Keeper of Infinite Earths - Justice Avengers
Cobalt
Alter Ego: Lisa Wells
Occupation: Research Scientist
Known Relatives: Davy Wells, brother
Group Affiliation: The New Justice Avengers
Base of Operations: Chicago
Background/History:
Lisa was a prodigy in science, especially robotics. She was a perfectly normal
teen aged girl except that she spent weekends studying at M.I.T. and various
colleges. When she had her Masters, she went into independent research working
to make a bio-mechanical linking system to allow mechanical devices to be
controlled by human thoughts, especially in the area of artificial limbs. Her
petitions for federal grants brought her to the attention of Gen. Clairbourn,
who was in charge of an armored power suit project. She could work with them on
fixing their control problems and perfect her designs at the same time. After
months of failure, she volunteered to wear the suit herself. They had used a
simple test, the Egg Test, to determine a test subjects potential. If you could
pick up an egg without breaking it, you were in. None of the soldiers had done
it and they claimed it was impossible to maintain that level of control. Lisa
did it, so they modified the prototype to fit her and she began field testing
the suit. The Military contacted the retired hero Star and asked him to help
test the suit in combat simulations. He did and helped Lisa immensely with his
years of experience. The tests had gone so well that the General arranged an
exhibition for the Senate Appropriations Committee. Unfortunately, a fanatical
pacifist had worked his way on to one of the Senator’s staff and seeing the
suit as a horrible weapon, sabotaged the equipment. He caused a power surge that
shot through the computers into the delicate circuitry of the helmet and Lisa’s
brain. When she regained consciousness, the act of sabotage had caused a greater
link between her and the suit than she had ever thought possible. The problem
was it only worked for her and no one else. The General was livid as attempts to
duplicate the accident failed and the research was ordered stopped. He continued
in secret and caused four volunteers to die or become brain damaged. Then, he
decided that it must have been something genetic about Lisa that made it work
for her, so he kidnapped her younger brother and was going to test the apparatus
on him. One of the lab assistants realized that the General was way over the
line and confessed to Star and the newly code-named Cobalt what was going on.
Together, they rescued her brother and made sure that the General was brought to
justice. Bored with retirement and the realization that he no longer seemed to
age, Star proposed that the government sponsor a new team of heroes, not as a
military operation, more like a public service organization. The team would be
built around Star with Cobalt as his first recruit in the new Justice Avengers.
Personality/Motivation:
Lisa had always been smart, but was careful not to showoff or be arrogant about
it. She always intended to use her intellect to help people. She splits her time
with the JA continuing her research to make her technology available to those
who need it.
Quote: "Warm heart, but these cold steel hands pack quite a punch..."