Who's the Buster? - Fast and Furious Fic (Chapter 1/14)
Title: Who's the Buster?
Fandom: The Fast and the Furious series
Pairing: Brian/Dom, Letty/Elena, Rome/Tej
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own TFATF or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
Warnings/spoilers: none
Summary: In a world where mutants and cops are enemies, Brian O'Conner is an undercover agent in the mutant capital of the USA. Dominic Toretto and his team run this city and Brian will have to get close to them if he wants to complete his mission and get out alive.
Masterpost Available Here
...
...
Chapter One
...
...The sign marking the edge of Los Angeles was bright and told the viewer to 'Return soon!' in full technicolor glory. It gave Brian a sense of longing to go back and see the bright city again, even before he'd actually left it.
The sign just a bare hundred feet beyond that was much simpler. It was square, with a small hump on top, and read "Now Entering Torettown" in plain yet strangely welcoming font. Someone had nailed another sign to the bottom of it with the words "NO COPS" in all capital letters in red at the top and "We Handle Our Own" in smaller black letters along the bottom.
Despite the lawless impression the sign gave, the city beyond had no distinct difference from LA. The split between cities happened in the midst of a suburb with barely a picket fence to mark the delineation between the two areas. From all the rumors about Torettown, Brian was a bit underwhelmed.
People said non-mutants entered and never returned from Torettown. There were stories of rampant crime, though a look at public records would prove them false. All the criminals from the west coast fled to Torettown, they said, and it was a city of crime lords and Mafioso. It was a real life Gotham. So they said.
It looked like suburbia L.A. with manicured lawns and uneven, hilly streets and cramped store fronts. A bit of tension left Brian's shoulders as he took in how completely normal Torettown appeared.
He drove for about five minutes, checking his map and his phone several times. The red mark he'd made for The Racer's Edge was obvious on paper, but it was proving difficult to find in real life. Checking his watch proved he was fifteen minutes late.
"Damn," he muttered aloud, glancing around for the nearest street sign. His sense of direction was never this bad. In fact, his ability to find his way was usually something he prided himself on.
Engines revved nearby and in seconds, his Eclipse was surrounded by motorcycles. Abandoning his directions, Brian tried to get out of the sea of bikes, but they followed him around a corner and then began to push him toward the side of the road. Realizing that it was pull over or run them over, Brian sighed out a 'shit' and pulled to a stop along the curb. The bikes stopped with him.
The whole crew stepped off their bikes, but only two removed their helmets. The younger looking one stepped forward. Even knowing it could be the dumbest thing he'd ever done, Brian got out of his car to face him.
"Hey there, newbie," the biker greeted. "You lose your way?" Brian just stared at him and he motioned to the girl sitting propped on the back of his bike. "We understand. After all, my girl's got a way with directions."
She was staring hard at Brian, her eyes an unnatural shade of bright green. Without moving his head, Brian glanced at the nearest street sign and saw the letters shift into a different name. She was messing with his brain even as they stood there, confusing him and leading him into this gang's territory. He glared at the shorter man.
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
The biker shrugged nonchalantly. "Not often we get visitors here," he commented lightly, to chuckles from his gang. He ran his hand along the hood of Brian's car and Brian followed him with his eyes. "Nice ride. You've put some work into this. I can tell."
Brian narrowed his eyes. "Thanks," he said monotonously. "Nice bike." A hint of sarcasm seeped into his tone and it was obvious that everyone heard it.
The biker's eyes flicked up to meet his. "Watch your tone, Reg," he said in warning, his skin beginning to take on a red color. "You're in our city now, so you play by our rules. Isn't that right, Lance?"
The other biker who had removed his helmet nodded. At the same moment, two guns lifted from the straps on his back and aimed at Brian, all without being touched by anyone. "Right."
"You have any piercings?" the first biker asked. "My cousin, Lance, loves metal piercings."
For a moment, Brian was intensely grateful he'd decided not to pierce his ears when he was younger, if a metal controlling mutant was gonna try and rip them out now.
