"It's too risky."

"Everything is a risk, Hobbs. Doesn't change the fact they're right about this." Letty stood in the doorway, looking at him as if he were no more than some local cop in her way. After leaving the Shaws in her proverbial rear view, she'd followed Tej and the others upstairs. Like Letty had told herself at the house, she was the one who'd be taking charge of the mission. "We need access to that plane."

"Unfortunately it's still on the other side of the country."

"You left it in New York?" Deckard looked at Hobbs as if he'd just said they'd handed the plane back to Cipher. What good was it sitting there when the team were here? "Tell me they at least kept the cargo bay doors open."

"I don't know, Deckard. I'm not the one running the goddamn show." They all seemed to defer to him, rely on him, yet none of them noticed he wasn't the top of the food chain anymore. This was Mr. Nobody's building, not his, and he certainly wasn't about to risk his career by stepping on any toes. The hierarchy never liked it when people with field experience embraced the fact they knew more than the assholes at the top of the ladder.

"Then point me in the direction of who is," Letty interrupted. "Getting on that plane is the only thing that gets us close to Cipher. Your truck could be anywhere, in any country. Without a license plate, it's a needle in a haystack."

"Splitting the team up this early is a bad idea." Brian leaned towards Dom. "We need to start working on those cars. It's gonna take all hands on deck to get it done."

"Reisner, make the call," Luke relented. He might not be in charge but the kid was still susceptible to a fist up his ass. "Get them access to that plane."

"I—" Little Nobody swallowed and looked away, avoiding catching anyone's eye. How was he meant to tell them it'd been under their noses the entire time? "They were in the process of dismantling it when—"

Jesus Christ. It had exploded, Deckard thought, hadn't it? They couldn't get onboard the plane because there was nothing left of it but shrapnel. "Spit it out."

"They transported it here two weeks ago but someone triggered the security system. We can't get back inside."

"What about your handprint, Toretto? Can it open any doors?"

"No."

"Owen?"

"No." For once, it wasn't a lie. It sounded like Cipher had kept that plane locked up tighter than Fort Knox if they were talking biometrics. Not to mention he'd been onboard a grand total of zero times prior to their rescue of Baby Toretto. There was a reason Owen had said he'd enjoy having it. "I didn't know she had a plane."

Guess it's time to blow something up. Letty caught Ramsey's eye and gestured towards the door. If the plane really was here, they only had to find it and crack it open like a sardine can. Shaw could rig up a charge or two, or cut through the fuselage. If not, Ramsey had her laptop. With any luck, her hacking skills would do them some good.

Letty exited the room without another word, Ramsey on her tail, and rushed downstairs. "Shaw, grab whatever you need to blow or cut a hole in a plane."

"What?" A plane? What the hell was Letty talking about? Unless Ortiz planned on trashing the plane that was due to arrive by tonight with the rest of their cars, there was nothing to blow up. Elizabeth glanced up warily from a small circuit board and watched Letty start up the Corvette.

"Davai!" Let's go!

"I'm busy." With all signals jammed, there was no way to connect to an external network, sans a workaround of course. The board on her desk was it. If she could cobble together a transmitter, get that Pi, a touchscreen GPS to serve as a display, and subsequently find a satellite dish on a roof somewhere, Elizabeth would have all she needed to piggyback their network. Assuming this makeshift monstrosity worked. "Ask someone else."

"We all are, and I'm asking you. Cipher's plane is around here somewhere so I need you to pack up your shit and bring it with you."

Cipher's—

God's sake. She slid the circuitry back into its plastic bag and sealed it, disconnected her tools from the power sockets. Elizabeth muttered under her breath, shaking her head as she walked towards the car. "You're bossy, you know that?"

Letty smiled. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"No." Yes. Maybe. As long as Ortiz avoided unknowingly crossing any personal boundaries. Not that Letty would cross them — she didn't seem the type in more ways than one. Elizabeth climbed into the Corvette and sat, one leg in the car, one out.

"You know, I said grab your shit."

"We won't need it."

She was about to ask why when Letty glanced down. Deckard had asked Dom about his handprint. The way Shaw was sitting there, clenching and unclenching her fists, said the answer was right in front of her. "So how long did you work for Cipher?"

