CHAPTER 3 – "GHOSTS OF ASPHALT"
(Part 1)
EXT. RIO DE JANEIRO – DAY
The city breathes heat and rhythm. Neon signs hum even in daylight. The air smells of fuel, sweat, and salt from the docks.
JAMESON (VO)
Seven years gone. Seven years of dust, gunpowder, and the hum of engines I wasn't allowed to race. Now the streets call again—same language, same heartbeat. But the game's changed.
Camera sweeps over the favela ridges, rooftops stacked like dominoes. Below, Dom's crew preps the next move. Maps on a rusted hood. Brian checks angles. Mia watches the alley. My wives—Ava, Sarah, Alexis, and Katie—each covering a flank like it's second nature.
They move in sync. That's the thing about soldiers who love each other—you don't need words. Just breath and timing.
INT. SAFEHOUSE – DAY
Sweat drips from concrete. Fans rattle. Dom leans over the map.
DOM
We hit Reyes hard and clean. No noise till the vault moves.
AVA (sniping rifle resting by her chair)
That's a lot of hope for a city that never shuts up.
Everyone chuckles. Tension hiding behind humor.
Then the floor trembles. Engines outside. Heavy. Too precise to be street racers.
SARAH
That's not local muscle.
BRIAN
Federal.
Doors slam. Boots thunder.
EXT. SAFEHOUSE – CONTINUOUS
Trucks screech to a stop. SWAT lines up. At the front—LUKE HOBBS, sweat glistening on a bald head, eyes sharp enough to cut steel.
HOBBS
Dominic Toretto! Brian O'Conner! Hands where I can see 'em!
He steps forward, shotgun lowered but ready.
DOM (low, to Jameson)
Your call, brother.
JAMESON (VO)
Family doesn't run—not until we know what's chasing us.
I step out first.
JAMESON
You got a warrant, Agent?
HOBBS
Got something better. A reason.
JAMESON
Reason's overrated. You'll find this street's allergic to chains.
Guns click. For a second, time freezes. Then Dom lifts his hands. So do I. Hobbs's men cuff us, move the crew toward the transport truck.
---
INT. ARMORED TRANSPORT – MOVING – DAY
Steel walls hum. We sit cuffed on the bench, engines grumbling under us. Mia leans toward Dom.
MIA
He's not gonna listen, is he?
DOM
He doesn't have to. The city will.
I glance at my wives opposite me. Sarah's lips twitch—a half-smile. She knows what I'm thinking.
JAMESON (VO)
This is too clean. Too easy. Smells like bait.
The thought isn't even cold before the first RPG hits.
---
EXT. STREET – CONTINUOUS
The convoy explodes into chaos. Smoke, fire, shouting. Reyes's men swarm from alleys in armored jeeps.
Inside the transport, we're thrown against the walls. I twist, snap the cuffs against the bench edge—metal gives. Ava kicks the rear doors open; sunlight floods in.
JAMESON
Move!
Bullets rip past as we hit the ground running. Dom drags Mia behind a truck. Hobbs's men fire back, outnumbered five-to-one.
HOBBS (yelling over gunfire)
You set me up?!
JAMESON
If I had, you'd be dead already!
---
EXT. CONVOY STREET – DAY
The air is a furnace. Alexis disarms an attacker with two strikes and takes his rifle. Katie hot-wires a wrecked SUV for cover fire. Sarah's on a rooftop console, hijacking enemy comms. Ava's already taken position on a burnt-out van, picking off snipers one by one.
I run through the crossfire like the asphalt itself parts for me. Everything slows. Focus narrows. Each bullet trace looks like light through water.
JAMESON (VO)
Training drills, black-ops instinct—like the body remembers before the brain does.
FLASH CUT — MEMORY FRAGMENT
Night-vision green. Rain. Wick beside me, silent, pistol steady.
WICK
Speed's just timing, brother. Death's what happens when you're late.
Back to present. I dive, roll, grab an assault rifle off the pavement, fire. Three men drop.
A car roars from the far end of the street—the Charger. Ares.
JAMESON (VO)
I left her sleeping. Guess she heard the noise.
