"Gerald Wilson is the key," you announce to the assembled crew. "Not the maintenance window itself, but his credentials. They'll get us access to critical areas without triggering security protocols."
Dom nods, the decision crystallizing. "So we focus on the man, not the facility."
"Exactly." You activate your interface, displaying Wilson's information only you can see while describing it to the group. "Gerald Wilson. Fifty-seven. Head of maintenance for the Union Depository for twelve years. Security clearance Level 4—enough to access every area except the vault itself."
"And you're sure about his gambling problem?" Brian asks, professional assessment in his voice.
"Certain," you confirm. "He travels to Vegas monthly. Last three trips, he's lost a combined eighty-seven thousand dollars. His salary is one-twenty a year. Math doesn't add up."
Tej whistles low. "That's leverage."
"No," Dom interjects firmly. "Not leverage. We don't threaten civilians." His eyes lock with yours, the boundary clear. "That's not how my family operates."
Your interface calculates alternatives:
[STRATEGY REVISION: IN PROGRESS]
[LEVERAGE APPROACH: REJECTED]
[COVERT ACQUISITION: RECOMMENDED]
[ELECTRONIC DUPLICATION: 78% SUCCESS PROBABILITY]
"Agreed," you respond smoothly. "We don't need to involve Wilson directly. We just need his credentials for sixty seconds—long enough for Tej to clone them without Wilson ever knowing they were compromised."
Relief visibly passes through several crew members—a reminder that despite their criminal activities, Dom's family operates with a code.
"So we need his movements, patterns, routine," Letty summarizes. "Find the moment when we can get close enough for the tech to work without him noticing."
"We have eleven hours until the maintenance window starts," you note. "Meaning we need Wilson's credentials before 2 AM."
Dom takes command naturally. "Teams of two. Brian and Jesse track his digital footprint—financial records, phone activity. Vince and Leon on physical surveillance at the Depository. Letty coordinates from here." He turns to you. "You, me, Tej, and Gisele handle the acquisition once we have his location."
The strategic division perfectly balances skills and trust levels. Your interface approves:
[TEAM ALLOCATION: OPTIMAL]
[MISSION ROLES: PROPERLY DISTRIBUTED]
[SUCCESS PROBABILITY: INCREASING]
Within thirty minutes, the operation is underway. Brian and Jesse establish a makeshift digital command center in the garage office, their combined skills penetrating Wilson's financial records. Vince and Leon depart for surveillance positions around the Depository, their reluctance at following your plan evident but overridden by loyalty to Dom.
"Got something," Brian calls just after noon. "Wilson's credit card just hit at Marino's Steakhouse downtown. Business lunch."
Dom nods to you, Tej, and Gisele. "We're up. Separate vehicles, standard intercept procedure."
The BMW purrs to life as you follow Dom's Charger from the garage. Gisele rides with you, her presence both professional and something more complicated that your interface flags:
[GISELE YASHAR: PROXIMITY ANALYSIS]
[PHYSICAL INDICATORS: CONTROLLED BUT PRESENT]
[PROFESSIONAL BOUNDARIES: MAINTAINED BUT PERMEABLE]
[INTERACTION QUALITY: EVOLVING]
"You never finished telling me," she says as you navigate through downtown traffic. "About where you're from. What it was like."
The unexpected personal inquiry catches you slightly off-guard. "Similar to this world in many ways. Different in others." You pause, considering how much to reveal. "There, all of this—Dom, the crew, the heists—they were stories. Entertainment."
"And now you're living inside the story," she observes.
"Now I'm changing it," you correct her. "Creating something new."
Her expression reveals nothing, but your interface detects subtle shifts in her vitals:
[SUBJECT: GISELE YASHAR]
[CURIOSITY LEVEL: ELEVATED]
[PERSONAL INTEREST: CONFIRMED]
[CONNECTION POTENTIAL: SIGNIFICANT]
"We're approaching the restaurant," you say, refocusing on the mission. "Tej should be in position."
