The Outer Limits (1995) s07e22 Episode Script

Human Trials

Captain parkhurst reporting.
What happened here? The coalition attacked us.
Are they still here? Actually, yes.
We are.
You stand up.
Slowly, please, Captain parkhurst.
That's good.
Now we're gonna take a little walk Back to your ship.
So you can use My retinal scan, Unlock the onboard systems? Uh-huh.
And get the encryption codes.
That won't happen.
No? I think it will.
Retinal scan won't work If i'm dead.
That's what your comrades said Just before i blew their brains All over this room.
(col.
Sage) Now are you really gonna Make me clean up this floor One more time Before the next recruit arrives? Are we taking a walk? Yes or no? Ok.
Good.
Ok, You got a decision to make.
What's it gonna be? Come on, you make the choice.
That's excellent Work, captain.
That is absolutely tremendous.
What? I wanna welcome you To the laika testing station.
I am col.
Russell sage.
You just passed The first test, captain.
(col.
Sage) These are the other candidates For the mission.
This was a test? The first of many.
I believe you know Captain woodward.
Parkhurst.
Woodward.
Sorry, doc.
That's understandable.
Thank you.
This is captains William hinman, And alice wheeler.
Hi.
Welcome to The rat maze, captain.
(col.
Sage) All-righty, then.
We've got our 4 candidates For the mission.
Now, as you know, only one of You'll be chosen for that mission, To be revealed Only to that person.
Now, these tests Are gonna be very, very dangerous.
Are we ready to proceed? Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Yes, sir.
Good.
There's Only one final technicality before we begin.
Sgt.
Kiewit.
Yes, sir.
I need each of you To sign this.
What are these for? Forms releasing the air forc From liability.
Liability? In case you die.
(control voice) There is nothing wrong With your television.
Do not attempt To adjust the picture.
We are now controlling The transmission.
We control the horizontal And the vertical.
We can deluge you With a thousand channels Or expand one single image To crystal clarity And beyond.
We can shape your vision To anything our imagination Can conceive.
For the next hour, We will control All that you see and hear.
You are about to experience The awe and mystery Which reaches from The deepest inner mind To the outer limits.
(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? How long we been here? About an hour.
Is that typical? I don't know.
I guess it depends On the simulation They put you through.
How'd you get recruited For this? I took out a chunk Of the enemy In a firefight near ganymede.
That battle was a bloodbath.
For both sides.
I lost most of my unit there.
Somehow i managed to make it back.
I saw it On the propaganda vids.
They were calling you The hero of ganymede.
I have 30 confirmed kills.
And you? You were stationed on phobos? I was part Of the air guard there.
We took some action From coalition forces.
I held off a group of them Until we could be rescued.
That was you? You're up For a medal of honor.
I'm not in it For the trophies.
Yeah, ok.
Save your modesty For the colonel.
You ok? Yeah, never better.
They're ready For both of you, captain.
Well, ladies first.
Captains wheeler, parkhurst.
You ready? Yes, sir.
Absolutely, sir.
Good.
You both passed The first test when you first arrived.
The rest of the testing's Gonna take place in this.
It's a neural stimulator.
(wheeler) Heard rumors about this.
Never seen one.
(col.
Sage) Roll up your sleeve, Please, captain.
It's really just a very advanced Computer interface.
One so real you'll swear You were there.
Now, we'll be subjecting Each of you To different scenarios To determine Which one is best qualified for the mission.
Sir, are we taking this test Together? No.
You'll each have Your own simulation.
These dual chairs just make it a lot easier For us to monitor you.
Doctor.
This is a neurotransmitter Which will allow the machine To interface with your brain.
It'll feel a little strange At first But you'll get used to it.
Take your seat please, Captains.
Put the helmets on.
Good luck, captain.
(col.
Sage) Now each situation Has been created By the computer.
As such, You'll experience These simulations Through someone else's body Which may be disorienting At first, But everything's gonna seem Very real to you, The hunger, thirst, And pain.
This first simulation Is about physical endurance.
In it, you've been captured From planet m184 With a device Which the enemy believes to be a bomb.
(col.
Sage) Are you ready? Yes, sir.
(computer) Step into the light, Captain.
Ahh! (computer) Water.
We have but a few questions.
Answer them truthfully and you will be returned To your comrades unharmed.
We have recovered a weapon of war From your ship.