The black '69 bursts through smoke like a beast unleashed. Red racing stripes glint. Tires scream. I jump onto the hood mid-slide.
JAMESON
Let's wake up, old friend.
I slam the nitrous. Red-gold fire erupts from the exhaust. The sound is less engine, more heartbeat of a god.
SYSTEM PING: "Hidden Reward Detected – ARES ASCENSION PROTOCOL ACTIVE."
---
EXT. CONVOY STREET – CONTINUOUS
The Charger plows through a wave of jeeps. Bullets spark harmlessly against reinforced plating. Turrets deploy from the grill, firing suppressive bursts—not lethal, but loud enough to scatter Reyes's men.
Hobbs, pinned behind a truck, stares as I drift past, door open.
JAMESON
Need a ride, Agent?
He grins despite himself, dives in.
HOBBS
Next time, I'm driving.
JAMESON
You can try.
We swing around, Dom in the rearview lining up with Brian's car. Smoke, debris, sunlight flashing like strobes.
JAMESON (VO)
This isn't racing. This is war wearing the mask of speed.
A grenade arcs—slow motion. Ava's rifle cracks; mid-air detonation.
DOM (RADIO)
Jay, the street's blocked!
JAMESON
Not for me.
I flick the toggle. Ares roars, flames pouring from the hood vents. We hit the blockade head-on, nitrous screaming. Wood, metal, and fire split apart as the Charger bursts through into open air—
---
EXT. OVERPASS – DAY
The convoy lies in ruins below. Reyes's surviving men retreat. Silence, except for engines cooling and sirens far away.
Hobbs climbs out, breathing hard. Blood on his arm, grin wide.
HOBBS
You just saved my life.
JAMESON
Call it even. You were about to ruin mine.
They lock eyes—mutual respect born in fire.
Dom pulls up, window down. "Family's what you make of it."
Hobbs laughs. "Guess I'm invited to the barbecue then."
---
CUT TO:
INT. ABANDONED WAREHOUSE – NIGHT
The crew regroups. Weapons cleaned. Engines cooling. Music thumps faintly from a radio—Brazilian bass, low and dirty. Katie patches Hobbs's arm. Ava and Sarah lay out new maps. Alexis pours drinks.
I stand beside Ares. Her hood's open, engine still ticking hot. Gold trim glows in the dim light. Smoke curls like incense.
JAMESON (VO)
Every scar tells a story. Tonight, she earned her name.
The System flickers across my vision.
> MISSION COMPLETE – "SURVIVE THE HUNTER."
REWARD: Ares Upgrade Lv. 2 – 1 250 HP (1 500 with Nitrous).
SECONDARY REWARD: Reality-Bend Protocol Ready.
My vision blurs. The world folds inward—sound fading, light stretching. The hum of the engine turns into rain, the smell of Brazil into cordite and cold metal.
---
FLASHBACK – BLACK-OPS BASE – NIGHT
Rain on tin roofs. Two men clean weapons under a flickering bulb. Younger. Hard eyes. One of them is John Wick. The other—me.
WICK
You move like death forgot to stop by.
JAMESON (smirking)
Death's just another racer trying to keep up.
He chuckles—rare, quiet.
WICK
Then you're the Shinigami. Guess that makes us even.
We clink mugs. Outside, thunder rolls like engines.
SYSTEM VOICE (ECHOING)
> "Reality Calibration: Bond of Blood and Asphalt – Activated."
The memory floods brighter, truer, rewriting itself into history. Photos on walls change. Reports adjust. John Wick and Jameson Toretto—brothers-in-arms, legends carved from different roads.
---
BACK TO PRESENT – WAREHOUSE NIGHT
I blink. The crew still laughing, unaware of the shift. But somewhere far away, a man in a dark suit pauses mid-motion, polishing a pistol. He frowns, then smiles—like he just remembered a friend he's always had.
JAMESON (VO)
The world turns. The street remembers. And somewhere out there, the God of Death just raised a glass to the God of Speed.
