A Cyborg's Drive

Part 1:

Kickstarter

One night in the luxurious floating kingdom of Atlas, a limousine drove down a busy highway street at moderate speed. The driver smiled, not just from having his services rented out tonight by a wealthy couple, but by the banter he heard unfolding as he performed his normally dull duties.

"Oh my! That veal was to die for." A ginger hair woman cheered as she laid back in her car seat, rubbing her bulging stomach.

"I know honey, that's probably why you decided to get seconds. Not sure if that bulge is going to be a baby or you getting fa-OOOF!" a dark-skinned man with a black beard chuckled before getting the wind knocked out of him as he rubbed his aching sides. Boy did his wife have such a sucker punch.

"Y-Your lucky I wasn't driving." He groaned as he pointed to their limousine drive, who sheepishly whistled and focused on the road, not willing to get dragged into that mess the man made. The wife just rolled her eyes and crossed her arms in a huff.

"And your lucky you got a raise and took me out tonight or I wouldn't consider letting you put on in me tonight." She said with a teasing smirk making him flush and the driver cough a bit in surprise.

"D-Dear! Not in front of the driver!" The husband said in shock at her boldness. They did want to try for a child lately but still couldn't help but be flustered by her tactlessness. The wife however, was enjoying the hell out of her husbands embarrassment, deciding to take it up a notch as she grabbed his groin to his shock.

"Meaning if we were alone you'd let me treat you to a-" She began saying seductively until her eyes widened as she saw a bright light shine in front of the car, her skin paling as it sped towards them at a dangerous.

"Pietro!" a woman screamed, but all the man heard was the shattering of metal as the car collided with another.

*CLANG!*

"Pe-Penelope." Pietro weakly groaned after the shockwave of the collision ceased. His body ached, all except his lower half strangely. He didn't get spend much time thinking of that as he painfully jerked his head to check on his wife. His eyes laid upon a horrifying sight though, one that would be stained in his dreams for the remainder of his days. His wife was slumped in her seat, blood dripping from her mouth and shoulder as shrapnel was imbedded in her stomach and chest. Slowly, he reached his hand out to her, prodding her body as he desperately searched for any sign of life. A mere choked cough and weak glance from her brought him no relief.

"H-Honey?" He stuttered.

Everything was going dark as he felt all strength soon leave his body, unable to say one more word to his wife, unaware this would be the last time he would ever speak to her.

1 year later…

"Okay Pietro, that's enough for one night I'm cutting you off." A blonde barkeep woman said sternly to the dark skinned man sitting in the wheelchair with four legs at his table. Despite his expensive red vest and posh green cap that a posh and formal nobleman would carry, his flushed face and glasses hanging awkwardly told her he was getting too drunk for his own good.

"Come on *burp* Yaaaaaang! Just one *hic*….m-more?" Pietro groaned in protest, before hestuttered as he soon caught eye with Yang's fearsome red iris's. She exuded a powerful aura as she heard him, almost growling a bit like a wild lion as he did so. She knew what day it was, but didn't care. She wouldn't have him go killing himself with the bottle like her uncle did, he was done for tonight one way or another.

"I get why your sad, but I said…THAT'S. ENOUGH. GOT IT?" She growled.

Pietro paled as he felt immense heat blast his face from the pressure she was exuding. Yang Xiao Long had years of dealing with rowdier drunks than him after all, she had to be strong to kick them out with extreme force, and her cracking her knuckles made his heart skip a beat, knowing he would be next for that punishment or worse if he dared defied her again.

"O-Okay ma'am. Here you go, goodnight." He nervously said as he shakily handed her some lien for his booze and quickly rolled out of the Burning Dragon Bar. As he exited the bar, the pressure her aura put on his upper body finally ceased, allowing him to relax. As he laid his head back in his cushion neck recliner he customized his wheelchair with, Pietro caught sight of a billboard above him, showcasing General Ironwood of Atlas pointing directly at him.

Atlas Military Wants YOU!

"But it doesn't really care for you that's the catch." Pietro bitterly grumbled. He knew too well from experience how that man, James Ironwood, only cared about safety of the city, not its people really otherwise he would have granted him funding for his droid operations.

