Cold, it was almost fall, it shouldn't be this damn cold. It didn't help that he had to wear this damn uniform. They said it was to hide their identities, but Grey stood out like a sore thumb. Though the length of his long silver hair was tucked up under his hat, the color clashed against the black suit and red tie Junior forced him to wear. He'd rather be wearing his coat. He could tell everyone was just as cold as they all huddled together, their breath visible in the night air. They were all gathered on the rooftops around the block, watching the bank below.
They took turns keeping watch and it was a grueling experience. It was nearly 3 AM by the time the truck rolled around the block, they took their positions as the truck parked on the street below. They watched as the guards stepped out of the truck, securing the area before unlocking the doors to the bank and stepping inside. Grey counted two humans and six custom Atlesian Knight models, likely privately owned by whatever security firm was hired for this job. They were a bit bulkier than the standard models, all carrying what appeared to be assault rifles and dual longswords. They all waited in silence, Grey didn't notice the cold anymore, all he could feel was thumping of his heart in his chest, adrenaline running through him in anticipation of the coming fight. Most would be nervous, and he could tell some were, but Grey could barely hold himself back, behind his dark glasses, the whites of his eyes were slowly turning black.
Finally the signal came, and Grey threw himself off of the rooftop while the others rappelled down, the instant they moved a trio of cars raced around the corner, more guys climbing out as Grey landed on the back of the truck, denting the metal from the impact. Before even the Knights could react, he pulled his weapon from his back. Unlike the other members of the gang, his weapon was more unique. An axe-shaped guitar, with a gun built into the neck, it was his own custom design. He leveled the gun end down at them, quickly flipping the safety switch off and pressing down on the whammy bar, opening fire on the mechanical warriors below him. Once he was sure he had their attention he leaped from the top of the truck, spinning his weapon around and bringing the blade end down over one of the Knight's heads, his blade split its metal skull, its body getting stuck on his weapon as he swung it, the metal body flying free of his blade and knocking into two of them as he charging the three behind him.
He knocked them further into the street as the rest of the gang held up the two human guards as they unloaded the truck's cargo into the getaway vehicles. Grey barely noticed the others at work as he lost himself in the fight. It was exhilarating, even against these tin cans. He brought his axe down on one of the Knights, his blade breaking past its armor and breaking it. He pulled the blade free and moved to the next nearest Knight, it was in the middle of drawing its baldes when his axe struck it hard in the back, where the lower spine would be on a human, the machine was cleaved clean in two as the pieces tumbled away.
The other Knight was ready for him, drawing its blades and rushing him. It put him on the defensive, hitting him hard and fast, he could barely keep the attacks from landing with his own weapon. It didn't help that the last two Knights finally got back up and were firing at him from a distance. He tried to dodge their shots and look for an opening, but he was losing focus, taking a few hits before a great impact knocked him back, he hadn't even noticed that one of the Knights had fired an impact grenade. His guard was down and the Knight he was fighting took advantage of the interruption, hitting him with a barrage of attacks, ending in a hard kick to his chest that knocked him across the street and into a storefront.
His hat and glasses had fallen off, he didn't even notice as the black coloration of his eyes was starting to spread across his face, his yellow eyes starting to turn red. He was starting to lose his grip, the temptation to go all out was getting stronger by the minute. He knew better than to do it in front of people, the thought of what would happen if anyone saw was the only thing that kept him from doing it. He pulled himself up and scowled at the Knights, showing off his sharpened teeth as he gave an enraged shout, charging them, the two still firing at him but he didn't care. He tanked their shots as he took a hard swing at the sword-wielding one. The Knight blocked his strike but the impact was hard enough to throw it back against the truck.
Grey threw himself at it, catching it as it tried to get up as he struck its body with his blade, just one good strike would have been enough to take it out, but Gray kept swinging. Again and again his blade destroyed what was left of the Knight as the truck's engine was equally demolished by his weapon. This continued until he heard a voice.
"Stand down and drop your weapon," a synthesized voice commanded. Grey turned to see the two remaining knights were trying to hold him up. "Stand down and drop your weapon," it repeated. As if in defiance of their command, he did drop his weapon, but continued approaching them, before they could give him another command he grabbed the rifle of one of the Knights, pushing the butt of the gun into its face, cracking the metal of its exoskeleton before swinging the Knight into its partner, knocking them both down and pulling the weapon free of the Knight's hands, He turned the weapon around and unloaded what was left in the clip into the fallen machines. Once the gun clicked empty he dropped it, approaching the sparking remains as one of the Knights still remained active, if only barely. It tried to continue apprehending him as it sputtered a broken repeat of its earlier command. Grey picked up one of the swords dropped by one of its comrades and stabbed it into the machine's cranium, finishing it off.
