#Anton has a skull made of steal

[whereismyhat5678]

This occurred to me while playing ANTONBALL and I had to draw it-

[theworldofmycreations]

Shredder’s Little Light Chapter 2

Aurora sat quietly with her knees on the floor coloring in the coloring book she got from the grocery store on the coffee table, her crayons from the faulty cardboard crayon box while singing along to a song playing on her little kiddy radio that Tiger Claw had found in the junkyard while scouring around and slaving over her father.

 It had been over a week since Aurora had settled into the church and already she made this church feel like home to her, even without her mother.

 In the morning, around 8 am, she would be woken up by Tiger Claw and treated to either a homemade breakfast or takeout breakfast from the nearest fast food restaurant by Xever, Bradford, or Baxter.

 After breakfast, Tiger Claw would help her get bathed, cleaned, and dressed for the day. Once bath time was over, Aurora was free to do whatever she pleased, which was mostly playing with some of her toys or watching cartoons on the TV whilst Shredder’s henchmen we’re taking orders and going on patrols until lunch came around.

 When lunch time came and went, Aurora had "quiet time" for an hour or two where she could either quote on quote read a book, or color, or take a little nap, or watch her shows on the TV until dinner was prepared or given to her via takeout.

 After her bath and brushing her teeth, Aurora would sneak down to the dungeon to chat or have a bit of playtime with Karai before she crept up to her room to go to bed before Tiger Claw could even reach the door of her room to bid her goodnight or read her a quick story before she went off to sleep.

 Sometimes, her routine would switch up a bit and instead of being in the lair for most of the day, Tiger Claw would take her out to the playground to burn off some energy, get some ice cream to cool off with the horrendous weather they've been having, or sneak to the community pool after hours to splash in the refreshing water.

 This was the case during the hours of the day; Aurora went to the park for the whole day and now she was coloring a couple of hours before bedtime.

 Suddenly, a shadow loomed over Aurora while she was coloring.

 The little one looked up from her coloring book and turned off the radio.

 The Shredder was standing over the coffee table with a blank expression on his face. However, what was different about the Shredder was that he was without his helmet and Aurora could easily see the giant burn marks on his face.

 Aurora put down the red crayon she was using and held up her coloring book to show her daddy the page she was coloring in. It was of a cartoon lion and zebra walking around in a jungle scenery.

 Aurora held up the coloring book and showed the page she was coloring to the Shredder.

 Shredder only stared at her and the coloring page.

 Aurora saw the look on Shredder's face and her smile turned into a frown and she lowered the coloring book, putting it back on it's spot on the coffee table and bent her head down in fear of her father.

 Shredder then turned away and walked down the hall.

 Now, she became curious.

 Where was his helmet?

 He never walked around with it on.

 Aurora put down her crayon and quietly followed her father and peeked in the throne room from behind one of the doors.

 In the throne room was not only her father and the Foot Bots, but there was Baxter, Xever, Bradford, and Tiger Claw standing before her father as he stood at the steps near his throne.

 “...find my helmet,” Shredder demanded, his growling tone demanding respect, but earning intimidation and fear. “Until it is returned to me, you will do nothing else. Nothing!” 

 “Uh, Master Shredder,” Xever spoke up hesitantly.

 “Can't you just get another helm-“ He wasn’t able to finish. The Shredder’s fist made a striking impact to the fish mutant’s skull, and he was thrown back a good way. 

 Aurora let out a small gasp when Xever got hit. 

 She wanted to go up to her father and at least get some attention from him by telling him off on how wrong it was to hurt Xever and fix Xever's injury, but she was to scared to do so. 

 The clunking footsteps of the Shredder’s armor approached Xever, and the Foot leader loomed over him.

 Her father began to tell the story of how Shredder’s helmet came to be. Aurora listened with attentive ears as if she understood but really she didn’t. 

 The Shredder looked to his soldiers. “I am sworn to protect it with my life. You will find it, and you will bring it to me.” The blades on his forearm swung out and he shoved them into Xever’s face. The mutant tilted his head to the side as the blades got uncomfortably close to his scaly skin. “Understand?” Shredder demanded.

 “Uh, Yes, Master,” Xever stammered his reply.

 The Shredder pulled back his blade to point at his followers. “Xever, you go with the fly. Tiger Claw, go with Bradford.” His soldiers bowed in obedience to their master. He turned away, walking to his throne. He stopped to give one final warning, “Do not fail me. I promise you, the consequences will be dire.”

 Aurora shrunk her head down a bit as the soldiers, Xever, Stockman, and Bradford left the throne room to prepare themselves to hunt for the helmet. 

 She backed up to leave to go back to her coloring until she bumped into a leg. 

 Aurora looked up and there stood Tiger Claw, his yellow eye glowing in the slight darkness of the hallway. The little one turned to face the giant tiger. 

 "Tigger," Aurora asked, "Wha's going on? Whewe's my daddy's hewmet?"

 "Apparently someone has stolen it from under our noses," Tiger Claw explained, "a man named Anton Zeck who claims himself to be a master thief according to the buisness card he left behind."

 "A fief?" Aurora asked,  "but why wowld he wanna steal daddy's hewmet?"

 "Probably to earn money or want power." Tiger Claw replied.

 "You can eawn monies by deawing?" Aurora asked.

 "Yes, but I would not advise you do so," Tiger Claw told Aurora, placing a paw on her shoulder, "Stealing is hate crime and you do not want to grow up to become a criminal do you?"

 "No siwee!" Aurora said, folding her hands behind her back earning a chuckle out of Tiger Claw.

 "Good," Tiger Claw said, "I'll be back within a few hours. We're all going out to find your father's helmet."

 "Ooh! Ooh! Can I come wif you an doggy?" Aurora begged, almost jumping up and down.

 "No Aurora, it's late at night and you need to start getting ready for bed soon," the giant tiger replied.

 Aurora frowned.

 Tiger Claw then added, "But, how about tomorrow I'll take you out to that aquarium that you've been begging to go to for the past week."

 The aquarium?!

 Aurora loved the aquarium! Even though she's never been to one… but she has looked at pictures of the aquarium in books and seen them on TV all the time and it looked super cool to her. All the fish and other creatures swimming around without a care.

 "OK Tigger!" Aurora said, "I be goowd!"

 "I know you will." Tiger Claw said before getting up and ruffling her hair.

 He then left the lair and headed for the door.

-----

"Dere are dowfins dere too?!"

 "In most aquariums, yeah."

 "Woah! Yowr lucky Kawai! Ife never been to an aquareeam before!"

 "Trust me Aura, you don't know what you're missing."

 Aurora sat on the floor in front of Karai's cell, wearing her new Bambi pajamas Tiger Claw had ordered from Walmart.

 Since she was alone with the exception of the Shredder, she had to skip her bath and head straight to brushing her teeth and putting on her clothing for the night before she ran down to the dungeon to talk with Karai.

 Aurora, or better known by her newly anointed nickname "Aura" by Karai as of a week ago, was talking to Karai about the promise Tiger Claw had made about taking her to the aquarium the following day if she behaved and got to bed on time. Karai smiled and then began to tell her about her experience in the aquarium she had when she was around Aurora's age and Aurora couldn't believe what she was she was hearing.

 "Oh, I awmos forgot!"

 Aurora got up from her spot and handed Karai a drawing she did.