AFTER THE AMBUSH
Part 2
(Rio de Janeiro, Nightfall – Ruins of the Safehouse)
Smoke rolls like storm surf through the broken warehouse windows. The air smells of gunpowder, engine oil, and burnt rubber — the perfume of chaos.
My knuckles ache around the grip of the Beretta. One shell left. The others are reloading, coughing, bruised. Hobbs leans against a shattered column, breathing fire and sweat, his eyes locked on me like a wolf deciding if it should thank or bite the hunter who just saved its life.
"Still think we're the bad guys?" I say, flicking the last casing from my gun.
Hobbs wipes the blood from his lip, gives a snarl that might be a grin. "You're still criminals."
"Maybe," I say, checking the barrel. "But we're the kind that keeps you alive."
Behind us, Dom's Charger hums low, wounded but alive — its hood steaming, headlights flickering like tired eyes. My wives move like ghosts through the haze: Ava crouched over a downed merc, double-checking for survivors; Sarah patching Letty's shoulder; Alexis standing guard at the shattered doors, her rifle steady; and Katie — sweet, ruthless Katie — laughing softly as she reloads a fresh magazine.
> [System: Mission 'Survive the Ambush' – Complete. Hidden Reward Processing...]
The words flash like lightning behind my eyelids. My pulse syncs to the rhythm. The warehouse fades; data overlays reality — trajectory arcs, heart-rate graphs, weapon readouts. Then the voice fades, replaced by instinct.
"Jay," Dom calls. His tone carries both the old brother and the new leader. "You good?"
"Never better," I say, sliding the gun into my belt. "Now, where's Reyes?"
Hobbs spits on the floor. "Running. But he won't get far. Not after what he did to my team."
The name tastes like metal in my mouth. Reyes. The reason we're bleeding in this ruin. The man who turned the city into a graveyard for anyone wearing a badge.
I glance at my car — Ares, the black-and-red beast. Even under soot and bullet holes, it gleams with purpose. A living shadow.
> [System: Hidden Mission – Eliminate Reyes and Retrieve Vault. Reward: Car Upgrade Protocol 'God of War.']
"Looks like we just got a new job," I mutter.
---
Cut to:
The Vault Job Planning Scene – Later That Night
The crew gathers around a makeshift table. Maps, photos, and weapon schematics scatter across it like fallen cards. Dom stands at the head, arms folded, while I lean against the hood of Ares, tracing routes on the map with a grease-stained finger.
Brian studies me. "You really think we can pull this off?"
I smirk. "I don't think, O'Conner. I know. The man running this city stole from everyone. Time we steal it back."
Hobbs grunts. "You realize Reyes' vault isn't just money. It's his empire. Take it, and every merc in Rio will come down on us."
Dom looks at me. "You in?"
"I was born in," I say.
My wives exchange glances — that wordless agreement they've honed through a thousand battles. Ava starts marking sniper nests on the map. Sarah runs her fingers over the access codes on a tablet. Alexis sketches an alternate route in case the bridge collapses. Katie just leans against Ares, smirking. "Hope they like fireworks."
> [System: Main Mission – 'Steal Reyes' Vault.' Objectives Loaded.]
The pulse in my temple hums with that familiar rush — half machine, half adrenaline, all destiny.
---
Cut to:
The Night of the Vault Heist
The engines roar through Rio's arteries. Neon lights smear across the Charger's hood as I gun it through the narrow streets. The sound is animal — deep, guttural, ancient.
Ares wakes.
> [System Sync Online — Engine Capacity: 528 ci Hemi V8. Output Unlocked: 1,250 HP (standard) / 1,500 HP (nitrous).]
When I hit the switch, the world blurs. Flames of red and gold streak from the exhaust like a dragon exhaling.
Dom's voice crackles over comms. "Jay, we've got company!"
"I see 'em."
Reyes' SUVs flood the streets behind us. Bullets spark against Ares' reinforced rear like angry fireflies.
Katie's voice from the turret seat: "Permission to scare them?"
"Granted."
A whine builds under the car — the hum of hidden machinery. Then two small hatches open beside the rear tires.
Heat-seeking missiles lock on with a click.
