Agent Washington

Agent Washington is one of the main characters from the Red vs Blue web animation.

A Freelancer and Recovery Agent. Washington's job is to find dead or dying Freelancers and recover their AIs and special equipment. He is trusted with this position due to his view of AIs—he had an AI partner, Epsilon, until the fragment suffered a major psychotic break and attempted suicide while in his head, leaving him therefore the person least likely to try and steal another one. Wash works with Agent South and Delta to hunt down the Meta, and though he is seemingly killed during that series, he survives (due to York's regeneration unit) to continue his mission, and enlists Church and Caboose to help. He has another, self-appointed goal: Epsilon held the Alpha's memory, meaning that Wash knows everything the Director of Project Freelancer did to it and is trying to bring the Director down. Washington serves as a straight man or the only sane man when exposed to the two teams' weirdness, but has a latent snarkiness that comes into play whenever he lampshades the implausible things they've done. His armor is gray with yellow markings on the shoulders. After joining the Blue Team, he changes to Church's cobalt armor, modified to also have yellow shoulders.

After being held prisoner by the UNSC for inadvertently destroying the evidence of Project Freelancer's misdeeds, Washington is released, and has to work with the Meta to track down Epsilon. When he finally does, he manages to hold his own fighting Tex, and even tries to help Epsilon save her. He later joins the Blue Team so that he won't get thrown back in jail. By Season 10 he's become a real part of the Blood Gulch Crew and decides to prevent any more problems by siding with them over Carolina and winds up shipwrecked with them.

He temporally joins the Feds until discovering the setup laid by Felix and Locus. He later reunites with the rest of the Blood Gulch Crew, along with Carolina and Epsilon. They join forces with the New Republic and the Feds to take down Malcom Hargrove.

In the XP4 fics, Washington is part of the Dimensional Defense Union and is a member of the Omega Squadron.

Appearance
Washington is a young man wearing a black body armor with yellow markings over a black armored bodysuit. His armor consists of helmet with a dark-orange visor that covers his entire head, a chest & back armor, a back & front cod piece, shoulder armor, forearm armor, hand plate, armored thighs, armored shins and armored boots.

Personality
Originally, Washington was very kind, compassionate, and obedient. He interacted very well with the other Freelancers, specifically York, North and on occasion, Carolina, and his compassion and understanding led him to comfort others during times of trouble. When C.T. returned from a failed mission, Wash attempted to tell her that it wasn't entirely her fault, but was rebuked when she claimed he was just making excuses for her. Although he was quite naive and somewhat immature during his early career as a Freelancer, acting like a child towards anything that piqued his curiosity, Wash could be serious when the situation required it. He wasn't afraid to voice his opinions; an example of this is when he accused Maine and Wyoming of protocol violation after York's injury to the Director.

After the trauma he sustained from Epsilon's breakdown, Wash's personality took a drastic change. His positivity took a plunge, and his previous kindness and compassion was drowned out by a cold-hearted bitterness. Now knowing about the horrors the Director inflicted on Alpha, and in turn its effect on the other Freelancers, Washington became cynical, jaded and somewhat distant. His interaction with other soldiers and A.I. units was cold and professional, limited only to tactical input and vital information about missions. He showed little remorse when he discovered his friends had been killed (Though he did attempt to comfort South for the loss of her brother, albeit barely letting her have any time with him).

Washington also has very little tolerance for disloyalty; a prime example was when he expressed his desire for retribution against South's betrayal, as well as threatening to kill Carolina if she hurt his friends. He was extremely ruthless in completing his objectives, whether it be revenge or freedom, unhesitatingly killing South, and shooting Lopez and Donut. It is possible that this low tolerance comes from numerous betrayals by all his previous friends and teammates at Project Freelancer, to which Tucker snarkily comments that Wash was used to being betrayed on a weekly basis. Wash was also callous, killing the Alien survivors of C.T.'s dig team with the Meta out of mere annoyance and impatience. Alongside his grittier demeanor, Wash had also become cunning and charismatic, setting up plans to defeat the Meta and shut down Project Freelancer long before the events actually occurred. Wash's personality in regards to betrayal during his Recovery One days was notably vengeful. The excessive violence he used in disposing of Agent South Dakota's body and armor shows this to an almost comical extent, which included him shooting her corpse, tossing an active plasma grenade at it, incinerating it with a flamethrower, and then placing several explosive power cells around it before igniting them with his rifle. This comically excessive use of force displayed unsettling signs of Washington's questionable sanity at the time.

