Ron, Kim, and Brian are quiet, following Dom as he leads them to the door os his garage; he is strangely quiet, tense, and they sense that whatever he has in mind, is something very important to him.
The door of Dom's garage rolled aside, coming to a stop with a clank of metal, and in the dim interior a black and silver car stood. The three of them stared; even at rest the car seemed to radiate power, as if the metal body were a shall holding back the car that longs for speed.
"900 horses of Detroit muscle," Dom said softly. "It's a beast." He started to walk around the car. "Know what she ran at Palmdale?" he asked.
"What did she run?" Brian asked, following him.
"Nine seconds flat," Dom said with a little smile.
"Wow," Kim gasped.
"My dad was driving," Dom went on, a little note of pride entering his voice. "So much torque, the chassis twisted coming over the line. . .barely kept it on the track," he added with a little chuckle.
"So what's your best time?" Ron asked.
"I've never driven it," Dom said flatly.
Brian looked at him. "What-"
Dom looked away, then back at the car. "Scares the shit out of me," he admitted softly.
Kim, Ron, And Brian all were quiet for a long moment. The admission, spoken so softly and simply, is so unlike the Dominic Toretto they know - the brash racer, the loud, humorous family man.
Dom turned suddenly and pointed to a picture pinned on the far wall. "That's my dad," he said, then turned away, as if he couldn't look at it. The three stood silently, watching, listening, as Dom went on, his voice low, but heavy with emotion. "He was coming up in the pro stock car circuit. The last race of the season, a guy called Kenny Linder came up from inside the final turn; clipped the bumper, put him into the wall at 120. . ." His voice trails away for a moment. "I watched. . . my dad burn to death," he says with a catch in his voice. "I remembered hearing him scream. . .t he peopl who were there said that he died before the tanks blew. . ." he turned slowly to look over his shoulder. "They said it was me that was screaming."
"I saw Linder about a week later. I had a wrench-" he moved his hand suggestive of the heavy tool he held long ago. "-and I hit him. I didn't intend to keep hitting him," Dom said, his voice rising, the words coming faster now. "But by the time I was done, I couldn't lift my arm!"
Brian settled himself against a table, while Kim and Ron stood, all three listening as Dom grabs at a hanging length of rope, staring far away from the here and now.
"He's a. . . janitor in a high school. Has to take the bus to work every day." He turned to look at them, his eyes dark and hooded with an old, old pain. ". . .and they banned me from the tracks for life."
Kim licked her lips, feeling a thick sense of sympathy rising - even knowing how dangerous Dom might be, even knowing he could be the criminal they are trying to catch, the naked pain Dom is showing, the deep trust he gives in talking about this, wins her heart like nothing ever has before.
"I live my life a quarter-mile at a time," Dom said. "Nothing else matters: not the mortgage, not the store; not my team and all their bullshit. . . For those ten seconds or less, I'm free."
The garage door rattled as Dom pulled it closed, the three slipping out behind him as he closed the door once more on the past, throwing the car into shadow, closing the door on the car, and the past that it represents.
The sign of Bueno nacho clicked to life as the power switch was thrown, throwing light out into the gathering evening.
Brian, Mia, Kim, and Ron sit at a table inside, enjoying what Bueno Nacho offered for dinner. Actually, Kim and Brian were; Ron, along with Rufus, was swallowing down a Naco, while Mia, sitting opposite him, watched him carefully, then tried to copy him, combining her own Nacho and taco to make the meal that Kim could only barely stand to watch Ron eat; now Brian, sitting beside her, slightly leans away as she throws her head back, carefully taking in her hot and cheesy dish.
"Mhmm!" she declared, licking her lip, then burped.
Ron leaned back, throwing a grin at Kim. "You see, Kim? It's a growing trend."
"'Growing' is right!" Brian muttered, flicking away a splatter of cheese off his shoulder; Mia offered him a slightly embarrassed smile as apology.
"So, Mia," Kim said, trying to return to the subject of conversation. "You were telling us about when Dom got back from his. . . detainment," she awkwardly finished with a euphemism for 'prison'.
"Yeah," Mia said, rubbing at her face with a paper napkin. "Great idea, Ron, that was great!" she added, glancing across at Ron, who grinned back.
"Did he get in any trouble since then?" Brian asked, sharing a glance with Kim, both of them trying not to frown.