The girl on the bike suddenly shouted as the bike sparked and little explosions rippled through the body. She jumped off and scrambled away from the now smoking wreck, moving to stand next to another man on a bike several feet away. Surprisingly, there wasn't a mark on her.
The man talking to Brian growled and hurried to his bike, his skin returning to its natural color. "My bike!"
"Sorry 'bout that," a female voice said, not sounding sorry at all. "You know how hard it can be to control lightning, Johnny."
From around the edge of a store came a woman in camo pants and a red tank top, flexing her fingers by her sides, sunglasses perched on her nose. Behind her came a mousy man wearing jeans, a distressed denim vest, and a rainbow colored beanie. He was grinning like someone just told a joke but he didn't want to show his amusement.
"Hard to ride without a ride, bro," the mousy man teased. "You know, a real set of wheels, I could fix in like two hours, but that bicycle is complete toast. Is Lance gonna have to run things 'til you're street worthy again?"
Johnny's body turned red again in an instant and Brian stepped back against the side of his car when the man's arms literally turned to fire. Flames shot across the street toward the two newcomers but the mousy man jolted and threw his hands up, creating a nearly invisible green shield around them. The fire hit it and sent sparks off to the side, causing a few of Johnny's fellow bikers to hurriedly move their bikes out of the line of fire.
The woman popped her gum and smiled like she owned the world. "Remember, Tran. This ain't your city." Her smile vanished. "Mayor hears you've been harassing visitors again, might be the last night you spend here. Got it?"
Johnny pulled the fire back and it reformed into his flesh and blood arms. He looked livid, but after a few moments he managed to control his breathing and nod. He glanced from Brian to the woman and said, still glaring, "Got it."
Without a word, he moved over and climbed on Lance's bike. Lance got on behind him and the girl from Johnny's bike climbed on with the man she was standing next to. Johnny waved his hand in a circle to his fellow riders and then they were speeding away out of sight.
Brian turned to the two remaining people on the street with him. "Hey, thanks."
The woman popped her gum again and frowned at him over her sunglasses. "Who exactly are you?" she asked. "Picking a fight with Johnny Tran. You must be outta your mind."
Frowning, Brian said, "I was minding my own business. It was him that was picking the fight."
"That didn't answer my question."
They stared at each other for a few moments before Brian answered. "Brian Spilner," he introduced. "You?" he asked, though he recognized them already.
"Letty," she responded, then motioned to the man behind her. "That's Jesse. What's a reg like you doing in Torettown anyway?"
Brian frowned deeper. "I'm not a reg. I'm a mutant, and I'm just looking for a place to stay." He glanced around. "Was supposed to start my new job today, but that girl's got me all turned around." He sighed. "I have no idea where I am anymore."
Jesse bounced up next to Letty. "I think Dom'd be interested to meet him."
Letty smirked. "Yeah. Let's get him checked out."
Brian had to control himself. A meeting with Dom? Dominic Toretto? He hadn't thought he'd get a chance like this so soon into entering Torettown. He'd thought it would take weeks to get close to the Big Man on Campus. Brian had to correct his earlier thoughts. Getting out of his car might've been the best thing he'd ever done.
Letty walked over to, and then past, Brian to place her hands on the driver's side door. "Besides, I wanna drive his car."
…
…
They found 'Dom' at a place called DT's Diner and Garage. The front was a quaint mom-and-pop type diner with no doors, like a lunch counter mixed with a mini-mart. The back was a four door garage with ample parking and work space.
There was a girl behind the counter with long, dark hair and matching eyes. Brian recognized her as Mia Toretto, the other of the famous Toretto siblings of Torettown. Her face made the news every time her brother's face or the city did. She looked up as the Eclipse zipped in and parked, and raised an eyebrow when Letty got out of the driver's seat. Letty shrugged with an unapologetic smile and walked up to the counter.
"Dom out back?" she asked.
"Yeah." Mia's eyes trailed beyond Letty to land on Brian as he stepped into the store behind Letty but before Jesse. She tilted her head at him and he tried not to shift anxiously on his feet.
