Chapter Two: The Night of the Comet
June 13th, 2003
On the summer night Lewis was born [reborn], they say a vibrant, mysterious comet streaked across the late night sky, before vanishing without a trace.
No one knew where it came from. Even to NASA computer systems and databases, it was a new one. And one that vanished just as soon as suddenly as it appeared. No one was able to find proof after its brief appearance and vanishing act, but its effects were felt by those more intuitively inclined.
For the briefest moments of its presence, all telepaths across the planet felt a great leap of mental acuity and power increase, like a mustang supercharged. Telepaths like Emma Frost and Charles Xavier had their powers briefly amped. It was, admittedly, only a temporary occurrence, with their telepathic might reverting back to their base levels respectively a few minutes later.
From Cerebero, Charles Xavier noticed a new coloured mutant baby, one born with the arrival and disappearance of the comet. Instead of white or blue, the baby glowed gold, with a faint red outline, same as the comet. Charles knew the baby was a mutant, but something told him that he was also something else. In the end, he decided he would keep an eye on the baby through the years. Charles was never able to read the boy's mind, which, for Charles, was a first, but his presence was marked by Cerebro nonetheless — For observation, Charles would remind himself.
Beings as powerful as the Sorcerer Supreme (aka The Ancient One) turned skyward at the arrival of the comet, from her position at Kamar-Taj, intrigued by the way such a high concentration of cosmic-psionic energy caused the flow of magic to flutter in its presence. She recognized the comet's cosmic energy as something from outside the known universe, mentally considering if its appearance were heralding something she had overlooked, or worse: Something beyond the known cosmic powers of the multiverse itself.
From his place on the Blue Area of the Moon, Apocalypse stirred in his sleep, eyes tracking the trajectory of the comet before vanishing. The Monarch of Mutants, nodding to himself with a smile on his face, as if his self-held philosophy on life had just been confirmed. Then, the nigh-Omega level mutant returned to his hibernation in his technologically advanced regenerative chamber, already, on some form of consciousness, plotting his return to harass the homo-sapien species.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s systems picked up on the phenomena, their sensors lighting up across multiple surveillance satellites as the unidentified energy signature briefly lit the upper atmosphere like a flare in the night. The readings were erratic, oscillating between electromagnetic, psionic, and cosmic spectrums — something that shouldn't have been possible according to any known models.
Within minutes, S.W.O.R.D. intercepted the data and locked onto the comet's trajectory. The space security team managed to get a few clear shots of the object from orbit — a shimmering streak of light that seemed to phase in and out of visible reality. Agents monitoring from the Helicarrier and the Peak station exchanged baffled reports, each reading more contradictory than the last.
Stark Enterprises got more data on the cosmic event than even they. The enigma that was such cosmic-psionic energy with reading levels so high, they shouldn't exist. The anomaly left behind a residual trail of exotic particles that neither agency could identify — something between quantum radiation and astral residue. It was as if the comet existed halfway between physical and metaphysical planes, defying all known science. This enigma would bug Tony Stark's mind for weeks.
Heimdall, from Asgard, had his gaze on Earth's atmosphere from the golden city of Asgard for the price of a second, gaze tracking the foreign cosmic trail. Squinting, the Guardian of the Bifrost contemplated the significance of that strange celestial event. Ever vigilant, the Watchman of Asgard decided he would remember to bring up to the All-Father next time he saw the King of Asgard.
Back On Earth, 12 Years Later
Lewis Blake was a special child.
That's what everyone said.
Everyone sang praises of his genius-level intellect, which had allowed him to finish high school at the age of 13, achieving valedictorian status. By 14, Lewis was already taking college-level classes at institutions such as Harvard, MIT, and Caltech, obtaining degrees in Astrophysics, Technologies, Engineering, Mathematics, and Thermodynamics. By 17 years old, Lewis had gotten PhDs in all these fields and was already passively looking for more fields to conquer.
'Adam Blake was the epitome of human evolution,' Lewis thought passively one night after his 17th birthday. ' 'The Man Born 100,000 Years Ahead of His Time,' they called him. His intellect dwarfed even the likes of geniuses like Barry Allen, Bruce Wayne and Lex Luthor.
'In this verse, the only person who's even a spark my match is Reed Richards — But that's only intellectually. And temporary. Soon, my mental prowess will surpass him, too.'
Lewis Blake grew up to two doctors as parents — His mother, Kira Blake, was a therapeutic psychologist. His father, James Blake, was a dentist. They were both loving and nurturing, and quite well off enough to pay for Lewis's education. And they did so with pride in their eyes as they watched Lewis achieve such academic prowess at such a young age.
When Lewis wasn't studying or doing research, he was testing himself physically.
He made sure to keep a low profile, purchasing a lone abandoned warehouse with money he'd taken from run-ins with different crimelords. Hammerhead. Tombstone. And, his favorite face to bash, Kingpin. Money that he had "cleaned," of course, were funnelled for him, through his run-ins with these thug lords.