In terms of his relationship with the Reds and Blues, Wash had his methods of keeping them in line, from simple bargains to keeping them informed of possible consequences for not following his orders. Though he was still capable of some kindness, such as helping the crew escape from Command whilst telling them to be careful and treating Caboose with fatherly care, despite his immense stupidity. During season 9, it is implied that Wash took over the role of the leader of Blue Team, and he eventually comes to care very greatly for the Reds and Blues, showing fierce loyalty towards them and seeing them as a new family and place to belong. This becomes very apparent after Carolina threatens Tucker, Wash snaps and seeing as she has crossed a line, he in turn threatens her at gunpoint. Washington feels responsible for the problems he caused them in the past and wants to prevent more from happening to them. This is extremely prevalent in Wash's nightmare sequence where he sees himself shooting and presumably killing Donut while the rest of the Reds and Blues scream at him.

During his time after joining the Blues, Wash's cynical and cold hearted nature seems to have retreated some and his older comic personality becomes prevalent once again. He seems to act more like a member of the Reds and Blues, though he still retains some of his more cunning quirks. In Season 8, for example, when Doc suggests following heat signatures to find the Reds Wash dismisses it, although he does eventually follow Doc's advice. In Season 13, Wash tricked Locus into giving away his position by holding his helmet up with his rifle, fooling the mercenary. This, arguably, is an act the Reds and Blues would normally perform. Especially after Carolina rejoined him, Wash seems to have healed, and doesn't seem to blame Epsilon for trying to kill itself in his head anymore. Now, he serves as a leader for the blue team, and a sort of father figure for Caboose. For better or worse, the Reds and Blues have basically adopted Wash into their family, and whether Wash knows it or not, he has picked up on their quirks.

Combat
Despite lacking the advantage of an A.I., as well as paling in comparison to some of his more skilled Freelancer allies, Agent Washington still demonstrates formidable combat ability throughout the series. He held his own for a while against Agent Wyoming in Recovery One, drove off the Meta in Reconstruction, and has taken down two Hornets single-handedly in Reconstruction and Season 9. Washington also seems to have an incredible level of skill with firearms, being able to fire his Battle Rifle accurately and, in one instance, while being run over by a Warthog, cocked Sarge's shotgun one-handed in midair. In addition, Wash fired a Fuel Rod Cannon despite having never seen it, let alone wielded it, before and shot a Rocket Launcher out of the Sleeveless Insurrection Soldier's hand while being blown off his feet by an explosion.

A battle rifle is Washington's symbol on the Freelancer leader board and he has shown unmatched skill with it, being able to draw and fire it faster than the Meta could lift his Brute Shot in n+1. Wash was also able to shoot a speeding Tex in the back during their battle. When the situation calls for it, Washington is also quite skilled at infiltration tactics, being able to sneak into Freelancer Command in Reconstruction.

He also appears to be good with knives. He was able to severely injure the Meta with Tex's Combat Knife in n+1, even throwing it accurately from a considerable distance. In Great Destroyers, he dodges Felix's daggers, even catching one mid-air and using it against Locus later.

Washington seems to be adept at hand-to-hand combat, as was seen in his fight against Tex in Revelation, as he was able to trade several blows with her before being knocked back. During Season 12, Wash fights a vicious duel with Felix, utilizing his battle rifle's skills to disarm Felix of the latter's DMR, and when Felix closes to melee range, he again uses his battle rifle and hand-to-hand combat skills to block Felix's attempts to stab him with a knife, demonstrating exceptional reflex time. Furthermore, in Season 13, Wash holds his own against both Felix and Locus in one-on-one fights, holding the upper hand against Felix for the majority of their fight and even taking Locus by surprise.

Washington also proves himself to be extremely adaptive and a quick thinker. When attempting to reveal Locus during the assault on Crash Site Alpha, he used his own helmet to bait Locus into firing and, with the help of Smith and Bitters, caught the vapor trail. In Great Destroyers he baited Locus' sniper fire again, this time by throwing a grenade up at the mercenaries, allowing him to damage the rifle's scope while Locus was distracted. When fighting a cloaked Locus, Wash uses a knife he caught from Felix to slit his own hand and throws blood around himself, revealing Locus' position.