Marino's occupies the ground floor of a glass-fronted office building, its upscale clientele perfect cover for your operation. Your interface scans the restaurant as you pull into a monitoring position across the street:
[SCANNING VENUE: MARINO'S STEAKHOUSE]
[TARGET IDENTIFICATION: CONFIRMED]
[GERALD WILSON - TABLE 14, WEST WALL]
[DINING WITH: MALE, 40-45, BUSINESS ATTIRE, LIKELY SUPERVISOR]
[ESTIMATED MEAL DURATION: 45-60 MINUTES]
"He's inside," you confirm through the comm system Tej distributed earlier. "Table against the west wall, business lunch with what appears to be his supervisor."
"Copy that," Dom responds from his position two blocks north. "Tej?"
"In position," Tej confirms. "Running the signal intercept program now. When his phone connects to the restaurant's Wi-Fi, I'll get an alert."
"Visual confirmation on target," Gisele adds, having smoothly exited the BMW to establish a closer observation point at a café across from Marino's. "Gray suit, red tie, balding. Exactly as described."
Your interface monitors all communication channels while tracking Wilson's position through the restaurant's windows. The precision of the team's coordination impresses even your calculated assessment—they function with the synchronization of long-practiced criminals.
"Alert," Tej's voice comes through the comm. "Wilson's phone just connected to the Wi-Fi. I'm accessing his calendar now." A brief pause. "Got it. After lunch, he has a 2:30 meeting at his bank. Wells Fargo on Figueroa."
Your interface immediately maps the optimal interception point:
[LOCATION ANALYSIS: WELLS FARGO - FIGUEROA BRANCH]
[ENTRY/EXIT POINTS: 3 STANDARD, 1 EMERGENCY]
[SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS: 14 VISIBLE]
[OPPORTUNITY ASSESSMENT: BANKING HALL - MODERATE CROWD DENSITY]
"The bank gives us better options than the restaurant," you decide. "Less controlled environment, more distractions."
"Agreed," Dom responds. "We relocate now. Gisele, maintain visual on target until he leaves Marino's."
The team shifts with practiced efficiency. You reposition the BMW to a strategic vantage point near the bank while Dom establishes a secondary position. Tej sets up his electronic surveillance equipment in a coffee shop with line-of-sight to the bank entrance.
Your interface calculates timing as Wilson's lunch concludes:
[TARGET: DEPARTING RESTAURANT]
[ESTIMATED ARRIVAL AT BANK: 14:26]
[WINDOW FOR CREDENTIAL ACQUISITION: 14:26 - 15:10]
[OPTIMAL METHOD: PROXIMITY CLONE DURING TRANSACTION]
"Target on the move," Gisele reports. "Walking toward bank, approximately seven minutes out."
"Copy," you respond. "Dom, recommend you take position inside the bank. Business customer approach. Tej and I will handle the electronic acquisition from outside."
"Copy that," Dom acknowledges. "Gisele, secondary position, south entrance."
The plan executes with precision as Wilson approaches the bank. Dom enters two minutes ahead of him, establishing position at a deposit slip counter with line-of-sight to the teller windows. Gisele takes position near the south entrance, posing as a customer checking her phone.
"Target entering now," Dom reports quietly. "Moving to teller line, position three."
Your interface activates the specialized function designed for this exact scenario:
[REMOTE ACCESS: TEJ'S EQUIPMENT]
[RANGE ENHANCEMENT: ACTIVATED]
[SIGNAL PENETRATION: MAXIMUM]
[TARGET ACQUISITION: GERALD WILSON'S SECURITY CREDENTIALS]
"Tej, activate the RFID scanner," you direct through the comm. "Maximum range, focused on teller position three."
"Copy," Tej responds. "Scanner active. Need sixty seconds of continuous proximity once he presents ID or cards."
The operation hinges on the most mundane of banking activities—Wilson presenting identification to the teller. Your interface monitors through Dom's camera feed, calculating probabilities and adjusting parameters in real-time.
"Target reaching for wallet," Dom reports. "ID card visible. Credentials attached to same keyring."
