infamous
Cole and his army of Conduits

Cole and his army of Conduits

Conduits or Bioterrorists are a sub-species of humans who possess superhuman abilities afforded to them by the presence of the "Conduit Gene". 

Overview

Conduitss

The Conduit Gene can be present in both humans and animals, while the word "Conduit" has been used to designate anyone with superhuman abilities, regardless of whether or not they possess the conduit gene itself. Conduit abilities can range from the manipulation of certain forms of energy or matter to flight, enhanced senses, and even super strength, or other physical and mental enhancements.[1] Normal humans often detest and reject Conduits out of fear, jealousy, or prejudice calling them "freaks", "deviants", or "bioterrorists" and, on many occasions, physically abusing them or those suspected to be one.[2]

History

Origins

The Conduit Gene (as seen from Cole's amplified )

The Conduit Gene (as seen from Cole's amplified Radar Pulse)

Conduits are the result of a rare genetic mutation within some humans and animals. The ostensibly named "Conduit Gene" is naturally occurring. The Conduit Gene is, for the most part, dormant within the hosts, with carriers of the Conduit Gene normally displaying no powers at birth and could potentially live their whole lives without realizing what their naturally inherent abilities are, with a few ways of identifying Conduit potential. There are rare exceptions to this, but these demonstrated abilities are minor. The Conduit Gene was a distinctive part of the human anatomy, and can only be seen by a select few. They appear yellow in color and are located in the torso, near the spinal cord of an individual.[3]

Inevitable Evidence

As evidenced by several audio surveillance tapes of Kessler from Dead Drop, several animals such as rats can also hold the Conduit Gene. Animals were used as test subjects for the Ray Sphere, which resulted in very unstable results, or worse, the death of the subject.[1]

Effects of Society

Main article: Cole MacGrath

Cole MacGrath was one of the earliest known Conduits to the public's eyes and was thus subject to a lot of criticism. Although the truth about him was suppressed at the beginning by the government in an attempt to keep Conduits a secret, Cole soon became well known as "The Demon of Empire City,” and the truth behind his powers was exposed, with Cole holding the responsibility of the Conduits' image, either making the people love them, or fear them. Long after Cole's death, a lot of Conduit criticism was made on Conduits depending on Cole's image. Brooke Augustine used Cole's image to make people fear Conduits by referencing the destruction caused by him. However, there were still a few people who knew the truth about Cole, including the survivors of Empire City of the people of New Marais.

New Marais and the Empire Event

Main article: Militia

Conduits are not a part of the divine plan! They are a product of science, fueled by man's greed and the whisper of the Devil into our ears, Cole!

Bertrand's opinion., Infamous 2
The Militia apprehend those who they deem "deviants".

The Militia apprehend those who they deem "deviants".

An independent party in New Marais known as the Militia was created as a movement against all Conduits, led by Joseph Bertrand III. They would use force to gather civilians that they deemed Conduits, and then send them to Bertrand, who would secretly turn them into monsters that the Militia would fight to look like heroes to the people's eyes.[3]

This setup was made by Bertrand to ensure that normal humans would hate Conduits by making them believe all Conduits were like monsters. This was in Bertrand's much greater plan, which was to make people hate Conduits which in turn would make world leaders see how powerful they are. This would allow Bertrand to sell dangerous, mentally-ill Conduits to world leaders, which would create a global Human-against-Conduit war, which would include all innocent Conduits being treated just like the mentally ill Conduits.

Meanwhile, after The Beast destroyed Empire City, it began a journey down the U.S. eastern seaboard to New Marais, causing untold amounts of destruction. However, his actions ended up creating new Conduits while killing anyone else who didn't have the Conduit Gene. When the Beast arrived in New Marais, he was revealed to be a former NSA agent named John White, who explained to Cole that Conduits were immune to the Ray Field Plague once their genes were activated and he made it his mission to activate all Conduits before all of humanity died from the plague. However, while Cole was conflicted that John's actions might be the only way to live through the spreading plague, he chose to sacrifice himself to activate the RFI to kill The Beast and cure the plague. However, this came at the expense of a majority of the world's existing Conduits at the time. To honor Cole, the citizens of New Marais proclaimed Cole their patron saint and placed his Amp in front of their church. [1][3]

Department of Unified Protection

A DUP Conduit check point.

A DUP Conduit check point.

