The Ether Biotech Corporation, often shortened to Ether, is an international pharmaceutical company.
Background[]
A subsidiary of the Carlisle Group and secretly one of Providence's main assets, the Ether Biotech Corporation is one of the world's most famous pharmaceutical companies. As a Providence asset, they acquired Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer's estate, after he was killed by his creation, Agent 47.
Sometime before 2019, the Ether corporation secretly started the "Samael project", a DNA Specific Virus, underneath the Caruso mansion in Sapienza, after its owner, Silvio Caruso, gratefully accepted the offer. In 2019, the Shadow Client anonymously disclosed the existence of the virus to one of Ether's major stockholders, prompting her to hire the ICA and Agent 47 to stop the project on ethical grounds by eliminating the two scientists in charge, Silvio Caruso and Francesca De Santis, in addition to destroying the virus itself.
After the project's undoing, Hajun, a Providence Herald, is sent to Italy and Johannesburg to investigate and determines that the Ether board had been largely unaware of the project, surmising that it was leaked by someone from the lab. In the aftermath, Ether lost billions of dollars due to the failed project, resulting in their stock completely plummeting.
By 2019, they had developed an antidote to Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer's amnesia-inducing serum.
In 2020, a sample of this antidote was stolen by Lucas Grey during a raid on their R&D site in Johannesburg, also resulting in the kidnapping of their CEO, Neleis De Waal. In the aftermath, Ether's stock once again fell to the bottom.
Following Grey's disbandment of his militia, several rogue members had joined forces with Southeast Asian pirates to raid a tanker covertly shipping Ether's Satellite Uplink Control Unit abroad in the hopes of ransoming the company's "off-world" client data back to the company; as part of its cloud storage network, Ether backed up its client data--in addition to the blueprint for the since-destroyed Caruso virus prototype--to one of several orbiting satellites, or "nodes," within its network.
Ether also offered genome-mapping and high-security DNA storage to its clientele, essentially keeping the genetic code of the global elite "on ice" in the hopes of future immortality. Their off-world storage network was an added benefit to this service.
After terrorist Orson Mills was caught robbing a money transport in Belgium, he was interrogated by the authorities; a team from Ether was sent to chemically extract any information they could from him regarding the whereabouts of his former boss.
Ether was one of several companies that agreed to join Arthur Edwards' supra-national corporate conglomerate, "Destiny Group" as part of his reformed Providence.
In 2021, Ether retro-fitted a Soviet-era military train called The Mortar to use as a mobile field lab in the wake of the destruction of their R&D facility in Johannesburg. Agent 47 was kept here for experimentation until his transport to a CICADA facility in Mongolia but managed to escape.
Parent Company[]
Divisions[]
- Ether Corp. Waste Department
Locations[]
| Type | Location | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Offices |  | |
| unknown | Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer's estate | |
| Arcology | Shanghai | |
| R&D facility (destroyed) | Johannesburg, South Africa |  |
| DNA storage facility | unknown |  |
| Field Lab | Sapienza, Italy |  |
Employees[]
| Roles | Names | Image |
|---|---|---|
| CEO | Neleis De Waal (Deceased) | |
| CEO | Unnamed CEO (Unknown) | |
| CEO | Lilith Devereux (Deceased) | |
| Head Researcher | Klaus Liebleid (Deceased) | |
| Chief Bio-Chemist | Oscar Wong (Alive) | |
| Bio-Engineer | Doctor Francesca De Santis, Ph.D (Deceased) | |
| Bio-Engineer | Doctor Silvio Caruso, Ph.D (Deceased) | |
| Lab Technician | Malcom (Deceased)[1] | |
| Lab Technician | Alfredo Rizzo | |
| Lab Technician | Prudenzio Endrizzi | |
| Lab Technician | Geraldo Dellucci | |
| Lab Technician | Fabrizio Davide | |
| Lab Technician | Filippo Rossi | |
| Lab Technician | Leardo Padovesi | |
| Lab Technician | Jakob Oxenvad | |
| Lab Technician | Guido Lori | |
| Lab Technician | Matteo Martinelli | |
| Lab Technician | Valeria Pinelli | |
| Lab Technician | Claudio Velotta | |
| Lab Technician | Lorenzo Finale | |
| Lab Technician | Apuleio Di Lauro | |
| Lab Technician | Viana Buccho | |
| Lab Technician | Serena Salice | |
| Lab Technician | Serafina Crosetti | |
| Lab Technician (Hazmat Suit) | Prisco Arcuri | |
| Lab Technician (Hazmat Suit) | Benito Onio | |
| Lab Technician (Hazmat Suit) | Alfredino Russo | |
| Lab Technician (Hazmat Suit) | Viliberto Branca | |
| High security operative Biolab Security |
Gary Lunn | |
| Biolab Security | Mariano Davide | |
| Biolab Security | Timoteo Costa | |
| Biolab Security | Angelo Della Morte | |
| Biolab Security | Nicola Trevisan | |
| Biolab Security | Davide Bergamaschi | |
| Biolab Security | Diego Bergamaschi | |
| Biolab Security | Diego Bernaschi | |
| Biolab Security | Marino Manna | |
| Biolab Security | Giuliano Esposito | |
| Biolab Security | Indro Pagnotto | |
| Biolab Security | Ruggero Ferri | |
| Biolab Security | Marcello Grassi | |
| Biolab Security | Diego Rigoni | |
| Biolab Security | Angelo Panicucci | |
| Biolab Security | Bruno Domenica | |
| Biolab Security | Bertoldo Velardo | |
| Biolab Security | Olinto Scanarotti | |
| Biolab Security | Marcello Colombo |
Assets[]
| Names | Organization | Occupation | Roles | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hajun | Providence | Providence Herald | Messenger | Deceased |
