The smell of burnt rubber, engine oil, and fresh-cut metal hung thick in the air as the crew gathered inside Ethan's underground garage. It wasn't a fancy setup, and nothing like Dax's custom workshop back in LA. This was a racer's garage. A place built for speed, not show. The floors were stained, the toolboxes were covered in old stickers, and the walls were lined with engine parts, spares, and racing memorabilia.

Tonight, it was the headquarters for war, because in a few days, they'd be taking on Jace and Alex's people. And losing wasn't an option.

Ethan was under his Evo II, adjusting the suspension while Jinx sat nearby, throwing him a constant stream of unsolicited advice.

"You know, if you dropped the camber a little, you'd get way better stability on the straights."

Ethan let out a muffled groan. "If I wanted a damn lecture, I'd watch YouTube."

Jinx grinned, unfazed. "I'm just saying..."

"I swear to God, Morales, I will throw this wrench at your head."

Meanwhile, Hunter had his Celica parked under the lights, the hood open as Rev leaned over, shaking his head at what he saw. "Damn, man. Who the hell last tuned this?"

Hunter smirked. "That'd be me."

Rev gave him a look. "No offense, but I can see why you lose."

Hunter laughed. "Alright, alright. What do you suggest, genius?"

Rev pulled out his phone, scrolling through some saved tuning notes. "More aggressive boost mapping. Adjust the air-fuel ratio. You're leaving power on the table, and you don't even know it."

Hunter raised a brow. "That a fact?"

Rev smirked. "Bet me, and find out."

Erin stood near Ethan's second Evo (Evo IX), watching as Ghost adjusted some minor details on the ECU, his movements precise, practiced.

Dax stood beside her, arms crossed, watching it all unfold. His expression was neutral, but Erin knew him too well.

She could tell he was thinking. Calculating. And she knew exactly what she needed from him. "You know you're racing, right?"

Dax turned to her, brow raising. "Am I?"

Erin smirked. "You think I'm stupid enough to race alone?"

Dax exhaled, shaking his head. "You're a damn menace, you know that?"

"And you love it."

Dax chuckled. "Unfortunately."

"So... you're in?"

Dax watched as Ethan rolled out from under his car, wiping his hands, as Jinx and Rev bickered over turbo lag. He looked at Ghost, adjusting numbers on his laptop, fine-tuning the IX's power curve. Then he turned back to Erin.

Her eyes were sharp, determined.

And he knew, if he didn't back her up, she'd still do this anyway. He sighed. "Alright, Calloway. Let's race."

Erin grinned.

They weren't just preparing for one battle. They were preparing for a full-scale takeover.