Letty noticed the look and how it made Brian uncomfortable, but she seemed in no hurry to save him from the scrutiny. The corners of her lips lifted just a bit, causing Brian's skin to prickle with tension. "Jess, go get Dom."
Jesse scurried off to do as told, leaving Brian with the two ladies.
"Who are you?" Mia asked curiously. Her lean forearms were lazily resting on her bare hip bones as she took in the sight of him, this newcomer to what almost amounted as her city.
Brian lowered his chin. "Brian Spilner." He noticed her eyes narrow and did his best not to hunch his shoulders. Sure, he had his secrets, but he didn't need to act like it.
At that moment, a bald, muscled man entered the store through the back door, followed by Jesse. Instantly, Brian's back straightened out and he sucked in a sudden breath. This was Dominic Toretto, the King of the Road. He was heir to Torettown but had turned it over to a cousin so that he could run the diner and garage with his sister. Everyone knew that he was the real ruler of the city though. Nothing happened in Torettown without Dominic Toretto knowing about it. If you pissed off Dominic, you had no chance in Torettown.
Or that's what the rumors said.
In the shadow of Dominic's intense reputation, Brian squared his shoulders to seem bigger. He was taller than Dominic, he realized, but not by much, and the other man's muscles more than made up for his height. In fact, his mere presence made him seem like the biggest man Brian had ever met.
Dominic stepped around the counter, on the opposite side of his sister from Letty, and gave Brian a once over. "Jess says you found a stray." He glanced at Letty before looking back at Brian. "Who is he?"
"Brian Spilner," Mia said, leaning on the counter. She flicked her eyes between Brian and the others quickly, almost carelessly.
"Johnny Tran and the gang were hasslin' the reg, so we stepped in," Letty informed Dominic.
Brian frowned. "I told you, I'm not a reg."
Dominic crossed his arms over his chest, making his muscles look even bigger. He seemed to take up more space just with that simple movement. "You look pretty regular to me. And the only regular people allowed in Torettown are family."
Hands clenched at his sides, Brian did his best not to growl. Dominic took note of the reaction and looked at his sister. She just shrugged.
"He's different," she said lightly. "There's something about him I can't place, but he's not a reg and his heart's good. He's…like a cat," she continued with a playful smirk. "Touch him wrong and he might bite."
Letty rolled her eyes. "Touch anyone wrong and they'll bite," she said. Mia simply shrugged once more and stood up straight again.
Pulsing music and a rumbling engine announced the arrival of another vehicle. When the engine cut out, a tanned man with tattoos and a beard stepped out of a Nissan Maxima and regarded the group with suspicion. Brian recognized him as Dominic's right hand, Vincent.
"Where's Leon?" he grunted.
"Here."
Brian jolted and looked at where a tall, pale man was standing next to Jesse. Was Leon a teleporter? Or a speedster? When had he arrived?
Jesse and Leon looked amused at his shock so Brian turned his back on them again, focusing on the new arrival and Dominic.
"Who's this?" Vincent asked, and it seemed 'angry' was his default expression. He stalked forward into Brian's space but Brian didn't back down even though he was the shorter, thinner of the two.
"Spilner," Dominic said. "Mia says he's good."
The taller guy scoffed. "Looks like a rat." He looked over Brian's shoulder. "Hey, Mia."
"Hey, Vince."
Dominic visibly restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "What brings you to town, Brian Spilner?"
Brian turned away from Vince immediately, dismissing whatever threat the other man could have presented. "I already told these two," he said with a wave toward Letty and then toward Jesse. "I just want a place to stay. I don't like hiding."
With the way mutants were treated outside of Torettown - with suspicion, violence, hatred, discrimination, fear - it was obvious that all those gathered understood the feeling. A few of them shifted from foot to foot or crossed their arms and looked to Dominic.
Dominic gave a nod. "What's your mutation?" he asked.
Since he'd been expecting the questionnaire at some point, Brian was quick to answer. "A friend of mine used to call me a chameleon. I can mimic the people I'm around - skills, jobs, accents, the way they walk even - without even thinking about it or seeing them do it."
