Page 157 of Silver Elite

I go back to the training center and read a mystery novel on my source. But I get bored fast, so I venture toward the common room, finding only a handful of Red Cell members I’ve never bothered getting to know.

Lyddie and Kaine return on Sunday. As does Lash, who tells us about his exciting visit home. Apparently, his parents secured a gathering permit to celebrate his mother’s birthday, and one of the guests almost choked to death on a chicken bone at dinner.

The following day, we file into the cavernous classroom where two months ago I walked in wishing I were anywhere else. We’re supposed to get our final scores for the Program today and find out who made it into Silver Block. Weeks of training have culminated in thismoment, and there’s an air of excitement as everyone remains standing, waiting for our instructors.

The room is not as full as it was that first day. Of the fifty-six recruits who started the Program, thirty-six remain. I remember Ford mocking that half of us would be gone by the end, but this is more than fifty percent.

I wring my hands together as anxiety swirls in my belly. IthinkI passed the Program. At least I hope I did. I don’t know whether my poor performance from the first few sections will come back to hauntme.

My nerves intensify when Ford, Hadley, and Struck show up, and Hadley proceeds to list eleven names. Mine isn’t one of them, and I fight a crushing sense of defeat as—

“Thank you for your interest in Silver Block,” Hadley tells the eleven recruits. “However, you haven’t been accepted at this time.”

The relief almost knocks me over.

Hadley keeps his tone brisk, ignoring the disappointed faces. “Please report to your current COs or check in with Captain Radek about returning to your wards.”

The rejected recruits march out the door. We’re down to twenty-five, just under Ford’s fifty percent cut rate. I guess he wasn’t kidding.

The admin captain, Deron Radek, shows up then to address the rest of us.

“Welcome to Silver Block. You’ll receive your posts and uniforms in the next couple of days,” he says without preamble. “Until you’re relocated to your new quarters, you’ll remain in the barracks.”

At that, he stalks out. I like the way Captain Radek operates. Efficient and to the point.

“Your final scores have been uploaded to your sources,” Ford tells us. “If you have any questions about them, send a comm to Captain Radek. Dismissed.”

That’s it.

The three instructors leave the room, and I frown at the empty doorway. This whole affair feels incredibly anticlimactic.

Congratulations, you’re in Silver Block, see you later.

Lyddie, however, makes up for our superiors’ total lack ofenthusiasm by letting out a squeal of joy. Turning toward me, she looks like she just won an exotic vacation to the Lost Continents.

“We made it!”

“We made it,” I echo.

She throws her arms around me, hugging me tightly before doing the same to Kaine. Our other fellows are also celebrating. Lash. Kess. Anson.

Ivy.

I nod at her, my way of saying congratulations. Ivy nods back before turning to hug Bryce.

Roe made it, too, I note. Guess the General got his way.

“I want to see my final score,” Lyddie says, scrambling to pull her source from her pocket.

Me too. I’m curious to see how I managed to turn things around, but at the same time disappointed because nobody said a word about Silver Elite, which was my only objective. I have no clue if I succeeded in doing the one thing the Uprising asked me to do.

When I open my source, rather than a score I find a screen that says:

available test: 1

I click on that, and another page pops up, a description of the test. This one says:

elite

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