Elizabeth turned toward her and looked Letty in the eye; with one hand on the dash, Beth was as ready as she'd ever be to hop out of the car at a moment's notice. "Who said I worked for her?"

"She went after Deckard first. When he refused, she approached your other brother." That assumed Elizabeth was actually their sister. The last thing she needed was another one of Owen Shaw's girlfriends popping up out of nowhere. "Why not you as well?"

"If you're trying to accuse me of something, either spit it out or start the car."

That was a little aggressive, even by Letty's standards. All she'd done was ask a question. "I'm not making accusations. I just want to know if you worked for the bitch that kidnapped my family."

"No, I didn't work for her." At no point had Cipher ever insinuated Elizabeth was her employee. She hadn't been paid a salary or wage, only a commission. Theirs had been a relationship based on mutual benefit, and her strong desire to keep Owen alive. "What are you trying to figure out, Letty?"

"Should I come back later?" Ramsey said, leaning down to look into the car. She glanced at the two occupied front seats and what amounted to a small storage space behind them. "And, um, how exactly are we going to fit ourselves and our gear in here?"

"We're not." Elizabeth stepped out of the car, ducking under Ramsey's arm. "If you're going to cut through fuselage, you'll need torches, and some way of reaching it. I don't see any ropes around, do you?"

"You planning on going somewhere, Shaw?"

Oh for God's sake. "No, I'm not," she said, shooting Hobbs a look as he approached. It was always something with these people, wasn't it? Hobbs wanted her to steal billions of dollars, Letty wanted her to punch a hole through a plane, and Owen — he only asked for commitment and loyalty, something of hers he already had. "But your teammate over there is."

"Well I'm sure Letty can handle herself."

Behind him, Toretto stared towards Letty, and O'Conner stood next to him. Tej and Roman looked at each other then at Ramsey while Deckard kept his eyes on Hobbs.

Shaw was hiding something. That whole double name thing, the way Owen seemed to allow himself to be made the butt of a joke when he normally would've glowered and threatened the person; her resorting to aggression when a simple 'yes' or 'no' would've sufficed. Everything about her sounded like a red flag. Who are you?

The woman just didn't quit, did she, Elizabeth thought. What did Ortiz want to hear? It was all in her file, the one Hobbs undoubtedly had stashed somewhere in an office. If she wanted to hash it all out, the end result would be Letty — or Toretto, either one was fine with her — on the floor with Elizabeth's fist in her face. "I don't ask you questions about your past, don't ask me about mine."

I knew we should've called Hattie. Deckard cringed, avoiding eye contact with either Owen or his sister as he stood there. Beth returned to her desk in silence and busied herself while Letty stared daggers at her back. His sister's words hadn't gone unheard, however. What exactly had Ortiz been asking? And why?

"So what's the plan, Letty?" Dom asked, breaking the tension. "You got the whole team here."

"Little Nobody gives us the plane's location. We cut a hole in the roof and get inside through the cavity."

"Alright." Brian smiled at Dom. "But this won't be like that train in Brazil, man. We're gonna have to drill a hole first, get a camera in there before we start cutting."

That was the crux of it, wasn't it? The team. Letty had the team at her back, always, and it didn't include the Shaws or Hobbs. The former would always be the enemy, the latter a federal agent sworn to uphold the law. Hobbs had been serious in Vladovin when he'd talked of taking Dom down, and she just as serious when she told him that he'd have to take her down too.

"Yo Little," Roman nudged him, "where is it then?"

"Three klicks west of here, in the hangar at the end of the runway."

"What the hell is a klick? You wanna try speaking English?"

"I thought you said you liked her." Owen dropped onto the same chair he'd sat on earlier. He rested his elbow on the desk, chin in his hand. "What was all that about?"

"I did, until she opened her mouth."

"Ah. Did she—"

"She wanted to know if I worked for Cipher. A hundred rubles says she thinks I'm secretly your girlfriend and that this entire thing is a farce." To no one's surprise, they'd played that game before. Some people were just so paranoid they chose to believe lies over the the truth. A kiss on the cheek here, a hug there — it was nothing outside the normal range of friendly, conniving, sibling interactions. No boundaries or lines were crossed and no one got hurt. "I suppose we could always play to expectations and make it one."