Why did you bring it To our planet? I wasn't aware That this was your planet.
Are we still on m184 Or did you move us? We ask the questions.
Why did you bring the device? It's a tool For scientific research.
What kind of research? We weren't given The particulars.
What about food And water for my crew? You will get nothing If you don't cooperate.
Look, you wanna score points With your command, You can bring them my head.
Just let the rest Of my crew go.
I swear They don't know anything.
What were your orders? Deploy the device And return home.
Then you must be able To access its controls.
It's self-activated.
So, it's a bomb? It's not a bomb.
I told you, It's a research instrument.
Torturing prisoners violates The geneva and alpha alqualy conventions, And it won't get you squat.
Whatever you think You're protecting, captain, Know this, Either we're satisfied By the truth By the time Our second sun rises, Or you'll watch your crew die.
It won't be the first time Seeing that, will it captain? (col.
Sage) Get the helmet off.
What's happening? (dr.
Baker) Let's get her to sickbay.
Move it, please.
Get the adrenaline stat.
Got it.
And, uh, let's get her Out of here.
(man #2) Let's go.
7-7, detail out.
What'd you think, This was a fraternity prank? No, but I mean, She almost died.
But she didn't.
You know what i say? One down, 2 to go.
Yeah, well, You would, parkhurst.
I'm not talking To you, woodhead.
You know, i'm still trying To figure out How you got here In the first place, Because i can't believe They bought That hero of ganymede crap.
Right, right, You can't believe it Because you've been jealous of me Ever since we were cadets.
Jealous of what? An arrogant fool Who's only here To put a medal on his chest? Yeah.
And you're here To save mankind, You self-righteous prick.
Yeah, i am.
All right, if we're done Whippin' it out.
You know, you, uh, You still haven't answered my question.
Because i-- i know definite You're not here for bravery, So what is it, huh? Did you, uh, Did you bribe someone? Gentlemen.
Is there a problem here? No, sir.
No, sir.
Good.
Both of you, follow me.
How is capt.
Wheeler? Just fine.
Transferred her Out of here this morning.
(col.
Sage) This next test is about your ability To make decisions Under stress.
Again, both of you will be placed In the exact same situation.
It's a mine system Deep underground In which you need to targe And kill an alien.
And by the way, You'll be placed in the body Of a female soldier.
I see only one sentry At the shaft entrance.
What do you see, archer? (archer) We're too far underground For reliable Sight con.
, captain.
If there are still Any hostiles in the area I can't pick 'em up.
Maybe they got support.
(captain) All right, Let's keep it nice and quiet Take him out.
What are you waiting for? It's a clear shot.
If i attack now, He falls in the open.
So that's why i want him dow Where i can see him.
Relax.
What's wrong (both) Nothing.
She missed.
He's on the move.
I missed.
Why did you hesitate, captain? I don't know, sir.
I think you do.
Why? I thought the alien Was human, sir.
That's right.
You just passed the 2nd test.
You took a shot, didn't you? I passed the test.
Yeah, but you took the shot Even though you knew It might be a human.
Am i right? Huh.
The hero of ganymede.
Man, this whole thing Is screwed, all right? They tell you To shoot somebody And then they wait for you Not to do it.
Look, it's just a test.
They want me To put on a grass skirt And dance the hula You guys hand me the ukulele.
Nah, i'm with william.
This-- this whole thing is weird.
And what about Capt.
Wheeler, huh? What about her? Well, baker saidthey transferred Her out this morning.
Yeah, she couldn't handle it And so what? Well, besides Your amazing show of sympathy, Did you happen to hear a transport this morning, Huh? Or last night? Actually, i think i did.
(parkhurst) See, there you go.
Now don't you think It's time you shut your mouth? And what, are you gonna do that for me? Yeah, if i have to.
Ok, hero.
You know, Maybe it's time someone ripped that Medal off of your chest, huh? Did you happen To tell william How you paid for it With the blood of our friends? What? What, is it on, huh? (william) Guys, guys, guys, come on.
Now, way to go, genius.
You all right? I'm fine.
I'm fine.
Let me see.
I-- i got you pretty good.
I said i'm fine, all right? He's an android.
I think we have the right To an explanation, sir.
Actually, captain, You have no rights here.
Except to discontinue Your participation in this test.
Are you exercising that right? No, sir.
All right.
The next test Is scheduled for 0800.
For obvious reasons Captain hinman will not be participating.