Your interface confirms:
[TARGET CREDENTIALS: VISUAL CONFIRMATION]
[UNION DEPOSITORY SECURITY PASS: PRESENT]
[RFID SIGNAL: DETECTED BUT WEAK]
[SIGNAL STRENGTH: 42% - INSUFFICIENT FOR CLONING]
"Signal too weak," you inform the team. "Tej, we need closer proximity."
"Copy," Tej responds. "Dom, need you to move within three meters of target."
Dom smoothly abandons the deposit slips, moving to the adjacent teller window just as Wilson begins his transaction. The casual repositioning appears entirely natural while bringing him within optimal range of Wilson's exposed credentials.
[SIGNAL STRENGTH: 87% - SUFFICIENT]
[CLONING PROCESS: INITIATED]
[PROGRESS: 22%...47%...68%...]
"Steady," you instruct. "Thirty more seconds."
The bank's environment suddenly shifts as a security guard begins moving through the lobby, conducting a routine patrol. Your interface calculates his trajectory:
[SECURITY GUARD: APPROACHING DOM'S POSITION]
[ESTIMATED INTERCEPT: 15 SECONDS]
[RISK ASSESSMENT: MODERATE]
"Dom, security approaching your position," you warn. "Fifteen seconds."
Dom doesn't acknowledge verbally, but his posture shifts slightly—prepared for potential interaction while maintaining his position near Wilson.
[CLONING PROGRESS: 84%...92%...98%]
[PROCESS COMPLETE: 100%]
[CREDENTIAL DATA: ACQUIRED]
[VERIFICATION: SUCCESSFUL]
"We got it," Tej confirms through the comm. "Full credential package captured. Clean acquisition."
"Copy that," Dom responds casually, completing his teller transaction and moving toward the exit before the security guard reaches his position.
Wilson remains completely unaware, continuing his banking business as your team smoothly extracts from the operation. Within five minutes, all members have returned to their vehicles and are clearing the area without a trace of their presence.
Back at the garage, Tej connects his equipment to his custom laptop, transferring the captured credential data.
"This is gold," he confirms, fingers flying across the keyboard. "Complete security profile, access permissions, biometric template—everything we need to create a perfect duplicate."
"How long?" Dom asks.
"Physical duplicate? Four hours," Tej estimates. "Need specific RFID chips, proper encoding equipment."
"Make it happen," Dom directs, then turns to the assembled crew. "Phase one complete. Wilson never knew we were there. That's how we operate—clean, professional, invisible."
Your interface registers the approval in his tone:
[DOM TORETTO: SATISFACTION LEVEL - HIGH]
[CREW COHESION: STRENGTHENING]
[MISSION PROGRESS: ON SCHEDULE]
As the crew disperses to prepare for the next phase, Gisele approaches you, expression contemplative.
"That was impressive," she acknowledges. "The coordination, the precision. It wasn't just the technology—it was how you anticipated every variable."
"Experience," you offer simply.
"More than that," she counters. "You saw patterns that shouldn't be visible. Calculated probabilities in seconds." Her eyes search yours. "It's like watching someone who's already seen how everything plays out."
The observation comes dangerously close to the truth. Your interface analyzes her statement:
[GISELE YASHAR: PERCEPTION ACCURACY - 87%]
[SECURITY RISK ASSESSMENT: LOW]
[TRUST POTENTIAL: HIGH]
"In a way, I have," you admit cautiously. "Not this exactly, but similar scenarios. Where I'm from, this crew's reputation was legendary."
Something changes in her expression—understanding solidifying into certainty. "You know our futures. What happens to all of us."
The question carries weight beyond simple curiosity. Your interface presents response options, but you find yourself setting aside its calculated suggestions, choosing instinct over algorithm.
"I knew possible futures," you correct gently. "But my presence here changes everything. The future is unwritten now."
Her hand briefly touches yours—so quickly it might not have happened at all. "Good," she says simply before moving away to join Dom's tactical discussion.
The credential acquisition complete, the crew's focus shifts to the next crucial phase—using Wilson's duplicated access to penetrate the Union Depository's outer security layer. As night falls over Los Angeles, the real work begins.