Timothy Ferris

Strength        Agility         Intellect       Willpower
6x              5d              5c              4x

Hand Size:      3 (17)
Edge:           1

Origin:

As is the case with his fellow Troubleshooters, Timothy Ferris is a normal human, at least where his physicality is concerned. Mentally, while not super-human, Timothy is quite gifted - so much so, in fact, that he built his very own, partial MAX exoskeleton!

Powers:

(none)

Hindrances / Augmentations:

Missing Parts: the victim of explosives planted by the Steel Hawk, Timothy has lost both of his legs, both of which were amputated above the knee to save his life. This may have crippled Timothy, save for the fact that he is the creator of the Fast-Back system.

While an ordinary person might be beholden to a wheelchair, or perhaps low-tech prosthetic limbs, Timothy has literally developed a lower body exoskeleton that lets someone move at inexplicable speeds. So it's quite likely he'd use that technology to restore his ability to walk.

Not that he's been chronicled as having done so just yet.

Equipment:

Fast-Back (a): a partial MAX exoskeleton, the Fast-Back greatly enhances the neurological response system of its wearer. This allows them to act and operate at speeds which are several times greater than normal. In other words, it grants a body super speed!

This intensity 5, MAX-granted power provides the wearer of the Fast-Back partial exoskeleton the ability to perform tasks at speeds six times faster than normal, whether throwing a punch, taking a stroll, or doing their homework!

Skills:

Electronics (i): Ferris knew a lot about electronics (if not as much as Andy did). He could design and build electronic or electromechanical devices at one difficulty level lower than is usual, as he's been working with the stuff alongside his fellow Troubleshooters for years.

Engineering (i): Ferris is an engineering student, and as such, he's good at building things. In fact, if he's familiar with what he's trying to build, he can lower the difficulty of the action by one difficulty level, regardless of the type of thing he's building.

Sports (a): unlike the other Troubleshooters, Timothy Ferris was athletic in nature; in fact, he was kind of a jock. However, his true interest was in sports medicine, a career path he may still be following (double major). His Reason in athletic matters should be considered +1 CS.

Contacts:

As one of the five Troubleshooters, Timothy could readily rely upon his fellow engineering students for aid in a pinch, since they had all gone adventuring together for a while. And naturally, Timothy could consider his engineering teacher, Jenny Swensen, a contact as well.

Calling:

Youthful Exuberance: Timothy was full of spit and vinegar, wanting to help the world by building the technology to make it a better place. He started to do so, but used what he'd made in his failed super hero career, instead.

Costume:

Tim's only real 'costume' was the Fast-Back partial exoskeleton he wore as a short-lived hero. It was a sort of metal shell that covered his legs and lower torso. The rest of his outfit he used to adventure in was normal clothing for his day and age.

Personality:

While he was one of MIT's infamous Troubleshooters, Timothy wasn't really into the high tech toys as much as his cohorts. No, his personal interest lie in making the human body the best it could possibly be - which is why the discovery of MAX technology was such a godsend to him.

Real Name: Timothy Ferris
Occupation: student, former adventurer
Legal Status: American citizen with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: the Troubleshooters (defunct)

Height: 6'
Hair: light red
Eyes: blue
Weight: 175
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: other than his missing legs, none.

Story:

Like the other four Troubleshooters, Timothy Ferris was an MIT student that was enrolled in Jenny Swensen's advanced engineering classes. Tim and his fellows were the best students in her class, and became friends with her over time (they sort of hung out with her when possible, to learn as much as they could). Especially once her father died.

You see, her father was developing this ultra-advanced heuristics technology to help mankind, and Jenny believed the man was killed for it by his employer (for holding out). She needed to break into the facility to find out the truth, and like the other Troubleshooters, Tim decided that he had to help Jenny out; after all, the five students felt like they owed her for all her help in school.

The Troubleshooters managed to get Jenny in, and left with the late Doctor Swensen's mobile laboratory and the Mark 2 MAX Armor he'd developed. Though Doctor Swensen's former employer tried on several occasions to get the equipment back, Jenny managed to keep him at bay with the help of the Troubleshooters, who were busy breaking down the MAX tech all the while.

Once they figured out how it ticked, the Troubleshooters started building new applications for it; Tim's was the Fast-Back MAX partial exoskeleton, which allowed him to run at incredible speeds (over 140 miles per hour)! The Troubleshooters used these suits to help Jenny out on several occasions, both before and after she was framed for murder and thrown in jail.

While Jenny was in jail, the Troubleshooters managed to foil the assassination of the British Prime Minister, who was in Boston on a Christmas visit. This angered the would-be assassin, Steel Hawk, who managed to figure out who the Troubleshooters were, and decided to get even... a lot. He set traps for all the amateur techies, starting with Timothy Ferris.

Steel Hawk ambushed the man with his machine guns, and when Tim started running away with his Fast-Back on, the man launched a grenade right into his path. Not able to dodge in time, Timothy ran right into the detonating explosive, an act which trashed his legs permanently, and Steel Hawk left the burning youth for dead. However, Tim didn't die.

The authorities managed to get him to the hospital, where they amputated his legs; drastic, to be sure, but they did save his life. It is assumed that Tim eventually recovered from this and got on with his life, but his further adventures have yet to be chronicled. After all, the Troubleshooters (and the rest of the New Universe, to boot) have since faded into obscurity.

Chronology: Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 1, Star Brand # 2, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 2, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 3, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 4, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 5, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 6, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 7, Spitfire and the Troubleshooters # 8.