Pietro worked as a scientist for the Atlas Military, designing weapons and armor for them and their soldier's semblances. At first the career filled him with pride, he was helping to keep this city safe. He just couldn't believe it when Ironwood denied him a grant to create robots.

"But sir please! With these new droids, we can leave protecting the people to them while our huntsman can all focus on Grimm Hunting!" Pietro had pleased a while back, but the General was unfazed.

"And spend million's of lien that could go towards our hunters who do the job anyway? No Dr. Polendina, we need that lien for commerce and fuel for our warships. As long as we have those, Grimm hunting is unnecessary. We can just have our hunters police here instead like always." Ironwood said firmly, making Pietro grind his teeth in anger, his frustration building. Little did the general know, the grief-stricken Pietro had secretly been designing a prototype android, one the spitting image of his wife when he met her as a teenager. Though he had no romantic desires for a "copy" he remembered how badly his wife wanted a child. It was a wish they had both shared with a passion, a wish he feared this man was depriving him by refusing the funds he needed. He just had to fight this.

"Warships, I'll remind you, I helped build! Why can't you just grant me this one fa-" Pietro yelled before he was cut off by a stern glare from the General.

"If you want a favor, how about I don't fire you and let you get back to work while I still have the patience in me to allow that much?" Ironwood asked with a dark tone. Pietro just nervously nodded in compliance, not willing to be cast out on the streets homeless for this goal of his. Back in the present, Pietro teared up as he sat in that wheelchair. He couldn't help but feel sick with himself, not from the booze he drank, but by his failure to grow a spine and get the funds to finish his new "daughter".

"*Sigh* I guess that's 3 things I lost this year." Pietro sighed before his eyes narrowed on his waist. Today wasn't just a reminder of his failure, it was also one of how he became a cripple….and a widow sadly. He really needed to drink right now to keep away the pain. Today was the anniversary of his greatest loss, his wife getting killed in that car crash.

"Why did you have to leave me Penelope?" Tears stung Pietro's eyes as he said that. He still remembered vividly her bloodied body in that car, and the drunk driver from the other walking away awkwardly. Though Pietro hated how that man and his booze that deprived him off all the joys he had in life, the man just couldn't resist drinking right now. Booze was the only thing keeping his pain down, pain that he felt in his heart every single time he so much as sat down, it being a reminder of his torment and loss.

"Bad enough that bastard took my legs *Sniffle* why did he have to take her from me too?" Pietro cried.

"Because people are monsters that why." Someone said to him from behind. Pietro jolted, his handicap being the only thing keeping him from running in startling fright, thinking he was talking to himself until now. He moved the joystick on his left console, twirling his wheelchair around to see a small dirty grey haired boy glaring daggers at him.

"Wha-What did you say young ma-" Pietro was about to ask before glancing down, he had to avoid the death stare the boy was giving him. It was actually more pressure than miss Xiao Longs aura the crippled man found strangely enough. As he glanced down however, his eyes widened in shock as he saw a frightening image before him.

"Boy….your legs." Pietro whispered. The boy nodded as he waived at the bloody stumps that were once his legs.

"Yup, proof this worlds full of people that are nothing but shit." The boy spat venomously, making Pietro wince.

"Who did this to you?" Pietro hesitantly asked, keeping his distance.

"The mushy pile of guts back at my shack who used to be my father." The boy bitterly said as he showed off his blood covered knuckles to Pietro's disgust, covering his mouth with his hand fighting the urge to puke at the sight.

"W-Why would you kill your father! Why would he even do this to you?!" Pietro asked in fright.

"He lied to me. He wanted my semblance and he got it, and never gave it back like he promised. He took it all from me so I took everything from him. That's how the world works." He said with a dark look on his face, making Pietro recoil.

Pietro had never seen such bitterness from a child, nor heard such a disparaging tongue as well. The boy couldn't have been anymore than 9 years old and yet he was marred so badly, legless, covered in grime, and emaciated. As much as that frightened Pietro, he oddly found himself oddly curious about the boys injured legs. Though the bleeding had been stopped, it was both disgusting and amazing the boy was still alive despite only the thigh's remaining. Pietro soon eyed his own legs, he couldn't help but feel he had gotten off easy compared to this boy.

