Theo

Spoilers ahead. Are we okay with that, kid?

Theo
Pronouns	He/Him
Age	42
Affiliations	Crew The Weave Puritans (former employee)
First appearance	Issue 0
Voice actor	Jay Rincon

Theo is a member of Pax's crew and the one who recruited Pax's friend circle to help the Weave. He is the only member of the crew who is not an Anomal, but contributes through his tech skills and Weave connections.

History

Before the heist

Theo was born in Mexico in approximately 1988 and lived in Copala. When he was 10, he ran away from home in order to join the circus. His delinquent behavior caused his family to send him to his aunt's farm, but it is unclear if this was before or after his stint in the circus. He was close with his sister Beatrice, and the two would secretly use their savings to drink Bingo! Cola because their mother did not want them to consume sugar. However, Beatrice was exposed to the Broadcast in the year 2000 and became an Anomal, albeit one with little control over her powers. As a result, she unintentionally hurt others with her Vocals and was unable to live with her children, and instead had to stay with her parents in Monterrey. Theo then joined the Weave in the hopes that they can research a way to remove her Vocals, eventually finding employment under the Puritans as a spy.

The Raid

On September 27, 2030, Theo meets Pax, Noam, and Sai in Noam's apartment in Pacifica to discuss the details of the heist, with Theo stating that they need a cheap, inconspicuous getaway car. On October 13, Theo uses his employee card to get the team into the Puritan's headquarters in Purity, but they eventually run into Puritan soldiers. Theo uses a Puritan gun, explosives, and quantum-spikes to fight alongside his teammates, allowing them to defeat the Adjunct and copy the Puritans' Protolanguage data.

Issue 0: The Getaway

After Noam and Sai's argument in the getaway car, Theo counts the number of trucks he sees on the road to pass the time. When a Pacificop sounds his siren to get the crew to pull over, Theo advises complying in order to avoid a car chase that they probably wouldn't be able to win. No matter the outcome, Theo worries that the Pacifica Authority will eventually learn about this encounter and pursue the crew.

Issue 1: Opening Act

At La Torre, Luna is trapped under the bus because of an error with the YuYu hub, preventing the jack from being powered properly. After looking at the console, Theo determines that the network is down, prompting Pax to search for and fix a wireless router. This puts the jack back online so that it can lift the bus and free Luna. In Luna's office, Theo uses a Weave terminal to send messages to the New Jerusalem Library and Nova Scotia. When the Pacificops come knocking on La Torre's door, Theo reassures Pax that they are only questioning Luna and that they do not have enough proof of the crew's presence to shut the place down yet, thus the best plan is to just wait them out and stay calm. Afterwards, the crew recruits a bus-driving robot and Theo has one last chat with Luna before leaving on the tour bus.

On CA-70 highway, Theo is anxious when Pax requests a detour to her old home, Liberty, to pick up her sister Ziggy, since this means going against the schedule the he and the librarians planned out. He points out that this detour would have fit into the schedule better if Pax asked him ahead of time. At the border, Theo explains that the Puritan ships tailing them cannot cross with them, since that would provoke the American Republic. However, the Justice officers stationed there do not trust the group's cover story, so Theo and the crew are forced to perform in order to convince the guards of their legitimacy as a band.

At Rock Rabbit campground, the crew is surprised when they learn this is the first real heist Theo was a part of, since his stoic demeanor implied otherwise. However, he does not explain why he is willing to risk his life for the Weave. In his conversation with Pax, Theo practices the guitar and reiterates that it is best if Pax brings up matters like her sister to Theo so that he can make accommodations, since he also has family that he wants to save. Theo also speculates that the Puritans are keeping the events of the raid from leaking to Justice, since that would risk Justice getting their hands on the stolen data. Unfortunately, Theo notes that the Puritans are likely angry about his betrayal and that they might target his former coworkers in their investigation. In turn, Pax explains to him how her Vocals work. Finally, Theo explains the necessity of the Weave's archaic forms of communication, since they are needed to avoid the detection of the Republic. In the morning, the Horned Riders attack, but since Theo no longer has his Puritan rifle, he leaves the fighting to Pax and Sai.