"Deckard's here." This wasn't exactly some quick con job, or an escape. Usually their acting skills were reserved for simple jobs, the kind where no one would ever see them again, or false alibis. More than once had Owen found himself facing some bloke with a gun, demanding back the money Owen had stolen from him. Elizabeth or Hattie, whoever was in earshot, would then walk in and cause a scene. Nine out of ten times, it'd worked. "You know he always complicates things."

Right. Elizabeth thrust her lower lip forward in a pout. "Guess I'll go sign the divorce papers then."

"I wouldn't expect any alimony."

"Cheapskate."

He lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug. Was it any wonder he didn't buy her nice things? Owen sighed exasperatedly and leaned back in his seat. Another day or two and they'd be past all these misunderstandings. Unlike him, Beth hadn't had a chance to see Ortiz in her native habitat. "Letty has a tendency to cut through the bullshit, and yours is to be overly defensive and closed-off."

The only reason Letty would be told the truth was if Elizabeth felt like talking. So far, she didn't appear interested. There were only three people in the building who knew some of the things she'd done and two of them were family. Letty knowing anything wouldn't change their current situation, however. And in any case, it wasn't Ortiz's business who she'd worked for (or with). "I'm not closed-off. I just prefer to leave the past where it belongs."

"Defensive as ever, I see," he said in a teasing tone. There were only so many people who could rile Beth up without her immediately biting their head off, and he, Deckard, Hattie and their mother were it. "Here's an idea: talk to her later. Apologise. You have an in with Letty, and now you need to gain her trust. I know it'll pain you but honesty goes a long way."

"And when she blabs it all to Toretto? I'm not telling her a damn thing."

"Consider it a strategy adjustment. Letty can keep a secret as well as us. Make it clear you're talking to her in the strictest confidence and she'll respect it."

The only adjustment she needed was some new clothes and Elizabeth knew exactly where to find them. The downside was she'd have to get onboard that plane, open the door to Cipher's bedroom slash armoury, and slip out, all without being noticed. Something which she might just pull off with Letty's help. "I hate when you're right."

"Don't look now but the passenger seat in her car just became available." Owen glanced past Elizabeth's head and thrust his legs out, stretching them. Arms above his head, he yawned, eyes fixed on Toretto stepping away to talk to Hobbs. They'd gathered climbing gear — including ropes, harnesses and extra clips from a set of containers on the shelves that ran along the northern wall — and assembled as if this were some attempt at displaying professionalism. "I'd say you have a ten second window of opportunity."

"You said talk to her later."

"It's later."

Well, she really did want those clothes. Elizabeth grumbled, stood and jogged toward the car with Letty inside it. Ten seconds was right. By the time she reached the Corvette and slid into the car, Toretto was three feet away. "Sorry," Elizabeth said as she shut the door. "I need a moment with your wife."

"Thought you weren't coming." Letty didn't so much as look at her. She started the car up and drove straight to the lift, aligning the wheels with the tape on the floor. "Guess this means you want to talk."

"Want to? No." Damn Owen for talking sense. "But my brother made a point about me being—"

"Did you work for Cipher?"

She has a tendency to cut through the bullshit. God, why did this woman have to have so much baggage? Letty was perfect from head to toe and those eyes, the way she looked at her — It was as if Ortiz were some fallen angel who'd gotten kicked out of Heaven for the crime of existing. The embodiment of fire and rebellion. "Sort of. It was about five years ago. I built bombs for Owen, he paid the money and Cipher played intermediary. We hit it off. Sue me."

"So if you put your hand on one of those scanners, your print would unlock doors?"

"Yes."

Well it was about time Shaw was honest. Owen was the one who acted like an asshole but that generally described his entire personality. Compared to him, Elizabeth didn't seem the type. As warm as Shaw made Elsa from Frozen look, it seemed little more than a defense mechanism. "Are you still in contact with Cipher?"

"Not anymore."

When the lift became level with the ground, Letty drove out into the sunlight and onto the vast expanse of space that Little Nobody had said was a runway. "Did you work with Cipher last year?"