 Karai smiled at the gift that her little sister gave her, "Aw Aura, it's a nice.. uh, what is it?"

 "It's da wainbow fish!" Aurora said, smiling proudly, "Tigger read me the 'dory befowe I went to bed yesderday an I dwew this fow you!"

 "It's beautiful Aura, thank you." Karai smiled.

 Aurora smiled but frowned a little.

 "Aura, what's wrong?" Karai asked.

 "… I showed daddy the colowing page I was dowing an he didn' say anyfing to me.." Aurora sighed, "I jus wan him to like me.."

 Karai frowned at the sight of her sister. She didn’t like it when Aurora was upset. She held her hand and rubbed it gently.

 "…Hey, don't get upset about it. Dad was just worried about his prized helmet being missing. Like I said, he's selfish like that." Karai explained. "He likes you… in his own unique way."

 Aurora understood and rub her eye a bit, it was getting late and it would soon be her bedtime.

 "You should be getting back up there, the others should be coming back any minute and it's almost your bedtime."

 "Kay," Aurora yawned, "An when I go to da aquareeam tomowwow, I's gowna tell you all abowt it."

 Karai smirked and replied, "I'd like that. Night Aura."

 "Nigh-Nigh Kawai.." Aurora said in between a yawn.

 She slowly walked up to her bedroom which had since been cleaned out and made to look like an actual bedroom, climbed into her bed, and drifted off to sleep clutching Barley close to her heart, dreaming away of colorful fish, dolphins flipping above the waves, dancing sea lions, and sharks with pointy teeth swimming around in giant fish tanks.

 Aurora smiled in her sleep as she dreamed that she was within all the fun, swimming on the back of a dolphin, holding on tight for a bumpy ride.

----

A giant paw gently shook Aurora's shoulder, causing the little one to stretch and yawn.

 "Sleep well Aurora?" Tiger Claw asked as he helped her sit up on her bed.

 "Mm-hmm.." Aurora replied sleepily, rubbing her eye, "I dweamed dat I was swimming wif all da fishies an dowfins too. Awe we gowing to da aquareeam today?"

 "Yes Aurora," Tiger Claw replied, "Just you and me…. after breakfast. Now come, your waffles are on the table and I do not want them to get cold."

 Aurora leapt out of bed and walked beside Tiger Claw down the hall to the kitchen as she talked on and on about her wonderful aquarium dreams.

[curious-minx]

Heat Lamp vol. 2 - Age Defying Light

(Photo taken from the Tumblr page: CLASSIC HOLLYWOOD GLAM)

Margaret makes a killing at her recent photo shoot. NRA Artistic Director, Derrick Fistual is rubbing his gun powder scented and arsenal oiled palms together, he’s basking in the pleasure of a newfound revelation: Give a woman a gun and they sell themselves. Margaret tries making a joke about penis envy when she first wrapped her manicured and digital gloss-ready porcelain hands around the butt of the rifle. Derrick tries shushing her at the very mention of the phallic, but then she points the rifle directly at Derrick and he falls backward into his holster shaped director’s chair. 

“You really thought you could use a pretty lady to push your craven gun industry onto the rest of this gullible nation of baby faced killers?!” Margaret demands trying to tamper down the height of her question so that no one can accuse of her sounding hysterical. One more mental braid and twist straining against her toll. That and the heat of this “Margaret’s” wig. 

Derrick picks chips and dip out of his finely bleached chompers, he grabs hold of  Margaret’s gun and squeezes Margaret’s trigger finger. The gun clicks and fires a blank. Derrick winces and opens up the sound stage’s blinds and starts yelling,

“She’s trying to kill me! This raving bitch is trying to kill me! Come on pull the trigger! You think you’re so bad! So tough!”

Margaret/Antonia, The Daycrawler lifts up her rifle and begins twirling it around and round until it becomes one continuous, complete blur reflecting back at the NRA artistic director. Antonia, The Daycrawler times her next move to her internal martial rhythm and knocks Derrick onto the fake linoleum tiled stage floor with a flurry of her flat and viciously slippered feet. Antonia is standing above Derrick, pinning him down with her well calculated lower body muscle coordination. A life lived being the heel. Striking back! 

Antonia fires the rifle directly into Derrick, the Artistic NRA Director’s ,  quavering O-Shaped gaping expression. The expression of a Death Peddler. The rifle fires, not a bullet, but a flash of light that fills up Derrick’s skull and bright shining white lights bursts forth out of every opening in his head. The light subsides and other than the faint smell of burning flesh Anton looks more or less unharmed. Smoke is pouring out of his scalp. Antonia drops the gun and saunters back behind the screen of  the NRA film shoot costume cabinet. 

She steps out as a red headed Communist influencer gal with an eye patch. She steps out a collagen infused Valkyrie of Beverly Hills. She steps out as a Pilgrim woman and wraps a lace and frill trimmed bonnet around her red wig. In the pile of  her former night gown she picks up a vial of Monique’s Aura Cleanser Spritz and a Pixie Stick that promised to infuse the air around you with dayglo pink beach sands. 

The NRA President, Carolyn D. Meadows, walks onto the sound stage set. Anton is still lying on the floor and the smoke has drifted up and away into an air vent. Meadows immediately assess the scene and pulls out her favorite pug nosed revolver and fires a ripping bullet straight into Antonia, The Pilgrim piercing her bodice. The bullet ricochets and flies right back into Mrs. Meadows face. Her face should have been torn to smithereens, and in a way it had, but the Monique perfumed air censored out her gore. American bloodlust will not be satiated. 

Antonia takes a brisk step over to the turkey cages of well mannered and quiet turkeys hoping and praying that the pink fleshy monsters would go ahead and kill each other. Revenge is a dish best served without turkey. Antonia releases all of the turkeys being prepped for the annual NRA Blood Feast. The liberated turkeys cluck in approval and hop onto Antonia, The Daycrawling Pilgrim’s extended arms. They all start flapping gusts of wind with their winds, lifting her up into the air. Antonia fires the gun once more, this time with an actual bullet, a bullet made of exploding steel that creates an exit for Antonia and the turkeys. Floating up and away with her turkey brigade, Antonia snaps her rifle in half and throws it back down onto the shrinking remains of the NRA headquarters. 

////

Antonia finishes her recital of Daycralwer fan fiction that she had comprised for herself in lieu of actually taking matters onto her own hands. Antonia and Magda Marlene, the Lady Light Tower herself, are luxuriating on two lumbar supporting poolhouse recliners taking the occasional drag of Pixie Stix and enjoying the vastness of Monique’s desert plateau property. 

Magda places the butt of her burnt out Pixie Stix into the antelope skull ash try and then looks Antonia over and asks,“Do you really think Monique’s manufactured scents are that powerful? Sporting a potency capable of altering r a person’s cognitive perception, changing certain specific aspect of the ways an individual perceived reality? I’d be awfully scared of a woman spritzing such power.” Magda is trying not to be overly critical and call  out Antonia’s adolescent tale for what is is: puerile adolescent fantasy. Reducing Magda and Monique as nothing more than the patron radioactive spiders biting her solid, Nordic Scandinavian Amazon Warrior charms! Magda rolls her eyes and it causes the sky to cycle through night and day. 