Issue 2: Ghosts

The crew arrives in Liberty, only to find its gates locked with no one to answer them. Worse yet, the robot bus driver is damaged by one of the commune's robots, so Theo stays behind in the bus to see if he can repair the robot. After the others find a way in, Theo states he is not having much luck with fixing the robot, so Pax recommends sending the robot to Ziggy. When Ziggy locks herself in the kitchen, Pax has the option of asking Theo to lockpick the door so that she can talk to her sister. Theo waits patiently for Pax to finish up her business with Ziggy and the Echo infestation, but Justice eventually attacks Liberty, prompting everyone to leave.

At Knapper Campground, Theo plays truth or dare and surprises the rest of the crew with his past as a circus performer, showing that he is opening up to them. Pax apologizes for endangering the crew by making a stop in Liberty, but Theo forgives her because he believes helping family should come first. He also asks about the ME-EM console and about how Anomals can go Nova when they lose control of her powers and emotions, while also revealing that he knew someone who went Nova. However, he notes that the possibility to go Nova does not excuse the persecution of Anomals. Pax and Theo agree that he can mitigate this risk by helping the crew manage their emotions. The next day, Theo and the crew play in Pete's Pool Hall for their first true gig.

Issue 3: Caretakers

At the start of the Issue, Theo knits something for his niece and Pax informs him about abnormal data in the robot driver's subroutines. When the crew gets off at a Standard Energy Service Station, the robot drives off with the bus and leaves everyone behind. Theo states that he placed a tracker on the bus, but the crew still needs a vehicle in order to chase it. If Theo is on the Okay Buddy Coda, Pax can ask him to lockpick the Staff Only door in order to gain access to a broken down truck. Otherwise, if Theo is on the Okay Dad Coda, he can instead use his memories of working on cars with his father to fix the truck. Regardless of how the truck is started, Theo can use his deck to hack the refiller, but is only able to get a meager amount before Henry catches on to the hacking, though it is enough to reach the bus. Pax can also ask him to carry a tire, but he will struggle more with this task than Sai. If the player chooses to steal the Horned Riders' bikes, Theo will drive one of them, with Sai and possibly Noam sitting behind him.

Theo's tracker leads the crew to an abandoned trailer park, where the bus is haphazardly parked. After checking the bus for damage, Theo joins Pax and Ziggy in exploring the trailer park in search of the robot and an Anomal that Noam detected. If the player chooses to solve the passcode for the fake trailer instead of having Sai push it, Theo can help diagnose the problem with the video phone and hack the Justice rifle to get an ID number. Once the entrance to the underground school is revealed, Theo will operate the elevator, but stays behind in case he needs to activate it again. Unfortunately, while Pax and Ziggy explore the school, the Horned Riders ambush the crew members who stayed behind and hold them hostage. After the new crew member, Eli, convinces Patsy to stand down, Theo and the original crew can play a song for the Horned Riders as a gesture of peace. At Signal Hill Campground, Theo and Pax discuss their recent recruitment of Eli to the crew and Justice's secret Anomal experiments, with Theo stating that the Puritans already suspected Justice of doing this research. He states that Eli's testimony and the Caretaker robot's sudden acquisition of free will will be valuable to Nova Scotia.

Issue 4: Promised Lands

At Betty's Diner in Utah, Theo makes a call to his sister Beatrice, which Pax to choose to overhear. While Pax is in the bathroom, Theo and the rest of the crew are interrogated by two Justice officers, but Ziggy and Eli fail to match the crew's cover story. No matter how this incident is resolved, Theo is worried about how the crew is out of sync with their cover story and states that Ziggy and Eli must be brought up to speed.