Main article: Department of Unified Protection

We are living in a world of either them or us, and we MUST survive.

Brooke Augustine to Abigail Walker., Infamous 2

A year after the Empire Event and the activation of the RFI, the Department of Unified Protection (D.U.P. for short) was formed to capture all Conduits, now re-branded Bioterrorists, and send them to their security base, Curdun Cay. This was, however, a disguise for the D.U.P.'s real purpose; instead of protecting humans from Conduits, the D.U.P. actually aimed to protect the Conduits from the humans who had come to hate Conduits out of fear after the Empire Event.

The D.U.P. was formed after Brooke Augustine, who was both a former soldier and a Conduit herself, choose which side she would stand on after being confronted by the military with her new found powers and another young Conduit. Under pressure, Augustine created a third choice by encasing the Conduit in concrete, thus earning the government's trust. The D.U.P. was thus formed to house all captured Conduits to protect them from a world that hates them and sees them as a disease.

After six years, the government believed that all Conduits had been captured and thus saw no use for the D.U.P. The government ordered Augustine to hand over the work to them and stopped funding the D.U.P. To make the government believe that the D.U.P. was still needed, Augustine orchestrated a plan to unleash four trained Conduits (Henry DaughtryAbigail WalkerEugene Sims, and Celia Penderghast) to cause chaos in Seattle, and thus show the government that she and her agency are still needed.

Delsin Rowe, Abigail Walker, and Eugene Sims

I'm not gonna be like them, okay? I'm gonna be different, I'm not there doing what they're doing, I'm gonna be like Superman.

Delsin Rowe about Conduits, Infamous 2

A Conduit named Delsin Rowe arrived in Seattle to steal Augustine's Concrete powers to heal his tribe, which was slowly dying because of Augustine's torturing them with her concrete powers while interrogating them. During his time there, Delsin battled against the D.U.P. occupation and slowly changed Seattle for the better. He also met Abigail and influenced her to become a better person. Later on, Delsin encounters Eugene and once again influences him to protect normal humans and aid him in his search for Augustine. Henry later fled the city with hid daughter, and eventually, Celia decides to end her alignment with Augustine after seeing how Delsin proved that humans and Conduits could co-exist, thus ruining Augustine's plan. After a long-fought battle, Delsin defeated Augustine after absorbing her power, and the D.U.P. collapsed, beginning a new era of Humans living with Conduits in peace.

Conduit Classifications

There are three known classifications for Conduits: these being Prime Conduits, Forced Conduits, and Conduit Positive.

Conduit types

Despite what initial impressions may lead some to believe, not all Conduits will manifest powers and abilities that enable them to solely manipulate a specific form of matter. Conduits have been known to develop a variety of different powers and abilities, not tied to any given energy or element type. The following is a classification of the different types of Prime Conduits known to exist. (Note: Not all Conduits will develop abilities centralized in a general criterion, and it has been known that Conduits can develop a variety of abilities encompassing a multitude of different criteria.

Prime Conduit Attributes

Aside from the unique superhuman abilities granted to Prime Conduits upon the activation of their Conduit Gene, the Conduit Gene, as a byproduct of the protein compound it releases throughout its host's body, grants Prime Conduits an additional set of abilities as part of the molecular restructuring process they undergo. These additional abilities are common to all prime conduits, except for particle charge manipulation, which is only common to energy and elemental manipulating Conduits.

Mutations

The activation of the Conduit Gene within a Conduit has been known to occasionally affect the very physiology of the Conduit, whether it is a minor change like Cole or a full mutation like David and the Super Strength Conduits employed by DARPA. For example, Lucy Kuo's eyes change color, and her hair gains a blue tint; Nix developed a red skin pigment; Telekinetic Dustmen Armored Conduits developed a far more robust physiology; First Son Aura and Cloaking Conduits grew to massive proportions among other mutations.

While some mutations are relatively mild, other mutations are more extreme, as was the case of Sasha, who is unnaturally pale, bald, and has a tongue split into several tendrils. The most severe case is that of David Warner, who has gained significant size, blue skin, and two extra arms after being exposed to the Ray Sphere several times. Cole is a unique example, as he only gained blue eyes, as his appearance will only change if he is evil, hinting at a connection between the Conduit's body and powers with their overall mentality.