"This boy lost his legs and his semblance, and yet he still killed his father without them?" Pietro thought in amazement and shock.

Soon a surge of fear, no longer for himself from the killing intent the boy gave off, but for this filthy boy he saw wallowing in garbage in the alley. He knew the boy wouldn't last long in this condition, he just had to help him.

"Kid-" Pietro said as he slowly approached the orphan only to wince as he saw broken teeth clenched and bloodshot eyes shot at him from the child who grumbled; a clear and dangerous warning.

"Okay! Staying back. I just want to help you." Pietro said nervously but the kid wasn't buying it.

"Bullshit! Grown-ups don't help, they just take everything and leave me the scraps if any." he spat.

"I won't. You need a doctor and I want to help you get one, please trust me." Pietro countered.

"I trusted my dad and he stole my future with his semblance. I wanted to be a hunter and he said he could help, but he just wanted power. Why should I trust you to be different!?" The kid yelled. Pietro's face grew solemn as tears formed in his eyes, catching the youth off-guard.

"Because…because someone took everything from me too. Not just my legs, but my family as well." Pietro said as he choked on sobs. For once that night, the boy ceased his glare, he slumped his shoulders and let his guard down, actually curious at this news. This old man actually knew his pain?

"Believe me, I get how horrible that feels, the rage at the people who took from us without a care how much it hurt. How confusing it is to live in a world that would allow such horrible things to happen when we did no wrong. Every time I so much as talk to someone, or even open my eyes I can still see her, the person I lost who meant everything to me, my future. We're the same kid. I wallowed in booze for a year, trying to drive everyone around me away so I could keep the pain of losing my wife down. Please just let me help you, I think we both need something fair and nice to happen just once this year." Pietro begged the boy, slowly approaching him with an arm drawn out.

The street kid shivered as he saw the hand held out, remembering all the beatdowns his father had given him in the name of "training" when it was really just to enjoy tormenting the boy. The boy scooted back a bit into the alley in fright, but Pietro surprised him by grabbing his arm, forcefully drawing him into a tight hug.

"HEY! LET ME GO!" Though the boy tried to scream this and struggle, only to freeze as he felt his shoulders grow wet as the man rubbed his face on them.

"H-He's…crying…for me?" he thought in confusion. It seemed unreal, a stranger was actually sad for him? His own family didn't give a crap about the boy, why was this man going out of his way for someone unrelated to him.

"We're the same kid". The boy winced as he remembered those words. With that, he lost all strength in his body as his arms went limp around the crying mans shoulders to his relief, knowing it was finally time to begin healing, for both of them.

"Lets get you some help um…." Pietro said before pausing awkwardly, realizing he never got the kids name. The boy understood what the older man was thinking. He hesitated to reveal his full name, his last one being a grim reminder of his relation that terrible excuse of a father of his.

"Mercury….just Mercury." Mercury said sadly as Pietro nodded and called for an ambulance. With that, the boy knew it was time. He had thrown his old life away, the life of the assassin's know as the Black's. He was still unsure what this man intended for him, but one thing was for sure, anything was better than that hell he called a childhood.

A Fresh Start

1 week after being treated at the hospital, Mercury was set to be released. Though he was given a fresh change of clothes consisting of cut up blue jeans (for obvious reasons) and a grey and black long-sleeve t-shirt and mittens to keep warm from the Atlesian cold, Mercury felt so unnatural. He had spent days fending for himself in the slums even before killing his father, whom usually didn't even go out of his way to bring home a simple meal for him, insisting Mercury get everything himself. Yet Dr. Polendina had gone out of his way to care for him as promised, buying him clothes, having his legs treated for their infections, and even offering him a room to stay at his house. It still left one major question in the boys mind though as he strolled out of the hospital in a wheelchair.

"What do I do now?" Mercury thought. He glanced down at the bandaged stumps that were once his legs. It didn't take a genius to tell he wouldn't be doing much in life in the terms of physical prowess. All that martial arts training in his youth, all of it was worthless. Mercury knew he couldn't fight and become a hunter or policeman, not when he couldn't even walk. Even if Dr. Polendina saved him from the streets, what could he possibly do to save him from the boy's own limitations.