It was only when he started to come down from the rush, the black coloration starting to fade, did he notice his surroundings, he was alone in the street, the other guys having left him behind while the sound of police sirens started to get closer. As they approached, he weighed his options. Fighting them off wasn't likely an option, now that he had calmed down, he was starting to feel his injuries affecting him. As much as he wanted to, letting 'it' out would only cause more problems later on, he likely didn't have the energy for it anyway. As four squad cars pulled up, the cops stepping out and drawing their guns on him.
"This is the Vale City Police," One of them called. "Drop your weapon and put your hands above your head. This is your first and final warning."
Grey sighed and dropped the blade, putting his hands above his head as one of the officers came up and arrested him, giving him the usual routine. This wasn't his first time in cuffs, he knew it all by heart now.
At the station, they gave him the usual, the good cop/bad cop, the usual offers, the threats. He was silent the entire time, it wasn't like he knew anything anyway. He had only been on Junior's payroll for about a week, he never actually interacted with the man. Even someone of his notoriety was just another new recruit, not worth the time. Besides, even if he talked, Junior would either lie or pay off whomever came to investigate.
They had left him in the interrogation room, on his own for a bout an hour. He looked pretty beat up, they had treated his wounds when they brought him in, but they still ached. After some time, the door opened and two people walked in, a man and a woman, neither of them were in uniform so they definitely weren't cops.
The man was a very dignified figure with white hair. He wore a pair of spectacles and a black and green suit. In one hand appeared to be a walking cane, in the other was a tablet, currently displaying his file. Beside the man was a woman, blonde, wearing glasses in a white top and black skirt. She wore a cape and appeared to carry a riding crop. Unlike the man, who seemed very calm, she seemed very displeased to be here.
The man silently sat across from him and read from the tablet, "Greymond Fafnir," he started.
"Grey," Grey corrected him, "I go by Grey. And can we skip this part? This isn't my first time in this situation. I've had my record read to me in that condescending tone you're about to use so many times. I know what I've done." The man was about to speak before Grey interrupted him. "Fifteen counts of assault, three counts of resisting arrest, two counts of assaulting an officer, two counts of robbery, now upped to three. Twenty counts of public property damage including but not limited to vandalism, wanton destruction, inciting a riot and general recklessness. Look, fella, whatever you're about to tell me, I've heard it. I've been in two foster families and just as many juvenile detention centers. You're here to 'offer me a chance', you want to give me a shot at a better life, something bigger than this. And I swear if you try and compare me to my father, I'll leap across this table and-"
Grey was interrupted by the woman clearing her throat, obviously an attempt at a subtle threat. Grey responded by glaring at her and settling back in his seat as the man finally spoke.
"How is Sigmund these days?" he asked.
Grey rolled his eyes, "In prison. Everyone knows that."
"Right," the man continued, "it's common knowledge that Sigmund, Vaccuo's notorious crime boss, and his son didn't see eye to eye."
"Dad cared more about business than the whole 'parenting' thing," Grey interjected.
"Well, my question is: If you despise your father so much, why are you so set on following in his footsteps?"
"Violence is the only thing I've ever been good at," Grey told him after a moment. "Ever since I was young I've been throwing fists, at first just to get by, but after a while. I guess you can say I acquired a taste for it. You could say I get a real rush from it, better than anything else I can describe. Now I got this 'thing' in me, now all I wanna do is beat somebody down, I don't really feel alive unless I do. Guess you could say, I need my 'fix' and most normal folks look down on that."
"Oh I'm well aware of your 'cravings," your previous foster families reported you sneaking out at night. Most can assume what a young man like yourself would be sneaking out to do, but you always came back with claw and bite-marks on you. So what I want to know is why a young man like yourself goes through all this trouble, so he can sneak out into the wilderness and pick fights with Grim?"
Gray stared at him for a long moment, "Like I said, need my fix. And I can't go around offing people, attracts too much attention. But nobody cares if you take out a half dozen Grim every night. If anything, they pat you on the back and say 'good job' and move on."
The man pulled up a new file while Grey spoke. He turned the tablet screen to Grey, showing him security camera footage from last night. He let the video play as he spoke, "You've got skill, even crafting your own weapon, outside of any academy. And you're using this potential to pick fights with police and help thugs rob banks. If you're so insistent on being this violent hooligan, why not put it to good use and become a Huntsman?"
Grey scoffed, "You think I could actually get into one of those schools? With my record, with who my family is?" He let it sink in. "I've got nowhere to go, these 'thugs' are the only people who'll let me in, at least for as long as my skills hold up."
The man smirked, "Well, you're right, I am here to give you a choice," he said, "the police want to send you to prison, maximum security, for life. But I convinced them that I would at least offer you this: I can get you into one of those schools. But this is by no means a free ride, once inside, should you fail or drop out, you'll end up right back here and on the first transport to jail. This is your last chance."
"Why?" Grey asked, "why bother? And how can you even pull something like that?"
The man smiled softly at him, "I believe in giving people second chances, that given the circumstances, people can change. Make themselves better. You may refer to me as Professor Ozpin, headmaster of Beacon Academy, and I'm offering that chance to you."