“I know you’re going to say that this is superhero sensationalism, but I think I am the perfect canvas for you and Monique to use your powers on. Don’t you think so Monique?” Antonia asks Monique who has now made her eleven presence known the two chatting women enjoying the arid expanse of Monique’s property. Monique is heavily robed, covered head to toe in a sealed and plastic shroud. A Red Milk Snake pattern design running through the rest of her black and secretive ensemble. 

“Antonia, I have no powers. I am a scientist, we’re the most powerless lot you’ve ever met. You really want to make the world a better place? Then may I suggest that you keep on keeping on as my number one test subject. Hun, as long as you keep showing up and crawling through the day or whatever it is you do we’re golden.” Monique then runs a multilayered glove hand down one of her braids, one of her ornamental beads catching a glare in the sunlight. Monique after a moment of quiet sneers, “Seriously, The Daycrawler? Really the best you could call yourself? Note to self: Antonia needs a rebranding. And don’t you think I didn’t hear how much you believe in me, Magda.  I could easily create a scent capable of hijacking the brain into censoring violent imagery and don’t you forget it. Now could both of you be a couple of dears and quietly fuck off my property. If only I had a swamp instead of this arid rollicking plateau of dust and brush robbing me of the occasion to yell, ‘get off my swamp’! I simply can’t concentrate knowing that the two of yous are out here brooding, swapping stories, and murder fantasies about taking down the NRA like a couple of gal pals. As far as I’m concerned you’re trying to alienate my clientele and that’s pretty lousy Antonia. Don’t alienate the clientele.”Monique exhales a long sigh and her cheeks are burning bright red. Monique underneath her scarfs and additional PPE is typically making wild and erratic facial expressions that no one can see, and she then gives he two interlopers one more shooing away gesture, and begins walking back inside. Monique stops, turns around, and walks back up to the still static Magda and Antonia.

“And I also remember that we have a contract! Magda can’t share her light with anyone except for me!” Monique then pats herself down searching for some kind of paper proof, cannot find any and then shoves her hands back into her pockets. “On second thought maybe that contract doesn’t exist! Anyway I don’t think she will ever share her light with you. Ultimately Antonia I’d leave her alone. She’s more dangerous than you’ve been in your wildest assassinations. Ciao!”

Magda and Antonia are both standing over their shaded lawn chairs and start parting ways. Magda thinking about how she is potentially a dangerous ticking warhead of Energy and Light, and Antonia feeling emotionally bruised and yearning for a more active plot. How could she, a former assassin, be casted into this life as a layabout science experiment? Despite walking off into opposite directions from Monique’s compound property they still manage to meet back up onto the public street obscuring Monique’s private street entrance. 

“I am sorry. I know I should have been more grateful about that other  assassin you had kidnapped for me. Soy Hands, that’s her name right? She’s a real steal and could have used those slippery mits of hers to wrangle up all sorts of missing persons. Probably gotten really super helpful intel. But Antonia this is my personal affair and I would prefer if you would stay out of it , and  in return, I will grace you with your privacy. Fair! Now that I got that shitty business out of the way, why don’t we head off to Marietta, Georgia? Let’s go nab us an NRA President!” Magda squints and feigns a smile towards Antonia casting her in the most flattering light from the sodium streetlamp.

“No, the NRA headquarters is in Fairfax Virginia. That’s more or less where I was imagining we’d infiltrate.” Antonia says with a wistful glint in her eye. 

“Oh wait! I forgot I have to go help out at my siblings Light shop. Do you think this wholesome assassination plot can wait? I’ve been dodging those two for over a year and half now and because of this pandemic I finally broke down and am going to help them today.”

“That’s great. You can go ahead and forget about all of that. I know that killing someone objectively bad won’t make me feel any better. The act of killing is rarely the day at the spa you’d hope it to be. Not that you’d understand.”Antonia lifts her entire and herself against the streetlamp bending it so the light no longer focused on her. 

“No, I really do understand. I may not have killed anyone because I meant to, but that doesn’t mean I haven’t killed someone by accident. Okay I didn’t kill anyone, but I did accidentally blind this guy I dated  and may have ruined his dreams of becoming the next Fellini…” Magda looks away, embarrassed for even trying to open up in front of such a cold and ruthless killer. Antonia reaches out and puts her hand on Magda’s shoulder. 

“That’s okay! I don’t want to hear about it! We’re cool. We’re apparently both enjoying the same Sugar Mother relationship with Monique right now, but we’re also going on pathways to friendship. I’d love to keep busting this friendship business  wide open, but I’ve got to get back to my live parkour stream. Basically I’m the hottest sticky hand gymnast in the nation!” Antonia releases her hand from Magda’s shoulder, leaving behind a faintly thin treacly trail of some mysterious sweat. Antonia, The Daycralwer is already halfway through ascending the thirty story residential apartment complex.  Magda thinks about attaching a bulb of light to the bottom of Antonia’s shoes as a friendly light up gesture, but realizes the opportunity to do so has long since past. Magda finally reaches her space craft almost two miles away from Monique’s laboratory compound. Parking is a space craft in this city is always a bitch, oh well, time for Magda to return home to help her brother and sister.

/////

Gidget and Chester’s Light Factory

Starring right at Magda is a lamp that looks exactly like Hillary. Magda’s Hillary. Bulbs of light for each button on her power suit. Magda had not told anyone about her hidden Lady Crush/Obsession Hillary. Magda grits her teeth and the boxes of unlit bulbs begin glowing and whistling in response to Magda’s anger. The generous skylight is turning a burning shade of chocolate cosmo reflecting back at Magda’s fury. 

“Maga chud!” Gidget and Chester squeal in unison. Gidget, Magda’s taller and much dimmer sister chirps up, “So happy you could finally grace us with your presence. Chester and I were just about to run through the speech explaining why it’s okay that Magda broke her promise as always and didn’t show up.”

“What sort of sick game are you two playing at? Why don’t you get your own lives and stop mucking around in mine! Don’t think I haven’t felt you two messing around my head whenever I’m asleep or getting whatever pale facsimile of sleep this body allows me. Why did you two make a lamp out of my crush? What did you two possibly hope to gain from doing this?” Magda stops herself from shaking with anger because it’s causing the overhead workshop lights to flicker and strobe giving Magda a lurking headache. Magda looks around the crates of light bulbs, freight carts sporting various Lampshades and jungle of wires and snatches up a clean linen sheet and drapes it over the Hillary lamp like the shameful Delorean it is! 

“This was going to be your Xmas present! Sister Magma don’t be ungrateful. Chester and I made sure to study your most erotic dreams! We’re your siblings we would never judge you for your tastes! We think the fact that you’re attracted to all sorts of types pretty fascinating. Especially Chester!”

“Yeah sis! I can’t get it up for anybody. And it’s not for lack of trying!” Chester adjusts his shaved pyramid shaped hairdo back into place and cracks his fingerless gloved knuckles before lifting up the Hillary lamp and placing it on a dolly. Chester removes it from the room while Gidget pulls the brim of her sailor cap covering her eyes. 

“Maybe whenever I open this gift I’ll like it more? I guess Overall, your manner of presentation is too overwhelming for the likes of me. I haven’t actually seen Hillary in person yet…”

“Yeah, we know!” Chester calls out as he deposits the Hillary lamp back into her lamp locker. Chester then crosses to the opposite side of the workshop and starts sauntering the bending lobes of a brain shaped electric chandelier. Chester accidentally singes one his fingers but instead of crying out in pain he spits onto the ground and shakes the sensation away. Gidget scowls at Magda and goes back to testing the conductivity of connector, placing different plug blades onto her blue and barely pink tongue. A spark flies off in her mouth and then Gidget writes down a number or some kind of code into her ledger. 

