Powers
Artificial Components/Beta Technology: Wirtham's heart has been replaced by an artificial one. Should his heart develop an arrhythmia, it can be stabilized by accessing the automated maintenance programs of certain machines housed at a shielded, secure and highly sophisticated laboratory on the thirteenth floor of Wirtham Towers. These machines interface with his heart through access ports hidden in the palm of Wirtham's left hand. Both of Wirtham's arms are either bionic replace ments, or have a great deal of artificial material. This artificial material resembles human muscle and connective tissue which is fashioned from an undisclosed metal. Both the appearance of Wirtham's arms and the fact that he still has feeling in them suggests that they are not standard robotics. It is pos sible that Wirtham's legs or other body parts have been similarly altered. Small damage to his pseudoskin can be touched-up, but more extensive damage must be handled by his machines. Such repairs burn and take 100 rounds to set up or cool.
Wirtham's body is capable of generating vast amounts of energy called Beta energy. Wirtham can release Incredible amounts of this energy through his hands but at only Feeble range (touch only). He needs his multi-purpose staff to focus his energy into a distance at tack.
Body Armor: Cardiac wears a suit of body armor the primary layer of which is made of some kind of bullet-proof cloth. This material provides Excellent protection from Physical attack, Poor resist ance to energy attack, and Excellent resistance to Fire and Heat-based at tack. Cardiac's costume also incorpo rates external shock plates in the front and rear torso, shoulders, knees, gaunt-lets, and boots. These plates help to ab sorb shock and diffuse inertia so that he resists stuns as if he had Amazing en durance. The shock absorbency of his armor allows Cardiac to fall and take no damage from heights of up to 45 feet provided he lands on his feet.
Multi-Purpose Pulse Staff: Cardiac's pri mary weapon is his multi-purpose pulse staff. As Wirtham, this staff appears as a metal walking stick about 1 meter in length. A microscopic surge of Beta en ergy causes it to elongate to its full 2 meter size. Cardiac uses this staff as a pole with which he can vault 30 feet. It also connects him to his robotic wing, serving as a bar from which Cardiac hangs as the wing flies. The staff's most important use is as a focus for Cardiac's Beta energy. Using his staff, Cardiac can fire blasts which cause Monstrous physical or energy damage up to 3 areas away. The staff does not produce the energy, but temporarily stores and amplifies the energy channeled through it. The mate rial strength of Cardiac's staff is at least Amazing.
Robotic Wing: Cardiac can fly through the use of a remote controlled robotic wing. Alone, this wing is capable of reaching Remarkable air speeds (225 mph or 15 areas/round). Its maximum speed drops to Excellent (150 mph or 10 areas/round) with Cardiac in tow.
Limitation
Certain frequencies of energy interfere with the pacing of Wirtham's artificial heart. Cardiac must make an Endurance FEAT versus any attack which disrupts electrical equipment with greater than Excellent intensity. Failure of this FEAT indicates Cardiac's artificial heart has malfunctioned. A second Endurance FEAT should then be made to determine the extent of the damage with a red result indicating he is all right, a yellow meaning he must rest for 1-10 rounds while experiencing chest pain and shortness of breath, a green result driving Cardiac to the floor clutching his chest for 2-20 rounds, and a white result meaning he has suffered a heart attack and requires immediate hospitalization (but more likely has to be taken to Wirtham Towers where he can access his programs).
Talents
Acrobatics, Medical, Tumbling
Contacts
Tony Stark. Spiderman. Wirtham is a major political contributor and has government con tacts at the city (the Mayor, and at least one councilwoman), State, and Federal (the Senate) levels.
History
Eli Wirtham lost his older brother Josh, to a rare, incurable disease. As a result, he vowed to become a healer, who would save lives to honor his brother. Eventually building the most powerful medical and biological research empire on the East coast, Wirtham was able to acquire an older chemical company. In studying their old records he discov ered that a miracle drug had actually been developed in time to save his brother's life, but that it had been kept off the market until the economic climate was more favorable.
Realizing that his brother had died be cause of greed, Wirtham decided to be come a Hand of Justice who would strike out against those protected from punishment by position or technicality. Toward this end, he made considerable sacrifices to acquire powers which would make him more than human. He be came Cardiac.
Cardiac first burst onto the scene with a series of attacks against the holdings of Sapirdyne Chemicals. Sapirdyne had been singled out by Cardiac because they supplied chemicals vital for the processing of cocaine from South Amer ica. As these chemicals had legitimate applications, these transactions were perfectly legal. On the night of Cardiac's first raid, Peter Parker happened to be at Sapirdyne's dock-side warehouse. Though Peter, as Spider-Man, tried to stop Cardiac from destroying the ware house, he was unsuccessful.
Sapirdyne Chemicals was only a holding for Stane International. When Stane's chief executive, Justin Hammer, was informed of the financial loss he had suffered, he made arrangements with the Rhino. When Cardiac mext entered a Sapirdyne manufacturing plant, Rhino was waiting for him. Rhino might have beaten Cardiac if not for the intervention of Spiderman. Though Spider-Man tried to stop Cardiac from destroying the plant, he was once again unsuccessful.
At the Symkarian Embassy, in a meet ing set up by the Silver Sable, Herschel Sapir, head of Sapirdyne Chemicals, contracted with Spider-Man to neutralize the terrorist called Cardiac. In response to a leak to the news media, Cardiac showed up on a cargo ship leaving New York harbor with a large shipment of chemicals. Spider-Man was waiting for him on-board and the two battled. Unbeknownst to Spider-Man, Hammer had stationed Boomerang aboard ship with orders to finish off the survivor. Seeking to add two notches to his reputation, Boomerang attacked before the first bat tle reached a conclusion and was de feated by Spider-Man. With Spider-Man distracted by Boomerang, Cardiac was able to get into position to deliver a blast to the hull of the ship, sinking it. Cardiac escaped from the sinking vessel using his remote-controlled robotic wings.
Cardiac has since shown up to punish Albert Brukner, who had stolen millions of dollars in an S&L fraud; Techtoy, who continued to produce a dangerous electronic doll after one had maimed a child and they had gotten off on a technicality and their parent company Stane Internation al, for nerve gas research they were con ducting as part of a sonic missile they were developing. After their last encount er, which took place at a Stane manufac turing plant, which as it turned out was illegally manufacturing munitions in a populated area (the weapon itself wasn't illegal, but the plant's location was), Cardiac left Spiderman a note which read: One down...a world to go.
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