Chapter 3: Where Eagles Dare

We walk the streets at night

We go where eagles dare

They pick up every movement

They pick up every loser

With jaded eyes and features

You think they really care

All I knew was pain.

Most of it came from my back where they had wires hooked on bolts drilled into my rib vertebra, but the electricity coming from them bathed my whole body in a latticework work of agony.

"I know it hurts my boy." I tried to open my eyes but they moved like glaciers, and I'd screamed so much my vocal cords were raw and bloody.

"But remember, it's all for the greater good." Through my slitted eyelids, I saw a hand with a V-shaped scar reach for a dial and it crank all the way up.

I tried to scream but nothing came out, I knew it was coming, the shock hit me like a hundred hammers and…

...and was awake, I looked around and saw the blue strips of pre-dawn light leaking through the ballroom windows. Everyone was still asleep, their dreams untroubled by pain and torture.

I got up and crept into the bathroom, and locked it once I was in I walked up to the mirror, took off my hoodie, turned to look in the mirror and saw the scars that ran up either side of my spine. Tiny dots on either side of each vertebra.

Lights, pain, V-shaped scar.

I shook my head to dispel the memories and started changing. Breakfast wasn't being served yet so I went outside and walked on a trail I found. The sounds of nature strangely soothed me and soon the nightmare and my past were locked up in my brain where they belonged.

After a while, I reached a cliff that overlooked Emerald Forest, where the initiation was set to take place.

The partially risen sun captivated me and I found myself sitting down near the edge of the cliff to drink in it's beauty.

I spent an hour watching the sun climb its way into the sky when suddenly, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned to see Trevor standing with two plates of pancakes in his hand.

"Something told me I would find you here." He said.

"Whatever that something is, I want it shot and killed so I can be at peace."

He laughed, sat down beside me and he handed me a plate that was stacked high with pancakes. I took it and looked at it suspiciously for a minute.

"Ok I give up, what do you want." I asked him.

"I want you to eat it." He answers without looking up.

"I'm not hungry." I said as my stomach growled.

"Eat." He said as he pointed at me with his fork.

I picked up a pancake and took a bite, then another, and another. Slowly but surely, I ate the whole stack of pancakes.

"Where's Fred?" I asked

"In the cafeteria probably sitting in the corner shitting himself, dude's got major anxiety probs." He answered.

"Oh." I answered as the conversation died again.

"Well, I'm gonna go get ready, feel free to keep moping or whatever." Trevor said so suddenly it made me jump.

"I wasn't moping you fucking beach bum!" I defend.

"For sure bro." He returned as he disappeared down the trail.

Why the hell would I need a landing strategy, I thought to myself.

Immediately after, the platform I was standing on made a loud clunk, I suddenly gained a massive amount of upwards momentum and everything clicked into place.

I suppose, I should have prepared more considering I was the first to go, but hindsight is a useless semblance.

"Fuck shit bitch damn cunt whore ass motherfucker!" I scream with as much dignity as one can muster while tumbling through the air.

My brief spell of flight ended abruptly when I slammed into the dirt hard enough to dislocate a few vertebrae and break a rib. I tried to pull in a breath but my lung had been punctured and was now filling up with blood.

For some reason, probably shock, the only thing my mind could conjure up at that moment was the quote; 'Speed has never killed anyone, suddenly becoming stationary… now that's what gets you.'

After a few seconds of trying to breathe while simultaneously not being able to move, my spinal cord shifted back into place and the feeling instantly returned to my legs. My rib took a while because of the lung but it eventually clicked into place and I was able to take a deep breath. After that, the only damage left was the mental trauma of being a colossal fuck up.

After a few seconds of lying there, contemplating suicide, an annoying, voice says "Excellent landing there, I especially liked the part where you didn't even try to stop yourself."

I look up to see the girl who threw a pillow at Fred standing there. She was wearing black leather combat armor, carrying her sword/shotgun and had the biggest big smirk on her face.

"What the fuck are you grinning at." I snap as I get up and brush myself off.

"A fuckin idiot by the looks of it," she says "That almost makes up for being stuck with you for four years."

"What the fuck are you on about, being stuck together for four years." I ask confused

"Good God," she groans, "Did you even listen to Ozpin."

"No." I say bluntly

"You and I are partners moron." She says gruffly as she walks away.

I speed walk to catch up to her.

"Listen Bitch-pants McCrabby tha..."

"Olivia" she interrupts

"What?" I say

"My name is Olivia." She deadpans as she continues to walk.

"Alright, Olivia how did we become partners." I ask

"We made eye contact." She explains

I stopped in my tracks and stared after her for a few seconds.

"Your fucking with me, right...right?" I say.

The only answer was a distant, overhead, scream that told me I wasn't the only one unprepared for the launch.

"Should we make a mark or something? Ya know, to make sure we're not going in circles?" I asked sarcastically. We had been walking for what seemed ages and my feet were starting to feel sore.

"We're not going in circles." Olivia replied as she slashed some underbrush with her sword.

"Are you sure, cause I'm pretty sure I've seen that tree, like, five times." I say, ducking a low-hanging branch.

"Wait what tree?" she exclaims. She beelines past me and starts looking at a random tree.

"Is it this tree? No it couldn't have been this tree. It's got a split in it and I would have recognized it! Or would I? Or maybe…" she pauses as I snicker at her.

"Are you fucking with me!" she snarls as she marches right up to my face.

"I don't know what you're talking about." I answered, still laughing to myself.

"Listen here you little-" she starts to say in a deadly low voice when she is suddenly interrupted by the rapid patter of paws than a vicious guttural howl.

I looked to my left to see a Beowolf mid pounce its jaw wide open, gleaming white teeth glinting in the sunlight as everything slowed to a crawl. Sounds dimmed, the sun no longer felt hot on my skin and electricity was teeming on my fingertips in an instant.

Acting on instinct I reached out and grabbed Olivia by her collar and belt. Twisting my body I threw her out of the way as things sped up again and the Beowolf completed its pounce, stumbling a bit before it dug its claws into the ground and whipped around, snarling at me.

"Fucking come on then!" I yelled at the Grimm as Olivia got to her feet. She shook her head, dazed, before switching her greatsword into shotgun mode and firing a slug at the creature.

The ball of lead ripped through the creature's arm, nearly tearing it off. The Beowolf howled pitifully before turning and running back into the forest.

"It ran." I pointed out unnecessarily as Olivia walked up to me.

"Yeah, ever since Salem died they're just animals now." She explained "Animals with an affinity for flesh that is."

She turned and studied at me as if she was trying to solve a Where's Wilson puzzle.

"You're fast." She stated.

"Sorry baby, I must be tired tonight." I replied. She punched me in the arm and turned away.

"Let's go, we need to find a relic." She said, walking away.

"Aren't we still lost?" I asked as I jogged after her.

"Shut up!" was all she said.

After retrieving the chess piece and returning to the school, we were placed in the auditorium Where Ozpin was calling us forward 4 at a time to be sorted into teams.

"Fred Hex, Trevor Hex, Olivia Muse and Nicholas." Ozpin Called.

The four of us stepped forward, Fred nearly tripping from his nerves.

"You retrieved the black Bishop piece, from this day forward you will work together as team FOTN." Ozpin announced.

"Photon, like the light particle?" Fred whispered to his brother, who shrugged.

"Led by, Fred Hex." Ozpin finished.

Olivia's eyes bulged out of her skull as Fred looked like he swallowed his tongue. I sighed and rubbed my eyes, this was going to be a shitty year.

A/N: Finally, most of my 3edgy5u phase is burned from this book now. Ill still make some changes here or there, but the slog is now over.