Editing Weld (section)

==Abilities and Powers==
Weld, as a Case 53, possesses a completely metallic physiology, and can willfully alter his shape and composition. His entire body is composed of various metals, down to his inner organs. This includes having silver bones as well as copper and gold internal organs.<ref name="14.5 e1">Crawler came tearing through the blazing parking booth and blindsided Weld. In terms of raw power, the junior hero might as well have been a powerless human for all the defense he could muster. Crawler’s claws tore into him, revealing bones in silver, organs in copper and gold.<br/><br/>Two grenades left. I threw one down at them. Mannequin backed away, and Crawler, though his head was directed at Weld, rose up onto his two hind legs and batted at the grenade with Weld’s body.<br/><br/>The explosive went off a second after the impact, and Weld was thrown free of Crawler’s grip. I saw him stagger to his feet, his wounds closing as he shapeshifted them. He couldn’t do much about the material that had been raked off of him.<br/><br/>[...]<br/><br/>This time, at least, Weld took on the heavy hitter. He leaped at Crawler from the side, his hand becoming needle-fine as he plunged it into one of Crawler’s largest eye sockets. I knew that Crawler could dodge Ballistic’s hits. He must have seen Weld coming and simply not cared. The needle barely penetrated Crawler’s eye, but Weld used the leverage to wrap himself around Crawler’s face. - [http://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/09/18/prey-14-5/ Excerpt] form [[Prey 14.5]]</ref> Due to his unique physiology, he is stronger and more durable than most - in his own words, 'practically untouchable in a fight'. His malleable physiology allows him to survive what would be fatal injuries to a baseline human. He states he does not really have a heart.<ref name="27.5" /><ref name="9.1 e1">The Director took the hand of a uniform inside the helicopter, stepping inside, and Weld followed her up, refusing a helping hand. The helicopter shifted slightly with the addition of his six hundred pounds of weight.<br/><br/>[...]<br/><br/>Weld looked down at his hands. His body, from skin to hair to bone, was all metal and alloys of varying types. “I’ve dealt with it before, I’ll manage.”<br/><br/>[...]<br/><br/>“It’s fine. I don’t have to sleep much, anyways, so it’s good to keep busy.”<br/><br/>[...]<br/><br/>“Yes,” he answered her, bending the truth. While he did eat, it was a negligible amount. As he saw it, there was no real harm done if he pocketed some of that extra money and said he spent it on food. Given that his tongue was made of an alloy and the pleasures of food were a shadow of what they should be, it was only fair that he enjoy himself in some other way. He knew that some staff back in Boston had caught on, but they hadn’t said anything. Director Piggot here gave him the vibe that maybe she wouldn’t be so cool with it. He’d be more careful until he knew for sure.<br/><br/>[...]<br/><br/>“I appreciate the thought,” he told her. His physiology had the unfortunate drawback that he couldn’t help but attach to and absorb metal he touched. While it had been crippling when he’d first been found, dumped in a junkyard, he had learned ways around it. He could rearrange the metals that formed his body, separate them into their composite elements, and he extended this particular trick to push all the impurities in the metals out to his ‘skin’. The impurities, unlike the metal that composed the rest of him, didn’t bond, giving him the ability to handle things with his hands and teeth if he needed to. It didn’t always work – at least once a week there was one embarrassing moments where he bonded with someone’s wedding ring during a handshake or bumped into a shelf display – but it helped. Clothes helped as well.<br/><br/>In a more serious situation, such as when he was out on patrol, he could force parts of himself to melt and drop off, leaving a piece of himself behind, but it made him distinctly uncomfortable – pain wasn’t the right word – until he replaced the tissue he’d lost. More often, he preferred to just tear the offending piece of metal from whatever surface it rested on, whether it was a segment of chain link fence or a hubcap. Whenever he did it, he’d have to spend as much as an hour dissolving the metal and absorbing it into his body. Either way, they were only emergency measures.<br/><br/>Which wasn’t to say he was weak. Being made of materials and alloys as strong or stronger than steel from head to toe made him practically untouchable in a fight. In addition, his biology fell into some optimal middle ground between organic and inorganic. For those whose powers affected only living things, he counted as inorganic. The opposite was also true. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2012/04/03/cell-9-1/ Excerpt] from [[Sentinel 9.1]]</ref>

Weld can rearrange the metals that form his body, separate them into their composite elements, and push the impurities to the surface of his skin. This allows him to handle metallic objects with his hands and teeth, as normally he bonds to metals he touches on contact.<ref name="9.1e11"/> This assimilation effect is largely how he repairs damage to his body. He can also force parts of himself to melt and drop off, leaving a part of himself behind. This makes him distinctly uncomfortable until he replaces the tissue he's lost.  A further ability of his is to shift parts of his anatomy. He has been known to turn his arms into spears and hooks for combat. He is also able to shape his body to repair any damage he suffers.<ref name="14.5 e1"/><ref name="29.4"/> This shifting extends to his entire body, allowing him to tweak his appearance if he wants to look more imposing or wear a compatriot,<ref name="27.2"/> at one point even changing his apparent gender.<ref name="30.6" />

Lastly, his powers are subject to a highly-favorable [[Manton Effect]]: powers that only affect organic beings tend to not affect him,<ref name="19.1">Weld turned back to Noelle. His left hand changed to become a blade, and he used it to hack and slash his way through Noelle’s side. His other hand dug and scraped for purchase as he deliberately and intentionally submerged himself.<br>[...]<br>Grace and Tecton fell, and Weld dropped after them. He turned the blade of one hand into a scythe, then chopped a segment of Echidna’s foot free. With one motion of the scythe, he sent Tecton, Regent and some of the dogs skidding our way, sliding them on the vomit-slick floor like a hockey player might with a puck on ice.<br><br>Echidna deliberately dropped, belly-flopping onto Weld, Grace and the dismembered foot that had stepped on the sixth dog.<br><br>Miss Militia was already drawing together a rocket launcher. She fired a shot at the general location where Weld was. He forced his way free of the resulting wound a moment later, the dog tucked under one arm, Grace under the other.<br><br>Echidna swiped at him, but he hurled the others forward to safety a second before it connected. He was slammed into the wall, but he didn’t even reel from the blow. He made a dash for us. - [https://parahumans.wordpress.com/2013/02/19/scourge-19-1/ Excerpt] from [[Scourge 19.1]]</ref> and powers that only affect inorganic material also tend to not affect him.<ref name="9.1 e1"/> This allows him to resist being read by most powers that are organic-only or inorganic-only.<ref>“Weld’s a boy scout, Sveta.  He’s probably in my bottom ten people to go to if I want deception and acting ability.”<br><br>“I meant that his metal body resists being read by most powers that are organic-only or inorganics-only.”<br><br>“My point stands, though.” - [[Infrared 19.8]]</ref> That said, [[Bonesaw]]'s [[agnosia plague]] did seemingly affect him.<ref>Had they gone berserk?  Rage?<br><br>No.  I could sense others hiding.  In fact, it seemed to be the primary concern of the people in the miasma.  Hiding, staying out of trouble, putting distance between themselves and the others.  Even Legend was pulling his punches.  His lasers were nonlethal, as far as I could see.<br><br>Paranoia?<br><br>Weld, who I identified by his lack of a costume and the metal growths on his shoulders, was standing with his back to a wall.  His hands were blunt weapons, and he was swinging them through the air to threaten anyone who approached. - [[Prey 14.8]]</ref> He also is not immune to body control powers such as [[Khepri]].<ref name="30.6" /><!--Given his aberrant physiology it is possible that his mental processes were offloaded into his shard. Like others (alexandria) are. -->