"Oh, no - you've seen how he is!" Mia insisted. "He seems like a real loose cannon, but he's real smart, and careful; he cares so much about me, and his other family and friends, he'd never let himself get in trouble for that!"
Kim nodded, meeting Brian's glance: so far, trying to gently question Mia had added some corroboration to what they already knew, but had lended no new information, except to confirm, in Kim's mind at least, that if Dom was involved in some bad things, it must be for good reasons, to take care of the people he cared about.
"Well, guys," Ron said, pushing himself back from the table. "I think it's time I was getting to bed." Beside him, Rufus stretched and yawned very theatrically.
"Aw, come on!" Mia whined. "It's not late!"
Kim glanced out the window at the gathering darkness: if it wasn't late yet, it soon would be. "Actually, I think Ron's right," she said, and shot Brian a glance.
He hesitated, glancing at Mia, then he nodded fractionally. "You know, Mia - Dom will kill us if we keep you out too late," he said, framing the nudge homeward with an awkward joke.
Mia heaved a sigh and rolled her eyes. "Fine," she muttered.
Stepping out of Bueno Nacho into the gathering twilight, the foursome heads to their two cars; Kim and Ron settled into theirs quite easily, Kim behind the wheel, Ron beside her, but opposite them, Mia deftly slipped past Brian into the driver's seat and slams the door shut.
"Hey!" Brian protested, half-smiling as he looked in at her.
She smiled impudently back, and pointed him to the passenger seat. He shook his head, so she held up her left hand with his keys; his hand darted to his pocket and came up empty; he glared at her, and merely she grinned from ear to ear. Brian walked around to the passenger side with wry grin. He shot Kim a glance, then settled into the passenger seat beside Mia.
The engines of both cars came to life, and they pulled out and away from the Bueno Nacho parking lot, first out into the city street, then away onto a multilane throughway where they found themselves behind a red light.
Pulled up side by side, Kim looked out the window to her left and saw Mia looking back - both girls' eyes met, and Kim felt an unexpected lightness in her chest, her heart beat a little faster, and she could see a light glint in Mia's eyes. She looked forward again, and pressed her foot down on the gas; the engine roared , ready to take off the instant the light turned green.
"Uh. . . Kim?" Ron said anxiously.
"Trust me, Ron," Kim said confidently. "I've got everything under control!"
In the other car, Brian looked toward the sound of the revving engine, a little confused, then at Mia as she likewise revved her engine (technically HIS engine!) "Uh, Mia?" he said.
"Yeah?"
"What are you doing?" he asked.
She grinned, looking past him at Kim. "Having a little fun."
The light turned from red to green, and with a twin roar of powerful engines, the two cars took off; Ron clutched at his armrest while Rufus squealed in terror as Kim floored it, taking off with a wild start; she glanced to her left to see Mia matching her every move.
The multilane avenue was mostly empty this late, but an 18-wheeler loomed out of the darkness, and its driver hammered his horn savagely as the two girls looped around it, both coming within feet of brushing against it.
In seconds the truck disappeared behind them, and the two girl drivers accelerated down the dark street, mostly ignoring their male passengers.
The road turns, and they take it hard, each pulling the curve as tight as they can go, only accelerating faster as they pull out of the curve onto another long straight stretch: they pull down it neck and neck, Mia pulling ahead a few inched, only for Kim to reclaim the lead.
Then ahead the flashing lights of a railroad crossing flash.
"Kim!" Ron squeals.
Brian grips his door, his face pale.
Kim and Mia slam on the brakes at the same instant, and both cars screech to a halt, still going neck and neck to the very last second when both come to a halt.
Kim drew in a shaky breath, not ready to admit how scared she was, but still grinning with exhilaration. She glances over to meet Mia' gaze again and sees the same mix of excitement and fear in her rival's eyes.
"Kim!" Ron exclaimed. "What got into you?!" Rufus jumped on the dashboard and excitedly chattered at her before clumping back, worn out from the few minutes of terror.
Kim shrugged, a little embarrassed. "Well, anyway, Ron," she said. "Let's get back to the motel." She gave a wave to the other car, returned by Brian, and Mia, a little shakily, and the foursome parted, Brian to take Mia home and then go back to his own quarters.