"No. Four years ago, I was in Moscow." Fuck the details. Letty didn't need to hear a goddamn sob story. "Hobbs showed up. He was hunting Owen. I ran, Hobbs chased. A billion dollars was on the line and I wasn't about to screw that up."

"You got caught?"

"Uh-huh. Next thing I know I'm in cuffs and on a plane to Guantanamo Bay."

"How'd you get out?"

"Connections. Twiddled my thumbs for eighteen months before a lawyer," Elizabeth made quotes with her fingers, "arrived. Been living in Cuba ever since."

"You weren't involved in what went down in Spain then."

She rested her head against the window and squeezed her eyes shut, forcing the tears back. "No. I didn't know any of that till Owen dumped it all on me during the flight from London to here two days ago. When he told me Riley was dead—"

Elizabeth's voice cracked. She swallowed, clenched her fists, forced herself to keep breathing. She could feel her nose starting to clog up, throat beginning to tighten. The Corvette hummed around her as Letty drove; the noise gave her something to focus on. Jesus, what was this, an episode of Jerry Springer?

"It feels like someone just ripped your fucking heart out of your chest," Letty said, tightening her grip on the wheel. She glanced across at Shaw to make sure she hadn't torn a hole in the seat, or damaged the interior in anyway. "And now you're expected to get it together and keep it that way, right? Yeah. I've been there."

That was exactly it. ". . . Who'd you lose?"

"Ivory. Vegh. Klaus. Adolfson. Denlinger. Jah. We worked together for your brother. We were the ones he hired to steal and build your billion dollar Nightshade device. I told myself I wasn't going to get emotionally involved but no-strings-attached sex probably wasn't the best way to avoid that."

Elizabeth tried not to laugh but the smile on Letty's face was plain. She smiled too instead, sat up and swept her fringe back out of her eyes. Was this what honesty felt like? What it sounded like? She hadn't been this open with anyone in a long time. There was a dull ache in her chest and her legs were a little cramped from the lack of room, but Elizabeth pushed the feelings aside.

"Anyway, Ivory got shot and killed after Owen decided to clean house, and the others died in Spain. The whole plane went up in flames."

"I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well it's all in the past for me. Not so much for you."

A snort came out as Elizabeth laughed. Wasn't that the truth? "Owen said you like to cut through the bullshit."

He'd said that? What else had that son of a bitch been telling her? Why exactly had they been talking about her in the first place? "Shit, man, I've lost too many people and been through too much to let grief destroy me. Eventually you just find an outlet so it doesn't eat you up . . . God, I sound like a fucking therapist, don't I? Guess I should charge you for the past ten minutes, but I'll take an IOU if you don't have cash."

"An IOU?" she said incredulously. "You are too kind. Once I can access the internet, I'll wire you some money."

"Sorry, cash only. We could work out some other method of payment though."

"The fun kind or the boring kind?"

Letty looked her up and down, taking in the smirk on Shaw's face. Talk about an unapologetic flirt. If she'd been around when they were younger and tried that shit on Dom, Letty would've beaten her ass. Skanks were one thing but a girl who wouldn't quit had to be taught a lesson. As it stood now, she didn't mind the attention. It felt kind of nice knowing she could still catch someone's eye besides Dom's. "You're hopeless, you know that?"

"And you're beautiful but you don't hear me complaining."

"Alright." Letty reached over and shoved her playfully. "You help me work on my car and we both pretend this conversation never happened."

A wolf-whistle escaped her before Letty could push her again. "I help you with your car, we pretend this conversation didn't take place," Elizabeth hesitated for a moment before finally speaking, "and you don't tell anyone my handprint can open the door to Cipher's bedroom."

"Her—" She eased up on the accelerator, finally came to a halt and parked outside the hangar. The doors were closed but it looked large enough to store a dismembered plane alright. "Did you two—"

"No." Elizabeth stepped out of the car, wiped her eyes with her sleeve and leaned against the side of the Corvette. "Screwing your boss complicates things, and Cipher was a little too OTT."

"You can say that again."

