Cade Foster has snuck into the "Red Flag" competition, an annual all-services competition to determine the best of the best. He’s heard about Russell’s death, and Harkin’s status as a winner of the Red Flag connects the program to the Gua.

There are four other candidates, including the beautiful and busty Lt. Lopez, who succeeds in turning all the others’ heads.

Others involved in the competition are not so beautiful. The candidates are met by Sergeant Instructor Plimpton, who introduces them to Major Birch, a firm believer in leading by screaming, belittling and insulting.

Cade poses as "First Lieutenant Martin Sloane," a special ops officer with vertigo-inducing record of service in every major conflict of the last decade.

The candidates put their gear in storage. When Sgt. Plimpton finds a cell phone in Langley’s bag, he warns them that they are allowed no visitors or outside communication.

In their quarters, long-haired military wild guy Lt. Jordan Vincent suggests that he and Lopez bunk together. Lt. Joel Langley mocks the other candidates.

Cade introduces himself to Lt. Trevor Paine, whose family has competed for the Red Flag for four generations. Paine tells him that Red Flag winners can get any assignment they desire.

The candidates crawl under barbed wire and brave an obstacle course. Cade turns in a sorry performance, a full minute behind the leader.

Later, they receive a written test on planning a reconnaissance mission. Cade palms the paperclip holding the test together.

I’ll take door number three, Monty

That night, Cade sneaks out of his bunk to go exploring. Paine wakes up and spots him leaving.

Cade breaks into the equipment locker and gets out his cell phone. When he tries to call Eddie, he hears nothing but static, but he spots a suspicious-looking door with an electronic lock at the back of the locker.

He gets his burglary gear and begins cracking the lock. He's interrupted by Sgt. Plimpton, who gets something from the equipment locker and leaves without spotting Cade.

Once he’s through the door, Cade searches and finds another locked door. Behind it is a file room filled with enlistment records that go back to 1862.

Cade continues to search and finds yet another locked door. The room beyond is tastefully decorated in alien mind transference technology, and Lt. Harkin is the centerpiece.

Don’t drop the phone

The next morning, Cade finds better cell phone reception in the shower. He calls Eddie and tells him about the files and Harkin’s husk.

Cade thinks the Gua impersonating Harkin must have transferred its consciousness to someone else. Could it be in the one of the Red Flag contestants?

Eddie’s pulled information on the other candidates, but they all look legitimate. Langley’s file was hard to acquire, however, which makes both Eddie and Cade suspicious.

Cade asks Eddie to check up on Plimpton and Birch – especially Plimpton, since the alien equipment is in his domain – and to find out what Red Flag’s connection to the Civil War might be.

Lopez enters, greets Cade, and starts her shower. She offers to team up with Cade, suggestively telling him, "You watch my back, I’ll watch yours."

Cade tells her he’ll think about it.

The training continues. Birch heaps more abuse on the candidates and shoots at them as they attempt to sneak through the woods.

Vincent continues to hit on Lopez at lunch. She’s not interested.

As they eat, Paine asks why Cade left his bunk last night. Cade claims he was "just looking around."

Cade continues to quiz Paine on the significance of Red Flag, causing the lieutenant to ask, "Do all special ops guys ask this many questions.

Major Birch has it all figured out

Cade goes to his locker to call Eddie again, but is caught by Birch. Birch doesn’t see, and thinks he’s goldbricking.

"I’m on to you," he warns, "and I don’t like it."

Birch reviews the standings as the candidates struggle to cross a raging river. Paine is in the lead; Cade is dead last.

As Paine works his way along the wire line across the river, it breaks. He tumbles in the rapids until Cade throws him a rope and pulls him in.

Paine’s shook up but okay. Cade has a bad rope burn, but Lopez promises to "make it all better."

Cade notices that the rope was cut deliberately.

When in doubt, ask a conspiracy nut

Cade updates Eddie, who reports he’s talked to a conspiracy theorist friend with ideas about Red Flag. The competition is outside the normal military hierarchy, and was created by President Lincoln in 1862 when it was discovered that the Confederates had spies in the U.S. military.