Little did he know, Pietro could tell just what the boy was thinking and smirked. He was jittery, honestly dying to tell the boy the surprise homecoming gift for him, but just knew he had to savor the moment to come. The boy was still so depressing and glum, despite the death glares ceasing, and he just needed a pleasant surprise.

"Ready to go home Mercury?" Pietro asked with a grin.

"Sure ugh….Dr. Polendina." Mercury said awkwardly, averting his gaze. Pietro frowned as he heard this, feeling the unease the boy was feeling. Officially, Pietro filed for adoption and was now Mercury's legal guardian. While the man opened his mouth to try and implore the boy to call him father or at least say his name, he paused as he saw the bruises on his wards knuckles, the scars of killing his true father.

"Such a man forced him to do such things at his age, blacken his soul. No wonder he's awkward around me. He can't let another man be his father, not after what his first one did." Pietro sadly thought. He knew Mercury had to heal before he pushed for such things, Pietro couldn't have the family he desired until he earned such a right. The best way to do so was to help Mercury get some closure, and he knew just how to do it.

After a long awkward drive back to Pietro's home, Mercury sighed with relief as the suffocating atmosphere was coming to an end. His eyes widened in shock as he laid them upon a small mansion, white marble podiums with lion statues, a pool in the luscious green front yard, and solar and lunar panels that powered a electric high-tech gate that kept all intruders out. It was a huge step above not just the decaying wooden shack his father had, but the shit and roach covered alleyways on the streets where he had to arm-wrestle with hobo's for sleeping spots or barely edible scraps of food from garbage cans. Even as he and Pietro drove inside to the manor, Mercury just didn't feel secure though, it was just too foreign a feeling to the street kid to be safe.

"Welcome to your new home kiddo. Oh Ren, could you please wheel him in for me?" Pietro asked his butler, Lie Ren.

"Yes master at once." The dark haired man said politely as he nodded in compliance. Pietro stole a quick frown, exasperated a bit to deal with 2 gloomy or overly formal men today. After all, Mr. Ren was the one who saved him from that car crash years ago, hence why he hired him as his personal butler. He just wished he could have someone to talk to casually these days. Oh well, the hope was this surprise he had for Mercury would help the boy open up. As they both entered the mansion, Pietro had Ren direct Mercury's wheelchair to the science lab, what was once his gym room before the loss of his legs.

"Wow!" Mercury said in awe as he marveled at the many computers and televisions around him, but his eyes especially locked on the glass cages of guns and blueprints of tanks and robots plastered to the wall. While he didn't understand much about this science stuff, he could tell Pietro was a man who based the wealth he accumulated on important yet dangerous experiments.

"Hahaha, yeah I get what your thinking. Big bad Pietro made an army for Atlas. Well…that's what Ironwood wanted at least." Pietro chuckled before his face turned solemn a bit.

"You don't like your job?" Mercury asked, seeing the bitterness on Pietro.

"Ah its fine, keeping Atlas safe with new weapons for the police to handle Grimm and criminals. But believe me, its not my passion not anymore." Pietro said firmly.

"What is then?" Mercury asked. Ren and Pietro stole a quick glance and smiled warmly, having waited for this moment. Pietro motioned Ren to the right corner of the room, to something covered by a blanket.

"This my boy….is my passion, now Ren." Pietro ordered as Ren nodded and took off the cover, shocking Mercury as he laid eyes upon a robot. It had no clothing on it, or arms or a face. It did have orange hair with curls and a pair of legs, fit with jet boots which Mercury found himself drawn too.

"Y-You…make cool robots like this!?" Mercury shouted, before his face flushed in embarrassment as Ren and Pietro smirked, obviously amused by his child-like joy.

"Hahahaha! Yes, I love to do this the most. My dream was to make a new generation of servant droids for the people of Atlas, and maybe someday the other kingdoms to give people comfortable lives. This one was my first prototype." Pietro laughed.

"Why did you stop then?" Mercury asked curiously. He could tell since there were no other parts here or droids around in Atlas that he stopped. It didn't make sense to stop doing something he loved doing.

"General Ironwood didn't give Mr. Polendina the funds he requested, even with the offer to make them as a new police force. He said they were unnecessary usage of taxpayers money when hunters were around to do the same job." Ren explained, seeing Pietro grow somber as he heard the question.