Kim drove toward their motel at a more sedate pace, so Ron felt comfortable letting go of the armrest and the door. "So, what do you think Kim?" he asked her casually. "Is Dom a bad guy?"
Kim was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know," she admitted softly. "I hope not," she added.
"Yeah, he sure seems like a cool guy," Ron added, leaning back in his seat.
"He is," Kim agreed. She was quiet for a long moment. "But if he really is the hijacker, then he needs to go to jail," she added, a little reluctantly, but with determination.
After that, the conversation lapsed, and Kim drove in silence while Ron kicked back, relaxing for the short calm ride. But then, as they went on, Rufus suddenly perked up; he jumped up on the dashboard and stared away into the darkness. Whirling around, he chatter out loud, waving his arms, jerking his paws toward something out in the gathering darkness.
"Hey, Rufus, what is it, buddy?" Ron asked, sitting upright.
Kim glanced away from the road to follow Rufus' jerking frantic paw; for an instant she caught the flash of headlights through the shadows, her heart raced as she caught a familiar outline for half an instnat. "Motor Ed!" she exclaimed, her eyes narrowed.
"What? Where?!" Ron exclaimed, looking around.
Without answering, Kim heeled the wheel far over, taking the car hard around a corner. "Whoa!" Ron shouted, grabbing for a handhold as the car spun.
"Aaah!" Rufus screamed as he went flying; Ron threw out a hand and caught Rufus out of the air. "Got you, buddy!" he said.
Kim noted that out the corner of her eye, but she doesn't say anything, even to apologize; instead, she focused hard on the road before her, slamming her foot down hard on the accelerator.
Ron cried out again as the car breasted a slope, almost going airborne as Kim pulled a hard left, bringing them onto a major highway; a few miles down the pavement, they saw flashing lights, and a tall hulking form that quickly materialized into an 18-wheeler pulled over by the side of the road, surrounded by several familiar cars.
"The hijackers!" Ron exclaimed.
"Get ready!" Kim said, her grip firm on the wheel. She drew her foot off the gas and slammed it down hard on the brake, turning the wheel hard over so the car spun through a wide 360-degree spin, tires screaming, smoke thrown up around them as she brought the car to a sudden halt. "Come on, Ron!" Kim said, throwing her door open and leaping out into the dark.
"I've got your back, KP!" Ron shouted, following her.
"Uh-huh!" Rufus called shrilly, right beside him.
The night here is a confusing medley of shadows and blindingly bright beams of light from the headlights: the three of them squared up in the blinding medley, confronted by about a half-dozen black-masked ruffians, and one tall heavily muscled villain who would stand out anywhere. "Like, seriously, what are you guys doing here? Seriously," Motor Ed said in his rough gravelly voice. "We're like, way out in the middle of nowhere. Seriously."
His masked goons rush at the heroes, wrenches and heavy chains swinging, but Kim struck first: she kicked the first one in the face, flipping the masked thug head over heels; using the force of the kick she whirled away to punch another in the gut; she gave him an uppercut, sending him backward into the side of the stopped 18-wheeler.
A third goon rushed at Ron, hands outstretched: Ron met his attack, and the two struggled upright for a moment, then Rufus bounded between the goon's legs, lashing out with sharp teeth at the goon's ankle. He cried out and fell away, hopping painfully on one foot.
Motor Ed jumped into the fray now, large fists swinging: he missed Kim's face as she ducked her head, then again as she sprung backward, cartwheeling, her body passing alternately through light and shadow, bounding through and past several more goons, knocking them sprawling before she landed on her feet, having circled back to Motor Ed; she rose up, fist first, striking Motor Ed hard on the jaw, lifting him off his feet.
A shrill whistle rang out through the darkness as Motor Ed scrambled to his feet. "We've got what we came for," he said. "Let's split, like, seriously!"
Masked goons suddenly sprang away, leaping into their cars, anonymous in the confusing mix of light and darkness; Kim jumped after Motor Ed, but he kicked her hard in the belly as he jumped up into his special rig. The engine roared to life, and Motor Ed took off, followed by the other cars of his gang.
Kim started to race to their car, but even as she started moving, Motor Ed slammed into the hood of her car, knocking it aside with the sound of crunching metal. "See you later, losers!" Motor Ed called out mockingly as the small convoy of cars disappeared into the thickening darkness.
Kim stood, her hands in fists by her sides, standing straight and tense, her teeth gritted with anger, glaring furiously into the darkness after the disappeared Motor Ed and his crew.