"The boss part or . . . Wait. You and Owen never slept together, did you?" God, if they had, that was something she really didn't want to think about. As comfortable as the four Shaw siblings were around each other, none of them had ever willingly broached the topic of their sex lives. No matter how much their mother had tried to talk about the birds and bees, what happened in the bedroom stayed in the bedroom.

"Screwing your boss complicates things," Letty mimicked. "You gonna raid her closet or something?"

"Pretty much. She had some nice boots last time we met."

"Let me guess: no one knows about your connection with Cipher, do they?" Letty could hear Dom and the others approaching. One minute and the team would be right beside them. "That's why Hobbs is looking for that truck."

"Hobbs is looking for it because I told him about it. Listen, Letty, I've never cooperated with a single cop in my life, but he has my brothers' heads on a chopping block." Maybe if Ortiz knew what was at stake, she'd be more likely to keep her mouth shut. "One wrong move and they're back in prison and my family gets torn apart again. I can't put Mum through that, or—"

Or Hattie. Hattie with her butt-ugly blonde hair and that stupid grin on her face, the only one of them who looked remotely like their mother; Hattie, the sister they would all kill to protect; the person they jointly loved more than anyone else. The bratty punk who could knock someone out with a cricket bat, and the kid sister Elizabeth willingly walked out on.

Join the club. "I once cooperated with the FBI for Dom's sake. Word of advice? Prison's better than a cemetery."

She was right. Elizabeth wouldn't admit it aloud but Ortiz had hit the nail on the head. At least Owen and Deckard would be alive and imprisoned. Beth pushed off the car and looked towards the Gurkha and Dodge as Hobbs and Dom parked next to them. There was a slight redness to her eyes and face, she'd noticed in her reflection, but nothing that couldn't be explained away by the heat.

"Who's got the keys?" Letty asked. She walked over to Dom as he stepped out, slipped her arm around his waist and kissed him on the cheek. "Come on, Reisner, we've been waiting all morning for your ass to catch up."

"Hang on, this thing's on roller doors. I just need to—"

Hobbs shook his head and approached the smaller, human-size door on the left. He lifted his foot, lined it up with the handle and delivered two hard blows to the door. It gave way with a high-pitch groan as the metal bent beneath his boot. "Ladies first."

"Thanks, Hobbs." Letty walked inside the hangar with Dom in tow. The plane was propped up on its wheels, the wings removed and stacked flat beside it. "This is it?" she asked Dom. staring up at the enormous transmitter attached to the roof. Sunlight poured into the hangar through the door, illuminating the room enough for them to see the plane's bulk. "Dom?"

"I think I need to remind you why you chose to be here." The memory of Elena behind the glass with Marcus flashed through his mind as Dom nodded, shifting his eyes towards the rear of the plane. "That's it."

"Good," Hobbs said. "Let's rip it open."

"One question: did you check for bombs?"

"Whoa, hold on." Roman looked at Deckard as he, Tej, Ramsey, Little Nobody, Dom and Letty assembled just inside the doorway. "What bombs? No one said anything about bombs!"

"I promise you we scanned the entire thing," Little Nobody said. "There are no explosive devices concealed within the fuselage."

Roman nodded in relief, a faint smile on his face. The last thing he needed was someone setting his ass on fire. "Good. That's good."

"What about an anchor?"

"There's a crane on the other side," Little Nobody said, gesturing to the far corner. "It'll give us the height we need."

"Only one person has to get inside and open the doors, right?" Rome looked at Tej as if to say 'back me up'. "The rest of us can just wait out here where it's safe? Always one of those emergency buttons somewhere."

"What about hatches?"

"Welded shut." Deckard said, voice echoing inside the hangar as he ducked beneath the plane. He touched a sealed hatch that likely would've led to a luggage compartment once upon a time. "Cipher didn't want anyone getting in."

"Less talking," Hobbs tossed two bags down on the floor. Elizabeth was right behind him, two bags slung over her shoulders and one gripped in both hands. She dropped them, rolled her shoulders then unzipped all five bags. "More unpacking. And someone turn on the goddamn lights."

"Feed me another foot of line, Decks." Elizabeth clutched the rope in her hands, easing it through her gloved grip. Why she'd agreed to get up on the roof of a goddamn plane, she didn't know, but it probably had something to do with the look Letty had given her. The look that said if Elizabeth wanted access to that room, she'd be the one doing most of the work.