At first, he didn't purchase the warehouse. It was abandoned and no one cared about it. And its heavy machinery were perfect dummies to test his telekinesis on and punch to his fists' content as he embrace the comet's gifts.
He was 14 when he learned to use his telekinesis to fly. He coated himself with a telekinetic field that protected him from fall damage and even bullets. By 15, he could teleport and use telepathy. By 16, he could absorb and release different kinds of energies, like heat, electricity, and basically any viable form of energy. What he eventually learned, however, was that he was exceptionally efficient at absorbing and converting cosmic energy and psionic energy — The energies of mind and matter.
His power grew day by day, increasing with every passing day. He calculated that his psionic abilities alone would reach planetary scale by the time he turns 19. By 23, he'll likely possess galactic-level in terms of base power and, by 27, he was certain he'd be an intergalactic-level being. And this was all without him activating his Sentry side and just utilizing his abilities the same way Adam had in DC Comics.
But Lewis was not Adam. Lewis had plans on using his comet's mutation abilities in ways Adam never had. He knew Adam Blake could have been a universal-level threat, but the guy lacked the imagination to properly utilize his powers in such a way, whereas Lewis had the imagination and the willpower to go the extra mile.
He was also sure the other abilities Adam Blake possessed(Universal teleportation, advanced matter manipulation, clairvoyance, Postcognition, etc.) would manifest within that timeframe, too, give or take a year or two. Until they did, Lewis wait on his plans of conquest. He'd rather have the ability to foresee how his actions affect the timeline before he began his way down the path of no return.
He discovered that his body passively absorbs both naturally from the areas and environments around him, thanks to the comet he absorbed after his birth. It allowed him other gifts, such as exceptionally long periods without need for food, super-strength, super-speed, and a whole host of other abilities that he was still learning to control and master.
He was basically Adam Blake reincarnate, and, considering his last name was the same as the space-faring hero who shared the same literal superpowers he now possesses, he figured his designated R.O.B. had a certain sense of humour.
By the age of 15, Lewis was a true faceless but well-known vigilante, fighting crime at night in the streets of New York, specifically, the Bronx. That was his desired area of influence. It was a hotspot of gang violence and criminal activity — Perfect for a practice zone and influence garnering.
It also helped that the warehouse he practiced in was directly within its confines.
[Costume & Gear Image:]
They called him the "Redline," because his "fire" was always red, it seemed, from afar. Or, maybe, it was because he took lives ruthlessly when garnered. Honestly, Lewis couldn't care less what they called him; he was just glad he had bastards to beat.
He made sure not to kill crimelords. They were his source of influence. He wanted them to be criminals, that he could fight them. To Lewis, it was a game that more times than not gave him a certain thrill. He didn't pull his punches too much against the more durable ones. He always left bruises and gashes and 'piercings' in places that had not been before his victims —- Sorry, erm, the criminals — encountered him.
Still, over the years, he grew a reputation of being a ruthless vigilante nonetheless.
He didn't kill unless necessary. He used a bow and arrow, a ninja's sword, daggers, and acrobatic movements and brutal however ruthless efficiency to carve his way into the fearful hearts of criminals by night. And he visited Kingpin quite a lot, too, bullying the wealth behemoth repeatedly into kindly sharing his wealth.
By 17, Lewis had purchased entire districts' worth of warehouses along the Bronx, using the money the local cartels and drug lords as well as Kingpin, who had so graciously bequeathed unto Lewis, as his Redline persona. And because of some nice, kindly confronting Redline, he even got guards, full-time protecting them, free of charge — for Lewis, anyway.
And the best part? No one even knew Lewis was Redline. They just thought Redline was promoting the local job economy.
By 18, Lewis had used his super intellect to create high-speed computers and processing units from scraps. He even began an underground research lab on green research and plant growth. He had 2 warehouses, each one in both fields, with underground scientists and body bags that Lewis had telepathically bound to himself, downloading his own knowledge on their psyche, and using them to further his findings and research.
It's ok, though. They were only thugs. Now they're contributing to Lewis's success. Being productive members of society… Or, at least, Lewis' place in it, anyways.
Lewis even created a version of the Cerebral Inhibitor device used in The Flash TV show. The difference was, however, that he designed it to be adapted purely to his psychic signature and evolved physiology. He made it using scraps and his geniusness.
It was still a work in progress, though. It worked but it barely provided continental-level boosts to his mind's already astronomical reach. He reckons he won't have it at planetary at least until he was 19, by his estimate.
It was in his more private warehouse, where he kept a few more technological ideas and projects, including his own personal A.I. assistant, futuristic arms projects, and energy field–type projects.
It was the day of his 18th birthday, though, that he decided to activate his Sentry power, which had before been dormant. He had wanted to get a degree of control over his powers, before he decided to activate his abilities.
Now, though, he was about to be elevated exponentially, in so many ways. Its condition was that he had to be exposed to a high degree of solar or cosmic radiation outside of the comet that gave him Adam Blake's powers. And, with his invitation to join