For Theodore, the trip from Allenwood Penitentiary to New York had been a horrifying experience. Even more so than usual. Nallit had enjoyed culling the ranks of the inmates. Anyone who failed to attune to animas in a few hours died by having the lower half of their body pulled apart from their upper half, then tossed to the ground to die alone. For those who disrespected Nallit or failed to follow his command, the punishment was worse: the legs being stretched apart in a split until the body ripped up the middle far enough for the gut organs to be scooped out. The evil man had done worse to others in the past, but the sheer number of people he killed in gruesome fashion sent shivers down Theodore's back.

In the end, twenty-seven new kinetics had joined their ranks. Jonah didn't come back from his mission to harass the cops, so Theodore assumed him either dead or escaped from Nallit. They had left the three Mexican brothers behind to bring down some planes at Newark International. That left just him and Donnie of the experienced kinetics. Had Theodore been given a say in who remained with the main group, he would have chosen Donnie, as that was the only man who didn't use Jonah's nickname of 'No-nut Teddy' to refer to Theodore.

Things had gotten worse in New York. Nallit set them to the task of 'killin folk in gruesome fashion' while he uprooted the Empire State Building and casually chucked it at something downtown. Theodore hadn't seen much of the aftermath from where he was, but he did know from a television inside a deli that someone had caught the damn thing and set it down in one piece. Nallit would not be happy. Fortunately, the monster had not come to collect them yet.

"Get to it," Donnie called out at the inmates. "You don't want to be ripped in half, do you?"

The two of them had chosen to interpret their role among Nallit's remaining crew as supervisors. Ordering others to commit atrocities was more bearable than doing it yourself. Especially when you could argue that the people you were ordering were convicts who already had blood on their hands. As for the victims . . . well, no one was safe living in a world where someone like Nallit existed.

One of the asian inmates took off running down the street. Donnie gestured for Theodore to do something. Theodore returned a whole body shrug. Face filled with disgust, Donnie flew over to turn the fleeing man back. The two of them screamed at each other while Theodore turned to keep an eye on the other inmates. He didn't blame the runner for his attempt to escape. The man had known Nallit for long enough to fear him, but not yet long enough for the true terror to kick in.

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"Come on, kill the people!" Theodore flipped a bus over while he yelled at the men. None of them were strong enough to lift even their own bodies. Give it a few days of around the clock use of the kinetic talent and they would get there. A few more days after that they would ignite. The world would never be able to contain the tidal wave of misery Nallit's army would unleash.

Screams came from behind him. Theodore grimaced. The asian inmate must have gotten violent and been put down by Donnie. He slowly turned to make the appropriate gestures of sympathy towards the unfortunate necessity of Donnie's enforcement activities. The fake wince froze on his face. Donnie and asian inmate were both collapsed. A middle-aged woman in an odd uniform stalked forward from their motionless bodies, stern gaze fixed on Theodore.

He blinked at her several times before extending his corona to bat her away. A confusing sensation resulted as his kinetic talent utterly failed him for a moment. In the moment before it returned, the organs within his abdomen twisted upon themselves with more pain than even Nallit's rude castration had caused. Theodore face planted on concrete holding the agony of his guts, a gurgling groan all he could summon as the men under his command collapsed one after another to the street.

When the woman returned to flip him over onto his back, Theodore found himself numbed by shock, making the damaged area of his body entirely disappear from the mental map of his body. He stared up at her severe brown-skinned face, knowing he was dying. At least he would be free of the constant terror Nallit inspired. "Who are you?"

"That's irrelevant," she said. "Are you working for Tyler Marius?"

"Who?"

"Tyler Marius? Maybe Zellar Wilson? Who attuned and trained you?"

"Nallit," he gasped.

Her immediate reaction at the name was to thoroughly scan the surroundings. When she had turned a complete circle, the woman squatted down to be closer to his face. "What does he want?"

"I don't know. To hurt people, I guess." Deep breath. "You twisted up my insides."

"Sorry about that. I needed to incapacitate you while I asked my questions. I promise your death will be quick."

"Wait, no --" Driven by an urge for self preservation that had not yet caught up with the gravity of his internal injuries, Theodore covered his body with his corona. It didn't stop the woman's own ghostly talent from slipping past his and slamming into his brain.