Still, among the other Freelancers he was not considered among the best combatants, something Washington noted to Tucker on Chorus. North straight up calls him the worst fighter on the team in "Fall From Heaven". Washington's high rank in the Freelancer leaderboard implies he still held his own even if lacking the field specialization of other Agents, such as York's lockpicking, Carolina's hand to hand combat and North's sharpshooting.

Resilience
Washington has an almost extraordinary ability to survive fatal situations, whether being saved by his allies, circumstances or physical resilience and displays an indomitable will to achieve whatever he wants, whether it be revenge or freedom. He has also shown great patience, having harbored rebellious thoughts against Project Freelancer and the Director for many years before turning on them and is never shown to be frustrated during his hunt for Epsilon, despite the many setbacks. Wash also appears to have a high pain threshold, cutting his own hand and using his blood to expose a cloaked Locus in battle.

Memory
Washington is shown to harness amazing memory, perhaps as a byproduct of Epsilon's breakdown, as he was able to remember all of the things that happened to the Alpha after all the years, and also keeps a record of the worst actions he has ever witnessed with that memory, as he comments on both Caboose and Doc's throws as being the worst and second "worst [throws] ever. . . Of all time" respectively. During Season 10, Wash was shown to have remembered the location of C.T.'s helmet, and in Reconciliation, Wash remembered what he was most known for during his time as a Freelancer: having a grappling hook stuck to his groin. However, Wash was noted to possess an acute memory before being paired with Epsilon.

Leadership
Despite his early days in Project Freelancer and his stumbles during Season 10, Wash has grown to become an impeccable leader and has been shown to support his comrades, advise them, and take charge of situations numerous times throughout the series. In addition, after getting to know the Reds and Blues, Wash is also willing to sacrifice himself for the safety of his comrades. In Reconstruction, Wash led the Reds and Blues in the destruction of Project Freelancer, and allowed them to escape while he went to prison. During Season 10, he is also shown to have sacrificed himself in order for Felix, Tucker, Caboose, Griff, and Simmons to escape by commanding Freckles to "shake" and bring down the wall between them and the fight, effectively cutting them off from the battle.

During his pursuit of Epsilon, Wash took command over the Meta, but the latter betrayed him. In Fire, Wash led and supported the Reds and Blues during the battle of Crash Site Bravo and later gained the respect of both the Federal Army and New Republic due to his leadership.