Though Dominic was the one to raise his eyebrow, Vince was the one to speak. "Prove it."
Brian took a deep breath. Something about Vince just made him angry. "Unless you want me to take apart your car and put it back together," he nodded at Jesse, "or beat you half to death," he turned to face Vince and crossed his arms, "then there's not much I can do at the moment."
"That wouldn't prove shit anyway," Vince shot back. "How would we know if you already knew how to customize a car or fight? I think you're a liar. I think you're a reg that couldn't take me in a fight if your puny life depended on it."
Vince's hackles were raised. Brian felt much the same but he made sure to simmer rather than boil over. He was the picture of controlled force, someone you didn't want to mess with, a violence just waiting to be triggered.
"You sure know how to ask for a beating, dontcha?" Brian asked, narrowing his eyes. He stepped into Vince's space and he didn't seem shorter than him at all. In fact, he seemed like the biggest man in the room. His presence eclipsed Vince's. His quiet but lethal voice more forceful than Vince's near shout. "You really want to test me? Huh?"
Vince backed off like a scolded pup but glared again once he was out of arm's reach. Brian uncrossed his arms and the tension in the diner ebbed away. Dominic uncrossed his arms as well and took a step forward, pulling all attention back to him. He was once again the commanding presence in the group.
"Where were you headed?" he asked, tone almost in the range of friendly.
"The Racer's Edge," Brian said, voice a casual tone once more. "I was supposed to start this morning. Harry's also renting me a room."
Dominic nodded to Leon and the unassuming man stepped forward. "Lead him to Harry's, would you?"
Leon nodded and left around the side of the diner and out of view. Noting that Dominic seemed to have given his approval, Jesse and Letty headed out through the back door of the diner with Vince shortly behind them. Brian noticed that Mia was still eyeing him curiously and gave her a friendly smile. She smiled back.
"Not many people can make Vince back down from a fight," she noted, turning toward the cash register even though no transactions had been made. "In fact, only Dom's ever managed it before."
She winked at him and Brian didn't know how to respond to that. He looked to her older brother, but Dominic was looking at Brian's car rather than at him and was no help.
…
…
Getting used to Torettown was easier than Brian had expected. Easier than a lot of places he'd had to acclimate to in the past. Harry had been true to his word and given Brian a room out back of The Racer's Edge to stay in. The hours he worked in the shop were minimal and gave Brian plenty of time to scope out the city and get to know its ins and outs. He'd already mapped out most of it in his head and only gave cursory glances to the directions he was given whenever he had to make a delivery.
The only weird part was all the mutants. Brian had never been surrounded by mutants the way he was now. Even growing up in Barstow, mutants only stayed for a maximum of twenty-four hours before hightailing it out again.
Only three days into his stay in Torettown, Brian pulled his red The Racer's Edge truck back into the shop, hopped out, and was immediately approached by the shop owner, Harry.
"What, got another delivery for me to do already? How am I gonna get any work done if you keep giving me work?" Brian joked with a smirk.
Harry shook his head. "No, kid. No delivery." He didn't look happy, his middle-aged face forming deep wrinkles around his mouth. It looked like he'd run his hands through his hair a few too many times as well.
Brian's smirk vanished and stomach felt empty. Was he being fired already? Had he done something wrong? "What's the matter, Harry?"
The older man sighed. "You're either doing something very wrong or very right," he said. "Dominic Toretto's invited you to the street races tomorrow night."
…
…
Preview of Chapter 2
Jesse shoveled a forkful of tuna into his mouth and then froze with the metal still between his lips.
Multicolored sparks littered the air just as Jesse was opening his mouth to respond, and then a booming voice called, "Alright alright! If you in it, get in it! Let's see some fireworks tonight, people!"
Now Brian gave Dominic a look of disbelief. "You're not the mayor, Toretto."
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear," Dominic said with a slight upturn of his lips. "Sometimes it's what you don't hear that's really important."
"Everybody's hiding something," Brian countered smoothly.
