Ford briefed Black Cell on the Fallen Soldier drill: partners must escape smoke-filled corridors before a timed explosion, without carrying the injured. Wren and Lyddie failed both attempts, unable to beat the timer while trying to move together through zero-visibility hallways. In the mess hall, Ivy revealed the drill is a mandatory pass that favors abandoning one’s partner; Bryce’s table boasted of passing by leaving their fellows behind. Wren rejected that approach on principle.

The next day, Wren tried again with Kaine, attempting to solve the drill without deserting him. Despite memorizing layouts and step counts, she concluded it was impossible within the time limit while assisting a partner. When roles switched, Kaine and the rest of Black Cell left their partners to secure passes, leaving Wren as the only failure.

Wren was called to Captain Cross Redden’s office. Cross warned she had one more chance to pass. Wren insisted loyalty mattered more than simulated success, arguing she would not leave someone she cared about. Cross countered that compassion is weakness and predicted she would choose self-preservation under real threat; Wren held her ground but wavered over risking her place in the Program versus her principles.

The discussion turned personal when Cross admitted he thought about Wren and initiated physical contact. Wren deflected with sarcasm, they briefly shared laughter, and Cross proposed reconsidering their agreement to stop. Wren ultimately refused and left, maintaining their boundary despite evident mutual desire.

Later, Wren found her Fallen Soldier score had been changed from fail to pass, implying Cross intervened despite his doctrine. She reflected in the shower on her scars and the incompatibility of their loyalties, using the physical reminder to reinforce her resolve not to give in again.

At lights-out, Wren fell asleep but was violently pulled from bed amid the sounds of other recruits being seized. Before she could reach a weapon, someone injected her in the neck, and she lost consciousness, marking a sudden and ominous escalation.