"Let's give them a fireworks show," I say.
The first missile screams into the night, blossoms into fire. The SUV flips end over end into the bay.
Even over the radio, I hear Roman yelling, "Yo! That's cheating, bro!"
"Not cheating," I say. "Just prepared."
---
The Final Chase
The vault tears down the street behind Dom's Charger like a steel beast on chains. Cars explode, walls crumble, the asphalt screams. I flank him in Ares, flames spilling from the exhaust.
Every turn feels like destiny written in tire marks. Every heartbeat echoes the words of the System in my skull:
> Speed is truth.
Family is fuel.
Asphalt is destiny.
We hit the bridge. Reyes' convoy blocks the exit.
Dom slams the wheel, the vault swings — an iron pendulum of judgment — smashing through Reyes' cars. I spin Ares sideways, hit nitrous, and the engine roars like a god waking from millennia of sleep.
> [System: Hidden Objective Complete – 'Defeat Reyes.' Reward: Ares Upgrade Protocol Activated.]
The dash lights turn gold. Flames burst from the exhaust — red and bright gold. The supercharger screams. The entire car glows at the seams like a divine weapon.
When we finally stop, Reyes' empire burns behind us.
---
Aftermath – Warehouse Safehouse
Laughter fills the air — the crew celebrating, music echoing through the rafters. Mia hugs Brian, Dom clinks bottles with Hobbs.
My wives sit around Ares, admiring its glow.
Katie whistles. "Now that's a god's chariot."
Ava traces the golden lettering on the windshield: GOD OF WAR.
"Fitting," she says softly.
> [System: Hidden Title Unlocked — 'The Shinigami (God of Death).' Reason: Achieved Balance Between Speed and War.]
The message fades, replaced by calm.
Dom walks over. "You did good, brother."
I nod. "We all did."
But even as the laughter builds, I see Hobbs watching me — like he's trying to decide whether to cuff me or salute me.
He finally says, "Toretto... you ever think about working with the law again?"
I grin. "Depends who's writing the law."
Then his phone buzzes. He reads it, frowns, and looks up.
"Dom," he says quietly, "we've got a problem."
"What kind?" Dom asks.
Hobbs hesitates. "A woman. Letty Ortiz. She's alive."
Silence crashes through the warehouse.
Dom's eyes darken, that storm starting again.
I put a hand on his shoulder. "Then I guess our next ride's already calling."
The System hums softly in the back of my mind:
> [New Mission Loaded — 'Fast Six.']
The engines outside rumble like thunder waiting to roll.
BILLION-DOLLAR SPLIT AND MOSCOW BURN
Part 3
[Rio de Janeiro – Dawn after the Vault Job]
The city wakes in smoke and sirens.
Rio burns with the chaos we left behind — broken streets, twisted metal, and the echo of engines that rewrote history.
In the middle of it, we're standing around a steel coffin the size of a freight container.
Reyes' vault.
Cracked open.
Overflowing with money.
Dom whistles low. "That's a lot of zeros."
Brian's grin can't hide the disbelief. "One. Billion. Dollars."
Roman stares into it like he's seeing the gates of heaven. "Man, I swear I'm gonna cry. My broke ancestors just felt that."
Ava chuckles. "Don't faint, Roman. You'll wrinkle your shirt."
Sarah crosses her arms, scanning the stacks. "We could buy half a country."
Katie smirks. "Or a small army."
Alexis adds, "We already are one."
Dom turns to me. "You did good, Jay. Couldn't have done this without you."
I give him that small smirk. "You would've found a way. You always do."
But I know the truth — we didn't just break Reyes' empire. We burned it.
And the system agrees.
> [System Update: Mission 'Eliminate Hernan Reyes' — COMPLETE.]
Reward Unlocked: 'God of War Vehicle Protocol – Fully Activated.'
Bonus Reward: 'Shinigami Title Evolution Path Unlocked.'
My pulse synchronizes with the hum of Ares. The car — my car — glows faintly even in daylight, that faint red-gold gleam pulsing under the black paint like a heartbeat.