Fandom: The Fast and the Furious series
Pairing: Brian/Dom, Letty/Elena, Rome/Tej
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own TFATF or its characters in any way, shape, or form.
Warnings/spoilers: none
Summary: In a world where mutants and cops are enemies, Brian O'Conner is an undercover agent in the mutant capital of the USA. Dominic Toretto and his team run this city and Brian will have to get close to them if he wants to complete his mission and get out alive.
Masterpost Available Here
...
...
Chapter One
...
...The sign marking the edge of Los Angeles was bright and told the viewer to 'Return soon!' in full technicolor glory. It gave Brian a sense of longing to go back and see the bright city again, even before he'd actually left it.
The sign just a bare hundred feet beyond that was much simpler. It was square, with a small hump on top, and read "Now Entering Torettown" in plain yet strangely welcoming font. Someone had nailed another sign to the bottom of it with the words "NO COPS" in all capital letters in red at the top and "We Handle Our Own" in smaller black letters along the bottom.
Despite the lawless impression the sign gave, the city beyond had no distinct difference from LA. The split between cities happened in the midst of a suburb with barely a picket fence to mark the delineation between the two areas. From all the rumors about Torettown, Brian was a bit underwhelmed.
People said non-mutants entered and never returned from Torettown. There were stories of rampant crime, though a look at public records would prove them false. All the criminals from the west coast fled to Torettown, they said, and it was a city of crime lords and Mafioso. It was a real life Gotham. So they said.
It looked like suburbia L.A. with manicured lawns and uneven, hilly streets and cramped store fronts. A bit of tension left Brian's shoulders as he took in how completely normal Torettown appeared.
He drove for about five minutes, checking his map and his phone several times. The red mark he'd made for The Racer's Edge was obvious on paper, but it was proving difficult to find in real life. Checking his watch proved he was fifteen minutes late.
"Damn," he muttered aloud, glancing around for the nearest street sign. His sense of direction was never this bad. In fact, his ability to find his way was usually something he prided himself on.
Engines revved nearby and in seconds, his Eclipse was surrounded by motorcycles. Abandoning his directions, Brian tried to get out of the sea of bikes, but they followed him around a corner and then began to push him toward the side of the road. Realizing that it was pull over or run them over, Brian sighed out a 'shit' and pulled to a stop along the curb. The bikes stopped with him.
The whole crew stepped off their bikes, but only two removed their helmets. The younger looking one stepped forward. Even knowing it could be the dumbest thing he'd ever done, Brian got out of his car to face him.
"Hey there, newbie," the biker greeted. "You lose your way?" Brian just stared at him and he motioned to the girl sitting propped on the back of his bike. "We understand. After all, my girl's got a way with directions."
She was staring hard at Brian, her eyes an unnatural shade of bright green. Without moving his head, Brian glanced at the nearest street sign and saw the letters shift into a different name. She was messing with his brain even as they stood there, confusing him and leading him into this gang's territory. He glared at the shorter man.
"What do you want from me?" he asked.
The biker shrugged nonchalantly. "Not often we get visitors here," he commented lightly, to chuckles from his gang. He ran his hand along the hood of Brian's car and Brian followed him with his eyes. "Nice ride. You've put some work into this. I can tell."
Brian narrowed his eyes. "Thanks," he said monotonously. "Nice bike." A hint of sarcasm seeped into his tone and it was obvious that everyone heard it.
The biker's eyes flicked up to meet his. "Watch your tone, Reg," he said in warning, his skin beginning to take on a red color. "You're in our city now, so you play by our rules. Isn't that right, Lance?"
The other biker who had removed his helmet nodded. At the same moment, two guns lifted from the straps on his back and aimed at Brian, all without being touched by anyone. "Right."
"You have any piercings?" the first biker asked. "My cousin, Lance, loves metal piercings."
For a moment, Brian was intensely grateful he'd decided not to pierce his ears when he was younger, if a metal controlling mutant was gonna try and rip them out now.
