Chapter Text
Broken glass. That was the most vibrant memory he had of meeting Deckard that first time. Broken glass in his skin and his eyes. The near ghostly figure sitting at his personal work computer. He couldn’t really remember any other parts of that encounter. He didn’t recall falling on top of that car. Just the small pricks of thousands of shards biting into his skin, trying to bury themselves to stay there, needling his every nerve ending.
That’s what this felt like.
The snowstorm was kicking up as they sprinted outside, shrieking at them like laughter. Luke threw himself into the Range Rover and floored it. He panicked, gritting his teeth scanning the mix of darkness and white for any kind of sign. There!
Just a flash of red in the woods. Taillights.
“No, you don’t!” Luke snarled.
The tires spun. Snow tossed up behind him. The car in front of him wavered. Luke’s breath caught in his throat. He’d never been so desperate for someone he was chasing to be a good driver. That little car was not made for the snow. His was. He caught up, nearly on the bumper of it.
And…...
“f*ck.” He gripped the steering wheel tighter.
His kid was feet in front of him. In a different car. If that car crashed… He couldn’t. He couldn’t think about it. How the f*ck was he going to do anything? He looked over the controls. But the rental didn’t have any fancy gear. No grappling hooks. No wires. Not even a f*cking gun.
‘Cause his dumb ass had let his guard down.
“No.” Luke’s voice shook.
The life that Deckard had imagined flashed before his eyes. Fading to grey.
The phone going off scared the hell out of him. He fumbled with the tiny device and put it on speaker on the dashboard.
“Luke!” Owen barked through the phone.
“f*cking what?” Luke snarled.
“Where the hell did you go? Owen and I lost you in the snow!” Hattie’s voice sprang up.
“South.” Luke barked out. “We went south!”
“Keep a close watch,” Owen called out. “She’ll have to turn soon! The Yuganskaya River is coming up fast!”
“It’ll be right!” Hattie said. “Intel says Nefteyugansk got a chopper in.”
“Curve to head her off!” Luke commanded. “I’ll keep the pressure on her.”
The car in front of him swerved, swinging close to a tree as it lost traction. It wasn’t made for these driving conditions. No vehicle was really.
“Drive in a straight f*cking line you bitch!” Luke hollered.
Hattie’s voice crackled over the phone. “Luke you have to back off her a bit!”
“Gotta back off?” He sputtered. “That’s my f*cking daughter!”
“And she’s not going to make it if you drive that cow into a ditch!” Hattie snapped. “With the speed she left, chances are Riley’s not by any means secure. Back. Up!”
Luke swore and cursed but he slowly let up on the groaning accelerator.
“Where are you three?” Magdalene’s voice crackled to life on the group call.
“Angling toward Nefteyugansk,” Hattie reported reciting her and Owen’s coordinates.
“How far back are you?” Owen demanded.
“Too far back to catch up to you. It’ll take me ten minutes to even get up there.”
Luke snarled. “We don’t have that kind of time. I can see the river.”
It was like a smudge of oil in the storm. Even squinting he could just barely see it.
“Does she? Does she see it?” Owen snapped. “Hobbs! Is. She. Turning?”
“No!” Luke felt the panic crawling up his chest. “I don’t think she sees it! She’s not turning! Not turning!”
Tense silence took over the phone line. Luke’s breath came faster and faster. He willed her to turn. f*cking any direction. Literally. His hands tightened harder on the steering wheel, almost bending it. The tail light suddenly disappeared as the car made a tight right turn.
“She’s going right,” Luke said, strain evident in his voice.
“We’re on our way!” Hattie called.
His monstrous tires kicked up snow as he begged them to stay on the ground. Luke could hear the engine grind. The wheel pulled under his palms, sliding.
Luke prayed to anyone listening. He just wanted his daughter back. Even if it took him out of the picture there were three people in this world that he needed to be safe. If they weren’t, it didn’t matter that his heart was still beating, it didn’t matter if he had everything else.
