Reconstruction: Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of Red vs. Blue: Reconstruction aired on May 26, 2008 as the 111th episode overall.

Synopsis
The first chapter starts off showing operatives from Project Freelancer launching a mass investigation of the 17-B Valhalla area after the events of the Reconstruction Trailer. They find a Red Team survivor named Walter Henderson who is later questioned by a representative of the Project Freelancer called The Councilor, and reveals that the crash of a strange ship in the Valhalla area led to mysterious events like the Blue Team killing each other and, soon after, an "infection" that made most of the Red Team go insane. An unknown hostile then killed all the red soldiers leaving Henderson the only survivor. After Henderson is led away to be assigned new quarters, Agent Washington, who is revealed to have survived the events of Recovery One, talks with the Councilor. Agent Washington expresses his thoughts that the same entity that attacked him is behind the attacks at Valhalla. The Councilor tells Washington that he suspects that the "Meta" has now acquired the Omega AI. He then assigns Washington to find help from soldiers that have "experience" fighting Omega. These soldiers still reside at Omega's last known location, Blood Gulch.

Transcript
"What surprised me most about mankind during the Great War was not our ability to adapt to new arenas of conflict... but our willingness in victory to so quickly return to the old."

Fade in to dead bodies in grey armor, followed by a massive reconstruction effort

Voice: To the Director of Project Freelancer, from the Oversight Sub-committee Chairman.

Soldier: Captain Rivas! We've got something over here!

Chairman: Dear Director, I want to thank you in advance for your openness in response to our Sub-committee's request for more information.

Reebus and the soldier find a soldier in red armor and escort him through video surveiled hallways as the following dialog is done as voice-over

Chairman: We were... disappointed that your Recovery force reported a total loss at Outpost 17-B. We had hoped there would be at least one soldier left, that could shed some light on the situation. I know that your agency has enjoyed a high degree of freedom with very little scrutiny in the past few years.

PA Voice: Attention, all personnel: decks kilo one, delta one, sierra one... ...are closed for maintenance.

Chairman: It is not our intention to disrupt such a, progressive military program; but instead to find a way, we can work together, in a manner that befits all our responsibility. I am certain that you will agree. And we look forward to making this review process as painless as we possibly can.

The red soldier is brought to a room with several large view screens with various displays on them, from one of which a voice starts speaking

Councilor: Thank you gentlemen, would you please excuse us.

The Captain and soldier bugger off somewhere

Councilor: You are Private Walter Henderson, correct?

Henderson: Yes Sir.

Councilor: You can dispense with the formalities Walter. Please feel comfortable to speak as candidly as you wish. Can you tell us what happened at your outpost, Walter?

Henderson: Yes Sir-ah, yes. I had been there about six months. Everything was pretty much like normal and one day this... ship... crashed.

Councilor: I see. Is this the ship to which you are referring?

A holographic representation of the downed transport ship from the trailer shows up

Henderson: Yeah. Yeah that's it.

Councilor: Please, tell me what was on the ship Walter.

Henderson: I don't know. The Blues got there first. They fought us off while they cleared it out. Took the stuff back to Base. By the time we got a hold of it it just seemed like a regular old transport. Our engineer said some of the wiring had been messed with but he didn't seem, you know, worried about it or nothing like that.

Councilor: I see. Thank you for that.

Henderson: But whatever was on the ship, must have been what started the whole thing.

Councilor: Please Walter, define "thing."

Henderson: The infection. The Blues just stopped fighting us. Some of them set up camp outside their base and trapped the rest of their team inside; blew up their comm tower for some reason. Their own comm tower. Then they blew up ours. That's why we couldn't radio for help, we couldn't figure out why they would do that. After that, nothing. No word from them at all. The CO sent a squad over... all the Blues were dead. They had killed each other.

Councilor: Please, continue.

Henderson: We brought all the equipment back to base and brought it online. And that's when the infection started for us.

Councilor: The soldiers became... sick?

Henderson: No. They just... they were different. Off. We would catch guys getting in to areas they shouldn't get in to. But the weird thing was, a guy would go crazy act up, and then we would throw him in a cell, and he would be fine. Then another guy would go nuts, disobey orders. Like trying to bring the comm tower back online even though we were told to leave it be. Maybe they knew it was coming.

Councilor: They knew what was coming?

Henderson: At first we thought it was help. It ransacked Blue Base, searched all the bodies... then it came after us. Seemed focused on the guys that were infected. Eventually, it just started killing everything.

Councilor: Could you describe it for us, Walter?

Henderson: Not really. It moved fast, when we first saw it, and after Blue Base it was... it was different.

Councilor: In what way, different?

Henderson: It looked, like it wasn't there. I don't know how to explain it.

Councilor: That's alright. I know this has been difficult for you Walter. We're going to do everything we can to help you.

Two soldiers in grey walk in behind Henderson

Councilor: Please, follow these men to your new quarters. You'll be with us as long as absolutely necessary.

Henderson follows them out of the room

Councilor: You have my word. Agent Washington, what do you make of all this?

Washington: I think it sounds like exactly what I encountered.

Councilor: Mhm.

Washington: Except it's stronger now, and becoming moreso all the time.

Councilor: Does that concern you?

Washington: Look, the last mission I ran against this thing, I got shot in the back by my own partner.

Councilor: Agent South. We feel some, responsibility for that.

Washington: Yeah you should. If I hadn't had York's healing unit, I'd be dead now. So while this isn't ideal and I don't feel like sticking my neck out for you guys, if it puts me on a path that leads to her, you can trust me at least that far.

Councilor: So you would say that you have overwhelming feelings of anger, and a need for revenge?

Washington: More than you know.

Councilor: Excellent. Now that our agency is under investigation, the Director feels it is important for us to be as open as possible. With each other. If our suspicions are correct, the Meta has made another addition: the Omega A.I.

Washington: It was Omega and, Tex right?

Councilor: Yes it was.

Washington: The Meta doesn't leave much behind. It's gonna be hard to track.

Councilor: We think the best place for you to start, would be the Omega's last known location. The soldiers there have the most experience with our program.

Washington: I see. So I should contact these experts-

Councilor: We do not like the term "experts."

Washington: Because no-one really knows what our program is doing?

Councilor: Let's just say the term "expert" is a little too... complimentary in this particular case. Do you still have your old suit of armor?

Washington: Of course. Wait... why?

Washington suddenly appears in Blood Gulch in older looking armor with the same colours

Washington: Oh great.