Magda takes a seat on a stool and waits for any further instruction. A minute goes by and it becomes clear to Magda that Gidget and Chester have already completely forgotten about her. Magda clears her throat and the brain model  lights up and Chester stares into blinding mass of a lit up frontal lobe without any form of eye protection. Chester stares directly into the lights unblinking, only a silver rolling wet tear pooling in the pockets of his cratered cheek. The brainy chandelier goes back out and Magda crosses her legs, causing an entire rack of anglepoise lamps to swerve their joints around and wink lights at her. 

“Can you not with the light show for five fucking minutes?” Gnashes Gidget, who has switched over to the shaping of loose lamp rods. Gidget pulls out a vibrantly pickle green THC enriched lollipop from her apron pocket and begins sucking on the green relief orb with all of her might. Gidget and Chester only increase in concentration in response to Magda’s agitation. 

The double leaden French doors of the Gidget and Chester’s workshop feebly creak open and an infant’s small and chubby hand is struggling with pulling the doors fully back. Another hand reaches joins the other, a varicose and grey hairy knuckled hand. Magda stands up from her raven clawed stool and is immediately joined by Gidget and Chester unabashedly cowering and using Magda as a human light-up shield. Gidget and Chester are both muttering something that sounds like an ancient Latin prayer to themselves and Chester is doing that thing with his lower jaw that Magda finds abhorrent. 

“Oh, hi! Elroy” Magda attempts in her best Tommy Wisseau to break the ice with this fully transmogrified and physically disorienting version of Elroy hobbling towards her. Clanking and clattering behind the Elroy abomination is a seven foot tall torchiere lamp still wrapped in its original bubble wrap. 

“Duh lamp! Ugh dee LAMP!” Slobbers and groans the man with the roof a mouth of someone starting to teeth and the rest of his mouth decaying with age. Gidget and Chester dart out from behind Magda in separate directions and throw another layabout workshop sheet over the haphazard human quilt of ancient and newborn flesh. Elroy continues moaning on about a lamp and thrashes around unable to free himself from the diabolical sheet covering.

“What are you two doing? He needs light! The right kind of light!” Magda lifts Elroy into her arms, he feels as heavy as a cracked egg in Magda’s sinewy arms. She nods over to the garage door leading to the outside loading dock. Magda arranges the cloth covering Elroy so that both sides of his sallow and nubile flesh are exposed directly into sunlight. Magda uses her free hand to start gathering up a particular singled out ray of sunlight and works the light like it is clay on a wheel. Magda stretches her band of sunlight until it is the entire length of Elroy’s compact frame. Magda rolls Elroy up into the sunlight like he is hummus on a collard leaf or a butterfly testing out a new cocoon. Magda looks over her shoulder and sees Gidget and Chester both watching her with crossed arms and snarls, diligently recording her “miracles” like they have always done. 

The cocoon of light pulsates and dims and repeats this cycle for several interminable moments. Elroy unfurls himself from his sleeping bag of daylight and continues free rolling. He rolls himself a distance away from Magda and is quietly laughing face down onto Magda’s family’s patchy lawn. Elroy snaps back up and runs around in circles around Magda clicking his heels and bouncing around her like a too exuberant pogo or haughty kangaroo. 

“Are we finished? We’re good right? You’re not going to sue anyone for this faulty product, right?” Magda asks Elroy but is making eye contact with her siblings who are growing increasingly pale and despondent.

“No, of course not! I should have just starved myself and bathed in stem cells and not have cheated with this..questionable technology. That’s why you have to let me just borrow your light. I bought this pendant with a vial charm on it. It’s only a few drops of your luminosity! Then I will be happy to forget about all of this mishap with your siblings faulty and definitely cursed lamp.” Elroy bites his bottom lip after he finishes talking knowing that he has just taken a huge bite out of risk. 

“Get out! There’s nothing faulty about a Magdalene lamp! I’ll-I’ll…”

“Do what?” Challenges Elroy who is trying to straighten out his spine despite still feeling rubbery all over, he swallows and bobs his knotted Adam’s Apple, “Are you going to kill me? Fry me? Zap me? Because we all know how capable you are miss Magda! Maybe too capable for your own good?” Elroy continues waving around his newfound confidence in Magda’s face. Magda pushes him aside, an action that results in an ornamental lawn light to splash a harsh noxious red light directly into Elroy’s eyes causing him to double over. Magda rushes herself over into her space craft that hovers for a moment emitting a high E sharp synthetic tone before launching itself and Magda as fast and as far away from her home, away from these vain people and their constant demands, away from meddling scientists and the Family Businesses and Energy Baron politics. 

Back down at Chester and Gidget’s workshop Elroy is clutching his Ponce de Leon Torchiere and tearing up a receipt. Gidget and Chester shrug and make no effort to stop him. 

“Should we bother telling him that he’s broken his dimmer switch?” Gidget asks Chester who have both returned back to their work benches. 

“Probably not. Should I tell you that that lamp we made of Hillary has gained sentience and is frantically making its way out into the world?” Chester gestures to the Lamp Hillary that has the empty panicked expression of a runaway android. Chester and Gidget shrug in unison once again and return to making a blacklight lamp that shows you all the sex you could be having. 

[ask-the-phan-site]

Phan Cam: The Phantom Sharks of Hearts

>Fission City, California. We came here hoping to find a friend of our who went missing some time ago. Let’s hope we find him.

>At the airport, we were just getting our bags when we notice something... A woman with a sign that says “The SS present Ren and Party”.

Oh they do, do they?

I try to tell them. But they watched Saving Mr. Banks last night and couldn’t resist.

You must be Lena Mack. We were told about you from Shinya’s emails.

Lena: I am. I’m here to take you to them.

Alright. Is he okay?

Lena: If you can call what’s happened to him okay.

>Later on, we arrive at an underground lair. We were a bit surprised by the appearance of four muscular shark men.

So, these are the Street Sharks of Fission City. The Bolton Brothers.

So you know about us? About who we are.

Oracle: Well, mostly from what Max Modell told me. He told us at Horizon about Dr. Robert Bolton and his four sons, John, Bobby, Clint, and Cooper.

Actually, I like being called Coop. Or Big Slammu.

Ripster: And I’m known as Ripster.

Streex.

And I’m Jab.

I may not be a shark, but I’m a friend. They call me Bends.

It’s nice to meet you all.

>We introduce ourselves.

Ripster: Aren’t there suppose to be ten of you? The Detective Prince?

Akechi stayed behind. He wasn’t up for it.

...

Joker: What’s wrong?

Hmm? It’s nothing. Anyway, about Shinya.

??????: I kinda go by Kahuna now.

>Suddenly, someone came out of the shadows. Although he now is a shark man, I knew who this is.

I can understand why. Shark or not, it’s still you.

Kahuna: (at his mother’s request, we will not be showing him as a shark/human being, use your imagination) I’m glad to hear it.

Joker: Well what did you expect?

We have a strong bond, don’t we?

>I hand him back his GET SMOKED cap.

Kahuna: (smiling and putting his cap on) We do. How do I look?

