Ether

For the Aether zombies storyline, see Zombies (Treyarch)/Story.

For other uses, see Aether.

"Ether started with nothing and rose up to take the reigns of a reeling Atlas Corporation, place there by her own ambition. A self-described reformist, she saved the company and secured its place as the military supplier of the future."

— In-game biography

Ether is a character featured in Call of Duty: Mobile and was added in the game on February 5, 2021, during Season 1 New Order as part of System Overload Draw. ^[1]. Ether is also a character in the Comics, where she is part of the Atlas Corporation working in rescue and relief works.

Biography[]

Ether is first seen in the Season 1: New Order comics, helping out with rescue and relief works.

She isn't seen again until 2022 Season 6: To the Skies comics, where it's revealed that she has dispatched her operatives to look out for the Montpierre family. She is informed that there is still no sign of the Montpierre famiily, but at least they have containment in Zurich. As for her security detail, one of the members was badly wounded but doctors managed to save his life. Ether instructs a care package be sent to the family of the wounded person, but also orders a termination letter to be drafted for Zurich's Sec-Ops chief. She later discusses the matter further with her unseen client, stating that Makarov's involvement changes everything.

She is seen again later in the following season's comics, greeting Alias in her robotics lab in New Vision City. She asks for her honest opinion regarding Atlas Corp.'s Division A, after hearing out her story, she decides to send her to spy on them, as she believes Division A has a secret agenda and needs to know what that is. Afterwards, she is seen tending to Hidora Kai, who had apparently been placed in a medically induced coma and a simulation to prevent his brain functions from atrophying. She wakes him from his coma, kits him with a new uniform and then gives him orders to kill Makarov.

The Rubicon Initiative[]

Later on, when Cipher and Foxtrot make a live broadcast, where Cipher announces that Atlas Corporation had been in cahoots with Ortelius and the People's Covenant, Ether is alarmed, noting they are broadcasting from inside New Vision City and orders security detail to be out on the streets to find them. She wonders how things could come apart so quickly, and notices the Director staying silent while Cipher exposes Atlas' secrets. She demands to know how can he remain silent when Cipher is undoing all of which they worked to build.

The Director informs Ether that this was inevitable, the ambition of the board had sowed the seeds of their own undoing. Ether asks if he knew this would happen, he states that the Iron Will did; the board authorized the creation of the People's Covenant through Ortelius and funneled resources and prototype technology via trafficking lines, while also commanding the termination of Cipher, noting these decisions were specifically engineered to result in the board's downfall. Ether believes they only initiated the programs, and the Director confirms they did, on the advice of the Iron Will.

The Director states that men such as them are easy to control, so long as the Iron Will fed their greed, they chose not to question any of it; with them asking the Iron Will again and again to make them powerful and wealthy, all along convinced that the answers they were getting came from the questions they were asking. Ether states that Division A controls the Iron Will, so it didn't serve the board, but the Director himself. She then realizes the Director is staging a coup, to eliminate the board, to which he replies that they have outlived their usefulness. He then tells her to ask herself a question; not on how she can salvage the situation, but what she will do next, as he knows that when the UAC comes, they won't just be coming for Foxtrot and Cipher alone, but for all of them.

Ether deduces that as soon as Cipher started broadcasting, the UAC picked it up and won't stop until the whistleblowers are in their custody, while the Director notes that the board is too assured of their invulnerability to allow that to happen. Ether decides to contact the board before things spiral out of control, but before she can do so, the Director shoots the phone, stating that her loyalty to the board is commendable but obsolete. He is also aware that Ether had sent Alias to infiltrate Division A, so he knows she had her doubts about the course of action the board had taken. He then says that humanity can no longer afford such men, as they would consume the world to fatten themselves, leaving nothing behind but ash, and they had to be removed.

Afterwards, when Makarov's group sets off the explosive charges in the city, the explosions rattle the office she is in, with the Director saying the coup has begun. Later, when an orbital strike is launched on Atlas' Sky Carrier, the bright light emanated from it forces everyone to shield their eyes from it. Ether takes advantage of the ensuing confusion to slip away, but the Director instructs Samael to assemble a squad to find her.

