- The Control Voice: It is said we are judged, not by our words, but by our deeds. And yet, how many of us are ready to stand up to such scrutiny?
Soldiers endure grueling physical and psychological tests to see who is most worthy of a top-secret mission.
- The Control Voice: Our choices define us and sometimes... doom us.
Human Tropes:
- Cruel Twist Ending: A group of soldiers sign up for a top-secret mission. To "weed out the wimps", the soldiers are placed in virtual reality simulations (the kind where you can feel everything) of battles, natural disasters, etc. Those who die, crack, or give up in the simulations are eliminated and sent home. In the end, only one soldier makes it. After the round of congratulations, he eagerly asks what his mission is. He is then informed that there was no mission; they were looking for someone really tough so that they could use him as a guinea pig to test the limits of human endurance and willpower, For Science! He is forcibly plugged back into virtual reality and subjected to nightmarish tortures as the technicians and military officials look on with Lack of Empathy.
- Cyberspace: Captains Kelvin Parkhurst, Eric Woodward, Alice Wheeler and William Hinman, members of the Free Alliance military, participate in a test to determine which of them is the best qualified for a secret solo mission. The test involves placing the subjects in a virtual environment via a neural stimulator to gauge their reactions to the scenarios presented. Clips are shown from "Nightmare", "Hearts and Minds", "The Human Operators", "In the Blood", "Monster", "The Voyage Home", "Tempests" and "Worlds Within" to represent the virtual scenarios.
- Doom as Test Prize: The soldier who survives all the tests is rewarded by being made a test subject for virtual reality torture.
- Middle Eastern Coalition: The Coalition of Middle Eastern and Pacific States is one of the two major power blocs on Earth and Mars, the other being the Free Alliance.
