A warm breeze rolled across the streets of Barcelona, brushing over cobblestone alleys and steel shutters. Neon lights buzzed over closed cafés as dusk draped the city in gold and violet. Parked along a secluded stretch of the marina, Shepherd Fox leaned against the hood of his car — Lockdown's new form — watching the waves roll in.
It had been nearly a year since the Rio heist. A year since he'd stolen the AllSpark, challenged Megatron, and danced across realities. Now, with a fully reprogrammed alien warship parked beneath the Atlantic Trench and a Rift Core pulsing in his chest, Shepherd had done something strange.
He slowed down.
Not entirely. There were experiments. Small heists for resources. And long nights rebuilding tech from other worlds. But the fortune from the Rio vault gave him space — and peace. For the first time in years, he wasn't surviving. He was living.
He rented properties under fake names in Spain, Brazil, and South Africa. Bought a penthouse in Dubai and stored some of the more exotic tech there. But mostly, he stuck to Barcelona — the first city that didn't feel like it was watching him. Where he could be anonymous, drifting through street markets and engine shops like a ghost with a shadow.
Tonight was different.
He wasn't just drifting.
He was waiting.
The grumble of an approaching engine rolled in from the street. A 1970 Dodge Charger — the sound unmistakable — turned the corner with heavy purpose and came to a slow stop beside him.
The door opened.
"Didn't think you'd actually call," Dom Toretto said, stepping out.
Shepherd smirked and extended a hand. Dom took it, pulling him in with that half-embrace only people who'd seen some real stuff gave.
"Wasn't sure you'd come," Shepherd said.
"You're family," Dom replied. "That word means something."
They sat on the hood of Lockdown, staring at the water. Shepherd broke the silence.
"I've been gone a while. Trying to figure out where I fit in this world."
Dom nodded. "That car doesn't look like something built for just this world."
"It isn't."
A moment passed. Shepherd wasn't sure how much to share, how deep to go. But Dom didn't press. That was the thing about him. He didn't push unless it mattered.
"How's the crew?" Shepherd asked.
"They're good. Living. Mia's pregnant again. Brian's trying to play it cool, but he's panicking."
Shepherd laughed. "He always did like control."
"Han and Gisele are in Tokyo for now. Tej and Roman are globe-hopping. Me? I've been thinking."
"About?"
"About getting the family back together. There's something coming."
That pulled Shepherd's gaze.
"You've heard of Owen Shaw?"
Shepherd nodded. "Yeah. I've been tracking him too. Ex-military. Tactical genius. Building something nasty."
Dom didn't seem surprised. "I figured you'd be on top of it."
"I've got pieces. But I can't see the whole board yet. You're saying this is real?"
"It's real. And it's personal."
They sat in silence for another beat.
Shepherd reached into his coat and pulled out a black metal case. Inside were stacks of untraceable bonds, forged IDs, encrypted phones — a backup life he didn't need anymore.
"From the vault," he said. "Thought about burning it. But that didn't feel right."
Dom looked at the case but didn't touch it. "You've done a lot of good with what you took. Don't forget that."
"Still doesn't make me clean."
"None of us are."
That hit differently. Shepherd's mind flashed — Megatron's disintegrating frame, the screams on Cybertron, the Rift energy coursing through his veins. He had blood on his hands. Across galaxies.
Dom looked at him sideways. "What happened to you out there?"
Shepherd didn't speak. Not directly. But he said something else.
"I've seen things. Done things. Things that don't make sense unless you've looked past the sky. And sometimes, I still don't know who I am in all of it."
Dom didn't flinch. "You're family. That's who."
The words hit like steel wrapped in warmth.
"I want in," Shepherd said. "When you move on Shaw. I want to be there."
Dom smiled. "You will be."
The next few weeks passed like a fuse burning toward something bigger.
Shepherd helped Dom scout potential bases across Europe. They shared intel on Shaw's lieutenants, routes, and objectives. He gave Dom access to modified surveillance drones and silent communication relays. Nothing that screamed alien — but advanced enough to feel like military prototypes.
In between, they lived. Drove. Ate together. Talked about Maria — Dom's sister, Shepherd's mother.
Dom told stories of her growing up — how she'd sneak out late with boys, outrun cops, break hearts, and make the whole family laugh. Shepherd listened with a quiet ache in his chest. The Rift Core had restored his memories, but they felt like faded photographs — images without warmth.
One night, Dom handed him a necklace.
"She wore this when she came to see me the year before she passed. Said she had a son who reminded her of me. Never thought I'd meet him."
Shepherd closed his hand around the chain and didn't say a word.
He kept Lockdown hidden for now. The crew didn't need to see what it truly was — not yet. But Lockdown adapted, blending in. It could appear as anything: muscle car, sports coupe, or even an armored SUV. Shepherd tested him on the roads outside Barcelona, weaving through traffic like a ghost.
He smiled every time.
It felt right again. Not because of the speed. But because for the first time in years, he was moving toward something real — something grounded.
And then one night, the message came.
Encrypted. Simple. From Hobbs.
"I need Toretto and his team. London. Weapons-grade tech thefts. Possibly military. Full pardons on the table. You in?"
Shepherd looked across the table at Dom.
Dom nodded slowly.
"Let's get the family back together."