The Shadow Man

So... let's go back to Black Ops 2. Albert Weasel Arlington. When the characters in that map get downed, they talk to themselves, as if there is some therapist there. Albert somehow knows Nikolai's name. I would like to draw attention to the lyrics in Dead Flowers as evidence for my connection.

Blood isn't running isn't

Pumping in my heart

And now my need

For what was something it

Just something in the dark

That I can see

Is something frightening

Alive in something kind

And they were auburn

And they were auburn

And they were hazel

And they were hazel

And lovely powder

And lovely powder

But now they're sable

All because

I keep growing

Dead flowers now

And the wind is blowing

A burning gown

Around me

I keep finding

Dead flowers now

And they're all behind me

And falling down

Around me

The leaves are falling

And they're calling

Out my name

And all the birds

That were once singing

Are now screaming out in pain

That I can feel

The fruit is ripening

But it's rotten to the core

Rotten to the core

Pale rime enlightening

A skeleton made of ash and hoar

And so I

Keep growing

Dead flowers now

And they're always blooming and

Turning brown around me

I keep finding

Dead flowers now

And there's no way out

No way out

No beginning

And there's no end

They're all just dead again

Blood isn't running isn't

Pumping in my heart

And when I sing

About the flowers I'm just

Screaming in the dark

And now I feel

The wind is blowing

And they're growing

All the time

And all the leaves

Will need to fall

Bind all the flowers

Kill them all

Show me the beauty

In the air

Glow ash and ember

Everywhere

Gasping and reaving

Breaths of air

And let the beating hearts beware

I keep hiding

Dead flowers now

But they

Die in the thousands

A swirling cloud

Around

And this

Life keeps snowing

Dead flowers now

And I see no way out

No way out

No escape

And that's why

I keep growing

Dead flowers now

And now there's

No way out

No way out

No escape

And now I see

them growing

On their own

Now, overall, I'm using the whole song for this theory, but I'd like to call attention to ONE specific verse.

And they were auburn

And they were auburn

And they were hazel

And they were hazel

And lovely powder

And lovely powder

But now they're sable

Sable. What is Sable? Simple. A Sable is a breed of Marten that can be found in Siberia and Japan. A Marten is a weasel-like creature that can also be found in North America. It is a WEASEL.

ALBERT

WEASEL

ARLINGTON

is a Marten.

And Nikolai is a Sable.

 

On top of that, they play the same role in their teams... just in different ways. Nikolai is a Carpenter, and Albert is the one who built the escape plan in Mob of the Dead.

The Easter Egg in Mob of the Dead has two possible endings, but only one of them are correct. They could: Repeat the cycle. This means they all die, and they begin again. (EMBRACE YOUR FATE! BEGIN ANEW!) Or... they could break the cycle. This leaves two realities. One, the real world, in which the three others betray Weasel, and he dies on the roof of the prison. The others are then executed for their crimes. Then, what really happens, Weasel kills the three, then sits in the electric chair... turns it on... and doesn't die. He then escapes from Alcatraz. Alone.

 

I have a prediction for what will happen in the map where Nikolai's soul is harvested. I don't like the idea I have about it, considering the things I know about the story and the one(s) who made it. It is depressing. It is frightening. But it is necessary to speak, here.

 

When they arrive, wherever Old Nikolai is holed up, there are heavy clouds, and the smell of rotten blood can be picked up from a mile away. The four arrive on foot, due to slippery terrain, and a desire to be covert. Richtofen knows what is about to happen, and so he is silent as the others chatter away about what they learned from Zetsubou No Shima. Takeo has a steely resolve, Tank is slightly excited from the things he has seen, which by no means fit what he had seen before. Nikolai is solemn and sober. He, too, knows what very well may happen.

They are all snapped too attention when they hear the zombies screaming. You can hear the mad laughter of the old soviet as he comes around a corner, Empty Speed Cola bottle in hand, and holding a Thompson (O-4 Tank's FAVORITE weapon). "Ahahaha!" he shouts, "Nikolai cannot die!" Young Nikolai smiles... until he sees the other Nikolai's face and eyes. Old Nikolai's eyes have a strange glow to them... his skin is peeling off in droves, and the only thing that separates old Nikolai from the zombies is that he is smiling... but it's obvious that Nikolai is too insane to carry on much longer. Young Nikolai tries to run forward... but Richtofen pulls out the Summoning key, and presses a button again... holding Nikolai, Tank, and Takeo in the air, just like in Der Eisendrache. "Stop." He says, "You must watch. Then you will know what I know. You will have seen what I have seen. You will embrace your fate."

 

Young Nikolai watches in terror as a horde of zombies crowd around Nikolai. He, In his insanity, does nothing. "You can't kill me!" he screams at them. Until they knock him down. "But!" What!" he screams out in fury, "I AM ALONE!" he looks around, and in his madness, doesn't see the others. Richtofen looks at the old Nikolai, and makes a face of disgust. "You were never alone." he says to the old Nikolai. He looks at Richtofen, smiles fondly... and whispers one word. "Sam."