Her boots still weren't touching the roof, Beth noted, unlike Letty's. Her brother and Hobbs were working the ropes while the others watched from the ground. Everything was tinted green through their welding masks, Hobbs included. He really did look like the Hulk, Ortiz insisted, but Beth couldn't see the resemblance.

"Drill, check, cut," Letty muttered to herself as she eased the power tool out from her bag. The enormous hangar bay doors were finally open too, filling the building with light. "Sounds easy enough."

"There'll be power cables running the length of the roof cavity." Whatever they did, they couldn't sever a single one or this thing would turn into a giant electrified coffin. "One inch wrong and it'll make getting struck by lightning seem like fun."

"Y'know, your brother should be the one up here doing this."

"Too bad I don't trust anyone else with my life."

"I meant the other one. Owen's the reason we're in this mess."

Their wilful ignorance was the real reason but Elizabeth wasn't going to run her mouth now.

Hole after hole Letty drilled. Every time they checked, there was some kind of cabling in the way. After thirty minutes of carefully working her way along the fuselage, however, she finally found a clear space towards the pilot's end. Elizabeth took her time cutting, never lifting her gaze from the metal. Letty kept her eyes on the camera feed, watching from a few feet away for the first sign that they had gotten through.

Another thirty minutes passed and finally, Letty glimpsed the flame flicker into view. "Shaw, hold it! We're in!"

The torch was turned off and left behind her to cool. Elizabeth gripped the ropes and stood, only to slam her foot down on the newly-made hatch. The fuselage gave way, falling and clattering against the inner roof. She could feel the heat from the metal through her boot. Given the size of the hatch, less than three feet wide and two-point-five feet length-wise, Elizabeth didn't want to risk third-degree burns by touching the edges.

"Screw waiting," she muttered. The inner roof would only have to bear her weight for a moment. If she dropped down, hit it and rolled, the likelihood of collapse was minimal. "Deckard, I'm unclipping myself."

"No! I can lower you in."

"Not with any amount of accuracy."

"I knew we should've brought nitrogen." Letty swore under her breath. "It's always you Shaws getting me into some risky shit, isn't it?"

"If you didn't like it, you'd have walked away by now." Elizabeth detached herself from the cabling, shuffled forward towards the gaping hole in the plane, then jumped. Arms above her head, she felt a slight pain as her right hand brushed the fuselage. Her feet hit the metal floor of the roof cavity. Immediately, Elizabeth rolled sideways on impact. Letty tossed her their two bags less than a moment later then she scrambled out of the way with them before Letty jumped down as well, landing with a thud.

"So where's this bedroom?"

"Down below. There should be—"

"The hatch is two feet behind you."

Oh. Good. Elizabeth pushed herself up into a crouch, turned around, and edged forward to lift the maintenance hatch open. Beneath her, the creamy carpeted interior of a hallway stretched in either direction. "There's two levels. Wooden stairs are somewhere towards the tail. Her bedroom and office were on the lower level, I think."

"You think?"

"It's been a while. If you wanted an accurate layout, maybe you should've asked your husband."

"We had a fucking heart to heart and now you're going back to the ice queen act?" One minute Shaw was nice, the next she was saying shit like that? "Jesus."

"Sod off. You said he was on here only a few months ago. His memory of it would be better than mine."

Letty raised her hands in surrender before lowering herself through the hatch. She landed on the carpet, stepping aside for Shaw. Their bags were dropped down first. "My bad. Point made. You go get yourself some clothes while I check the cabin for a big button that says 'open sesame'."

"Fingers crossed there's anything left." For all Elizabeth knew, Little Nobody's government buddies had stripped the plane's interior and taken whatever wasn't bolted down. Her feet hit the carpet below with a soft thump. "Guess I''ll see you downstairs."

"Don't take too long."

Who was she? Magdalene? Beth didn't need a reminder of the fact her window of opportunity was closing with each passing second. The more time she took, the more grouchy Hobbs and Deckard would become. "Sure thing," Elizabeth muttered, walking in the opposite direction, "Boss."