The girl on the bike suddenly shouted as the bike sparked and little explosions rippled through the body. She jumped off and scrambled away from the now smoking wreck, moving to stand next to another man on a bike several feet away. Surprisingly, there wasn't a mark on her.
The man talking to Brian growled and hurried to his bike, his skin returning to its natural color. "My bike!"
"Sorry 'bout that," a female voice said, not sounding sorry at all. "You know how hard it can be to control lightning, Johnny."
From around the edge of a store came a woman in camo pants and a red tank top, flexing her fingers by her sides, sunglasses perched on her nose. Behind her came a mousy man wearing jeans, a distressed denim vest, and a rainbow colored beanie. He was grinning like someone just told a joke but he didn't want to show his amusement.
"Hard to ride without a ride, bro," the mousy man teased. "You know, a real set of wheels, I could fix in like two hours, but that bicycle is complete toast. Is Lance gonna have to run things 'til you're street worthy again?"
Johnny's body turned red again in an instant and Brian stepped back against the side of his car when the man's arms literally turned to fire. Flames shot across the street toward the two newcomers but the mousy man jolted and threw his hands up, creating a nearly invisible green shield around them. The fire hit it and sent sparks off to the side, causing a few of Johnny's fellow bikers to hurriedly move their bikes out of the line of fire.
The woman popped her gum and smiled like she owned the world. "Remember, Tran. This ain't your city." Her smile vanished. "Mayor hears you've been harassing visitors again, might be the last night you spend here. Got it?"
Johnny pulled the fire back and it reformed into his flesh and blood arms. He looked livid, but after a few moments he managed to control his breathing and nod. He glanced from Brian to the woman and said, still glaring, "Got it."
Without a word, he moved over and climbed on Lance's bike. Lance got on behind him and the girl from Johnny's bike climbed on with the man she was standing next to. Johnny waved his hand in a circle to his fellow riders and then they were speeding away out of sight.
Brian turned to the two remaining people on the street with him. "Hey, thanks."
The woman popped her gum again and frowned at him over her sunglasses. "Who exactly are you?" she asked. "Picking a fight with Johnny Tran. You must be outta your mind."
Frowning, Brian said, "I was minding my own business. It was him that was picking the fight."
"That didn't answer my question."
They stared at each other for a few moments before Brian answered. "Brian Spilner," he introduced. "You?" he asked, though he recognized them already.
"Letty," she responded, then motioned to the man behind her. "That's Jesse. What's a reg like you doing in Torettown anyway?"
Brian frowned deeper. "I'm not a reg. I'm a mutant, and I'm just looking for a place to stay." He glanced around. "Was supposed to start my new job today, but that girl's got me all turned around." He sighed. "I have no idea where I am anymore."
Jesse bounced up next to Letty. "I think Dom'd be interested to meet him."
Letty smirked. "Yeah. Let's get him checked out."
Brian had to control himself. A meeting with Dom? Dominic Toretto? He hadn't thought he'd get a chance like this so soon into entering Torettown. He'd thought it would take weeks to get close to the Big Man on Campus. Brian had to correct his earlier thoughts. Getting out of his car might've been the best thing he'd ever done.
Letty walked over to, and then past, Brian to place her hands on the driver's side door. "Besides, I wanna drive his car."
…
…
They found 'Dom' at a place called DT's Diner and Garage. The front was a quaint mom-and-pop type diner with no doors, like a lunch counter mixed with a mini-mart. The back was a four door garage with ample parking and work space.
There was a girl behind the counter with long, dark hair and matching eyes. Brian recognized her as Mia Toretto, the other of the famous Toretto siblings of Torettown. Her face made the news every time her brother's face or the city did. She looked up as the Eclipse zipped in and parked, and raised an eyebrow when Letty got out of the driver's seat. Letty shrugged with an unapologetic smile and walked up to the counter.
"Dom out back?" she asked.
"Yeah." Mia's eyes trailed beyond Letty to land on Brian as he stepped into the store behind Letty but before Jesse. She tilted her head at him and he tried not to shift anxiously on his feet.
