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=== Chapter 6 ===
Spensa sits alone for hours in the empty testing room, starting to feel empty and defeated instead of angry. An aide comes in and tells her to leave, but Spensa doesn't listen. She walks over to where Ironsides left the tests from the children of First Citizens. The tests are all empty other than the name, since they are guaranteed entrance into pilot school due to their parentage. Spensa picks up the first test, belonging to Jorgen WrightWeight, and starts writing in it. It is full of detailed questions on piloting and related fields, though Spensa doesn't really think for the intent and preference questions, since she isn't getting in anyway. As she finishes, she hears janitors outside. She starts sketching a W-shaped ship, similar to the crash she found earlier. The janitors come in, and one asks Spensa why she is still here. She tells him she didn't feel like celebrating, since she never had an actual chance to pass, and asks if he ever felt like he was forced into his role. He asks her why she wants to be a pilot so much, since it's a dangerous job, and Spensa replies that not all of them die, citing a statistic she studied. The man tells her he knows, and she spots the glint of medals and a pilot's pin on the chest of his silhouette. Spensa then hears the two janitors joking in the hallway, which makes her realize that the man is not a janitor. He walks, limping, over to her in the emergency lighting, asking her again why she wants to be a pilot as he flips through her test. Spensa tries to say that because she wants to prove herself and clear her father's name, but instead tells him that it's because she'll get to see the sky. He comments that even though their people named themselves Defiants, Ironsides is still surprised at being defied. He puts the test down with something on top of it, then starts walking away. Spensa asks him who he is, and he turns around, revealing his face more clearly, and tells her he knew her father. Spensa suddenly recognizes him as Mongrel, her father's old wingmate. He tells her to show up the morning of the day after tomorrow at pilot class and gives her the location, telling her to use her pin to get in. Spensa realizes the object he put on her test is a cadet's pin, and grabs it while asking Mongrel about what Ironsides would do about it. He replies that he can handle it, since Ironsides is too highly ranked to manage cadets. Mongrel comments that Spensa got 17, a question on what to do in overwhelming odds, wrong, saying that she should fall back and await reinforcements, which she disagrees with. He stiffens a bit and Spensa quickly stops herself, trying to not anger the man who'll let her in. He tells her that even though he admitted her, it won't be easy on her.
== Part Two ==
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