Prime Conduit Activation

There are many well recorded ways in which a Conduit positive's conduit gene can be activated and thus enable the manifestation of their superhuman abilities.

Ray Sphere

The Ray Sphere was a device created by the First Sons that was designed to awaken the latent powers of any Conduit positive situated within its area of activation. The device worked by stripping the neuro-electric energy from nearby Non-Conduits (Killing them) and concentrating it within individual carriers of the Conduit Gene. The explosion caused by the activation of the Ray Sphere will emit a powerful Ray Field pulse; any Conduit positive caught within this pulse's immediate radius will have their Conduit Gene activated and by proxy have their powers unlocked (The inherent amount of powers and abilities unlocked within a Conduit using the Ray Sphere is dependent on how far from the center of the blast a conduit found themselves when their powers where awakened). Power can also be gained from the very inside of the Ray Sphere, a powerful vortex of energy.[1][3][4]
(Known products of the process: Cole MacGrath,[1] Joseph Bertrand III,[3] Nix,[3] Alden Tate,[1] Sasha,[1]'John White.[1] Conduit Reaper Members, First Son Aura Conduit, First Son Cloaking Conduit, Telekinetic Dustmen Conduit, and Telekinetic Dustmen Armored Conduits)

Ray Field Energy Exposure

Prolonged exposure to Ray Field Energy could unlock a Conduit's abilities. This method was also capable of highly advancing a Conduit's abilities and granting additional offsets, such as enhanced smell senses, infrared vision, and neuro-electricity. The Beast, a powerful Conduit, was able to unlock other Conduits' powers using this method, by unleashing Ray Field blasts over the cities he attacked, as well as advancing other Conduits' abilities such as Cole MacGrath's Radar Pulse.[4]
(Known products of the process: David Warner, Brooke Augustine, Conduits Activated by John.)

Environmental Stimuli

A Conduit can unlock his/her powers naturally through heavy environmental stimuli in the form of intense physiological and psychological stress. However, as evidenced, it appears that although a Conduit can unlock his/her ability this way, the power will not appear until an event occurs that causes pressure on the Conduit. Abigail Walker's powers appeared after she had a fight in school with a girl, Eugene Sims had his powers show after being repeatedly bullied at school, and Henry Daughtry was a criminal always followed by the police. This method was extremely rare although it became common after a time, possibly because Ray Field Radiation mutated after the activation of the RFI to destroy the sickness and instantly activate the powers of any Conduit who catches it; another possible theory is that the conduit gene could simply be activating in response to the intense stress and environmental stimuli being forced upon its host as a means to enable their hosts survival.
(Known products of the process: Delsin Rowe, Abigail Walker, Eugene Sims, Henry Daughtry.)

Experimentation

As demonstrated by Lucy Kuo and the DARPA Super Strength Conduits. It is possible to force the Conduit Gene to activate through intense experimentation. (Known products of the process: Lucy Kuo and DARPA Super Strength Conduits)

Forced Conduit Creation

Power Transfer Device

The Power Transfer Device used by Bertrand can be used to transfer powers between two Conduits, or to force a human to gain powers (the method works unstably on multiple recipients). Several products of the experiments are often mentally unstable, either going berserk or experiencing trauma. In addition, most of the experiments may end up halved, meaning some experiments only obtain half of the designated abilities they were supposed to receive.[3][4]
(Known products of the process: The factions of Vermaak 88[3] and the Department of Unified Protection[2])

Forced Mutation

A Conduit's abilities can be unlocked through a more grotesque and less effective way. Through the use of his powers, Joseph Bertrand was able to turn bearers of the Conduit Gene, brought to him by his enforcers, into grotesque monsters who had lost all their sanity. They were created out of Bertrand's plan to induce fear into normal humans, and he allows them to roam free in the city to create chaos.[3]
(Known products of the process: The faction of the Corrupted.[3])

Infusion

As specified by the D.U.P. Informant, the Department of Unified Protection infused their soldiers with an unidentified substance administered via injection into the bodies of their newest recruits to grant them access to their own set of superhuman abilities to combat the bio-terrorist threat with greater efficiency. The injections would subsequently induce headaches and seizures in the subjects as their bodies began to react to the unidentified substance. It should be noted that this process is far more stable then the usage of the power transference device used on the Vermaak 88 Forced Conduits, allowing subjects of this process to retain their sanity and keep their bodies from constantly undergoing mutations in order to sustain the power infused into them; it should also be noted that the level of power gained by this method can vary from subject to subject, with some being more powerful than others.
(Known products of the process: Department of Unified Protection Forced Conduits.)

