Following the first Into the Intel, which covered Project Janus, the relationship between Aether and Dark Aether, and some thoughts on MWZ pre-finale, I’m back with further musings about the mysteries of Zombies. First up, something Black Ops 4 fans haven’t stopped talking about since it was discovered.
Chaos Control
The Chaos story was set to take over from Aether following the conclusion of Black Ops 4. Unfortunately, this didn’t play out as Treyarch intended. When the Cold War Zombies reveal introduced Dark Aether, it was safe to assume that Chaos would never be mentioned again, resigned to history as a “what could have been”.
It was frustrating. Ancient Evil was well received, with the ending increasing the number of Zombies fans paying attention to the new saga. The stain of Black Ops 4’s failure was enough to deter Chaos from being used outside of a few Scarlett Rhodes skins in Call of Duty Mobile (which has its own batshit-crazy continuity).
At least, that’s what we thought until a radio transmission discovered in Vanguard Zombie’s remake of Shi No Numa changed everything.
Krafft: Krafft to Special Forces. I have an update about that page from the Tome of Rituals that you fought so hard to obtain. Bellekar and I have completed our study of its contents, and it appears we "struck gold", as the Americans are fond of saying. The page recounts how a group of priests and officials in Okinawa Prefecture banded together to save their lord from what they considered demonic possession. In fact, this man had bonded with Saraxis, much the same way that you are currently bonded to your Aethereal allies. They arranged a visit to the swampy island where you now find yourselves and ambushed him with a special relic. While the page gives specific instructions on the use of that relic to sever the bond between a Dark Aether entity and its human host, it gives no description of the relic itself. Ach. It reminds me of when I studied the writings of Alistair Rhodes -- an amateur demonologist and personal hero of mine. Rhodes wrote about different objects of power that he called "sentinel artifacts", but I was never able to find out exactly what they were. Nevertheless, if we can find the relic we seek at Shi No Numa, I am quite certain I can use it on Von List, and trap Kortifex in that little scepter of his.
Not only did this radio mention “Sentinel artefacts”, the power-switch equivalent of Chaos maps, but it also name-dropped Alistair Rhodes, the estranged father of Scarlett Rhodes. The man behind the formation of the chaos crew: Scarlett, Bruno, Diego and Shaw.
Interestingly, the Relic Mirror used in Shi No Numa’s main quest to restore Elder God Saraxis’ memories resembles a Sentinel Artefact. If this were the only tie to Chaos on the map, I’d understand people thinking it’s a reach, but the Krafft radio intentionally brought sentinel artefacts back to our attention.
The rabbit hole goes deeper. By revisiting earlier transmissions from Krafft, we can see that he previously mentioned an “amateur demonologist” on Der Anfang.
Krafft: I was tasked with gathering the lost pages of the Tome of Rituals. But I had no idea where to start. All I had were few pages already in Von List's possession. One had notes scribbled in the margin. And just as Von List began threatening to execute my poor Sasha, I recognized that handwriting!
One of the patrons of my University was an amateur demonologist. Heh, the hobbies of the idle rich. Anyhow, he must have once possessed the pages to have jotted down those notes. Von List has him arrested and tortured. He revealed he had been a member of the Société -- one entrusted with hiding Tome pages. He listed others who also possessed a few.
Rhodes was a member of the Societe Occulte, a secret society dating back to the Middle Ages. This group experimented with Dark Aether rune magic and created a spellbook—the Tome of Rituals—to compile what they had learned. The Tome features in Vanguard Zombies as the upgrade system for the Elder God field upgrades.
The Societe Occulte sounds very similar to The Order from the Chaos story with one clear difference: Alistair Rhodes wasn’t a member of The Order; they were chasing him. This calls into question how Chaos fits into Dark Aether as it presents a different Alistair Rhodes from the one we attempted to rescue in Black Ops 4. We do not have enough information at this point.
If Treyarch wants to incorporate Chaos into Dark Aether fully, it can compare the two timelines, take what’s needed from Chaos, adapt it, and retcon where required. The more likely explanation (in my opinion) is that the writing team introduced some characters and concepts from Chaos into Dark Aether, avoiding being tied to previously established continuity. We’re meant to recognise Alistair Rhodes, but in terms of canon, he’s a new character.
Whatever the outcome, I’m glad we might learn more about elements of Chaos in the future. A lot of time, effort, and money was put into the story for Black Ops 4, so it would be a waste never to see it fleshed out. The decision to lead the game with a brand new story while Aether was dangling by a thread may have been a mistake, but it felt like Chaos was finally warming up just as it was sentenced to death.