"I kind of got where he was going with that though, he always did see big and could read other people. I'm sure he saw my real wish under the proposal." Pietro said.

"Which was?" Mercury asked with an eyebrow raised.

"*Sigh* That robot there, Penny, was going to be my wife and I's first child." Pietro said sadly to the boys shock.

"You…wanted a robot kid as a child?" Mercury asked in confusion.

"We were having trouble having a child, so I decided to try and make one to practice. Get the feel of being a parent. I always wanted a daughter to name after my Penelope, just so I could have a pleasant reminder of my love for my wife whenever I said her name. Sadly, though I still wished for this even after my wife perished, hoping for just a bit of the life we wanted to experience together, I still couldn't get the funds needed to finish her." Pietro sadly explained. Mercury and Ren grew somber, sporting frowns as they heard this. Ren out of guilt for what he felt like his fault, wishing he had managed to avoid that drunk driver all those nights ago and prevent his masters loss and Mercury for treading upon this sensitive topic.

"Which is why," Pietro then spoke up in anticipation as he drew Mercury's attention.

"I have decided to give my childs legs to you boy." Pietro said with a smile. Mercury doubled back hearing this, almost knocking over his own wheelchair as Ren caught it just in time.

"YOUR GIVING ME ROBOT LEGS!" Mercury yelled in a mix of excitement and shock. Pietro just smiled and nodded in confirmation

"I'm giving you your future back kiddo." Pietro said warmly.

10 Years Later…

"RUN FOR IT GAHH!" A deer faunus hollered in fright before a dark foot crush him.

A massive Goliath soon crashed into a building on the streets of mantle, scattering many civilians who frantically tried to avoid oncoming debris. Their fears for this beast only served to fuel its rampage as it bellowed before charging straight towards the crowd. One woman slipped as her heels broke from the rapid motion, letting go of her baby stroller containing her infant daughter. She looked up as she rubbed her scraped jaw painfully, before her vision blackened as she saw the massive underbelly of the elephant Grimm walk over her. The beast narrowly avoided stomping on her, but her sigh of relief soon turned into a gasp of terror as she heard her infant squealing as the demonic mammoth soon drew close to stepping on her instead.

"MY BABY!" The mother hollered in terror, but no one was around to hear her pleas as the beast lifted its heavy foot to squash the child to her horror, or so she thought. She soon heard what sounded like a rocket and welder at the same time go off as a ball of light and green energy zoomed past her in a second.

"I GOTCHA KIDDO!" A guys voice hollered as the ball of light grabbed the baby girl and sped back to the mother as the Goliath stomped on the stroller. In an instant, the squealing infant was shown in the arms of a 19 year old boy dressed in grey and green, his most keen feature though being his robotic legs that cooled down as the stream of green fire that levitated him ceased. As soon as he landed he slowly handed the crying child back to his mother to her relief.

"Oh thank you! Thank you sir!" She cried tears of joy but he waived her off with a confident smirk.

"Just doing my job ma'am. *CRASH* Which I'll be getting right back too LATER!" Mercury nervously said as he heard the Goliath stomp towards them before reigniting his rocket boots and darting back towards the Grimm. His earpiece started buzzing as he pressed it, hearing a very familiar voice that made him smile.

"Just want to tell you one behalf of Ironwood since he's busy. Be careful of causing anymore collateral damage. We need you save those people's homes as well. But hell, make sure have a blast too kiddo." Pietro said cheerfully over the intercom.

"Ready to make you proud doctor P!" Mercury thought as he ended the transmission. He never felt more on fire as the surge of adrenaline fueled his smile, happy to have made his dream of becoming a police officer, and Pietro's dream of creating an awesome cyborg a success as his boot charged up green fire and he prepared to deliver a fiery kick to the elephant Grimm's face.

"EAT THIS!" Mercury shouted.

Author Notes

Originally wanted this as a oneshot, but it dragged on and became something I want to make a 2 parter out of. Special thanks to Redditor TextUnfair who helped me come up with this Mercury adoption story. Next time, we will see Mercury deal with more emotional issues as a new enemy endangers the new life he's worked hard to obtained with Penny and his adoptive fathers help in Part 2: Reignite or Shutdown?