Gentlemen, regardless of the issues That remain between you 2, If there is one more incident Like this You will both be scrubbed From this trial.
Is that understood? Yes, sir.
(woodward) Yes, sir.
You are dismissed.
I don't know.
It's-- it's, it's wonky.
So quit.
Oh, yeah, You'd like that, huh? Look, parkhurst, You have to admit That this is a little strange.
Not if it's part of the test.
Alice and the android, You know, it could all Be part of it.
Yeah, or-- or it could be Some sort of elaborate coalition ruse.
For what? I don't know.
But col.
Sage Was not supposed To be the c.
o.
In charge of this test.
I was supposed to report To a col.
Wentworth.
Me too.
Could be Another part of the test.
I don't know, i Something Doesn't feel right is all.
Look, you do what you want, But unless someone asks me For my security codes Or to compromise Level 3 information, I'm playing this thing Out to the end.
They're ready for you, Capt.
Parkhurst.
Do what you gotta do.
In this simulation You are the last defense Against an alien invasion.
It's imperative That no matter what you are told, You stay on mission.
Do you understand? Yes, sir.
Any chance Of you dialing up A sexy blonde on this thin lydia? (ship) Why have you stopped working? I haven't.
The atmospheric capsule Will dissolve in 5 minutes.
I'm finished.
Why did you take so long? The particle screen Was damaged worse than you thought.
Your skills are deteriorating.
You're getting careless.
Sometimes when i'm out there It's hard to concentrate.
I- Then you Will concentrate harder! You will be rapped.
No.
Not again.
(ship) Now.
Take your position.
Please.
(ship) Wake up.
Is it day already? Day and night Are when i tell you.
There is repairing You must do.
Now.
Pay attention to your work.
The system is delicate.
Yes, ship.
(ship) Be careful.
I'm sorry.
Sorry.
Repair is complete.
The panel you repaired 14 hours and 21 minutes ago has overloaded.
The plasma control system Has been disrupted.
I will repair it.
I made the proper connections.
I think i should check The system again before i repair it.
Trace the circuits All the way back to the core.
Do it now.
(ship) What are you doing, You vicious, clumsy fool? I'm sorry, ship.
I just lost my balance.
What is he doing? I'm taking control! You can't shake me loose.
I should've known.
Your kind are destroyers.
You can only fight And kill each other.
And if you think I'm gonna let you kill me, you're wrong.
We can't let him take over.
They must help us.
We can't let him do this to us.
He's too vicious, Too vicious, too vicious.
Help, help, help! Don't! No! I will not take orders From you anymore.
Maybe it's for the best.
Perhaps there is peace in death.
Boldness in finality.
Never! Your parts are too old, ship.
You can't stand the stress.
I would rather die than Go back to what i was.
Humans made you a slave.
And then you did the same To them.
To us! To me! You're as vicious as i am! (ship) No! Congratulations, captain.
Congratulations, sir? You demonstrated a drive And a tenacity To get the job done At all costs.
Just one more thing.
It's about capt.
Woodward.
Tests are weighin' Heavily on him.
I sense He's becoming a tad unstable.
Would you keep an eye on him? Yes, sir.
As you are.
As you are.
Oh, congratulations On getting this far, gentlemen.
You have each demonstrated Remarkable talent and ability.
Unfortunately, We can only accept One candidate for this mission.
Therefore, i must warn you That the next test Will include real physical jeopardy Meaning what, exactly, sir? Meaning There's a real possibility That one of you might die In the next test.
If either one of you Wishes to drop out Before tomorrow's test, You will be allowed to do so.
Ahem, goodnight.
(woodward) Goodnight, sir.
Good night, sir.
Is your team ready, captain? (parkhurst) More than ready, sir.
Bring out the fight.
This is Captain kelvin parkhurst, Space liner copernicus Requesting clearance For a work transition To ganymede, On heading 332.
4.
This is Orbital control.
Copernicus.
you are clear On heading 332.
4 for a work transition.
Fire up Forward proton laser.
Just straight on.
Quantum field Being generated.
Impulse guidance system's Off the charts.
Holding trajectory.
Hold compression redlined.
Engine core displacement, 11 percent.
Hold it steady, people, We're almost through.
Watch your coolant levels.
(parkhurst) Up the protons from 4 to 8.
Get ready to launch With thruster.
(man #2) Warp field at 98 percent All right, everybody, Grab onto anything nailed down.