Jab: Jawsome.

Jawsome?

Kahuna: It’s a long story.

Speaking of stories, what happened to you?

>Kahuna explains his story of what happened to him. About how he was abducted by a mad scientist and a group of has-been TV stars. How the scientist gene-slammed him into a shark.

Oracle: Anton Sevarius. I’ve heard about him online. Nothing good.

Bends: Same here. And we can’t cure your friend without suspecting that he might have tampered with the serum so that it might kill him or worse.

Queen: So you want us to go into his Palace and change his heart so he can turn him back.

Kahuna: I don’t think that will work. The man is as heartless as... Well, a Heartless.

That’s true. If we try to take the Treasure of someone who is heartless, their Shadow will die with their Palace. And you know what happens if someone’s Shadow dies.

Lena: Why... Actually, I don’t want to know.

Joker: Anyways, you said we can’t change Sevarius’s heart. Does this have something to do with this wolf hunt you mentioned?

Kahuna: Yes. I think Wolf of the Pack really didn’t enjoy doing something like this to kids... (offended) Which seems a bit rude since I’m already in middle school. Anyway, I think he might be the key in all of this.

Diego: But in case that doesn’t work, we could try and have Lady Ann use her magic to cure you.

Panther: I’m not sure if that might work. Headmistress Faragonda said that there are some things even magic can’t fix. I think mutation is one of them.

Ripster: We actually prefer to call it “gene-slamming”, but yeah, I had a feeling.

Queen: So we just have to take Wolf’s heart. I guess if we do that, that might somehow effect the other members of the Pack and we might find a way to change Kahuna back to himself. I think that might work.

Skull: How’d we do that? The only thing we know is that he was on TV. Nothin’ on his past at all.

Queen: That’s true. I doubt his two fellow Pack members, Jackal and Hyena, will say anything to us about him. Even their former leader, Fox, the wife of David Xanatos, might know but won’t tell us so easily. The only person left who might know and tell us is Dingo, but he’s a member of this group called the Redemption Squad and they’re pretty hard to contact.

Bends: But how do we find out who he is?

Joker: Oracle, do you think you can try finding out something?

Oracle: I doubt it. PackMedia Studios is the property of Xanatos Enterprises. The last time I tried to hack into their mainframe, I failed. Guess they had a feeling that one of these days, Medjed would try and hack into them and were well prepared.

Panther: Then what are we suppose to do, wait for an answer to come walking in?

?????: Why not? You never know.

>We quickly turn to see the new person that came in.

Jab: How did you get in here!?

You left your door open. And I know what you’re up to.

You do?

Woman in coat: Yes... I’m not going to say what it is, but I will have you this.

>She hands Oracle a flash drive.

Oracle: Thanks, er...

Woman in coat: Just call me Salli. We’ll be in touch soon.

>With that, Salli leaves.

Oracle: She’s a strange one.

Lena: We should at least see what she gave us.

>Oracle sticks the flash drive in her computer.

This is...

WOLF

Real name: Rolf Hakonson*

Birthday: January 5, 1957*

Birthplace: Gävle, Sweden*

Known family members:

Father (deceased, name withheld)*

Mother (deceased, name withheld)*

Sister (unknown, name withheld)*

Uncle (unknown, name withheld)*

Other uncle (deceased, name withheld)*

Hakon the Hated (ancestor, deceased)

Other relationships:

Jackal (teammate)

Hyena (teammate)

Coyote (on and off leader)

Fox (former teammate)

Dingo (former teammate)

Girlfriend (name unknown)

Occupation:

Mercenary

Actor (formally)

Stunt man (formally)

Hunter

Bio:

Rolf Hakonson was born on January 5, 1957 in Gävle, Sweden. The youngest to his older sister. Hakonson, like his father and uncles, was trained to be a mercenary since he was 13 years old. His first known job wan in unknown part of Denmark. At age 15, Hakonson and his family (save his uncles) moved to Los Angeles, California, United States of America after a botched job in the Czech Republic involving the deaths of 14 people, including the mother of a young Tomas Brod. Hakonson spent some time around Los Angeles, but his most favorite places were outside of the city, including Fission City. Including an old abandoned water treatment plant. At the age of 18, rival mercenaries invaded Hakonson’s home and took the lives of both his parents. Afterwords, his sister was sent back to Sweden to take care of their uncle after their other uncle was shot by an unknown party. Neither the sister or the uncle were seen again. Since then, Hakonson had been leaving on his own. At age 23, Hakonson had been working as a stunt man on certain television shows and movies while still working as a mercenary. At age 26, Hakonson began working for the newly created PackMedia Studios as a stunt man. However, a year later, the young head and star of PackMedia, already going by the name, Fox, became interested in his skills and recruited him to become a star in the studio’s newest series, The Den of Champions. This is how he gained the stage name, Wolf. Almost ten years later, Three more people came to work for PackMedia which formed a new show, The Pack.*

*Most of the information here were looked up online and made up. Including Wolf’s real name being just a joke by the creator of Gargoyles, Greg Weisman.

Diego: (surprised) That’s... Oddly convenient.

Fox: I’m not sure. Can we really trust the information.

Joker: Only one way to find out.

>I take out my phone and open the Metaverse Navigator.

Joker: Rolf Hakonson. Water treatment plant.

Nav: Candidate found.

It’s a hit!

Streex: A hit? What does that mean? And what does that have to do with your smartphone?

Kahuna: It’s a long story.

Queen: We still need to confirm if this is really true. Are there any water treatment plants here in the city.

Streex: There are a lot here. But I think I know which one it might be. It’s not far from here. It’s been abandoned since our dad was a kid.

Joker: Right. Then I guess we’re off.

>With that, we leave. As we were leaving, Salli was watching us come outside... A shadow appears behind her.

Salli: Looks like they’re off.

???????: I am still not so sure about this. I still think we should join in.

Salli: Not just yet. We have our instructions.

>The figure then comes forward.

Very well. I trust you.

>Later at the water treatment plant.

Ripster: This is it.

Queen: How did you know about this?

Jap: Dr. Piranoid used it as a base for a while. But we managed to beat him out of it.

Streex: If Wolf is here, we’ll find him.

Fox: It might also be the location of his Palace. Now’s out chance.

Kahuna: I better be off. I’ve never been to “the place you go to steal people’s hearts”. I think it’s best to keep it that way.

Joker: Very well. You guys stay here and keep an eye out for anything out of the ordinary.

Ripster: Right. Good luck, Phantom Thieves.

>With that, the Street Sharks walk away someplace.

Is everyone ready?

Phantom Thieves: Ready!

Joker: Den.

Nav: Candidate found. Beginning navigation.

>The familiar red wave passes over us. When it was over, the water treatment plant was replaced with a mountain with the same shape as the plant. At the foot of it, a large cave was open.

This looks like the place.

I think even before he became Wolf, he already saw this place as a den.

Well, mercenaries are known to sometimes be referred to as wolves.

I’m surprised you knew about that.

Oracle, can you at least give us an analysis of the place?

I’ll see what I can do. Persona!

>Necronomicon scans the area.

Oracle: It looks there are a couple of enemies at the entrance. Don’t worry, they’re not that strong.

We better be ready. It looks like they’ve spotted us.

>The two Shadows approach us. They both looked like vikings with wolf masks.

Shadow 1: What you want here, hunters!?

