The Warner VP's words were airtight. Cassius turned off the TV. He knew Nolan didn't have the final say on this one.
His phone buzzed. Cassius picked it up. It was Anne.
"I just saw the news. How can they do this?"
"Capital is just like that."
"Nolan's pissed. He slammed a cup down in the meeting room."
Cassius shrugged. Whether it was for show or because he genuinely wanted Cassius to stay on the project, he'd remember the gesture.
"Tell him I said thanks."
"You… are you okay?"
Anne's voice sounded a little guilty. She felt like inviting Cassius over to discuss the script had started this whole chain of events.
"Is there anything I can do?"
"You should stay out of it for now. Don't get dragged into this."
Cassius warned her. Anne was still in the middle of her career transition. She didn't have much leverage. All she could really do was post a few supportive tweets online, and that wouldn't change the outcome.
"I'm not scared!"
Anne's tone was firm.
"I am."
Cassius softened his voice. "You still have to survive in Hollywood. Don't piss off Warner because of me."
Anne was quiet for a few seconds. "This isn't fair."
"Hollywood was never about fairness."
After hanging up, Cassius opened his panel.
[Reputation-Building: 65%]
It had gone up again.
Cassius felt like if the drama kept going a little longer, he might level up without even stepping on set.
His phone buzzed again. It was a message from Anne.
"I saw the video. Your crew is so warm. I'm jealous!"
Cassius replied: "Come hang out!"
That afternoon, the crew was shooting a group scene with all the leads. It was a planning meeting where everyone stood around a map discussing how to take down the villain.
The scene had a lot of dialogue, but the vibe was relaxed.
Halfway through, Tyrese suddenly cracked up. "Sorry, sorry. When I saw Cassius's serious face saying we need three cars to charge in at once, it reminded me of him getting mobbed by reporters earlier."
Everyone burst out laughing.
Tyrese turned to Cassius. "Hey, Officer Cass, what would you do if someone busted in right now with protest signs?"
"I'd arrest them on the spot for disturbing the peace."
Cassius shrugged.
"What if you couldn't arrest them?"
"Then I'd remember their faces and settle the score after we wrap."
The set erupted in laughter again.
The next morning, Cassius arrived at the set for his first scene in Fast 6. It was a street chase in central London. The roads were closed off, with barriers on both sides.
When he got out of his trailer, a group of reporters immediately swarmed him.
"Cassius! Over here!"
"Can you say a few words?"
"You got pulled from Nolan's film and now you're on Fast 6. How are you feeling?"
Cassius stopped. He hadn't expected the press to be this aggressive.
"Feeling great. Honored to be back with this franchise."
Cassius didn't show any frustration. That seemed to disappoint some of the reporters.
"Warner said you were paused because of public pressure. Do you think Fast 6 might face the same issues?"
The question came from a guy in glasses holding a Daily Mail mic.
Cassius looked at him. "Justin and the crew have been super welcoming. I haven't felt any pressure."
"But there are people online saying you shouldn't be starring in American blockbusters—"
"Fast 6 is a Universal film, and my character is an international agent. The role was written as Asian."
Cassius cut him off. "You should ask the writers about that."
Another reporter pushed forward. "Word is Warner might drop you permanently. Are you thinking about going back to work?"
"Right now my focus is on making Fast 6 great. Everything else can wait."
Cassius tried to move, but the reporters blocked his path.
Just then, a commotion broke out nearby.
Outside the barriers, another group had shown up. About twenty people holding white signs with black letters—the same ones from the Warner protest.
The signs read: "Asians Out of Hollywood!"
"Fast 6 Doesn't Need Cass!"
"Cassius Isn't Worthy of an Action Hero!"
The entire set turned to look.
The reporters got excited and swung their cameras around.
Cassius stood there, staring at the group. They had followed him all the way from America to the UK just to hold a few signs and shout slogans.
Fuck.
Cassius cursed under his breath.
He'd given these people too much attention. Now they were chasing him across continents.
One of the protesters grabbed a megaphone and started shouting. "Cassius! Go back ! Hollywood doesn't want you!"
The voice was loud enough for the whole set to hear.
Crew members started murmuring and looking toward Cassius.
Justin Lin stood up and said something into his walkie-talkie.
Then Cassius saw Vin Diesel, Paul Walker, Gal Gadot, Jordana Brewster, and the rest of the main cast step out of their trailers and rest areas.
