Wren wakes in total darkness on a cold, dirty metal floor, realizing she is indoors and recalling the barracks abduction as part of a drill. Ivy identifies the setting as a railway car used for the Program’s Resistance to Interrogation section. Roe reveals he has been awake and says Travis warned him what to expect, adding the ordeal lasts five days with repeated attempts to extract Command information without overt maiming.

Handlers drag Wren, hooded, into a lit cargo car outfitted with chains and hooks. Two unfamiliar men interrogate her about the locations of Silver Block’s black weapon caches. Following protocol, Wren repeats only her name, recruit number, and unit. She is slapped and returned to the dark car, where Roe and Ivy are cycled through similar sessions.

As hours pass, sprinklers dump ice-cold water whenever they start to sleep, denying rest and soaking them. With no food or water, the three choose corners, sharing a bucket that adds humiliation. On what Wren believes is Day 2, the interrogators escalate to punches and spitting while repeating the same question. Wren continues to give only her identification.

Exhausted, cold, and starving, the trio avoid camaraderie. After one session Ivy returns whimpering, and Wren opportunistically mind-reads Ivy’s present thoughts, learning Ivy’s drive to join Silver Block stems from her sister Delia, who died of a bone cancer the regen chambers could not cure. Wren withdraws, guilty, and confirms Roe’s mental shields are intact.

On Day 4, Ivy admits she failed RTI previously after three days. Wren encourages her that she has surpassed her prior limit. Conversation turns to the Blacklands and to the Redden family: Roe says Travis is practical and calculated, while Cross is more emotional; he bitterly recounts being shunned by his stepmother Vinessa and left waiting at the Redden estate as a child.

The interrogators taunt Wren by eating roast beef sandwiches in front of her. She tries to catch sprinkler water drops to stave off dehydration. Despite Ivy’s worsening condition and fear she might break, Ivy returns from interrogation without giving in. Wren, surprised by her own reaction, praises Ivy for holding out.