Ramshackle

Ramshackle is an American mutant superhero and the youngest member of Champions United.

## Biography

Austin Fogel was a child growing up in New York City when he first manifested his powers at a young age. Coming from a poor family, he immediately found ways to use his abilities to improve the lives of those around him. He could effortlessly repair or craft nearly anything and word soon circulated through the neighborhood about the "wiz kid" who could turn scrap metal into a Mercedes.

Unfortunately VIPER eventually heard those rumors. Austin was abducted by VIPER agents and forced to mass produce the organization's weapons. As they realized the scope of his power, his handlers moved him onto experimental projects, hoping to use his reality-warping abilities to realize their most radical weapon designs.

VIPER underestimated the meek boy, however. While claiming to work on a "death ray," Austin actually manufactured a cleverly disguised transmitter. He managed to use the device to signal UNTIL and relay them his location. He was rescued not long after by the Justice Squadron and a force of UNTIL agents assaulted the base.

Now eighteen years old and with driving ambition to use his powers to help the downtrodden, Austin was planning to continue his study in college when he heard that the Champions were looking for fresh talent. Deciding that the time had come to fight for society directly, he applied to the Champions instead of MIT, deciding on the name 'Ramshackle' on the spur of the moment. To his surprise, he was welcomed to the team, and has already proven himself a valuable asset. His unique talents are in very high demand, and he has already worked on joint projects with UNTIL and PRIMUS, as well as the State and Federal Governments.

## Personality

Ramshackle is quiet, always wishing to help but feeling out of his depth due to his young age. He prefers study to athleticism, and despite wanting to bring criminals to justice he does not actually enjoy the patrolling and fighting aspects of being a hero. He prefers to make his contributions behind the scenes whenever possible.

Ramshackle has a particular hatred for organized crime. He sees individual supervillains as mostly tragic people whose lives could have been better under other circumstances. But the cold, calculating institutional evil of groups like VIPER and ARGENT makes his blood boil. He will generally work on whatever is asked of him, but he will drop any other project and neglect any responsibility to help strike a blow against these wicked syndicates.

## Powers

Ramshackle has the ability to repair broken machines and create working high-tech devices out of miscellaneous parts. He can use existing devices and "reconfigure" them into something else, or he can even use bits of scrap metal and stripped wires to cobble together an ugly (but functional) device. He can also easily reverse the process to destroy the technology of his foes. This is a form of technokinesis, an extremely rare psychic ability that bends reality to conform to the user's wishes.

Although not a strong fighter in his own right, Ramshackle can quickly conjure any device he wants, which can make him extremely versatile on the battlefield. Some of his favorite effects include laser weapons, forcefield generators, and gravity emitters that emulate telekinesis and grant the power of flight.

Ramshackle's inventions tend to break down quickly, as they aren't usually built to withstand the enormous strain he puts them under, and most of his devices will only last through a single day of use. But he can also use his ability to fix broken objects, which is a permanent transformation (as he is just returning an item back to its intended working order) and can function on a much larger scale. He used this ability to great effect in the aftermath of the Blackout, when mobs of aliens laid waste to Chicago's infrastructure. The city recovered much more quickly than others thanks to Ramshackle's tireless repair efforts on the damaged electrical and water systems.

## Weaknesses

Ramshackle's powers take time and effort, and he can be easily subdued with a surprise attack. He has few defenses of his own and is little more resilient than any average young man until he has a chance to create some gear for himself.

Because his abilities are technically psychic in nature, Ramshackle's efforts can be disrupted with psychokinetic attacks. These do him no additional harm, but can cause his devices to malfunction or even fall to pieces.