At New Jerusalem's abandoned mall, Theo asks the librarian Lottie for supplies and papers so that the crew can continue traveling across America. Theo then goes to the chapel to pray for God to help his family, but stumbles over his words because he does not pray that often. If Theo is on the Okay Buddy Coda, Pax can challenge him to Paddlepong in the arcade, and he talks about how he played this game in his childhood. If Theo is on the Okay Dad Coda, he attempts to make popcorn in the theater in order to lift the crew's spirits, but struggles to get the popcorn machine to function. Afterwards, Theo goes to Lottie's office to get into contact with Nova Scotia to update them on the situation. If Pax decides to entertain Caretaker's request for a hat, Theo will lockpick the hat store open and provide commentary on whatever hat Pax chooses for the robot. Back in the office, Theo and Pax notice that Lottie has a Puritan computer that has a connection to Pacifica. Pax suggests using the computer to examine the contents of the datakey, but Theo states that Nova Scotia forbade them from doing so. After dinner, Theo and the original crew can perform a birthday song for Lottie's pet raccoon, Mr. President. That night, Theo ponders the contents of the datakey and wonders if knowing would make their quest safer. Pax uses the Bully Vocal to convince him go against the Weave's orders. After unlocking Lottie's office and loading the data onto the computer, Pax and Theo are unable to decipher the data and are interrupted by Caretaker. Unfortunately, this recklessness allowed the Puritans to trace their activity, leading to their attack on the mall. Although the Puritans use barrier technology to resist all attacks, Theo uses an EMP grenade to disable their shields and make them vulnerable. As the crew leaves, Theo apologizes to Lottie for compromising her library.

At Texas Beach Campground, Theo explains to the rest of the crew how the Puritans found them. Theo laments his bad judgement, though if Pax takes responsibility for this blunder, he will be appreciative. In the Main Street bar in Colorado, Theo and the original crew perform once again in order to maintain their cover story.

Issue 5: Yellow Brick Road

At the checkpoint in Palisade, Colorado, Theo is baffled that the guards allowed the bus through without checking papers, noting how anticlimactic it is for Lottie's documents to go to waste. When the bus passes Alpine Visitor Center, Noam senses an Anomal and Theo states that the crew should be pragmatic and move on. However, Pax, Ziggy, and Eli turn back to the visitor center anyways and bring back Girl, a mute Anomal child. Theo is worried that the crew will not be able to take care of her and that this act could count as child kidnapping, but ultimately agrees that it would be worse to leave her at the mercy of Justice's experimentation. He plans to leave Girl with the librarian in this region, reasoning that the Weave will be better equipped to locate her parents.

At the Standard Energy Station, Theo, Pax, Sai, and Ziggy decide on what snack or drink to buy for Girl. After Pax finishes up in the bathroom, the Justice officers Praetor Walker and Prefect Kim walk in discussing their plan to attack the library, which Theo and Pax overhear. The crew rushes over to the Yellow Brick Road Motel in order to rescue the librarian Sol. Once the crew gets into Sol's office, Theo tries to contact other libraries, including La Torre, only to find most of them were already discovered and destroyed.

The crew stops in Peaceful Valley Campground, where Theo discusses what will become of Girl and agrees the crew will have to take care of her due to the libraries being compromised. Later that night, Theo and Pax discuss alternate routes to Chicago, since Justice's purge of the libraries will make the originally planned route unsafe. Pax suggests going through the Great Plains Exclusion Zone (GPEZ), and although Theo is worried about how dangerous that area is, he decides to follow Pax's plan because it is the only way to avoid too much attention from Justice while still making it to the next gig on time.

Issue 6: The Bad Lands

During the bus ride through GPEZ, Theo expresses his worries about the magnetic interference potentially damaging Caretaker. The crew then discusses rumors about the area, with Theo bringing up bionic experiments for the sake of giving the Republic supersoldiers to fight against other countries. Suddenly, the bus crashes into one of the aforementioned bionics, and Girl uses the commotion to run towards the Tree of Tongues. Theo stays with the rest of the crew in the bus while Pax and Eli look for Girl. Eventually, Pax's group returns with Ophelia in tow along with information about the Tree of Tongues, with Theo realizing that the tree is one of the main reasons Pax insisted on this dangerous route.