To take the Treasure, of course. A place like this has to have a big one.

Shadow 2: As if. Alpha Wolf would never allow that. Get lost.

Sorry, but there’s a friend of ours that needs our help and the answers to that are in that cave.

Shadow 1: In your dreams. You’ll have to get past!

>With that, the two Shadows change.

>Necronomicon scans the Shadows.

Oracle: They’re weak to Electricity. You also might get some results with Curse and Fire. Skull, think you can do it?

Skull: I’m up for it.

Joker: I’ll deal with Curses.

Panther: Leave Fire to me.

Queen: If they get Shocked or Burned, I could add technical damage.

Skull, Joker, Panther, and Queen: Persona!

>Mithra 1 uses Kouga on me. Luckily, I dodge it. Mirtha 2 uses Kouga on Panther. Captain Kidd uses Mazionga. Only one of them got hit. He then uses Zionga on the Mithra still standing. He was knocked down. We decide not to do an All-Out-Attack this time. Skull pases the baton to me and Arsene uses Maeiga. He does it again. Carmen uses Maragion. Johanna uses Vajra Blast. Mirthra 1 uses Kouga on me again. This time, it knocks me down. It attacks Skull next. Mirtha 2 also gets back up and uses Mahama. Luckily, it fails. Captain Kidd uses Matarukaja. I get back up and Arsene uses Dormin Rush. Both Mithras fall Asleep. Carmen uses Maragion. It was a technical hit and the awoken Mithras get Burned. Johanna uses Mafreila. It was also a technical hit. Mirtha 1 uses Mahama. It missed Skull and Queen and me and Panther were saved each by a Homunculus. The Burn eats at Mirtha 1′s health. Mirtha 2 uses Makouga. Luckily, I dodged it. The Burn eats at Mirtha 2′s health. Captain Kidd uses Mazionga. Both Mirthas are knocked down.

Skull: All right! Time for some pain!

>After the attack, the two Mirthas were still up, but now weaker.

Skull: Guess that means we’re doin’ the thing!

Queen: Indeed we are.

Skull: Then let’s do it!

WARNING: Spoiler ahead.

>With that, the two Mithras were gone.

Oracle: That was quick. I think it’s safe to assume that we should be able to use our Personas and get through this.

Queen: Right.

>Suddenly, the ground begins to shake. The entrance of the den closes up.

What the eff!?

Oracle: I’m sensing a change in cognition.

Royal: (shocked) Is something happening with Wolf in the real world?

Joker: Let’s head back and see.

>With that, we leave the Palace for now.

>Back in the real world, the Street Sharks were face to face... with Wolf.

So, this is the famous Street Sharks of Fission City. I knew it was a matter of time before you found my “den”.

Ripster: And you must be the furry ass washout.

Wolf: Stick and stone. Just hand over the kid.

Kahuna: As if I’d go with you. I thought you didn’t like the idea of mutating kids.

Wolf: ... Too many losses to the same enemy can make you do a lot of things you don’t normally do. The sooner you realize this, the better.

Big Slammu: I think you should go. You don’t want to know what happens when a wolf gets thrown into a shark tank.

Wolf: Heh! You really think you can speak to me that way?

>With a loud howl, Wolf transforms.

So, do you care to rephrase what you just said?

Jab: Bring. It. On.

>Then, a huge fight breaks out... In the end, the Street Sharks won.

Wolf: I’m... Not though yet!

>Wolf prepares to make one last strike...

BANG!

>The loud sound startles them. Several more shots are heard.

Wolf: We’re not done. We’ll see each other again soon.

>With that, Wolf runs into the plant and disappears in the darkness.

Bends: What was...

?????: You’re welcome.

>Me and the other P Thieves come out of the shadows. I had my gun out.

Joker: Even in the real world, a model gun can still be handy.

Ripster: I don’t normally approve the use of guns, but I’ll allow just this once.

Streex: So what have you learned?

Queen: It looks like it’s possible to steal Wolf’s heart. If he knows anything about how to save Kahuna, we might get it from him.

Kahuna: I hope you’re right. If what you said was true, Yuta doesn’t have much time. When is the operation?

Oracle: It’s the same day as the big match between Joe Akamine and Joe Yuuki.

Kahuna: (looking down) Now Yuta must really be nervous.

Ripster: What do you mean?

Kahuna: I’ll tell you on the way back. Right now, I’m hungry.

Oracle: Good, I’m up for pizza.

Street Sharks: Pizza!? Yuck!

I know some turtles who would beat you up for saying that.

Queen: Fine. We’ll have burgers.

...

Lena: What’s wrong, Haru?

Noir: The only burger shop nearest us on the way is... Big Bang Burger.

Diego: I’m sure it’ll be alright. You don’t have to come in.

Noir: I know. Thanks, Mona.

>With that, we leave. We’ll be back soon to take the Treasure.

>Meanwhile, inside the plant.

Wolf: (back in human form) Crap. What am I suppose to say to the doc now? How the heck am I suppose to catch that kid?

???: Through his friends, of course.

Wolf: What!? Who’s there!? I can smell you! You smell like... Death?

???: This is why I don’t like working with werewolves. Either way, 

Wolf: What do you want?

???: You say you wish to capture the one that got away. I know how you can do that.

Wolf: ... I’m listing.

???: He called his friends from Japan. I think that’s how you can get to them.

Wolf: How so?

>The stranger then swoops down from the shadows... Like a bat.

Tell me, have you ever heard of the Phantom Thieves?

>To be continued...

[kiss-my-freckle]

The girl, the Fulcrum, and Rostova identity reveal(s).

This is gonna be a mouthful, so if you plan to read this, it’s probably best to take small bites so that you don’t find it altogether confusing. My ADHD tends to do that to readers. 

“Masha Rostova was never more than suspicion and rumor." - Red, 3x11

Suspicion defined: 1. a feeling or thought that something is possible, likely, or true. 2. a very slight trace of something.

Rumor defined: 1. a currently circulating story or report of uncertain or doubtful truth. 2. be circulated as an unverified account.

For “Masha Rostova” to be never more than “suspicion and rumor” as Red claimed, neither Constantin Rostov nor Katarina Rostova would’ve been able to so much as discuss or introduce their daughter using her born identity to friends, relatives, coworkers, or neighbors. “Masha” quite literally would’ve needed to live in seclusion from all people but her parents unless they did so otherwise. Basically, Masha’s born identity couldn’t leave the house. 

Far different to say that Katarina having a child was never more than suspicion and rumor, than to say “Masha Rostova” was never more than suspicion and rumor. So one could know that a child existed, but would not know the identity of said child. Such was the case with Anton Velov, who claimed all he knew was that Katarina had a daughter. Basically stating to not know her by name. Referring to the identity rather than the child seems implausible - to only suspect a child existed, yet coincidentally pull her actual born identity out of their ass. So it would seem to me that the existence of a child was known, but not her born identity. Braxton told Red that he heard all the stories. He knows about the house, the fire, and the girl. He spoke to knowing about the girl, but did not specify the girl to be Katarina Rostova’s daughter, nor did he speak of her by name. 

“The manhunt and the publicity it generated changed all of that.” - Red, 3x11

Because of the manhunt and publicity, all references made to Liz as “Masha Rostova” need to be disregarded. We can’t prove one way or the other whether characters knew her born identity before or after her framing due to said publicity. This left me very little transcript to search for dialogue regarding Liz’s born identity because that identity went public at the end of S2. 