We shouldn’t disregard the possibility that the radio may have been nothing more than Treyarch throwing Chaos fans a bone with a nudge and a wink to the ill-fated storyline. It would be the worst outcome by far, though, and I’m hopeful there’s more to the Alistair Rhodes mention than that. Chaos fans, the time is coming…
Have You Heard of Mr Peeks?
The origins of Mr Peeks, keeper of the Mystery Box and Gobblegum extraordinaire, are still unknown. Unlike its predecessor, the teddy bear, Mr Peeks seems more active in the story. Intel obtained via Outbreak suggests that Mr Peeks is friendly, at least to one child whom he protects. The running theory is that the child Mr Peeks watches over is the same child laughing in the purple orb across Outbreak and MWZ. Who is the child? We don’t know for sure.
It could be the spawn of Kortifex and Saraxis. After regaining her memories, Saraxis remembers Kortifex “did something” to their child. Although, with such an ambiguous statement, there’s no way of telling. For all we know, Kortifex could have created Mr Peeks by trapping their offspring in the blue bunny rabbit.
Another candidate for the child is Richtofen’s son. Perhaps his obsession with the Dark Aether isn’t purely about bringing his family back from the dead. If Richtofen somehow knew his son hadn’t perished in a fire but had made it across the universal divide to the Dark Aether, he’d be determined to bring him home.
That then begs the question of how Richtofen Jr ended up in the Dark Aether. The only reason I can currently think of is that Maxis subconsciously teleported him to safety. It would explain how Richtofen was aware of some of Sam’s powers when experimenting on her during Cold War. He knew she could teleport her dog Notso to safety if he pushed her hard enough.
Yet Richtofen envisioned his wife and child burned to a crisp in the Liberty Falls cinematic. Maybe he doesn’t know his son is still out there? Maybe his son isn’t out there! That’s what theorising is all about. What is clear is that Mr Peeks will be important in Black Ops 6; through him, we’ll also learn more about The Child he swears to protect.
Additionally, Mr Peeks is an avid entrepreneur, taking over the Gobblegum brand from disgraced former owner Doctor Monty. I’m very interested in seeing how this is explained. It could be as simple as remnants of Aether lying around the wastelands (similar to how Zykov discovered the Perk-a-Cola machines), but Mr Peeks’ involvement makes me think there’s more to it.
Deconstructing The Construct
The infamous Vanguard Zombies may have disappointed players in gameplay and overall story, but its world-building was fantastic. It depicted the Dark Aether as a living, breathing realm, not just a hellscape that ethically grey humans use to plunder materials. Elder Gods, planets of strange resources, royal families: it honed in on aspects of fantasy (something Chaos also did in its limited time).
For me, Zombies hits the hardest when it juggles sci-fi and fantasy. Black Ops 3 gave us universe-hopping tentacled monsters mixed with the work of Group 935, Division 9, and the Soviet Union. With Cold War giving us a lot of sci-fi and Vanguard supplying the fantasy, I’m hopeful Black Ops 6 will merge both together.
Vanguard established The Construct, a silent monolith that watches over the Dark Aether. It does not directly interfere, instead appointing an Archon to share its power. It slightly reminds me of The Traveller in Destiny—a mighty static entity with unclear authority and intentions.
Bellekar: My pupils, if we are to stop Kortifex, you must know more about the living monolith we call "the Construct". It is ancient, even to us. The first denizens of the Dark Aether worshipped it, but it hardly seemed to notice. The Construct is neither "good" nor "bad". It possesses intelligence, but is generally indifferent to our lives and our struggles. However, on rare occasions, the Construct has granted a portion of its power to an individual who assumes the role of "Archon".
The first Archon eradicated a parasitic species that threatened our world. An entire species, wiped out. The fourth Archon smashed our moon to pieces -- some of which were weaponized, and still float above our lands. And now Kortifex seeks to become the Construct's newest champion. We cannot allow such power to rest in the hands of such a tyrant.
While Bellekar mentioned The Construct being “neither good nor bad,” it did make Kortifex Archon. Was it out of pity? Was it to test Krafft and the strike team? Maybe it was just sick of Kortifex knocking.
The Construct is fascinating because it has existed for aeons, yet we know little about it. What else does it do beyond selecting an Archon? How can we be sure it doesn’t have an ulterior motive—is it really just a neutral space rock?
With Kraft leaving behind information for future generations to uncover, there’s a chance that Project Janus is aware of the Construct. Is Richtofen interested in becoming Archon? I wouldn’t put it past him. Wielding its power is precisely what his kind would do. Maybe Eddie is cut from a different cloth? We’ve seen evidence that he’s as conniving as ever, but the Liberty Falls cinematic casts him as a conflicted man suffering from terrible loss.
There’s also the question of The Archon’s involvement (or lack of) during The Forsaken’s reign. Did it help The Forsaken, oppose it, or stay out of the situation entirely?