Letty noticed the look and how it made Brian uncomfortable, but she seemed in no hurry to save him from the scrutiny. The corners of her lips lifted just a bit, causing Brian's skin to prickle with tension. "Jess, go get Dom."
Jesse scurried off to do as told, leaving Brian with the two ladies.
"Who are you?" Mia asked curiously. Her lean forearms were lazily resting on her bare hip bones as she took in the sight of him, this newcomer to what almost amounted as her city.
Brian lowered his chin. "Brian Spilner." He noticed her eyes narrow and did his best not to hunch his shoulders. Sure, he had his secrets, but he didn't need to act like it.
At that moment, a bald, muscled man entered the store through the back door, followed by Jesse. Instantly, Brian's back straightened out and he sucked in a sudden breath. This was Dominic Toretto, the King of the Road. He was heir to Torettown but had turned it over to a cousin so that he could run the diner and garage with his sister. Everyone knew that he was the real ruler of the city though. Nothing happened in Torettown without Dominic Toretto knowing about it. If you pissed off Dominic, you had no chance in Torettown.
Or that's what the rumors said.
In the shadow of Dominic's intense reputation, Brian squared his shoulders to seem bigger. He was taller than Dominic, he realized, but not by much, and the other man's muscles more than made up for his height. In fact, his mere presence made him seem like the biggest man Brian had ever met.
Dominic stepped around the counter, on the opposite side of his sister from Letty, and gave Brian a once over. "Jess says you found a stray." He glanced at Letty before looking back at Brian. "Who is he?"
"Brian Spilner," Mia said, leaning on the counter. She flicked her eyes between Brian and the others quickly, almost carelessly.
"Johnny Tran and the gang were hasslin' the reg, so we stepped in," Letty informed Dominic.
Brian frowned. "I told you, I'm not a reg."
Dominic crossed his arms over his chest, making his muscles look even bigger. He seemed to take up more space just with that simple movement. "You look pretty regular to me. And the only regular people allowed in Torettown are family."
Hands clenched at his sides, Brian did his best not to growl. Dominic took note of the reaction and looked at his sister. She just shrugged.
"He's different," she said lightly. "There's something about him I can't place, but he's not a reg and his heart's good. He's…like a cat," she continued with a playful smirk. "Touch him wrong and he might bite."
Letty rolled her eyes. "Touch anyone wrong and they'll bite," she said. Mia simply shrugged once more and stood up straight again.
Pulsing music and a rumbling engine announced the arrival of another vehicle. When the engine cut out, a tanned man with tattoos and a beard stepped out of a Nissan Maxima and regarded the group with suspicion. Brian recognized him as Dominic's right hand, Vincent.
"Where's Leon?" he grunted.
"Here."
Brian jolted and looked at where a tall, pale man was standing next to Jesse. Was Leon a teleporter? Or a speedster? When had he arrived?
Jesse and Leon looked amused at his shock so Brian turned his back on them again, focusing on the new arrival and Dominic.
"Who's this?" Vincent asked, and it seemed 'angry' was his default expression. He stalked forward into Brian's space but Brian didn't back down even though he was the shorter, thinner of the two.
"Spilner," Dominic said. "Mia says he's good."
The taller guy scoffed. "Looks like a rat." He looked over Brian's shoulder. "Hey, Mia."
"Hey, Vince."
Dominic visibly restrained himself from rolling his eyes. "What brings you to town, Brian Spilner?"
Brian turned away from Vince immediately, dismissing whatever threat the other man could have presented. "I already told these two," he said with a wave toward Letty and then toward Jesse. "I just want a place to stay. I don't like hiding."
With the way mutants were treated outside of Torettown - with suspicion, violence, hatred, discrimination, fear - it was obvious that all those gathered understood the feeling. A few of them shifted from foot to foot or crossed their arms and looked to Dominic.
Dominic gave a nod. "What's your mutation?" he asked.
Since he'd been expecting the questionnaire at some point, Brian was quick to answer. "A friend of mine used to call me a chameleon. I can mimic the people I'm around - skills, jobs, accents, the way they walk even - without even thinking about it or seeing them do it."
