In her cell, Wren reels as Captain Cross declares she will not be returned to her ward and will start the Command’s Program with Silver Block. When Wren protests that her ranch and animals need her, Cross coldly reveals the ranch has been reassigned effective the next morning. He refuses her request to work there and makes clear her only alternatives are the Program or a labor camp—then removes even that illusion of choice.

Cross cites her demonstrated marksmanship—specifically her precise shot that killed the white coyote—as proof she belongs among the ten percent admitted to Silver Block. He also states he does not trust her despite Lieutenant Colonel Jayde Valence declaring Wren “clean,” so he intends to keep her under close watch. Their exchange turns sharp when Wren accuses the Command of murdering Jim; Cross calls Jim a deserter and traitor and suggests Wren either knew or failed to know the truth about him.

After Cross leaves, Wren breaks down, grieving Jim and the loss of her home. She privately links with her telepathic friend Wolf, concealing her capture and asking him to distract her; he tells her he is looking at a calm ocean, which comforts her briefly. Wren recommits to survival: she will hide her Mod identity, play along, and search for a way out.

At dawn, a Tin Block female soldier escorts Wren to shower and dress in a navy recruit uniform labeled with the number fifty-six, then drives her to the training center. Wren assesses the base as a confusing maze and notes she has no belongings; the escort advises she can request shipments through her commanding officer.

Inside a large orientation hall, Wren joins about fifty recruits, viewing them all as enemies. She spots Second Lieutenant Xavier Ford at the front with another uniformed man and a civilian woman in a white dress. Choosing a seat beside a young woman with a braid and blue bow, Wren listens as Ford introduces himself as head instructor and warns that half the class will wash out in eight weeks, pointedly glancing at Wren when mentioning “recruited” entrants.

As tablets are handed out to each workstation, the distributing soldier reaches Wren’s row. Wren looks up and freezes, recognizing him. The chapter closes on that recognition, implying a significant prior connection now emerging within the Program.