Pact-a-Punch
Midway through Vanguard Zombies’ lifecycle, Treyarch added a super easter egg to Cold War Zombies. Players who had completed every main quest were rewarded by “taking the pact” on the Zoo Outbreak region. Decorative masks were hidden in each area to guarantee players could travel to the Zoo via their next teleport. After interacting with a mask, something would call out to our operator. One quote in particular sticks out:
“Our ways are of the old world. We will not be forgotten.”
The voice may refer to an earlier period in Dark Aether history, aeons before The Forsaken rose to power. However, Vanguard had already established some of the key figures of the past, and this voice never featured. Many expected Sparagmos, the Entity responsible for crafting the Chrysalax Wonder Weapon, to appear in Vanguard, but he never did. Could he be the mystery voice?
The most alluring possibility is that the “old world” is Aether. I try not to get too immersed in any theories involving Aether. It’s a bad habit to keep one eye on the past continuously. In this case, however, I think it’s worth pondering.
The Tag Der Toten main quest tasked Victis with “resolving the duality”, leading to Apothicons and Keepers combining to form their original race. Near the end, the Apothicon Blood said the following:
“Leesanatahn lu ahm… we now speak the tongue which is forbidden. Bring us the Seal of Duality… that we may cleave to our sworn enemy. We must restore that which was separated.”
The Apothicons were no strangers to the Dark Aether. They were banished to it before and survived. This time, with the added strength of their Keeper brethren, it’s hard to believe that being cast to the Dark Aether would end them.
It makes me think back to what Craig Houston said during the Cold War reveal: “Canon is canon, and we’ve put a story to rest, but as you comb through this new universe, don’t be surprised if some things don’t want to stay dead”.
Call me a cynic, but I reckon the pact is terrible news. When has trusting otherworldly beings been the correct port of call? I can count on both hands the number of times the Dark Aether has tricked humans. With Strike Team presumably left to rot in Blacksite 13 following Cold War, what happens when the Entity comes to collect on their side of the agreement?
Shadows All In The Dark
While Richtofen and the Terminus gang have an obvious beef, we don’t know who will ultimately be the antagonist in Black Ops 6. An otherworldly being usually raises the stakes, like The Forsaken in Cold War, Kortifex in Vanguard, or The Entity in MWZ.
Krafft and the Strike Team successfully defeated Kortifex in Vanguard, but it was extremely anti-climactic. He fell down a hole, and that was that. There’s a slim chance that “The Deathless” isn’t done with us yet. However, Zykov feasted on several Elder Gods in his pursuit of becoming The Forsaken. Kortifex may have been his aethereal supplement of choice.
Since we’re on the subject of The Forsaken, the last time we saw it, Maxis had successfully sealed it in the Sophia-shaped containment chamber. Richtofen had plans for Zykov; time will tell whether they were successful. Regardless, I can see The Forsaken still being involved, though probably not our main adversary.
Samantha Maxis never crossed my mind until the Liberty Falls cinematic. However, we don’t know the critical context around her confrontation with Richtofen, so it’s too soon to say she’s the big bad. It’d be a hell of a twist after the ending of Cold War, though.
The ending of Modern Warfare Zombies hinted at a new faction: The Shadowsmiths. I previously covered this mysterious new group, but mentioning them again is wise. After all, their name suggests they may be involved in nefarious activities. Take this quote from the Entity after her defeat, for example:
“He” —presumably the leader of The Shadowsmiths— is searching for Ava Jansen. Is this the hatted figure in the mirror in her Liberty Falls hotel room? I believe so. While the jury’s still out on whether the figure is the one that yanked Jansen into the Dark Aether, the shadow’s presence alone is cause for concern.
What do The Shadowsmiths want with Jansen? I have no idea, but it likely isn’t good. An aethereal clandestine group trying to hunt down Samantha Maxis’s daughter doesn’t sound like something our heroes will be on board with.
As Hugo Jager puts it so poetically below, there are many horrors in the Dark Aether. It is more expansive than we could ever comprehend. There will always be a bigger fish, more monstrous and darker than the last. The rogue’s gallery I just went through is terrifying, but what if a more significant threat is out there, waiting to strike?
That closes the book on Into The Intel II. There’s even more I could’ve discussed (like whatever the hell is going on with Ravenov), but I had to draw the line somewhere. The series will continue, though! It’s always entertaining to throw lore at the wall and see what sticks.
Treyarch has been setting up the foundations of the Dark Aether universe since Cold War and is finally ready to push the button on “show, don’t tell” storytelling in Black Ops 6. I’m looking forward to experiencing the twists and turns while combing through the radios and other bits of lore. The rabbit hole is deep, and it’s almost time to dive in!