It was just them.
Brown!
Luke jerked the wheel. His massive vehicle lurched.
“Oh sh*t!” He swore.
The world tilted. He could feel tires coming off the ground. They squealed for a second, grabbing at the air and finding no purchase. Luke threw himself to the other side. The car came down again with a crash.
“Luke! What’s happening?” Hattie snapped.
The forest was closing in around them. Tree trunks, tall and dark. Lethal and coming at them all too fast. Luke gasped a breath, leaning forward. He nearly held his breath. Watch the car. Watch for trees. Watch. Watch. Watch.
“Nothing!” He said back. “Stay focused. ETA?”
“Now.”
Like panthers from the night, the Shaws slipped out from between the trees. Wheels skidding and revving on the snow. Luke could almost see Owen fight the steering wheel of his fancy sports car.
“Alright, Owen?” Hattie called out.
“Bloody,” His car skidded and the back end swerved before he finally got back under control “Just f*cking fine!”
“Luke, back up! I need to get to her other side!” Hattie called.
Luke eased off as much as he dared. The nurse was looking wildly between the three cars. Hattie slipped expertly to the other side of the escaping car. Luke hit the gas to come back up behind her. All four cars jolted as they exploded from the forest into a clear flat area with heavy drifting snow. The wind picked up to a scream.
Owen checked the surroundings. “What if we put her into a snowbank?”
“Are you insane?” Luke snarled. “If you hurt my daughter Shaw I’ll tear your goddamn--”
“Focus.” Hattie interrupted. “We need to stop her. I’m supposing no one brought a gun.”
Owen started to swear in the background.
“Owen!” Luke said harshly to cut the noise.
“I have one! It slid under the bloody f*cking seat!”
“sh*t,” Luke said.
He leaned back in his seat urging himself to think faster. Think faster. C’mon Luke your kid’s life is on the line. Outside the box.
“Box.” Luke sat forward. “Between the three of us, can we box that car in without breaking the back?”
Owen started listing off the stats of the car at a rapid pace.
“It’s old and fragile but it just might hold!” Hattie interrupted.
“You’re going to what?” Magdalene blurted.
“Not now mum,” Owen replied. “Luke, you best be ready to get real close. We can keep her from sliding out the front if you close the hind end.”
“On it!”
The monstrous car roared, wheels gripping like claws in the snow.
“Ready!” Luke called.
The two Shaw cars closed around the front of the get-away like a wedge. Luke’s teeth clenched as he tailgated the driver. Keep them pushed into the Shaws. Keep them stuck. They tried to slam on their breaks.
“Incoming,” Owen warned.
Luke flinched as the car collided with his front bumper. “You hurt my daughter and I’ll rip your f*cking lungs out.” He roared.
“Ease back Luke!” Hattie called out.
The car floored it and the siblings white-knuckled the steering wheel. Keep the cars pointed in. Keep them trapped. The deceleration was getting faster. All four cars groaned at the pressure. The snow was showing them no mercy.
“Breaking in four,” Owen called.
“One.”
The car tried to break left. Hattie snarled and pushed it back.
“Two.”
The driver hit the gas. The Shaws held it.
“Three.”
Something came off the car and went under Luke.
“Four!”
He hit the brake. There was a squealing sound. The car didn’t stop.
“sh*t!” He smashed the steering wheel stamping on the brakes.
“Hobbs, I said four!” Owen hollered sliding sideways.
“The car broke! Something went under it! I can’t f*cking stop!”
“Emergency breaks!” Hattie cried.
Luke threw his foot down on them. The monstrous car groaned. Something in the engine smoked. Black coils filled the air. Like the night itself was reaching for him.
“Nothing!”
Hattie’s car swerved, crashing into the front of the get-away car. The frame on it bent.
“Hey!” Luke hollered.