At Camp Oakwood, the original crew discusses the revelations Pax had at the Tree of Tongues. On a bench, Theo and Sai discuss the upcoming trip to Chicago and the meeting with the former's contact. After the initial campfire meeting, the original crew has another meeting later that night, where Theo and the others will acknowledge if Pax took the time to listen to them throughout the journey. Theo also expresses sympathy for Girl and Ophelia, seeking to bring them to Nova Scotia to seek refuge.

Issue 7: Let There Be Light

The bus breaks down near an abandoned house in Iowa due to a damaged heatshield. If the crew incurred too much suspicion, two Justice officers will pull them over and Theo will step outside to negotiate with them, but Pax calls on either Noam or Ophelia to use their Vox to handle the situation. Whether or not the officers appear, the crew decides to stay at the nearby abandoned house while Ziggy and Caretaker search for tools to fix the bus. After Pax and Girl unlock the house, Ophelia gets infect by an Echo and loses control of her powers, causing pain to the crew. When the crew discusses what to do with her, Theo insists the best option is to bring Ophelia to Nova Scotia so that they can remove her powers, but Sol takes offense to that because many Anomals view their Vocals as part of their identity and the Puritans use such rhetoric to justify persecuting Anomals. When Pax goes around the house to query everyone's opinions on Ophelia, Theo states that Ophelia reminds him of his sister, who also has an uncontrollable Vocal, and that he may have been projecting his own circumstances on her. He also acknowledges Sol's point about how the idea of a cure can be misused, but still believes there are many Anomals it could help. When Girl proposes a hide-and-seek session with all crew members, Theo hides in a wardrobe on the second floor and later expresses concern when Girl hides on the roof. During dinner, Theo and the original crew retell the raid on Purity to the newer members, but Sai becomes angered at the crew's lack of concern about the danger they are in and storms off, with the crew being unable to find her.

Issue 8: Battle of the Bands

In Chicago, Theo proposes that the present crew members use the buddy system when exploring the city, though Pax will not be able to pair up with Theo. However, Theo's information about the Bad Lands Bar missed many details, since he thought it was supposed to be a discreet bar rather than a more popular one with bouncers. Worse yet, the bar is filled with Justice officers and Theo's contact is nowhere to be seen. Since the Justice officers are just partying and do not know who they are, the crew is allowed to participate in the Battle of the Bands, but Noam, Ziggy, and Eli get drunk, causing Theo worry that they will flub the performance, even with Caretaker filling in. Regardless of the contest's outcome, the bartender gives Theo a note stating that his contact had to reschedule and relocate the meeting to Rotown in order to avoid the Justice officers. Theo, Ziggy, Eli, and Caretaker leave ahead of Pax and Noam, but when they all get to the train, Pax and Noam informs them that the crew is now wanted by Justice. Theo decides he needs to be stricter about the mission now that everyone is on the radar of two different authorities.

Issue 9: Rotown

In Rotown, Theo and Pax go inside one of the buildings to meet the contact while Ziggy and Eli stand guard outside. The contact, Desmond, arrives with an Anomal, Nainai. However, Desmond does not understand Theo's secret code phrases. Desmond provided a truck to replace the bus, which will take both the crew and Nainai to Nova Scotia. However, Desmond acts suspiciously and Pax and Theo have opportunities to poke holes in his story. Unfortunately, their suspicions are proven correct, since Desmond sold the meeting location out to Justice. Theo and Nainai manage to make it to the getaway truck safely, but Caretaker is killed by a train and Pax comes back with a severe stab wound from Prefect Kim.

