Mort Atwood

> "Don't give me that look! It wasn't me."
>
> Mort Atwood

**Mort Atwood**, also known as **Hephaestus**, was the fifth of the seven children in Street Rats to be born. He has the blue aesthetic and falls into the social outcast / rebel role of the group.

## Biography

### Early Life

#### Childhood

Moriarty Atwood Senior was a worker at Hemingway Power Plant and had worked there for several years before meeting his wife, Lillian. They dated for a couple years before getting married and soon after Lillian became pregnant. Moriarty Atwood Junior was born on December 22nd, 3 days before the meltdown at the nuclear plant.

Moriarty's guilt consumed him over the situation, especially with the cover up. Thankfully no one was injured but just the knowledge that someone could've been consumed him and eventually he abandoned his wife and son.

Mort was only around 3 years old at this point and had no idea what on earth was going on, his mother was overwhelmed by depression which ended up with their home been taken back by the bank two years later and they had to move in with his grandparents.

#### Teenage Years

As they got older Mort started to rebel more, deliberately getting himself into more trouble, hoping at least one time it would get them attention from his mother but with no success. Even when he got into an accident that ended up with him permanently injuring himself to the point were he needed to use a cane to walk. Nothing.

It all came to a head just after their 18th birthday, while in an argument with his mother somehow his cane turned into armour that wrapped around him as if it was trying to protect him from her words. Well that was it for Lillian she kicked him out the house with nothing more than a bag with some clothes, money and blankets.

Since then Mort had to squat in abandoned buildings around the town, trying to figure out what happened that day and how they were going to get themselves out of this situation.

## Personality

Mort Atwood is very moody, cynical and sarcastic with a dark sense of humour, due to them acting out from a young age he learnt to keep most of his personality hidden. When they are around friends or those who care about him Mort is more goofy, lighthearted and tends to be more silly overall.

## Powers and Abilities

### Powers

* **Matter Manipulation:** Mort can shape and manipulate matter, i.e. anything in the universe that has substance and mass/physical form.
	+ **Matter Transmutation:** Mort can transmute matter into different forms. They are able to create and absorb matter and energy, shape, and rebuild it into anything of their choosing. Currently this works best on organic materials not synthetic.

### Abilities

* **Lock Picking:** Due to Mort running away before, they quickly picked up the art of lock picking. Over the years he's mastered the skill and can pick most locks now.

#### Weaknesses

* **Knee Injury:** Mort had a run in with Quinn's boyfriend Lachlan, who dropped a weight on their knee crushing it and resulting in him requiring a cane to walk.

## Equipment

* **Cane:** Mort walks with a blue cane due to his injured knee.

## Relationships

### Family

* Moriarty Atwood Senior - Father
* Lillian Atwood - Mother
* Unnamed Grandma
* Unnamed Grandpa

### The Street Rats

* Dorian Harper - Megahertz
* Lucy Wilson - Bluebird
* Quinn St. Claire - Tempest
* Rydell Ryska Ananova - Techne
* Marnie Fitzgerald - Riptide
* Charlotte "Charlie" Knight - Knightlight

### Enemies

* Vague Yet Menacing Government Agency
* Lachlan Parker - Quinn's Boyfriend