They didn't even glance at the protesters. They walked straight over and surrounded Cassius.
Vin spoke first, voice low but carrying across the set. "In this crew, nobody messes with family."
He stepped to Cassius's left.
Paul took the right. "Cassius is one of us. Simple as that."
Gal added, "If you want him gone, you'll have to go through all of us."
Jordana, Tyrese, and the others joined in one by one.
The entire lead cast formed a wall around Cassius.
Cameras flashed like crazy.
The protesters kept chanting, but the sound was drowned out by shutter clicks.
Only then did Justin Lin walk over, holding the director's megaphone connected to every speaker on set.
He spoke into it. "Listen up. I don't know who hired you and I don't care. But causing trouble on my set? Not happening."
He paused, voice hard. "Fast & Furious is about family. No matter what happens, we stand by our own. Cassius is family now. You want him out? You'll have to take all of us with him."
The set went quiet for a few seconds.
Then the crew started clapping. The applause grew louder.
"This is going to be front-page news!"
Reporters were snapping photos nonstop.
Outside the barriers, the protesters tried to keep shouting, but the security team hired by Universal moved in. British security was a lot more aggressive than Warner's.
They started clearing the area.
"You can't do this! This is a public space!"
"This is a restricted filming zone. You didn't get a permit."
The head of security stayed calm. "Leave now or we call the police."
The protesters argued but were escorted out one by one.
Through it all, Cassius stayed in the middle of the cast.
Once the protesters were gone, the reporters tried to swarm again, but Justin waved them off. "We're rolling. No more interviews. Media, please move to the designated area."
The press was herded away.
Only then did the cast disperse.
Vin clapped Cassius on the shoulder. "You good?"
"Yeah. I'm good."
Cassius felt genuinely touched. In a foreign country, having a crew like this behind you meant everything.
"These idiots are everywhere. Ignore them."
Paul slung an arm around Cassius's shoulders. "We've got work to do."
Gal leaned in. "You looked so cool back there."
Everyone laughed.
Justin called Cassius over to the monitor. "First scene. You drive out from that corner, slam on the brakes, and get out. Keep it sharp. You're playing a cop, not a street punk."
"Got it."
"That whole scene is definitely going viral. Be ready for more heat."
Justin warned him.
Cassius nodded. He was used to it by now.
His first scene went smoothly.
Cassius's driving skills from Fast 5 were still sharp. He pulled off a perfect powerslide and stopped exactly on the mark.
He got out, shut the door, and moved with clean precision.
"Cut!"
"Great work."
Justin looked pleased.
After the first take, Cassius headed back to the rest area.
Rob came over with his phone. "Twitter's blowing up again."
"What now?"
"Someone posted the video of what just happened. Fast cast standing up for you. Already over a hundred thousand retweets."
Cassius took the phone and scrolled.
The clip showed the protesters shouting, then the cast walking out, Vin saying "family," and Justin going hard on the megaphone.
"This is what a real team looks like!"
"Warner, take notes. This is how you do it!"
"Vin Diesel is a legend!"
"Why does Cassius get this kind of treatment?"
"Because he's Cassius. That enough for you?"
"Those protesters look like clowns."
"Followed him all the way from America to the UK. True dedication."
Cassius kept scrolling and stopped on one comment: "Did Cassius put a spell on the crew? Why is everyone protecting him like this?"
Someone replied underneath: "Maybe because he's actually good at his job and doesn't cause drama. That's rare in Hollywood."
While he was reading, Anne messaged again.
"I saw the video. Your crew is so supportive. I'm jealous!"
Cassius replied: "Come visit!"
That afternoon they were shooting a big group scene with all the leads. It was the planning meeting where everyone stood around a map discussing how to take down the villain.
The scene had lots of dialogue, but the energy was light.
Halfway through, Tyrese suddenly burst out laughing. "Sorry, sorry. When I saw Cassius's serious face saying we need three cars to charge in at once, it reminded me of him getting mobbed by reporters earlier."
Everyone cracked up.
Tyrese turned to Cassius. "Hey, Officer Cass, what would you do if someone busted in right now with protest signs?"
"I'd arrest them on the spot for disturbing the peace."
Cassius shrugged.
"What if you couldn't arrest them?"
"Then I'd remember their faces and settle the score after we wrap."
The set erupted in laughter again.