| Robert Knox |
|
|
Employer | Deceased |
| Sierra Knox |
|
Kronstadt Industries -
|
Racer | Deceased |
| Ken Morgan | Morgan, Yates & Kohn |
|
|
Deceased |
| Gary Lunn |
The Sarajevo Six (Formerly) |
The Sarajevo Six Marksman |
Security | Deceased |
| Dr. Oscar Lafayette | N/A | Therapist | Therapist | Determinant |
Equipment[]
| Type | Product | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Firearm Handgun |
Bartoli 75R | |
| Firearm Submachine Gun |
HX-10 (Used by Biolab Security) |  |
| Firearm Shotgun |
Tactical Bartoli 12G (Used by Biolab Security) |  |
| Melee | Combat Knife (Used by Biolab Security) |  |
| Security Uniform | CICADA Tactical Uniform (worn by Ether's Biolab Security) |  |
| Laboratory Outfit | Lab Technician Outfit |  |
| Protective Equipment | Ether Biotech Corporation Hazmat Suit |  |
| Protective Equipment | Full Face Gas Mask (worn by Ether's Biolab Security) | |
| Satellite | Surveillance Satellite | |
| Control Device | Satellite Control Unit | |
| Forklift | Minhatsu Core FKL301 | |
| Train / Mobile Field Lab | The Mortar |  |
| Modular Building | EX-LABS Modular Lab Virus Chamber | |
| Modular Building | EX-LABS Modular Lab Block | |
| Modular Building | EX-LABS Modular Lab Airlock Connection | |
| Modular Building | EX-LABS Modular Lab Standard Door | |
| Modular Building | EX-LABS Modular Lab Airlock Door | |
| Modular Building | EX-LABS Modular Lab Stairs | |
| Storage | Metal Locker | |
| Storage | acecos Metal Closet | |
| Storage | Storage Crate (Large) | |
| Storage | Storage Crate (Middle) | |
| Storage | Storage Crate (Small) | |
| Lab Equipment Emergency |
EX-LABS Safety Override Terminal | |
| Lab Equipment Decontamination |
EX-LABS Decontamination Shower | |
| Lab Equipment | Labconco Purifier Class II Biosafety Cabinet | |
| Lab Equipment Testing Equipment |
EX-LABS Animal Testing Equipment | |
| Security Device | Grandê Surveillance Camera Recorder | |
| Security Device | Grandê Storage Camera Recorder Storage Unit | |
| Corrosive Material Handling | HAZMAT Class 8 Corrosive substances IBC | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | EX-LABS HAZMAT Class 6 Toxic and infectious substances, Division 6.2 Biohazards IBC[2] | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | Laboratory Waste Container (Plastic Barrel, Blue) | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | Laboratory Waste Container (Small Plastic Barrel, Blue) | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | Laboratory Waste Container (Small Plastic Barrel, White) | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | Laboratory Waste Container (Blue Barrel, Metal) | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | Laboratory Waste Container (Black Barrel, Metal) | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | Biohazard Disposal Box (Red) | |
| Biohazard Material Handling | Biohazard Disposal Bag (White) | |
| Body Disposal | HJK Coroner body bag | |
| Keycard | Biolab Keycard |  |
Utilized Materials[]
| Type | Product | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Chemical compound | Ethidium bromide (White Bag) | |
| Chemical compound | Ethidium bromide (Yellow Bag) |
Products & Inventions[]
| Product | Type | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Medical Equipment | Stem Cell Storage | |
| Medical Equipment | Stem Cell Capsule | |
| Protective Equipment | Bio Suit |  |
| Protective Equipment | Head Researcher Bio Suit |  |
| Protective Equipment | Hazmat Suit | |
| Antidote | antidote to Dr. Otto Wolfgang Ort-Meyer's amnesia-inducing serum | |
| Brain Implant | Neurochip[3] | |
| Tech. Device | Neurochip Control Remote[4] |
Services[]
- genome-mapping
Projects[]
| Type | Name | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Virus | Project Samael[5] (Destroyed) |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Some medical appliances in the GAMA hospital in Hokkaido were produced by Ether.
- In a conversation with GAMA's director, Yuki Yamazaki confirms that Providence wanted Ether and Kronstadt to work in tandem to create cutting edge technology--such as life-extending products--solely for Providence clients, with GAMA being an example.
- Additionally, the morgue Curator's brain-implanted chip is designed by Ether.
- The infiltration of Ether's Johannesburg R&D facility is foreshadowed during Freedom Fighters by Sean Rose, though whether the target was Wong, de Waal, or the antidote is unknown.
- Interestingly, in Hitman: Absolution during the mission "Attack of the Saints" the location "Waikiki Inn Motel" has a side-gas station labeled as "ETHER".
- All the poisons Agent 47 can use for his contracts were created by Ether.
- They own an arcology complex in Shanghai, China.
- According to two Heralds in The Farewell mission of HITMAN™ III, Ether had developed a popular genome-mapping service, which granted Providence access to the DNA of the global elite "on ice". This is retroactively confirmed in pamphlets and intel found on Ambrose Island in the mission Shadows in the Water.
- This may likely be related to the Ark Society's DNA Vault Initiative, which planned to freeze its members' DNA to preserve in the event of future collapse. At the time of the Ark Society gathering, the initiative was not popular, but by the events of The Farewell in Mendoza, it had become popular.
- Intel images in World of Tomorrow show that Ether was originally called Etha. This change appears to have been made early in development, as all textures and dialogue in the level use Ether.
- The updated poison vials in HITMAN™ III use Etha labelling.
References[]
- ↑ Absolution (opportunity)
- ↑ Infectious Substances 6 lable
- ↑ Katashi Ito
- ↑ Katashi Ito
- ↑ DNA Specific Virus