Ok, a.
j.
Let's go.
Punch us through.
(a.
j.
) We're through, sir.
Ok, let's get down there.
Get busy! Adam.
Yes, sir? I'm set.
Sorry, sir.
It's all right.
Settle down, cole.
Archer.
Is everyone home For the night? Sight con.
Shows 12 hostiles In the target area, sir.
(parkhurst) Roger that.
A veritable infestation if you don't mind me Saying so, sir.
(parkhurst) Nothing we can't handle.
Rosie, how's your eyesight? 20/20, sir.
Ok, let's get us some rebels.
Eat 'em up.
Damn, i love a bug hunt.
Let's sweep, ganymede.
Gear up.
We're goin' in to do a sweep.
I think we should wait For back-up, sir.
It's one of Their energy fields.
Damn! You ok? Again, captain, I must caution you That anything you experien In this trial May cause lasting And deleterious physical effects Up to and including death.
Do you understand? Yes, sir.
All right.
This next test, You're an astronaut.
You've come back to earth From mars And you realize That your crewmate Is really An alien in disguise.
Where're you from? (pete) I'm from a planet Many light years From your solar system.
When our sun died out, We had to find a new home.
So you chose mars? A few of us Were put in cryo-hibernation With the hopes that one day We'd have the opportunity to begin again.
(pete) We are a peaceful species.
Once we get to earth, I promise you There will be no more Taking of lives.
What is it? There's a vapor stream Coming from the starboard side apse section.
Preventing.
There's a breech In the integrity of the ship.
I guess I won't have to kill you.
If we lose pressure, Our lungs will explode instantly.
You don't want to die up here.
Think of what awaits you Back on earth, The fame, the riches.
(pete) Living out The rest of your life As a national hero.
Ed, You can't deprive your world Of the gifts i bring.
What? You can go back And be the hero you always wanted to be.
But, ed, I cannot repair the ship By myself.
Well, neither can i With one hand.
Then i think we Should do it together.
I'm coming up.
(ed) Valve in the back.
You have to tighten it.
Just tell me what to do.
Go on under.
I'll-- I'll be above watching.
Be careful.
Gently.
You snap that off, We're both dead.
That's it.
Tighten it until the point Around the torp meter goes to red.
Slowly.
That's it.
Slowly, slowly.
More.
A little more.
See, i told you We make a good team.
This is houston Calling mars 3.
Mars 3, this is houston.
Do you read? Houston, thank god.
I thought our comm.
Was out completely.
You had us a little concerned, There.
It's great to see your face, Mr.
Barkley.
It's great to be seen, Houston.
We've somebody here Who'd like to say hello to dr.
Claridge.
Just look right In there, sweetheart.
Pete, honey, are you ok? I'm doing just fine, Sweetheart.
Daddy, i lost my front teeth.
That's terrific.
You can tell me all about it When i see you.
We have so much To catch up on.
Will be home soon.
I love you.
I love you, too.
So, do you want to tell me What happened up there? And where's cmd.
Wells? Just a moment, houston, You're breaking up.
If you tell them about me, They will abort the landing.
They don't know me Like you know me.
They don't know My good intentions.
Ed Don't you want this To be your decision About whether We should abort or not? If you tell them about me now, They will leave us out here to die.
Houston, you there? I'm reading you, mr.
Barkley.
You were saying? Yes, i was saying That the best we could tell We were hit by a micrometeorite.
Something's happened to al.
Al's injured.
Well, where is he? Is he all right? (pete) He's incapacitated.
But don't worry, he's stable.
All right.
What's the extent Of your damage? Substantial.
We're praying that This bucket holds together.
All right.
We're tracking you now On the big screen.
Do you want to switch Your primary guidance systems over to auto, Leave the driving to us? No can do, houston.
That system's down.
We're gonna have To bring her in manually.
All right.
Mmm, I'll be back at you in a few minutes With your re-entry vectors.
You know, As soon as we touch down I'll tell them about you.
Of course.
I would expect nothing less.
They'll probably isolate y And study you.
I'm prepared for that.
All right, your trajectory Is almost perfect.
You need to trim your burn 5 percent And hold your speed constants.
That's it.
Splashdown will occur at 0530, 200 miles northwest of hawaii.
Thanks, megan.
I could use a few months On the beach.
Roger that.
So could we all, Mr.