Though Dominic was the one to raise his eyebrow, Vince was the one to speak. "Prove it."
Brian took a deep breath. Something about Vince just made him angry. "Unless you want me to take apart your car and put it back together," he nodded at Jesse, "or beat you half to death," he turned to face Vince and crossed his arms, "then there's not much I can do at the moment."
"That wouldn't prove shit anyway," Vince shot back. "How would we know if you already knew how to customize a car or fight? I think you're a liar. I think you're a reg that couldn't take me in a fight if your puny life depended on it."
Vince's hackles were raised. Brian felt much the same but he made sure to simmer rather than boil over. He was the picture of controlled force, someone you didn't want to mess with, a violence just waiting to be triggered.
"You sure know how to ask for a beating, dontcha?" Brian asked, narrowing his eyes. He stepped into Vince's space and he didn't seem shorter than him at all. In fact, he seemed like the biggest man in the room. His presence eclipsed Vince's. His quiet but lethal voice more forceful than Vince's near shout. "You really want to test me? Huh?"
Vince backed off like a scolded pup but glared again once he was out of arm's reach. Brian uncrossed his arms and the tension in the diner ebbed away. Dominic uncrossed his arms as well and took a step forward, pulling all attention back to him. He was once again the commanding presence in the group.
"Where were you headed?" he asked, tone almost in the range of friendly.
"The Racer's Edge," Brian said, voice a casual tone once more. "I was supposed to start this morning. Harry's also renting me a room."
Dominic nodded to Leon and the unassuming man stepped forward. "Lead him to Harry's, would you?"
Leon nodded and left around the side of the diner and out of view. Noting that Dominic seemed to have given his approval, Jesse and Letty headed out through the back door of the diner with Vince shortly behind them. Brian noticed that Mia was still eyeing him curiously and gave her a friendly smile. She smiled back.
"Not many people can make Vince back down from a fight," she noted, turning toward the cash register even though no transactions had been made. "In fact, only Dom's ever managed it before."
She winked at him and Brian didn't know how to respond to that. He looked to her older brother, but Dominic was looking at Brian's car rather than at him and was no help.
…
…
Getting used to Torettown was easier than Brian had expected. Easier than a lot of places he'd had to acclimate to in the past. Harry had been true to his word and given Brian a room out back of The Racer's Edge to stay in. The hours he worked in the shop were minimal and gave Brian plenty of time to scope out the city and get to know its ins and outs. He'd already mapped out most of it in his head and only gave cursory glances to the directions he was given whenever he had to make a delivery.
The only weird part was all the mutants. Brian had never been surrounded by mutants the way he was now. Even growing up in Barstow, mutants only stayed for a maximum of twenty-four hours before hightailing it out again.
Only three days into his stay in Torettown, Brian pulled his red The Racer's Edge truck back into the shop, hopped out, and was immediately approached by the shop owner, Harry.
"What, got another delivery for me to do already? How am I gonna get any work done if you keep giving me work?" Brian joked with a smirk.
Harry shook his head. "No, kid. No delivery." He didn't look happy, his middle-aged face forming deep wrinkles around his mouth. It looked like he'd run his hands through his hair a few too many times as well.
Brian's smirk vanished and stomach felt empty. Was he being fired already? Had he done something wrong? "What's the matter, Harry?"
The older man sighed. "You're either doing something very wrong or very right," he said. "Dominic Toretto's invited you to the street races tomorrow night."
…
…
Preview of Chapter 2
Jesse shoveled a forkful of tuna into his mouth and then froze with the metal still between his lips.
Multicolored sparks littered the air just as Jesse was opening his mouth to respond, and then a booming voice called, "Alright alright! If you in it, get in it! Let's see some fireworks tonight, people!"
Now Brian gave Dominic a look of disbelief. "You're not the mayor, Toretto."
"You shouldn't believe everything you hear," Dominic said with a slight upturn of his lips. "Sometimes it's what you don't hear that's really important."
"Everybody's hiding something," Brian countered smoothly.