“Watch it!” Owen called out with an edge to his voice.
“Unless you can in any way reach your gun right now,” Hattie shouted back, “Then help me!”
“Help you what?”
“Turn the front tires into a f*cking wedge.” She yelled back.
“Brilliant Hattie. Luke, you have to hold them.”
Luke bit into part of his cheek. “I’m going to slam straight into them if they try to stop.”
The car wavered in front of them. Everyone’s breath caught in their throat for a second.
“Okay,” Owen said through gritted teeth. “On the count of two, we crush it. Luke, you have to--”
“I got it!” He snarled.
“One.”
He’d never been so scared in his life.
“Two!”
The two cars came crashing together. The middle one broke. It seemed to scream in agony. A cacophony of twisting metal. Snapped plastic. Shattered glass. Luke jerked the wheel. He knew immediately he was going over.
The big vehicle squealed and pulled. Snow flew up in all directions. His seatbelt locked. The ground came flying at him. His head hit the window. Shattered. Spots in his vision. Glass biting his skin. Snow. Freezing wind. The headlights stutter. Luke grunted.
Then everything froze for a second like the world had hit a giant pause button and the snow fell in slow motion.
Luke unclipped the seatbelt and shoved himself out of the seat. He climbed up the heaven-facing passenger side window. Owen and Hattie were dragging the shrieking imposter nurse out of the car. Luke sprinted. He grabbed part of the broken metal and yanked.
The door popped off.
Luke grabbed a squalling bundle of towels from the laundry basket on the floor in the back. He unwrapped her quickly. The bloody towels fell to the snow.
She cried.
She cried. Good God. He’d never been so happy to hear a baby cry. Luke ripped his shirt off and wrapped it around her and the tiny squalling fists.
“Here.” Owen was offering his fleece pullover.
Luke took it and wrapped the kid further.
“Mum,” Owen waved at her, “Take ‘em back.”
Magdalene nodded, putting a hand on Luke’s arm. He jerked violently, startling the baby. Riley cried and Luke pulled her tight to his chest, bearing his teeth like a wild animal. Magdalene looked surprised. Her hand hung in the air.
“Hobbs.” She shouted over the wind.
Magdalene gestured to the car. It took him a second to understand. He hadn’t even seen her get there.
“Luke!” She finally hollered. “To Deckard.”
She said more but just the mention of his partner’s name had him taking a jilted step forward. The impact of it seemed to rattle through him and he took a shocked breath. Everything seemed to snap back into focus.
“Let’s go.” He barked, hustling toward her car.
The old, wide-bodied luxury car rocked when he threw himself into the passenger seat. It roared to life before he even closed the door. The howling wind sounds cut short as Luke slammed the door shut. The heater blasted on and Riley cried.
“Riley,” Luke murmured. “Riley. Shush. I know. I’m so sorry.” His voice trembled.
“Is she alright?” Magdalene asked, sneaking glances over.
Luke checked her over carefully. “Not hurt. She’s got the toughest f*cking Papa ever. She’ll be okay.”
Riley didn’t seem to think she was okay. She screamed and bawled and fought the air with her fists. Luke apologized to her over and over, trying to keep her as surrounded by his body heat as he could. He rubbed a hand over her head. Luke’s jaw dropped as his hand came away coated with blood and white stuff.
“Her skin!” Luke gasped. “Magdalene her skin is coming off! What do I do--”
“Stop! Luke, listen to me,” She halted his mounting panic, “It’s normal. Entirely normal. Deckard was born with it and so were you. Normal.”
“Normal.” Luke shuddered.
“Baby cheese,” Magdalene said tightly. “It’s called baby cheese.”
Luke snorted then his voice dropped. “I thought— she just… Shhh, Riley. Hey. You’re okay. I gotcha.”
The house finally came into sight.
“Go.” Magdalene waved as soon as she hit the breaks.
He left her to put the car back, nearly sprinting into the house.