"Uh. . . Kim?" Ron said anxiously, seeing how angry she is.
Without a word to him, Kim thrust her right hand into a pocket and came out with her phone. She quickly called Brian's number.
"Yeah?" Brian responded after the second ring.
"We're gonna arrest Tran tomorrow," she told him through gritted teeth.
"What? What are we gonna get him on?" Brian asked, confused.
"Don't worry; just get into his garage; the proof will all be there," Kim assured him, then slammed her phone down again.
A SWAT team stormed into Tran's garage, armored, brandishing weapons; Brian went in, just behind the leader, dressed like the SWAT cops, with a black mask over his head to hide his identity.
One of Tran's gang was cuahgt right before the door; he stared at them with widened eyes for a second, then turned to run; two SWAT men slammed into him from behind, knocking him to the ground beneath them and quickly, ruthlessly, efficiently, restrained him.
The cops stormed through the small building, taking down Tran's whole gang in less than a minute; Brian himself had the pleasure of catching Tran as he raced for the back door and tackling him from behind, bearing him to the floor with a very satisfying 'Thud!'
Brian wasted no time in cuffing Tran, then jerking him to his feet. As he did, a SWAT man caught up to him. "You should come see this," he said.
Brian followed the SWAT man, gleefully pulled tran after him, the gang leader wincing in pain as Brian tugged him not at all gently into a back room of the garage. He stopped and whistled, staring at a pile of electronic goods, from many different sources, piled up from floor to ceiling, filling half the room.
The SWAT team leader smiled in satisfaction and turned to Tran. "You're going down for a long time" He said happily.
Tran grinned with his teeth showing. "Don't bet on it, pig!" he snapped.
About an hour later, Brian was in an office with Kim and Ron; out through a one-way mirror, they could see Tran's whole gang, sitting in a nondescript room, cuffed and waiting to be processed.
The air of the room is light, tension from the long time undercover released by the sudden end of the operation; Brian leaned back in a chair, looking through the glass with a smile, while Kim stood nearby, her legs spread, one hand cocked on her hip, her lips curled in a grin of triumph.
"But Motor Ed got away," Ron pointed out, the only little bit of rain on their sunny day.
"For now," Brian said confidently. "We'll pick him up real soon - he's lost his gang, his hideout, and his stolen goods; he won't get far."
Any further conversation was cut off by the door latch clicking; it opened wide, revealing Sgt. Tanner, his face dark.
"So..." Brian said with a casual smile. "Come to congratulate us?"
"It was no big!" Kim said modestly as Sgt. Tanner stepped in.
"No," he said flatly, settling into the seat behind the lone desk in the room. The others were distracted by activity from the other room; they look and see a few cops helping Tran and his gang to their feet, and uncuffing them.
"What, what are you doing?!" Brian exclaimed, outraged. He whirled to stare at Sgt. Tanner in outrage.
"Cutting them loose," Sgt. Tanner said tiredly.
"What - why?!" Kim cried out angrily.
"Lack of evidence."
Kim stared at him; not sure she believed her ears. "What do you mean, lack of evidence?!" she almost screamed. "It was all right there! Stolen electronic goods!"
"No," Sgt. Tanner said heavily. "Not stolen - purchased legally."
Kim and Brian stared at him, shocked, Ron did too.
"What the heck would Tran be doing with a lot of electronic goods he bought legally?" Ron asked, confused.
"He wouldn't!" Kim shouted, her voice rising now. "He stole it! We almost got him last night while he was doing it!"
Sgt. Tanner looked away.
"The only reason he would possibly have all those sitting around in his workshop is to throw off suspicion," Kim said angrily, leaning on his desk, glaring at him. "He's in this up to his neck!"
Sgt. Tanner could only shrug. "Can you prove that?" he asked calmly.
Kim was silent, her jaw clenched, she glared at him.
Sgt. Tanner nodded. "Thought so," he said. "Now, about you," he said, turning to Brian.
"What about me?' Brian asked, confused.
"About you and Mia," Sgt. Tanner said.
Brian froze for a split second. "What about us?" he asked challengingly.
"That there is an 'us'." Sgt. tTnner snapped. "You're undercover; don't get too close. Especially since her brother is your next subject."
"Dom?" Kim gasped.