The Atlas Ascension Part 2[]

Ether is later seen in the ruins of Las Vegas, in Alias and Deadman's apartment. She chastises Alias and Deadman for their 'childish' behavior while noting that they've only been there for 2 weeks. She also notes that on that day in New Vision City, there have been 3 out of several other former UAC members who have fallen off Atlas' radar. Believing the Marshall to be behind this, she also notes that he and his posse have accepted an Atlas contract to patrol their 'exclusion' zone. Alias asks what she means, and Ether tells her that Atlas has deduced their whereabouts, and they're thus not safe.

She is later seen when the Marshal arrives at their residence and announces his intentions; he will give them an offer, and if they refuse, he will "firebomb the whole kit n'kaboodle". When Alias decides to go outside to investigate further, Ether asks her what purpose would that serve, as Deadman advises that it's a bad idea since the Marshal will firebomb them regardless. She says that she knows this, and is going out to keep the Marshal distracted, to buy Ether and Deadman time to think of something to get out of their mess.

Ether makes use of the time Alias bought them to assemble a fleet of RCs and drones, and they arrive in time to stop the Marshal from killing Alias. A firefight erupts, and they are forced on the move with Deadman's Antelope A20 while the Marshal pursues them in his tank. During the battle, Ether is wounded by gunfire, so Alias takes over the wheel and lets Deadman attack the Marshal directly. He leaps onto their tank, and the Marshal pulls out a spiked wooden club to attack him, but Deadman thwarts his attack and knocks him out. They apprehend him and his posse shortly after that.

As Deadman and Alias discuss about their next course of action, Ether says that they will be going to Chicago, showing them a selfie of Cipher who is in Illinois.

The Atlas Ascension Part 3[]

They soon arrive in Chicago, which is apparently a war-torn landscape, with collapsed roads and damaged billboards. Deadman comments that wherever they go, they see Atlas' billboards hanging around. Ether informs them this is by design; Atlas had been undermining government institutions for decades, making everyone more and more dependent on their services--and now that they're gone, there's nothing left to fill the gap, which is also by design, so that people will just keep running back to them.

They arrive at The Club, to meet with Cipher. Alias wonders about him taking a huge risk by being in a public place like that, and Ether tells her that The Club is a place where a man like him can show his face without fear, as The Club is a neutral territory for the world’s most elite warriors, assassins, spies and black ops specialists. He greets them as they enter, and Ether tells Cipher to cut the “how do you do’s” and to get to the point, as she knows that he has intel for them, and to spill it.

Cipher informs that since the UAC disbanded after the attack on New Vision City, Atlas has realized who it's enemies are and have sent their worst and deadliest to take them out, including Ether herself, and Alias. Alias says she had been trying to pull together what remains of the UAC, namely those who were in New Vision City that day, but they have either gone dark or are underground, and also knows who is hunting them. Cipher then shows them a log of field performance data for Spectre's armor--on the night of the attack on New Vision City, Spectre took multiple shots from a high-caliber weapon, including a shot to the head, but all it did was slow it down; unless they use the data to figure out a way to take down Spectre, they don't have a hope in hell.

Despite the intel she's been given, Ether remains wary of Cipher, as he's as "trustworthy as a snake" and she doesn't know whether he's using this to get closer to her and that he most likely still has beef with her. Cipher confirms that he does, but reminds her that Atlas is being controlled by Division A now, and that they're not safe while they're in charge.

Just then, a clubgoer introduces Nyx into the spotlight. Alarmed, Ether tells her group to get out of there, as she knows Nyx is a high-level operative for Atlas--they've either made or are about to be. When Deadman asks about their weapons, she says she will buy them new ones. Suddenly, Ether attacked by Spectre, who nearly hits her with his sword, stopped only because Cipher intervened. He says that he can see through Spectre's camouflage due to his glasses, but Spectre knocks him aside and Deadman takes his glasses, preparing to fight Spectre.

The Atlas Ascension Part 4[]

As Deadman engages Spectre, Ether helps up Cipher, who is still reeling from the knockdown before. During their fight, Spectre rips off Deadman's arm and knocks him hard into the ground. But before he can finish him off, Alias uses her non-lethal prototype on Spectre, disorienting him. Although her weapon only lasts merely seconds before it fizzes out, it provides enough time for Deadman to recover and slam Spectre against a wall with a garbage bin. They quickly flee afterwards, but not before Deadman retrieves his arm.