Then he dies. Nikolai has tears streaming down his face, "IS THIS THE FUTURE YOU WANTED ME TO SEE?!" He screams at Richtofen, by this time, the old Nikolai is beginning to reanimate. He gets up... and his eyes now glow a familiar yellow shade. "SAM!" he screams. Richtofen walks over to him, and shoots him in the head. He turns to the young Nikolai, and in his know-it-all voice, states the facts. "Nikolai. He was not you. He was never you. His insanity and delusions of grandeur led him to think he was you... he even had many of your memories, but from this moment on, your life will diverge from his. You could fight it. You would end up right there, where he is now." He gestures to the corpse of Nikolai, "Or you could change the future. I was not strong enough to do it. I could not and would not let Tank or Takeo. You are the only one I believe is strong enough to do what is necessary. You are Unique... no other could take your place in the summoning key. I have been searching for you for an eternity... and now I have found you. To ensure a better future... you must join the others."

 

Understanding registers on Nikolai's face. There is only one way to change his fate. He must take it into his own hands, and prevent the collapse of his world. "But I don't want to die." he said, childishly, to which Richtofen responds in a way that no one else had seen him respond. His face showed compassion and regret, "No one does, Nikolai. We have seen the effects of that in this world. We have prevented it, together. We have changed so many people's lives and fates... but there is one fate that must be sealed." A tear spilled from Richtofen's left eye as he spoke, "You have always been here, Nikolai... but I must go on without you. There will be others, I will meet so many others like you, but you are the only one of your kind. Your soul must go into the summoning key... your sacrifice will not be in vain." he pressed a button on the summoning key, and let young Nikolai down. He falls to his knees and looks at his pistol, "I hate you." he says to it. He then places it in his mouth, and pulls the trigger. Richtofen releases the other two, and all three look at Nikolai. Tank falls to his knees and begins to cry. He never said it, but Nikolai had been his best friend, even if he had said nothing in Der Eisendrache.  He said nothing, now. Takeo looks at both Nikolai's, then to Tank, then to Richtofen. "He died like a dog." is all he says.

Does anyone remember Faustus Schuster? He was spoken of on moon, and spoke the countdown for the teleporter connections in both Der Reise and the Giant. He was integral to the plot of moon, and was Edward Richtofen's best friend. He was in group-935, just like Richtofen, and I have the suspicion that he, too, was in the Illuminati.

If you pay attention to the way that Richtofen speaks to Faustus, and the fact that Richtofen used himself as a test subject for the teleporter, rather than put Faustus though it.

My theory is thus: Faustus Schuster was a higher ranking Illuminati member than Edward Richtofen. further than that, Faustus was the all seeing eye in the Illuminati. I also believe that he was in the cavern with Richtofen as he touched the obelisk. He watched Richtofen smudge it and put his dirty, dirty fingerprint on it.

 

I also have another theory... that Maxis is in fact Richtofen's ultimate form.

That the emperor is Takeo's

That Groph is Nikolai's ultimate

And that Faustus is Tank's.

 

Next... and this is also very important. Gloves. Richtofen and Takeo don't wear gloves in the Giant or Der Eisendrache. Tank and Nikolai do though. In art, wearing gloves is a sign of hiding your true intentions... Nikolai and Tank are hiding something from Richtofen and Takeo. What that is, however, is beyond me.

 

"Hey, if you wanna do my job for me!" ~ Tank said this when you pick up the Carpenter drop in the Giant.

"Hey, I used to be a Carpenter, back in Russia!" ~ Nikolai says this in Der Reise.

 

Nikolai used to be a carpenter... but Tank took up the mantle.

 

"When I find your master, I'm kicking his ass!" And lo and behold... he kills his Test subject self in Der Eisendrache.

 

Perhaps... and this is my ultimate goal in this theory... If Tank and Faustus are the same person, Faustus is the top of the pyramid in the illuminati, and he and Nikolai are both carpenters:

Nikolai and Tank engineered the zombies through Richtofen, drove richtofen insane, and then manipulated him into taking control of the Aether from Samantha...

Because Samantha wanted him to.

 

Nikolai and Tank are tools of Samantha, but Tank/Faustus is above her. In the end, he will have control... then either destroy or use that power. I wonder what he may do.

this is likely the most perceptive thing I've read on this site thus far.

Let's put it this way (and it has been hinted at in ads)

Not just how the characters relate to characters in this map, but in others as well. Let's take the O4. 

In Kino, there are five portraits on the walls in the square room on the seconsecond floor the orde of those portraits are

Richtofen (on the left wall, apart from the others)

Takeo 

Nikolai

Tank

Silouette (with a second portrait of him on the ground)

In one of the adds for SoE, it has pictures of the characters lined up like this:

Magician

Femme Fatale

Detective

Boxer

Shadow Man.

 

Richtofen - Magician (irritating to detective and Nikolai)

Takeo - Femme Fatale ("I hate you Takeo" as you said, the detective may hate her)

Nikolai - Detective (doesnt really get along with anyone but likes Tank more than the others, which may not be totally obvious, as you said, the detective may like the boxer more than the others)

Tank - Boxer (for reasons already detailed)

Silouette - Shadow Man (it looks like somebody stole the image)

Someone knows who the Shadow Man is, out of the four... But hides what he knows for some reason. I believe it is the detective who knows who the shadow man is.

 look at Nero's posters and the posters on the wall in Kino. Let me know if you notice a resemblance.

I can't say much for two reasons.

1. I don't know enough for certain.

2. I know too much.

I will only say this...

Imagine a Tesseract. "A cube within a cube". Many faces are part of more than just one of the cubes, some of the faces seem to stand alone, and most of the edges verticis are shared. One can only understand the Tesseract from a point of view wherein no side overlaps another, and all aspects of the Tesseract are needed to understand it.

The Shadow Man was there from the beginning.