Induced radioactivity

Induced radioactivity
In a secluded cabin, Ted harnesses his power by making fireballs in his hands.
Originally held by:	Theodore Sprague
Absorbed by:	Peter Petrelli, Sylar
Ability to:	Emit radiation
Examples of induced radioactivity

Induced radioactivity is the ability to emit radiation and/or induce radioactive properties into objects and people.

Characters

• Ted Sprague was the first character in normal continuity to have this ability.
• Peter Petrelli has absorbed this ability.
• Sylar has stolen this ability.

Limits

Ted

Ted has limited control over his ability to emit radiation. When agitated, he appears to emit radiation unintentionally. This radiation can be harmful to people in his vicinity. His control has improved with practice, and he seems to be able to emit radiation on purpose, but he apparently cannot consistently prevent himself from emitting radiation, especially if angry or injured.

Ted can apparently emit a broad spectrum of electromagnetic radiation, although he has only a limited understanding of the physics involved. He can not choose specifically whether to emit microwaves or gamma rays, but he can choose whether to radiate "hot" energy or "bright" energy. He also appears to be able to emit neutron radiation, as some objects that have been exposed to him have become radioactive. Whether he can generate alpha rays or beta rays is unknown.

At close range, Ted can produce enough radiation to bring a glass of water to a boil or melt a brass door lock in just a few seconds. His uncontrolled emissions can set fire to common construction materials from several meters away. He is also capable of emitting an electromagnetic pulse strong enough to disable electronics throughout a large building. An uncontrolled release of radiation can generate a massive explosion similar to that of a nuclear bomb. In an alternate timeline, such an explosion occured in Kirby Plaza and was powerful enough to destroy most of the skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan.

Ted appears to be unharmed by his own radioactive emissions. He has caused the deaths of others (reducing people to skeletal remains) during at least two escapes, but never appeared affected himself. Whether this immunity applies to radiation from other sources is unknown.

Peter

When he absorbed this ability from Ted Sprague in The Hard Part after meeting him at Kirby Plaza, he had to intensely concentrate to get this power under control. In Landslide, he even passed out attempting to do so. During his fight with Sylar, he lost control and was on the verge of exploding, but thanks to Nathan, he was flown high enough to explode without causing any significant damage to anyone other than Nathan who suffered from severe radiation burns.

Since then, he has shown greater control over this ability. After four months of not using it, he used it to safely incinerate Strain 138 without losing control or exploding.

Sylar

After taking this ability from Ted , Sylar stands on the roof of a building, conjuring up radiation on command (Landslide). Sylar has never been seen emitting radiation unintentionally, and conjured plumes of smoke shortly after acquiring the ability, whereas Ted took an extended period of time to do the same.

Selected Examples

• 
  Ted's power sear fingerprints into Dr. Robert Fresco's charred bones.
  (Nothing to Hide)
• 
  While at FBI Headquarters, Ted causes a glass of water he is holding to boil.
  (Seven Minutes to Midnight)
• 
  Ted starts to lose control of his power after being shot at the Bennet home by Thompson.
  (Company Man)
• 
  Ted generates an electromagnetic pulse to knock out the power at Primatech Paper Co.
  (.07%)
• 
  Ted uses his power to defrost and then start a car.
  (The Hard Part)
• 
  Later after Ted's demise, Sylar revels in his new power.
  (Landslide)
• 
  Peter glows before he explodes.
  (How to Stop an Exploding Man)
• 
  Peter incinerates Strain 138.
  (Powerless)

Memorable Quotes

"Yeah, but there's nothing out of the ordinary here, right? Doesn't this guy look like any other burn victim?"

"He's putting out 1800 curies of radiation."

"Whoa."

"Hazmat teams scoured the scene but didn't find any incendiaries. No plutonium, no uranium -- nothing. They did, however, find a fingerprint. Seared to the bone like a brand."

- Matt, Audrey (Nothing to Hide)

"Do you have any idea what would happen if you did that? Because I don't. Maybe I'll explode. Maybe I'll take out this whole hospital. Maybe I'll wipe out this city like an atomic bomb! "

- Ted (to Audrey) (Nothing to Hide)

Notes

• Amid Halebi (The Engineer from the unaired pilot and In His Own Image) has this ability.
• While Ted, Peter, and Sylar have never been harmed by their ability, Amid's hands had visible radiation damage, as seen in a scene in the unaired pilot.

Evolved Human Abilities edit
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See Also: Extension:DynamicPageList3 (DPL3), version 3.6.1: Error: MediaWiki\Extension\DynamicPageList3\Query::buildAndSelect: The DynamicPageList3 extension (version 3.6.1) produced a SQL statement which led to a Database error.<br/>The reason may be an internal error of DynamicPageList3 or an error that you made; especially when using parameters like 'categoryregexp' or 'titleregexp'. Usage of non-greedy <code>*?</code> matching patterns are not supported.<br/>The error message was:<br/><code></code> • Examples of induced radioactivity