"Yes." Sgt. Tanner stood to his feet. "Get to work; we don't have much time before the truckers start taking things into their own hands - and then someone might end up killed!"
Together again at Bueno Nacho, Kim, Ron, and Brian sat alone at a table. The atmosphere was glum, broken only by Ron industriously demolishing another bueno Nacho meal, ably assisted as always by Rufus.
"So, what can we do now?" Kim asked aloud.
Brian shrugged. "We go back to Dom, and try to get evidence he's our perp," he said. He didn't sound excited by the prospect, in fact he sounded depressed - which Kim could agree with completely; they didn't WANT Dom to be the bad guy - but it looked like they had no choice about it.
"You know," Ron spoke up suddenly, his mouth filled with cheese. "One thing I don't get is-" he stopped to swallow a big mouthful, then he burped loudly. "-what were all those electronics doing there in Tran's garage?"
"What do you mean?" Kim asked. "They were planted there to distract us, so when they were arrested, we had to let them go."
"No, he's got a point," Brian said thoughtfully.
"What do YOU mean?" Kim asked him.
"Well...how long were they there for? How long was Tran planning for this?" Brian shrugged. "Good questions, but we may never get the answers to them."
"No," Ron said, then paused to take a bite. "I mean, what were they there for? What was Tran goiung to do with them?" he asked through a thin spray of crumbs. "If he's stealing all these electronics, what are they for?"
Kim and Brian shared a look. Brian shook his head dismissively. "He's just stealing them for money," he said.
But Kim looked thoughtful. "If Motor Ed is involved there's got to be more: he's a mechanical genius, he's always got some plan." Thinking quickly, Kim pulled out her Kimmunicator. "Hey, Wade?" she said, calling up her tech support.
"Oh, hey, Kim," he said. "I was just about to call you."
"Wade, can you take a look at all the things that were stolen, and see what Motor Ed could build with them all?" Kim asked.
"Sure thing," he said, leaning forward in his seat to type furiously at his keyboard. "Done, it'll take a few minutes to finish, though," He straightened up and looked at Kim. "But there's something else you need to see," he added.
"Go ahead, Wade," Kim said, Ron and Brian leaning over to look over her shoulder, while Rufus took advantage of the opportunity to grab a whole lot more food.
Wade clicked a few buttons, calling up a still image, showing Motor Ed talking to someone whose face was turned away too far for the camera to see. "I managed to pull this up from a surveillance camera before it was knocked out at one of the robbery sites," he explained; with another keystroke, the image started to move; it's a little blurred, and the audio was scratchy.
"How many more heists do you have planned?" the person asked.
"Dude, seriously, just one more, then we've got everything we need!" Motor Ed said
"And what about Dominic Toretto?" the person asked; Kim strained her ears, trying to identify the voice, but the audio was off, and she couldn't.
"Dudde, seriously?" Motor Ed said. "Baldy's gotta go, and his whole family with him."
The image froze again, then dissolved into static. The static cleared to show Wade, looking anxious. "Sorry, guys, that's all I could get," he said quietly.
The other three looked at each other in shock, not knowing what to make of this.
Wade's computer made a noise, and he checked it. "Uh, guys?" he said. "There's more."
"Go ahead, Wade," Kim said, her voice tense.
Wade clicked at his keyboard. "So, I checked the manifests of every shipment that was stolen and I cross-indexed them to show what Motor Ed could build with them all...it's not good guys," he said, looking at the camera, his eyes wide with worry.
"How bad is it?" Kim asked.
Wade clicked a key, and a constructed image of a giant monster truck appeared. "He could build a monster truck-" the image shifted, showing a tall building next to the truck, then it shrunk down, until it was dwarfed by the giant monster truck. "-big enough to level the whole city! He could build it with all kinds of powerful weapons and defences to make it unstoppable!"
Kim gaped, then her jaw tightened, her eyes narrowed. "Thanks, Wade," she said, then clicked off. She thrust the Kimmunicator into her pocket then stood to her feet. "Come on," she said, starting for the door.
"Where are we going?" Ron asked, scrambling to his feet.
"Don't know," Kim said flatly.
"What are we doing?" Brian asked, following after her.
"Don't know," Kim said again.
Reaching the door, she pulled it open, then turned to look at the guys. "But whatever it is, we're going to do it fast!" she declared.