Silver Elite

Wren gets her own bed for the barracks. In geography class the next day, Kaine jokes that the lost continent of Carora must be full of cannibals, given that no one has heard from them in over a century. A recruit named Bryce asks why the Command hasn’t established an outpost there; Instructor Dava explains that several attempts were abandoned. It was deemed too risky, as ships and aircraft that travel there never return. Roe antagonizes Wren during afternoon break, and she exchanges insults with him before walking off.

In shielding class, Wren links with Tana, who warns her not to come home and to stay at the base for safety. Struck teaches the recruits about the various types of Aberrants: telepaths, projectors, mind readers, empaths, precogs, and inciters. Wren has four abilities—telepathy, projection, mind reading, and inciting. Struck informs them that shielding during sleep isn’t necessary, as the brain waves associated with sleep block Aberrant access, but she emphasizes the importance of shielding during waking hours. She explicitly warns them of the danger of inciters, whom she calls monsters for infiltrating minds and robbing individuals of their free will.

Struck brings in a Mod prisoner named Amira for shield testing. Mods who aren’t immediately executed are given wrist tattoos: red for prisoners, black for loyalists. Amira has both, marking her as enslaved. Wren weakens her shield on purpose so as not to appear too talented at the exercise. She focuses her thoughts on her ranch horse, Kelley, to avoid detection. Her classmates, including her new friend Lyddie, show fear or hatred toward Amira. Their prejudice disappoints Wren.

That night, Wolf links with Wren. They vent about hiding who they are, feeling they’ll break under the weight of their secrets. Wolf insists they won’t because they have each other. Restless after breaking the link, Wren invites Kaine on a walk around the base. They walk toward east quadrant, where they pass a supply warehouse with male voices drifting out. Wren spots an unattended motorcycle nearby.

Tempted to escape, Wren orders Kaine back to the barracks, but he senses her intentions and tries to stop her. Ignoring him, Wren steals the motorcycle and speeds toward the open gate. Cross pursues her on a second motorcycle and warns her of the forcefield around the base that will kill her if she crashes into it. Wren barely brakes in time. Cross gives her only two options: the Program or the stockade. When she hints at offering “anything” for a third option, Cross calls her bluff by suggesting something sexual, forcing her to retract her offer. Cross acknowledges his attraction to her but says he doesn’t get involved with recruits. The next morning, Xavier Ford wakes the recruits earlier than usual. Because Wren stole a Command vehicle, the entire cell must run laps until sunrise. Anyone who quits will be cut.

In hand-to-hand combat, Wren lets Lyddie beat her. During shooting practice, they’re given sniper rifles from Tecmel—the only Continent weapons manufacturer. Wren doesn’t recognize the REMM-4 stamp, and Ivan explains that REMM designs weapons for low-light conditions. Black Cell has mostly split into cliques, so Wren, Lyddie, and Kaine form a trio. Wren fakes a bad grip on her rifle, so Ivan makes Kaine help her. Kaine’s hands-on assistance sparks physical attraction in Wren, but it doesn’t go deeper.

At dinner, Wren notices Kess and others whispering about her. Lyddie notes that Kaine seems to like Wren. While Wren finds him fun and attractive, she can’t risk distractions. In the showers, Lyddie sees burn scars on Wren’s thigh; Wren lies, saying she spilled boiling water on herself as a kid. In truth, Uncle Jim purposefully burned her to erase a circular, blood-red birthmark—a physical marker of unusually powerful Mods.

The next day, the whispers intensify. Lyddie informs Wren that rumors are circulating that her uncle was an Aberrant executed for concealment. Wren admits that Jim was executed but denies that he was a Mod. Kaine reveals that Ivy spread the rumors, and Wren wonders if Cross told her. At breakfast, Kess provokes Wren with insensitive comments about Jim. Wren snaps, attacks Kess, and reveals her true combat skills. Kaine pulls her off as Hadley and Struck intervene.

Kess is taken to Medical, and Wren is escorted to Cross’s office, where he accuses her of sabotaging her performance in the Program. Cross says she must be punished for attacking a fellow recruit—but he gives Wren a chance to escape it: Get past him to the door, and she’s free. If not, Black Cell runs all night. They spar but Wren ends up pinned against the wall by Cross. Ford’s arrival signals Wren’s loss. Cross declares Black Cell will run all night because of her actions and orders Ford to sentence Wren to two nights in Stock C next time she attacks a fellow recruit.