"Masha" alone wasn't mentioned until S2, and in S2, had only been referenced eight times. Four of those references came during the Braxton recall, and unless spoken “out loud” by Liz during said recall, would not have been revealed to Braxton or his men. There were no indications that her born identity OR her mother’s identity had been revealed to them. Braxton and his men simply spoke of her as the child at the fire. Basically, there’s nothing to suggest that Braxton and his men knew Liz’s born identity, and nothing to suggest that Braxton and his men knew her to be Katarina Rostova’s daughter. 

The sixth came in-scene (2x20) with Red when they discussed the photograph of Liz with her mother. Unless the room - or those three people standing in it were bugged, would not have been revealed to anyone. 

The 6th, 7th, and 8th came in-scene (2x22). One in flashback during the shooting of Tom Connolly, and again, would not have been revealed to anyone unless spoken “out loud” by Liz. The other two, from the interrogator questioning Liz. This scene being the first time her born identity had been spoken “out loud” in any kind of public setting.  “Katarina Rostova was a [name] that had been lost to history.” -Red

Red specifies that the name “Katarina Rostova” had been lost to history, but not the woman herself. This makes sense to Red’s dialogue given to us in S5. 

"Mr. Kaplan gave you a suitcase. In it was a skeleton she never should have unearthed and whose [identity] must remain secret.”

Red specifies that the identity of the bones must remain secret, but not the bones themselves. This also speaks to Red’s dialogue regarding Dr. Nik and why he was killed for the suitcase. If it were unknown to Red that Jennifer’s DNA was in CODIS, he’d have no idea why Nik would be killed over said bones because there’d be no other way to identify them. The real RR’s DNA wasn’t in the system, nor was Elizabeth Keen’s. So we have one woman whose name had been lost to history, and the remains of one man whose identity must remain secret. The story of Raymond Reddington and Katarina Rostova. It’d be the mother of all coincidences if I believed in them, but I don’t with this show. Huge sell for Rederina. 

Katarina’s identity is another story. Her name had been referenced 13 times in S2. Outside of scenes already mentioned regarding “Masha” Rostova, 12 came in episodes 2x21 & 2x22. Maternity of Liz would’ve already been known at that point given it was mid-Cabal framing. Therefore, up until episode 2x20, Katarina Rostova had yet to be mentioned with regard to Liz’s maternity, and the only three people to hear it (as earlier stated - unless the room or those peole were bugged), were: Red, Liz, and Dembe. It is not referenced a single time during the Braxton recall. 

Back to the Braxton recall, and “the girl.”

Braxton is shown with Dr. Orchard’s son, Max. He uses Max to push her into digging through Liz’s mind faster. From there, he’s shown at the church for his meeting with The Director. I can’t be sure if there was a huge time gap, but it doesn’t take long on-screen. 

Braxton’s scene with The Director (in full) went as follows:

Director: Where is it? Braxton: I’ll have it to you by 9:00. Director: I thought you said you had it already. Braxton: And I do. I wanted that Fulcrum in my hands before I negotiated with you. Director: Need I remind you that the price had already been set? Braxton: That was before you volleyed missiles at me and my men. Now the price has gone up. Director: Mr. Braxton, I don’t think you fully appreciate the power of the people who have engaged your services. Braxton: Well, if they’re that powerful, then I’m sure they can afford an extra 10%. Go find the money, chief. You do that, and I’ll have what you want by 9:00. 

I can’t say for sure how many men Braxton had with him, nor how many of those men survived knowing he kidnapped Liz. After leaving The Director, he was shown on the phone with one of them.

Braxton: Hey, I want you to call me just as soon as you get confirmation of funds. Nah, we’re gonna get the intel out of that girl’s head, even if I got to drill a hole in her skull and hang her upside down. Alright. Will do.

After this point, was killed by Red. 

It is unclear whether Braxton learned about “the house, the fire, the girl” from The Director himself upon hire, or whether he was being honest when he said, “I know all the stories, Red." Either is possible, but neither were confirmed. Because of this, it is unclear whether or not The Director knew about “the girl” at such point. Had he not, would have needed to learn about “the girl” (Liz) from one of Braxton’s men because Braxton himself didn’t mention her in their scene. I don’t much feel like searching through script for “girl” dialogues, so I’ll skip to Red and Velov’s conversation. 

Velov: Sometime back, two men from Justice Department come and ask me about Katarina. I suppose they think I am one of the few people left who still remember the old stories. Red: What sort of stories? Velov:They were asking about her KGB contacts, where she lived, and about a child. Red: They asked about a child? Velov: Yes, many times.”Tell me about her child.” I said, “All I know, is they say she had a daughter.” Red: Dembe, the phone.

Here, we aren’t given a specific time frame to those two men from Justice Department questioning Anton Velov. “Sometime back” leaves a rather wide opening. Given this, I searched through scripts, hoping to get an estimation. We have nothing confirmed pre-Braxton recall. We have nothing confirmed post-Braxton recall. The Director gives simple statements that aren’t actual confirmations. 

What The Director knew of The Fulcrum.

Fitch spoke of the Fulcrum to Red privately before his death. From there, it wasn’t mentioned again until Braxton’s first episode when Red went into The Factory. Given the way he spoke, The Director knew of the Fulcrum’s existence, but believed someone other than Reddington to have it. He does not specify who that someone else is/was. First mention of the Fulcrum by The Director was in episode 2x9.

Cabal member: Do we have confirmation on what it is they’re looking for? Director: Yes, we do. The Fulcrum. Cabal member: So Reddington does not have it. Director: I never believed he did, actually, and his efforts to stop Braxton only confirmed my suspicions. Cabal member: What’s our collateral exposure? Director: Honestly? None. We are mirroring Braxton’s search algorithms, and if the Fulcrum comes into play, we will find it. Cabal member: So, Mr. Braxton is a liability? Director: Oh, yes, and Mr. Reddington may no longer be a threat. We haven’t touched him for fear that he’d use the Fulcrum as a - well, to expose us, but he’s bluffing.

Red: I think you’re bluffing. I don’t think you have it. I don’t think you ever did.

It’s also as if he’s needing to explain their reason for not executing Reddington, perhaps to a board of new members, or simply those unfamiliar with the story behind the fire and the Fulcrum. "Search algorithms” involves data stored on computer systems. We also have Red’s two dialogues regarding the Fulcrum. 

Red: Within 12 hours, inmate Luther Todd Braxton will break out of his cell. When he does, he will steal a classified intelligence packet that contains secrets vital to your National Security. The means for his escape and his team are already in place. Red: No, the Fulcrum isn’t here, but I believe information critical to finding it is, and that’s what Braxton wants. I’m here to stop it.

This second statement from Red, his belief that The Factory has information stored regarding Liz’s connection to the Fulcrum. Braxton spoke nothing of the girl at this point, so prior to that - he either planned to search through their computer system for the Fulcrum’s location, or it was all a hoax. Basically, Braxton wants Liz. To learn about her, information regarding Liz (Masha) would need to be stored in The Factory. I have a hard time believing Red went there on a hunch. Given the way he responded and his chosen course of action, I’d say his fear must have been reasonable. 

