Five years following the Battle of San Francisco, a U.S. Army battalion known as "Alpha-Omega" aided by apes derogatorily called "donkeys", searches for Caesar's ape colony. A platoon assault an ape outpost, but the apes repel the attack and kill all but four humans and a donkey gorilla named Red. Caesar releases the captured humans as a peacekeeping gesture, but Red escapes after attacking Winter. Caesar's young son Blue Eyes and Rocket return from a scouting expedition to report they have found an oasis that could serve as a safer home. That night, the Colonel of Alpha-Omega leads a team to infiltrate the colony and kills Cornelia and Blue Eyes, mistaking the latter for Caesar. Cornelius, Caesar's younger son, manages to survive the attack by hiding while the Colonel escapes.