Trivia

 * Washington was in possession of York's healing unit during Reconstruction: Chapter 11 when he uses it to stabilize Caboose. This could be the reason for his remarkable survival skills, as most of his miraculous survivals occurred after finding York's dead body.
 * Washington's original armor enhancement was revealed to be an EMP Unit, where he used it to disable two Warthogs in the episode Fall From Heaven. This explains his apparent knowledge of the pronunciation of EMP.
 * In Reconstruction, Wash uses a particular armor enhancement: the 'BioCom,' which allows him to check on a teammate's vital signs during battle, as he used it in Chapter 10 (Although, it's possible this is just standard issue to all commanding officers or Recovery Agents, or even perhaps it is in all armor sets and, much like the megaphone/speech amplification, it is just not known by the Blood Gulch soldiers).
 * It is also possible that his armor enhancement is the voice modulator that the Meta has at the end of Chapter 4. It has the symbol for Epsilon on the corner of it, which was Wash's A.I. It is possible that the Meta took this enhancement at the end of Recovery One.
 * When Wash pulls up the BioCom in Reconstruction: Chapter 10 you can see a part of it that says "Replay Last Film!".
 * Washington's prisoner number (619-B) is a reference to the address of Rooster Teeth's office building which is 619 B Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701.
 * According to Burnie Burns, Washington was the last Freelancer to be officially active, as his pursuit of Epsilon allowed him to get out of jail. All the Freelancers at that time other than Wash had been KIA, had gone rogue or punished after Project Freelancer was shut down.
 * Washington was once ranked 6th on the Freelancer leaderboard as shown in Season 9. His rank later increased to fifth, but, in Season 10, returned to the 6th position.
 * Washington has only been portrayed in the Halo: Combat Evolved engine during the DVD menu of Reconstruction. Due to color limitations, this is the only representation of Washington without his yellow markings, being colored completely in Black.
 * On October 14, Rooster Teeth animator Monty Oum announced that in the episode, Reunion, Wash was initially meant to be smashed and cut in half by a Warthog thrown by the Meta. The scene was cut for various reasons. Monty stated "I don't think Wash could survive getting cut in half by a car..."
 * Washington seems to have had a fear of ending up like Freelancer Georgia, whose fate was caused by a jetpack malfunction.
 * During What's the "I" Stand For?, Washington can be seen without his helmet at the Freelancer A.I. course, though his face is not visible. He appears to have spiky blonde hair.
 * Washington is one of only three Freelancer agents to not have his face shown while not wearing his helmet. The others being Agents Florida and Maine.
 * Washington is one of only four Freelancers whose name has been seen on the Freelancer Ranking board in every scene in which it is featured; the others being York, North Dakota, and Carolina.
 * According to Wash in Reconciliation, he was most known for getting his balls stuck by grappling hook during his time at Project Freelancer.
 * Washington, along with Florida, is one of the few Freelancers who did not go rogue and disband from Project Freelancer. Rather, Wash was fired by the Director during Reconstruction: Chapter 19.
 * In Reckless, after Donut mentions getting shot back in season 7, Washington whistles the tune of "Pelican Reveal", track twenty-four on the Season 9 Soundtrack.
 * Washington's locker in the Mother of Invention was known to have contained a skateboard, indicating that skateboarding may have been a hobby of his during his downtime. Other items include two pictures of cats and a rubber duck.
 * During the AfterBuzzTV Red vs. Blue: Season 13 episodes 1-8 Live review with Miles Luna and Gray Haddock, Miles jokingly nicknames Wash, "The Tastiest Onion".
 * Washington may be ambidextrous, as he is shown briefly wielding his knife and Battle Rifle in his left hand during his fight with the Meta in n+1. Washington also throws a grenade left-handed in Great Destroyers.
 * Washington is the second character to have stolen a full set of armor.
 * According to a psych evaluation Wash had with the Counselor prior to joining Project Freelancer, he was a Corporal in the UNSC who had been recently court-martialed for injuring his Staff Sergeant following a disagreement about sending men on a suicide mission against alien attackers. It is also revealed that a similar incident occurred during Wash's childhood when angry thoughts he harbored about a school bully for years culminated in Wash violently smashing the bully's face into a mirror, almost blinding them in one eye.


 * This explains why Wash was able to harbor his thoughts of rebellion against Project Freelancer for years and plan his revenge well in advance. It may also bring to light why the Counselor expected the eventuality in Reconstruction: Chapter 19. In addition, Wash's ability to hold grudges is brought up during the session, a trait that was used to the Counselor's benefit in Reconstruction: Chapter 1 when he asks Wash to track down South.
 * The same psych evaluation also reveals Wash had an excellent long term memory that he prefers to repress, even before he got Epsilon. He clearly recalls both the incident with his former Staff Sergeant and the school bully's name when mentioned by the Counselor.
 * Humorously, Wash was late to the session due to a "car thing", referencing his running gag with cars. In his own words to the Counselor: "Me and cars don't get along."
 * The psych evaluation revealed that Washington also used to wet the bed, as was revealed in Season 8 when Simmons pulled up psych profiles on all of the Freelancers.
 * According to the Red vs. Blue: Ultimate Fan Guide, Wash has several sisters and an unnamed mother. Whether or not they are still alive is unknown.
 * It is also revealed that Wash did his basic training in the Leonis Minoris system before the system's implied destruction. Leonis Minoris is an actual star system in Halo that was all but destroyed in 2537 by the Covenant. Assuming this is the same system, Wash enlisted at 18 and he completed training in the same year as the system's destruction, this would make his birth year 2519.
 * In Previously On, it is revealed by Carolina that Wash grew a beard during their retirement. This makes two confirmed facts about Wash's appearance beneath his helmet known: that he is a blond, and that he was clean shaven during the majority of the time Carolina has known him.
 * Washington is similar to Cloud Strife from Final Fantasy 7. Both have or had spiky blond hair, both worked for people who harmed others, both have mental problems and anger issues, both ended up being harmed by the people they worked for, and both helped defeat the people who harmed them. The Meta was also compared to Jenova, the villain of Final Fantasy 7.