As they are escaping, Deadman asks where they're going as their car is the other way, Ether reminds them that their priority is to put as much distance between them and Spectre as much as they can. Just then, Shadowfall pulls up in her vehicle, and tells them to get in.

The Atlas Ascension Part 5[]

Afterwards, the group arrives in Detroit, Michigan, where a mass protest is taking place outside Atlas Corporation HQ. Shadowfall informs them that she cannot drive through the crowd and they will have to make the rest of their journey on foot. As they disembark the vehicle, Cipher chooses to remain behind due to his head being not right after Spectre's attack, and Ether notes that it's better for him to stay behind, as Rampage would not take too well to them showing up with a wanted fugitive.

Their group soon greets Rampage as well as Foxtrot, who is introduced to Alias. As Alias gets them up to speed on the current situation about the UAC, Rampage wants to know why Ether is among them, instead of 'rotting in some cell in the Hague'. Ether says that she understands her presence there may compromise their position and that she is intimately aware of the history Rampage has with Atlas, the Atlas she knew is gone and what has replaced it is far worse, but Rampage remains unconvinced.

Rampage informs them that the situation outside is close to boiling over, and they're barely keeping a lid on it as it is; Ether asks what makes this protest any different from other Atlas protests blowing up all over, and Rampage responds that this one came out of nowhere; they had been monitoring social feeds, targeting disinformation, but in the last week they have seen fake accounts stoking people's anger, more of them popping up faster than they can manage. Alias grimly states that it is the work of the Iron Will, the Atlas Corporation's Artificial Intelligence, which she explains to Rampage.

However, during this, Alias' briefing on the Iron Will is interrupted by David Mason reporting his sightings of 'new arrivals' in the protest, and soon the protest turns violent when the 'arrivals'--an ops team led by Alex Keller deploy smoke grenades. Luckily, Ether and her group manage to escape.

The Atlas Ascension Part 7[]

She is seen with the group meeting with Frank Woods. As Woods briefs them about recent developments as well as the situation around Atlas, Ether realizes that they need to find Dr. Johanna Mendelsohn, the Director's former colleague; she notes that Dr. Mendelsohn is in hiding and doubts that they're the only ones looking for her, with them not having any idea where she is. Just then, Cipher appears, revealing he has managed to find Dr. Mendelsohn. As Woods briefs them on their next operation, he proposes a toast, christening the new group 'The Phantom Corps'.

The Atlas Ascension Part 9[]

Ether oversees Alias and Mason's mission to find Dr. Mendelsohn. They are successful, and Dr. Mendelsohn tells them they may have a chance to stop Atlas' Iron Will AI on Memnos Island.

The Atlas Ascension Part 10[]

Ether and Mason, posing as Dr. Mendelsohn's security detail, infiltrates an annual summit hosted by Atlas on Memnos Island. Thanks to Cipher's fake identities crafted for her and Mason, they manage to gain access and enter the ballroom. While there, Ether notes the presence of every country's leadership, and Dr. Mendelsohn informs them that those who can't make it will always send a representative on that country's behalf. She goes on to state that anyone who plays in the halls of power must attend the event; when Mason asks what will happen if the governments refuse to fall in line, and Ether tells him that Atlas is very good at knowing exactly how to hurt them--they will keep coming at them until they get their way.

Dr. Mendelsohn soon spots the Director in the crowd, and advises Ether and Mason to go meet with their contact while she holds the Director's attention. They do so, and are soon spotted by Dusk and Kestrel. Ether tells Kestrel they need to talk, and Dusk introduces the pair to Kestrel as Rin Yoshida's allies, asking for her to listen to them. As they make their way outside, Kestrel is amused at Rin allying herself with wanted fugitives, but Dusk reminds her that it was the Phantom Corps that prevented Atlas from seizing control Kurohana Corporation and saved Rin's life. As Kestrel comments about how orchestrating a coup and then swooping in to save the day is basically Atlas' modus operandi, Ether gets fed up with her 'spouting hypotheticals' and asks if she will help or not. After Dusk tells Kestrel that it's Rin's wish that she help them, she finally relents, and agrees to help.

Ether asks Kestrel about the secret lab beneath the castle, where the secondary access point to the Iron Will lies. Kestrel realizes they're going straight for the jugular, apparently impressed by it.