Developing

Once a Conduit's powers are unlocked, said power will then develop, which usually requires a catalyst. There are several ways to develop powers. These are:

The Ray Sphere

Even after a Conduit's powers have been unlocked, further use of the Ray Sphere will improve one's abilities, enhancing endurance and strength, or granting a new power, or both.[1]
(Known practitioners: Evil Cole MacGrath[1],David Warner[4].)

Blast Shards

Collecting and absorbing a set amount of Blast Shards will improve one's power, though the number of shards needed will rise accordingly. Blast Shards are useful, although they are considered a very slow way to develop a Conduit's powers.[1] However, it seems that not all Conduits have this ability, as according to the D.U.P Informant when Augustine tried this it didn't work.
(Known practitioners: Delsin Rowe, Cole MacGrath.[1][3])

Exercising Powers

A Conduit is capable of developing their powers by exercising his/her powers in different ways. This technique, while it cannot grant new abilities, grants different variations of unlocked abilities, as well as permanent upgrades to abilities.
(Known practitioners: Cole MacGrath, Abigail Walker.)

Blast Cores

Blast Cores can be used to quickly develop new abilities though, in turn, it will render the Conduit unconscious for a set amount of time (until the introduction of Core Relays, which allow a Conduit to absorb the raw energy of a Blast Core without going unconscious). Due to the efficiency of Blast Cores, they are scarce and very valuable, which caused Conduits to fight over them (including Cole MacGrath, the Vermaak 88, and Joseph Bertrand III).[3]
(Known practitioners: Delsin Rowe, Cole MacGrathJoseph Bertrand III.[3])

Exposure to element

Conduits can develop their powers by absorbing their elements or energy related to their elements. The amount needed can vary, as Cole MacGrath originally developed his powers by passing electricity enough to power up to half a district of a city, while Delsin Rowe developed Neon by absorbing a much smaller amount.[1]
(Known practitioners: Delsin Rowe, Cole MacGrath.[1])

Coping

On very rare occasions, a Conduit is able to develop his/her powers by having their body try to cope with tough situations to survive. Abigail Walker was able to practice this as she was able to develop her powers over time by coping with near-fatal conditions. A rat that Kessler was experimenting on was also able to develop wings in order to allow the rat to escape.[1]
(Known practitioners: Abigail Walker. )

Power Combination

Cole and Kuo, combining their powers.

Cole and Kuo, combining their powers.

Some of Wolfe's notes talked about the theory that two Conduits, compatible ones, might be able to combine their powers.

Lucy Kuo, during her time with Cole MacGrath as she tested her powers., Infamous 2

According to Dr. Sebastian Wolfe, the abilities of two Conduits can help produce better and more satisfactory results in terms of combat efficiency. Cole was able to exhibit this during his time with Kuo and Nix. The former (Kuo) was able to combine powers with Cole by utilizing her control over ice and his electrokinesis power, being able to freeze enemies and turn them into ice blocks. The latter (Nix) was able to combine powers with Cole by utilizing her control over fire and flammable substances such as oil to restrain enemy units and allow Cole to blast them with his abilities.[3]

Later on, Cole is able to gain one of the two Conduits' abilities through the Power Transfer Device, which in turn, helps maximize the synchronization between Cole and the selected Conduit.[3]

Conduit Factions

Some factions are composed entirely of Conduits. While the powers and abilities of the Conduits within each faction vary from Conduit to Conduit, and most often, weaker Conduits within each faction will be led by an even stronger Conduit. Known Conduit factions include:

Prime Conduits

Listed here are known Prime Conduits.

Forced Conduits

The following is a list of all known Forced Conduit types from their respective factions.

Vermaak 88

Corrupted

Department of Unified Protection

Known Conduit Abilities

Trivia

References

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 Infamous
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Infamous: Second Son
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 Infamous 2
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Infamous (comics)
  5. Kessler was shown to develop multiple powers, starting with Electricity and later gaining Time Travel. He also displayed Super Speed/Teleportation, and Pyrokinesis
  6. Infamous 2: Festival of Blood
  7. Infamous: Post Blast