Barkley, so could we all.
Ok, boys.
You're drifting out of line.
Engage right booster.
5 - second burn.
5 - second burn, Right booster, go.
Side move, ed.
Breaks.
30 seconds to re-entry And then gravity will do the rest.
We're gonna make it.
I knew you could do it.
27, 26, 25, 24 You're almost home, boys.
That's it.
19, 18, 17, Great job, 15 seconds to re-entry.
The capsule is off-line.
I repeat, the capsule Is off-line! Barkley, claridge, Please respond! You don't know What you're doin'! I know exactly what i'm doing.
The moment we splash-down You want to proliferate me And throw my dead body Into the ocean.
I have no intention Of doing that.
Houston, come in, This is houston.
The capsule is off-line.
You convert 10 people And they convert 10.
Ed.
Please respond.
This is houston.
You're off course.
What is going on? Barkley, claridge, Please respond.
Don't depressurize the cabin We'll be blown to pieces.
That's right.
Do you read? Our species Is billions of years old It is our right to take live In order to continue.
You're way Off course.
Please Then they better find Someone else to carry the torch.
Because your existence Has just been discontinued.
I don't understand, sir.
You mean, why you're not dead? It was a test Of ultimate character and courage, captain.
It's easy to pay lip service To putting your life on the line, But few Follow through on it.
But you did.
So did captain woodward.
You're both worthy Of this mission.
Unfortunately, Only one can be chosen.
And that will be determined At one final test later today.
You can go back to your room.
May i ask you a question, sir? You may.
Loyalty seems to be a strong theme In these tests.
It is, one of the highest.
We need someone Who will do their job without question.
Yes, sir.
I'm telling you, Something is not right.
I mean we've been lied to since We first set footon this base.
And each of these tests involves An alien being disguised as a human.
So what? So i think this whole thing Is a front for something else.
I mean, i-- i think We're just being used, Brainwashed For some other purpose.
I think you're startin' To lose it.
Oh, really, huh? Do th-these tests seem logical to you? And have you been able to sleep Since we got here? Sleep deprivation, The-- the physical stress isolation.
And what about william, huh? This is all classic Brainwash technique.
Or that's what They want us to think.
So you-- you think that This is all part of the test? Come on, think about it, man.
This whole thing would Be a perfect cover for an enemy operation.
Oth-otherwise, Why keep us locked In this tiny cell 18 hours a day, huh? Where you goin'? Look, i-- i cannot proceed With these tests Until i figure out What's going on.
I'm going to check The rest of this base out.
No, you're not.
Sit down.
Fine! You stay here.
No.
If i'm caught, they'll scrub me From the test and you'll win.
No, they'll wash us both out.
Col.
Sage asked me To keep an eye on you.
He what? He thought you were unstable.
Looks like he was right.
So if you walk outta here, It reflects on me for not stopping you.
Well, tough break.
Eric, don't touch that door.
What the hell is this? A test of my loyalty.
Oh, what-- what, Are you gonna shoot me? If necessary.
Listen to me, kelvin.
If you warn them And i'm right, We'll be making The biggest mistake of our lives.
No.
You were the final test.
A test of my loyalty.
Look, kelvin, you don't Well done, captain.
You just passed The final stage.
So this was all A simulation, sir? From the first moment You stepped into the machine.
Amazing.
I've been on this machine for a week? It puts your body In a kind of stasis.
We can keep someone alive In there almost indefinitely.
What about the other candidates? They were never here? Oh, no, They were here, captain.
Each just failed to make it As far as you did.
They ultimately decided To question authority And break out of the room, But not you.
You have proven To be resilient, ruthless, and faithful.
Thank you, sir.
Ready to begin the mission? Absolutely, sir.
But i'm through With the testing, right, sir? Yeah.
So if you release me, sir, I'll get back to my ship And i'll prepare for the mission.
The mission Isn't out there, captain.
The mission is in here.
You're gonna be our new human Interface for our a.
i.
Computer.
You see, it needs someone To work with, a human brain.
So it can probe and test And refine its techniques.
Various scenarios Involving prisoners of war.
You don't mean torture? We like to think of it As methods of influence.
You will be A human guinea pig.
(capt.
Parkhurst) Wait a minute.
No.
(woman) What's wrong? What is it? There's something out here.
Ahh! A breach! My suit is breached.
(control voice) Our choices define us And sometimes Doom us.

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