Thursday came and it was time for the test. Ace and Bradley made their way to the mock cockpit together. It was Kurt that proposed that failing teams switch partners. It was Jesse that agreed to it immediately. He had never forgiven Henry for burning him. Henry looked both shocked and betrayed. Jesse grabbed Kurt and they made their way. Kurt had gotten what he had wanted. That left him with Brett. Brett was the shortest member of the squad and the youngest. "Listen. I want to Bottom. Is that okay with you?" Henry asked. Brett was shocked that someone older and bigger would allow him to have the more dynamic and dominant role. He agreed immediately to the proposal. They new pair went to the middle cockpit simulator. Once inside, they took their helmets and put them on. It was the proper procedure. They sat in the middle as instructed and bent forward. Both Henry and Brett were butt to butt. Both their visors flipped on and they were in a different bedroom this time. Their particular synchronization attempt generated a new environment for them. Henry wanted to succeed here.
Everyone was able to reflect on their first time and try again fresh. It was fine for Henry. He achieved an 48. He was improving. Brett surprised everyone with a 66 as a recruit. Great for a first attempt to Top. They were able to make a connection. That was their first recorded success. Kurt could not get his White Pulse high enough to get out of the pilot suit this time either. Brett certainly looked foolish now. They both winded up failing for the second time. Ace and Bradley had succeeded with the reversed roles. Bradley was actually pretty gifted as a Bottom. He got a 59 with his Black Pulse. Ace had a 52 in his White Pulse. Ace had drawn a lot of attention with that score of his. Too much attention. During a simple maintenance routine, Brett got electrocuted somehow from wires that Henry and he had checked minutes before. He had survived, but it was pretty bad. He would be in the infirmary for quite some time. Henry knew that this was sabotage. He just did not know who would do it. All of the Tops had expressed their jealousy and disdain for Brett. Now Henry was left all alone without a partner.
Since Henry had grown suspicious of all the Tops in the squad, he was unable to synchronize with them. He just could not accept them as a partner. It failed every time he tried it. As time went on, Henry failed time and time again. A member of another squad on the base was a really good Bottom. So good, in fact, that Henry was able to synchronize with him pretty well even with his White Pulse of 46. However that was Henry's 10th assessment. He had failed to get 5 successful synchronizations. All the technicians said that it was not his fault per se. He had started too late. The Radiant Ones did not want adults to have the Shines at first. Henry only started at 17 years old. He did not have much time to improve before he hit the wall on his 18th birthday. That was why they meant that he had to leave the base on a transfer. Henry did not want to move away. The base was close to his family home. That is when his superior officer came over to him. He told Henry that there was an experimental program that he could try here over at Shaw AFB. If he did, he could not go back for a transfer opportunity.