Cade theorizes that the aliens are taking a page from the Confederate spy book and using the prestige of Red Flag to put their agents in sensitive positions. If they can get all the military’s secrets, "we’ve lost this war before we’ve even started fighting."

He’s interrupted by Birch, who finally catches him with the phone. The major takes the phone, smashes it, then throws Cade out of the contest and puts him under house arrest for the night.

Vincent soon tells the others Cade’s been booted. When Cade returns to the dorm room, Langley baits him, but Cade gets the last word when he retorts that "maybe if you win enough of these things you’ll be somebody someday."

Paine wants to know what happened. Cade starts to tell him about the "real battle," which only confuses Paine further.

Cade asks him, "Do you know how dangerous it would be if an enemy infiltrated Red Flag? Well, it’s happening. Come with me and I’ll show you."

A crisis of nerve

Paine refuses. "This means too much to me," he says.

Disgusted, Cade tells him, "You’re no better than Langley."

That night, Cade continues to search the training center for clues. He over hears Plimpton and Birch talking – Paine’s almost certain to win the contest.

In the equipment room, Cade takes Langley’s cell phone and goes back into the secret rooms.

He follows Plimpton to the file room and overhears the sergeant placing a call to his alien masters. He’s prepared a husk duplicating Paine in anticipation of the Navy man’s victory tomorrow.

According to Plimpton, Birch is totally unaware of the Gua operation.

Cade breaks into the room with the husks and sure enough, there’s Paine’s body ready and waiting. As he’s looking at it, Plimpton briefly checks the room and locks it as he leaves.

Cade’s locked in.

Fun with electricity

When dawn comes, Cade is still trapped. He’s rewired the electrical system, though – the short circuit opens the lock and causes a fire that burns Paine’s husk.

Birch quotes Napoleon to inspire the troops as they begin the final exercise. Plimpton reports the fire but doesn’t seem to be overly concerned about it.

In a brilliant test of military tactics and physical prowess, the final exercise is to be the first to go to a particular point in the woods and claim the red flag.

Cade enlists Eddie’s help in finding the location, which is on a nearby ridge. He tries to get ahead and set a trap for the Gua among the candidates.

Convinced it’s Langley who’s the agent, he cunningly trips up the crack Army man with a rope stretched a cross the path. He tries to hold Langley down with a knife, but the lieutenant throws him off, sustaining a cut in the process.

Cade is surprised to see that Langley isn’t showing the accelerated healing typical to the Gua. He may be a jerk, but he’s completely human.

Near the flag, Plimpton is shooting at Paine, forcing him to take cover. Cade sneaks up behind him and grabs him.

He ordering the sergeant to put the gun down, saying "I know who you are." Plimpton throws him off with Gua strength.

They tumble a few feet down the ridge, and Cade grabs Plimpton’s fallen rifle and shoots him. The alien dies and dissolves.

Lopez arrives, startling Cade. She says she hasn’t seen any of the others.

On the ridge, Paine finds Vincent. He’s dead.

There’s a noise above – Langley is approaching the flag – and Cade turns to see what it is. Lopez attacks him and knocks him down.

She’s the other Gua. She was Harkin, is now posing as Lopez – and will be Paine as soon as she finishes Cade off.

From a little further up the ridge, Paine looks down and watches as Lopez starts to boil Cade’s brain. He dashes down the slope, gets Plimpton’s rifle and tells Lopez to back off.

As Lopez walks towards Paine, Cade scrambles for his knife.

Lopez lulls Paine’s suspicions long enough to get close and knock the gun away from him. Cade throws the knife and kills her.

As she dissolves, Langley reaches the summit and grabs the flag.

Paine is disappointed, but Cade tells him, "At least he’s human."

Standard operating procedure

Cade leaves on the bus with a warm feeling of accomplishment.

If he hadn’t stopped Lopez at Red Flag, the Gua would have placed another spy in the military. Eddie has also bombarded all services with email about the aliens’ plans – maybe the evidence left at the training center will expose the Gua.

At the training center, Birch is covering up the incident and having the records and equipment carted away.

Back to the main review of this episode.