Issue 10: The Maine Event

At some point, Pax is transferred to a New York City hospital under Justice custody, and Theo and the crew makes contact with Sai and the librarian Ruth. They rescue Pax from the hospital, whisk her away into a getaway van, and make a stop in Queens. Theo, Pax, and Noam listen to Sai's confession about how she acted as a mole for Justice in order to bargain for her family's safety, and how that eventually led her to join Theo's heist. After Sai gives the crew a copy of the datakey and leave, the crew drives towards Maine and eventually reaches a Betty's Diner. Theo attempts to get Girl's real name and discusses the possibility of Pax joining the Weave. Theo also makes sure to state that while his primary goal is to help his family, he is also grateful to the crew for their friendship.

The crew abandons the bus some ways east from Schoodic Point and split into two groups to evade Justice and the Puritans, with Theo being in a separate group from Pax. Although Theo's group makes it to the docks, they are captured by the Puritans' Overseer and used as hostages against Pax. Fortunately, Pax realizes she can use empathy with her Vocals in order to save the crew, and she tells Theo that he is a good friend, father figure, and boss. This Vocal gives Theo a surge of confidence, leading to him incapacitating most of the Puritans with an EMP grenade, but the Overseer shoots him in the shoulder before being knocked out cold by Ziggy. As the crew waits for the boat, Theo asks Pax to tell Beatrice about a potential cure if he does not make it. Theo soon spots the Herald, aka Axiom, who he mistakes for a harmless child. This proves to be a fatal mistake, since the Herald mentally attacks Pax and disintegrates Theo. Although Pax, her baby, and Girl manage to defeat the Herald, there is no bringing back Theo regardless of his Coda outcome. Sometime afterwards, Pax keeps her promise by writing a letter to Beatrice, with the contents of the letter being dependent on both Pax and Theo's Codas.

Appearance

Theo is a man of average build, with brown eyes, brown hair accented by gray highlights near the temples, and a well-groomed full beard. He usually wears a quilted black leather jacket over an unbuttoned sand dune colored shirt, black pants, and yellow lace-up boots. His accessories include orange-tinted sunglasses with side shields, black fingerless gloves with yellow accents, and a pouch on his right leg.

Theo's attire changes throughout the game to the following:

• In Issue 0, 1, 4, 6, 8 he wears his default attire.
• In Issue 2, 5, and 10, he swaps his default shirt for a white one.
• In Issue 3 and 7, he wears a muddy waters colored shirt, but in the former issue, he refrains from wearing his leather jacket due to Nevada's heat.
• In Issue 7, 9, and 10, he wears a muddy waters colored cowl.

Personality

Theo is soft-spoken and polite, but is also the most pragmatic and cautious member of the crew. Although he often gives cold but rational advice, he understands and sympathizes with the other crew members if they throw pragmatism to the wind in favor of morality and emotional needs. However, he will make sure to point out the pitfalls of these decisions to ensure everyone else has a realistic view of their situation.

It is possible for Theo to become close friends with the crew in the Okay Buddy Coda or become a father figure to them in the Okay Dad Coda, but he can also put his foot down as a leader and prioritize the mission in the Okay Boss Coda. Although he has an affinity for all three Codas, he finds himself conflicted because he fears his friendship with the crew will prevent him from making rational decisions for the greater good.

Abilities

Combat abilities

Theo is capable of using some Puritan technology in combat, but he rarely uses it outside of the retraux RPG segment.

Puritan rifle

Theo is capable of using a Puritan rifle, but as indicated by his Unsteady Aim skill, he is not a professional marksman and he needs the enemy to be knocked down to maximize his damage.

Mini-Explosive

Theo can throw an explosive device that inflicts the Block ailment while weakening the target's defenses.

Quantum Spikes

Theo places spikes on the ground that deals very low damage any time an enemy moves.

EMP grenade

His most notable weapon is an EMP grenade made with Puritan technology, which can disable the cyborg soldiers' shields and even knock them out entirely with enough charge. However, it takes a very long time to fully charge the EMP, making it impractical for consecutive battles.

Software expertise

Theo is knowledgeable about the software of both Puritan and Justice devices, and can often find exploits to allow the crew to make use of the tools of their enemies.

Lockpicking

Theo is capable of picking traditional locks, but cannot pick more refined locks and password-protected ones.

Gallery

Early concept art