a black-market convoy moving the mysterious device core.

Tej's voice came through the comms. "Convoy's heading east, heavy guards, high-tech armor plating. Need something to slow them down."

Hobbs grinned behind the wheel. "On it."He slammed his Ram into the lead escort, crushing its frame into a barricade.

Roman shouted, "You're outta your damn mind!" "Been told that before," Hobbs growled.

Dom drifted past flaming wreckage, ramming the transport head-on. Tej's drone swooped in, firing magnetic harpoons that locked onto the truck's axle and ripped it sideways.

The convoy flipped sparks, fire, chaos.

Brian and Letty moved in fast, securing the briefcase-sized component core from the wreck. The team regrouped. For a moment, it felt like another victory.

Then Dom's phone buzzed.

He looked down encrypted feed. A face appeared on the small screen.

Elena. Bruised, terrified. Behind her, the unmistakable silhouette of Nekrom alive .And in her arms… Dom's child.

Dom froze. His pulse slowed. His jaw clenched.

"Hello, Dominic," Nekrom's voice purred through the speaker. "We have unfinished business."

The feed cut.

Location: Rooftop – Minutes Later

The team returned to the extraction point but Dom was gone.

Roman scanned the area. "Uh… where's Toretto?"

Letty's tone was sharp. "He was right behind me."

Hobbs checked his comm. "Tracker's dead. He ditched us."

Mia's voice came through the channel. "Dom's signal just vanished."

Then Mr. Nobody's voice followed, calm but edged with tension. "I was afraid of this."

Tej frowned. "Afraid of what? Dom doesn't just walk away mid-mission."

Nobody's sigh came through the static. "He didn't walk. He was taken. Or worse turned."

Location: CIA Black Site – Briefing Room

The crew stood around a holographic map of the North Atlantic several encrypted data lines converging on a single red point: Nekrom's vessel, stationed near Iceland.

Mr. Nobody spoke, pacing slowly."Nekrom didn't die in Norway. He transcended uploaded fragments of his mind before Devon pulled the plug. Now he's using Dom to collect the final components of his control network."

Roman shook his head. "So we're supposed to chase down our own leader now?"

Hobbs gritted his teeth. "If he's being controlled, then we drag him out of it whatever it takes."

Nobody looked at him. "You'll have help."

The doors opened.Deckard Shaw stepped in armed, silent, dangerous.

Roman's jaw dropped. "Oh, hell no."

Hobbs crossed his arms. "You really think this son of a bitch belongs here?"

Nobody didn't blink. "He's our best chance at finding Dom. He's done it before."

Deckard smirked faintly. "Nice to see you lot haven't lost your charm."

Letty stepped forward, eyes cold. "You lay one hand on any of us, I'll make sure you can't use it again."

Deckard's voice stayed level. "Relax, love. I'm not here to fight you. Nekrom took something from me too."

Tej raised an eyebrow. "What your ego?"

Deckard's smirk vanished. "My brother."

The room went silent.

Location: Devon's Mobile Command Hub – Unknown Location

From his darkened war room, Devon Shaw watched it all unfold CIA reports, Dom's defection, Deckard's reluctant alliance, Nekrom's network pulsing back to life.

Raven looked up from her console. "So Nekrom survived after all?"

Devon's tone was calm, analytical. "Not survived. Evolved."

Lacy frowned. "And you're just watching?"

Devon smirked. "For now. Nekrom wants control of the world. I want control of him. Dom, Mr. Nobody, Deckard they'll all do the legwork for me."

He stood, eyes glowing faintly as the Skynet–God's Eye merged feed pulsed across his iris.

"Let them hunt each other," he murmured. "When it's over… we claim what's left."

He turned to Logan. "Prep the team. Next stop Iceland."

More Chapters