When scores are posted, Wren’s is 49%, and she feigns disappointment. Her fellows receive leisure passes for Sunday, but Wren doesn’t. She demands an audience with Cross, but Struck and Hadley refuse. That night, Wren links with Wolf. He talks about his recurring nightmare about drowning. Wolf finds it funny that they know each other so well yet so little. Wren admits that she feels trapped in her circumstances, but Wolf assures her that any trap can be escaped; it’s just a matter of how far one is willing to go. They discuss how animals act when trapped—coyotes chew off their own leg to escape, and horned bears sacrifice their lives for a chance at killing their captors. Wren says she’d rather live than die for revenge. Wolf hesitates before agreeing.

Unable to sleep, Wren slips out for air and explores the base, noting the guards and cameras. She climbs the gates and sits atop the wall overlooking South Plaza, where Jim died. Cross joins her, asking if she saw the incitement during the execution. Wren says no—she was too focused on her uncle. Wren calls the executions barbaric, but Cross claims they’re fairer than in the Old Era, when the worst criminals—murderers, rapists, pedophiles—used to receive such quality care in penitentiaries that they lived better than most free people. Cross explains that his father, the General, is devoted to correcting the mistakes of the Old Era; he taught Cross and his brothers that humanity destroyed itself. Cross believes that their species is doomed to destroy themselves. Cross warns Wren again: She won’t get cut from the Program no matter how much she sabotages herself. He urges her to let go of pride and resentment and instead seize this chance to prove herself. He gives her an hour to return to the barracks, or he’ll send someone to drag her back. Once he’s gone, Wren thinks about her current situation. Despite his words, she refuses to accept becoming a Command soldier.

The second phase of the Program begins. Recruits must fill out a form listing their three biggest weaknesses; Wren chooses impulsiveness, impatience, and classroom learning. Recruits receive radio call signs: Lyddie is Blue Jay, Kaine is Condor, Wren is Broken Dove. Wren knows Cross is purposefully provoking her. Struck gives them five minutes to study a 3D map for a mock operation during which they will infiltrate a site and avoid detection while they locate and eliminate a target. Wren is paired with Kess, a recruit who dislikes Wren. Wren ensures they perform well at first but trips an alarm at the end, making it look accidental, ensuring they fail. When they turn in weapons, Wren secretly steals a knife.

Shielding classes continue, and Wren feels personally attacked during discussions about Mods. She studies with Lyddie, who fears that Wren will flunk out. While reviewing Command base maps, Lyddie points out a Silver Block outpost at South Port, which receives ships from Tierra Fe. Wren perks up: according to Jim, Wren’s mother’s family originates from Tierra Fe. A recruit named Betima says she’s been there once when her dad’s fishing boat docked during a storm; they weren’t allowed beyond the port.

Roe claims that the people of Tierra Fe are highly religious and believe that the Continent has lost God, so they minimize contact. He suggests that they’re developing a new toxin or altering the original toxin that created Aberrants. Lyddie insists that the original toxin is long gone—her mother, head of Biotech, would know. Roe doubts her mother would tell her if she did know, and she suggests that Tierra Fe might even be collaborating with the Aberrant Uprising in a secret Blacklands base.

The conversation shifts to the morality of killing silverbloods. Lyddie finds extermination extreme; a recruit named Lash thinks it’s necessary to prevent a return to former President Severn’s Mod-favoring regime. Wren, trying to present a balanced perspective, disagrees with both sides. Lash’s prejudice toward Mods upsets Wren; she likes him as a person and considers him levelheaded and intelligent, but even he can’t see that Mods aren’t bad people. While the others gather in the common room for a film, Wren is alone the barracks, where she is cornered by Anson. In self-defense against his unwanted advances, Wren holds her stolen knife to his throat until Cross arrives on the scene to intervene. Cross lets her keep the knife for protection and mentions tomorrow’s “pit night,” an event where soldiers compete in hand-to-hand combat. Recruits can attend.

For pit night, recruits wear civilian clothes. Wren borrows jeans and a crop top from Betima. The arena is crowded, lively, and full of drinking soldiers. There are all levels of Command in attendance. Wren and Cross sneak glances at one another, and Wren attempts to ignore her jealousy when a woman flirts with him. Kaine flirts with Wren until he is dragged away, leaving Wren alone with Roe, who notices her occasional glances at his brother. Roe warns Wren that she is not Cross’s type; his brother prefers fragile women—women who need a hero to protect them, or someone to break them.