Regarding Red’s first statement about the classified intelligence packet. This could speak to both paper or computer data, but I suspect it to be computer data. This takes me to Ms. Goodson’s statement and Braxton’s desire for the access code.

Goodson: The factory isn’t just a black site. It’s a level-six intelligence node. It communicates directly with Langley, the Pentagon, the White House sit room. The intel being squeezed out of these targets, our highest-level targets, is mission-critical. We needed our interrogators and our operatives in the field working together in real time, so we removed any latency between the time we received a lead and our ability to act on it. Cooper: You put an access point to the country’s most sensitive data in a prison with the country’s most dangerous enemies? Goodson: Yes. Which is why I am asking you - do not release that code.

This means that Braxton wanted to search their network for data. Given this, information regarding Liz’s connection to the Fulcrum was believed to be stored in (one or all of) these offices mentioned by Goodson. Likely kept classified, otherwise many would've known about “the girl” long before, and it would’ve been more than just a “story.”  Langley, the Pentagon, and the White House sit (short for situation) room. Langley is headquarters for the CIA. The Pentagon is headquarters for the Department of Defense (DOD). The real Raymond Reddington was said to be a rising star at The Pentagon - working in Counterintel. Oleander and Katarina are both wanted by the CIA. Katarina was stated to have been a KGB asset by Connolly in episode 2x22. I believe the person who initially stole it (which I believe was our Red) had a conversation in one or perhaps all of these locations about the Fulcrum and it’s location - and that information was available on the network. Perhaps as a contingency plan triggered upon his death. This was mentioned by Cabal members as a possibility. Fitch to Garrick, Hobbs to Jasper. 

Summing up Braxton’s side of the Fulcrum. He either heard the stories or The Director gave him this information upon hire. If Braxton already knew about the girl, and he were searching their system for the Fulcrum’s location, then he was seeking the identity of that girl - whether it her born identity or her current. If used as a contingency plan, would speak more to her current identity, Elizabeth Milhoan. Given Braxton’s actions, I believe it more likely he heard the stories, and that’s why he broke into The Factory’s network. He was seeking Liz’s identity as the girl present at the fire. 

Summing up The Director’s side of the Fulcrum. Because of his conversation with Braxton in the church, I have no reason to believe The Director knew about “the girl.” I believe The Director suspected Katarina was initially in possession of the Fulcrum, and because she is presumed dead, believed her to have passed it to an unknown party before departing. Basically, I believe Braxton knew far more about the house, the fire, the girl, and the Fulcrum than The Director did. I believe that’s why he took the risk of calling Red’s bluff. 

Summing up Goodson’s statement and the Fulcrum in general. Given both Red’s and Braxton’s actions in both of his episodes, I believe information connecting Elizabeth Milhoan to the Fulcrum’s location had been stored on a classified network. Not squeezed from a spy-prisoner, but stored in (one or all of) those locations by our Red - and done so as a contingency plan trigged upon his death. The release of the Fulcrum’s contents. I believe this to be the reason Red’s course of action and belief that vital information was indeed stored there. He knew because he’s the one that put it there to begin with. 

Given I’m in the Rederina camp, I believe Katarina originally stole the Fulcrum, and that being what our Red was referring to when he told Jennifer he “stumbled” onto the Cabal. I believe she placed it in Liz’s Fulcrum bunny, which was then stolen by the real Red when he kidnapped Masha. Thus, Masha and the Fulcrum were taken at the same time. That’s how Katarina would’ve known Red had the Fulcrum when she went to get her daughter, and how our Red would’ve known Liz had its location stored in her memory. 

Blocking Liz’s memory of the fire before retrieving the Fulcrum makes sense if he were using said Fulcrum as a contingency plan triggered upon his death. Liz wouldn’t remember anything about it, so she couldn’t reveal its existence to the wrong person. Masha herself was never more than suspicion and rumor, but  was simply known as the girl from the fire. So basically, Red was safer blocking Liz’s memory without getting the Fulcrum beforehand. That was his contingency plan kept safe in Masha’s memory - and her new identity had been stored on a classified network. A double layer of protection. The only thing connecting Liz to the Fulcrum - was her scar - and her scar is specific to the Fulcrum.

Oleander and Katarina were both wanted by the CIA. This alone removes Langley as a suspected storage place for Liz’s identity. At least for me. The Director himself would’ve had accesss to this information, which furthers my belief. Cooper never spoke of the Fulcrum, so it could’ve been stored at The Pentagon. I have no reason to remove the White House sit room as another location. Take this to the limo under the Kenyon compound. The bubble module, the key, the cipher, and Caul. Liz had the bubble module, Pepper had the key, and the Kenyon compound had the cipher. Perhaps the holders themselves are connected to someone in each office Goodson spoke of. Three pieces - three locations. Possibly anyway. Don’t place all your eggs in one basket, I suppose. Our Red knowing the location of all pieces furthers my belief that he’s the one who stole it - and he’s the one who broke it up into three separate locations. 

Summary of the Rostova identity reveals in S2. Because there were no confirmations nor timelines given, the only bit of dialogue I have to rely on regarding the reveal of Masha’s born identity - was Red’s from Karakurt’s episode. Tracing it back to The Harbormaster case over the phone with Liz after the Orea bombing. Let me put it this way: Liz didn’t know The Director was a threat at the time Red was shot. Had The Director known about Liz since Braxton’s second episode, could’ve kidnapped her at any time, then attempted to get the Fulcrum himself, then taken the shot at Red. The only reason I see him taking aim at Red first, was in knowing he couldn’t get to Liz and the Fulcrum with Red still breathing. It’s impossble for someone as cautious as Red, but simple for someone not so cautious like Liz. I believe Liz was followed by Tom - from his warehouse - to get the Fulcrum - then to the meeting location. A two-for mother of coincidences in less than 90 seconds. Both things The Director wanted from Braxton episodes prior. 

Only two people were shown to have known Liz’s born identity: Constantin and Katarina.  Everyone else appeared to know her as “the girl” at the fire or as “Katarina’s daughter.” This makes sense given what I said before regarding Masha never being more than suspicion and rumor. My overall opinion about the reveal of Liz’s born identity. The only way the Cabal could’ve learned Liz’s born identity, was by her born identity being stated by one or both Constantin Rostov and Katarina Rostova. Because I’m in the Rederina camp, and I don’t believe Red released Liz’s born identity to the Cabal, I believe Constantin Rostov hired Tom Keen, and her born identity was revealed because he had possession of Kirk’s fabricated DNA report. I believe that to be the reason Kirk was so desparate to kill Tom in S4. He blamed Liz being in the news on Red when he knew it was actually Tom Keen who put her there. There are only two other ways the Cabal could’ve learned her born identity in the time required for her frame. 1. Liz speaking of her name “out loud” during her Braxton recall, one of Braxton’s men actually hearing it, that man leaving before Red arrived, then him turning to The Director. Because The Director met directly with Braxton, and those were Braxton’s hired men, I highly doubt those men knew about The Director. This seems an unlikely scenario for me. 2. Red and Liz’s conversatoin about the photograph in Quon Zhang was overheard. Either because the room was bugged or one of those three there were bugged. I consider this highly unlikely. I think it more likely Tom Keen revealed Liz’s born identity to the Cabal during the Harbormaster case and walked out of his prison cell because they needed him to get close enough to take a shot at Red and fool Liz into giving up the Fulcrum.