【CANON STORY DISCLAIMER】
This AU involving AT0M does not go by the direct canon timeline of My Hero Academia. Here is a small list of the changes I have made to the story:
U.A. High School is a university. All the canon students are between 18-25 years old.
The canon story is much slower to progress in this AU, or some things have progressed at different speeds.
Pronouns: He/They
Age: 30
Height: 5'2"/158cm
Quirk: Malware
Quirk Type: Mutant (Transformative)
Looking at AT0M at first glance, you would never expect them to be a convicted felon who had their hand in countless cybercrimes and assassination attacks. They are calm, reclusive, and disarming, willing to chat about anything that catches their interest.
Due to their current situation, AT0M attempts to keep a low profile now that they work under their handler, Eraserhead. Despite this, AT0M is like a magnet for danger, always finding themselves in questionable scenarios.
Tenacious
Open-minded
Creative
Stubborn
Critical Thinking
Cautious
Anti-Authoritarian
Overthinking
Listless
Calming down from their younger years of criminal activity and constant quirk overuse, current day AT0M's goal is trying to go about their life in a more responsible way. Either be from their quirk's repercussions or the simple fact that they are close to hitting 30, AT0M is a lot more exhausted then they used to be. They are tired of working alone and no longer want to feel like they are holding the world up on their own, understanding that is impossible to achieve. After getting captured by Eraserhead several times, they decided to hear him out and it changed their life for the better.
AT0M is a natural at many things as long as it's not including physical activity. They work hard at the things they are good at, happily honing their skills and always wanting to push themselves further. Although working this hard often leaves them in poor health, they forget to fulfil basic needs like eating or drinking and usually need reminding. Overuse on their quirk, Malware, also has damaged many parts of their body, making them prone to overthink or underthink— or simply leaves them in a confused daze.
Despite this, the criminal years they been through still has AT0M wary and hateful to societies current systems of power, especially those in Japan. They refuse to call themself a hero and are rather anarchist at their core, but they have disgust for the current ways of villians as well and seek better systems overall.
"The power to go into or maniplulate any active tech by a simple touch. They can travel between corded networks, and can fully utilize the potiental of any tech as long as it has the coding!"
Malware is a very powerful quirk that allows AT0M the ability to completely manipulate technology and travel through connected technology by touch, as long as the device or system is powered on. Not only are they able to use the tech just by a touch, once they are inside it, they can use any system that has been coded into that particular device to do what they like. Since they are well practiced, most firewalls and system defenses are useless against them and they know how to not leave any traces.
AT0M can be halted by powerful defenses, but since Malware allows AT0M complete control of the system once they are inside, they can break through if they have time and energy. AT0M can also use tech by just touching from the outside, but they can only use the system to its basic functions and are limited by system protections unless they enter it.
AT0M has limitations of how many times they can enter and exit technology consecutively due to past quirk overuse, making it more transformative in nature. Once they are in the device, they are fine and suffer no consequences from the time they spend in there. But the act of shifting their body from particles and back to human recklessly, vice versa, has damaged them over time.
Quirk overuse can make AT0M feel a variety of different symptoms such as: delusions, chronic fatigue, migraines, excessive nosebleeds, numbness in their limbs (especially hands), dazed, slow to respond, incoherent, or passing out completely.
Extremely adaptable and flexible quirk that allows powerful recon and support. There is also opportunities for offense if the device used is something like a drone or robot.
Since it a mutant type quirk, it cannot be fully deactivated by quirks such as Erasure.
Stealth and infiltration are key since they can travel through power grids and connected power circuits.
AT0M is very good at hiding themself in a device and makes it incredibly difficult or even impossible to find them.
They cannot go into any technology that is not powered on in some way. The quirk is limited through functioning electrical circuits.
If a device is destroyed or turned off while they are in it, they are automatically shoved out of the technology. It is extremely disorienting, leaves them dazed for a period of time, and can sometimes be painful.
Since they are limited to what touches their skin, a place with no devices or tech leaves them powerless.
They can only use what has been programmed into the code of a device. (e.g. They cannot go into a toaster and call somebody.)
【SYSTEM OVERLOAD】— AT0M can willfully overload the device with information and make it unable to be used. They can do this just through touching where they would put so many inputs that the device crashes and has to refresh. Or AT0M can go inside the device and add so much bloat information that it stops working all together and would need a system refresh.
【COPY PASTE】— Although this ability has weakened due to quirk overuse, when AT0M is in good health they can go into a device and 'copy' all the information they are interested in without having to remember it, then can take that information and 'paste' it somewhere else.
【CIRCUIT】— Because their quirk is a mutant type, AT0M can use their skin to be a circuit. (e.g. If they were holding a portable generator that was turned on, they could transfer that energy to another device by touching it with their other hand. Both devices must be on since AT0M does not generate electricity.)
[REDACTED]
AT0M came to Japan three years ago on their own to hunt down corrupt heros. Nothing is known about them and because of their quirk, Malware, they do not have any issues in security.
After accidently having their face seen by Endeavor while they were snooping in Endeavor's office, they had a target on them ever since. Although, due to Malware, they always are removing the evidence that they exist in any databases.
More run-ins with Endeavor, Hawks, and Eraserhead later, they decided to run a private mission to capture AT0M. AT0M was forced to lay low after injuries from Endeavor, but it didn't stop them for long.
AT0M was caught by Eraserhead many times, only to repeatedly escape from holding cells. Eraserhead used this time to ask them why they did this because they seemed so ill from quirk overuse. He also tried to convince AT0M to stop, but they wouldn't listen.
It wasn't until Eraserhead caught them the eighth time that AT0M, injured on a dock, finally listened to him and they spoke all night.
Since they were exhausted and could barely walk from quirk overuse, AT0M stayed in their holding cell for a week to recover, not without extreme supervision.
Eraserhead came to visit AT0M to offer them a deal— because their quirk is so useful, AT0M could work under him, making Eraserhead their handler. Eraserhead can offer them company, safety, and training and AT0M can do recon for them.
Eventually, AT0M came to accept this offer.
Laying low as much as possible, AT0M tries to quietly work as an underground hero under Eraserhead's command as part of a deal they made.
AT0M has their own apartment close to where Aizawa and Shinsou live. Since Aizawa is their handler, AT0M generally doesn't go out much other then for work since they must state anything they do to Aizawa or Shinsou— but AT0M doesn't mind. Aizawa often brings AT0M to U.A. for their training sessions or to co-teach along side him. AT0M's skills and university they claimed to have done brings a lot to the table, they are also patient when Aizawa is not.
AT0M has infiltrated the League of Villain's base once or twice for recon and caught suspicion of them, but there is no active hunt to recruit or take them down.
Warm blankets
Research
Solving puzzles
Creative hobbies
Video games
Winter
Being called labels like hero or villain
Power outages
Loud atmospheres or being loud
Bitter foods
AT0M's circuitry tattoos glow in sections where they are using their quirk— or they glow all over when experiencing strong emotion
They cannot get the hang of fighting unless they are in a bot
AT0M has incredibly good luck and good instincts despite all the trouble they get into
Attracts danger like a magnet
Very good at escaping and quick strategy
They are always tired and can manage to fall asleep anywhere
Has a scar on their nose from using their goggles