Dom looks at Hobbs. "So what now?"
Hobbs folds his arms. "Now? You vanish. You didn't see me, I didn't see you. Reyes is dead, and his blood money disappears. You all go your separate ways."
I glance at my wives — their eyes gleaming like polished steel under sunlight.
Ava's already calculating numbers, Sarah's scanning routes, Alexis twirls the key fob around her finger, and Katie just smirks, waiting for me to say what she already knows is coming.
"Separate ways?" I say, stepping closer to Hobbs. "Nah. We're not done yet."
He raises an eyebrow. "You planning another miracle?"
"Not a miracle," I reply, slipping on my sunglasses. "Just a new chapter."
---
[Montage – The Split]
Dom's voiceover rolls over the sequence, deep and grounded.
> DOM (V.O.)
"We started with nothing. Engines and faith.
Now we've got enough to live ten lives…
But family only needs one."
Shots flash one after another —
Mia and Brian loading bags of cash into a duffel, smiling as their son laughs nearby.
Roman and Tej, arguing over who gets the bigger stack, ending in a slapstick scuffle that leaves both laughing.
Han and Gisele, sharing a quiet cigarette under a Rio sunrise, planning Tokyo.
Dom, staring at a photo of Letty, half-smile, half-sorrow.
Jameson and his wives, five figures framed in the red-gold glow of Ares as they drive into the dawn — not toward peace, but toward motion.
---
[Cut to: Private Airstrip, Outskirts of Rio]
A sleek black C-130 cargo plane waits, engines idling.
Ares sits loaded in the bay, chained but restless, its hood gleaming like molten metal.
Katie's looking over a folded note. "So… Moscow?"
I nod. "Moscow."
Sarah tilts her head. "Why Russia?"
"Because," I say, checking the mag on my sidearm, "someone's playing with tech that shouldn't exist. Word is, an ex-Spetsnaz engineer's been building weaponized cars for black-market contracts. And guess who they're trying to sell to?"
Ava smirks. "Let me guess… ex-Reyes men?"
"Bingo."
Alexis chuckles. "So… another mess to clean up?"
I grin. "Another paycheck to earn."
Dom walks over before we board. "Jay," he says, "take care of yourself out there. You've already done enough for all of us."
"Dom," I answer, "you know me. Speed's my pulse. Stopping isn't in the system."
We clasp forearms — that solid, unspoken bond.
As we pull away, Hobbs watches from the distance, arms crossed, wind whipping his vest.
He doesn't say anything, but I can tell — the respect is there now.
Earned. Permanent.
---
[System Activation – Midflight]
The hum begins again inside my head — a low vibration behind the eyes.
> [System: New Hidden Mission – 'The Russian Syndicate.']
Objective: Locate and Neutralize the Black Market Vehicle Ring.
Bonus Reward: Title Advancement – 'Speed Demon Ascendant.'
I smile faintly, resting my head back. The world outside the window fades into clouds and sunlight.
Ava leans her head on my shoulder.
"Another war?" she asks softly.
"Another race," I answer.
Sarah, polishing her sidearm, glances up. "You ever gonna take a vacation?"
"When the engines stop," I say.
Katie laughs quietly. "So never."
Alexis leans in close, voice low and warm. "Then let's make every mile worth it."
Their laughter fills the cabin — warm, chaotic, real.
---
[Moscow Arrival – Nightfall]
The cold hits like a slap. Snow swirls under floodlights as the cargo ramp lowers.
And then… the sound — that low rumble as Ares starts up.
The flame-red glow bursts under the chassis, lighting the snow crimson.
Each rev sounds like thunder rolling through an ancient cathedral.
"Welcome to Russia," I murmur.
Ava smirks, slipping on her tactical gloves.
"Let's wake the ghosts," she says.
> [System: Mission Start – 'Moscow Nights.']
The Charger rolls out of the plane and into the night — headlights slicing through the blizzard, engine echoing like a sleeping god stirring to life.
And as I hit the gas, a whisper slides through my mind:
> Speed is truth.
Family is fuel.
Asphalt is destiny.
The next legend begins.