Elijah Liev Ruslan was born on July 12, 1978 in St. Petersburg, Russia. He was raised by his mother and father there in Russia up until he was seven years old. He was always a smart child, picking things up far easier than his parents and even doctors had expected. His mother helped him out, using sign language to communicate with him before he learned to speak. When he did start talking, it came rather quickly, as well.
There was a baby sister, Svetlana, too. She came about when Eli was only five. He loved every inch of her, his little 'Babachka', or Butterfly. He naturally took the stance of the protective older brother. But he couldn't protect her from the horrible things that would come after her; nobody could, really.
There were many reasons that the Ruslan family decided to come to America. One of the reasons was because Elijah was an obvious genius, and they had every intent on putting the boy into special schooling; he'd already picked up a good working knowledge of English, thanks to his father, who had always wanted to go to America, and had spent his entire life working toward that dream. The other, however, was because Svetlana was the unfortunate sufferer of childhood leukemia. In 1985, the Ruslan family moved to New York City.
It was a struggle. Elijah did well enough in school, distracted as he was by his sister's suffering. He would do his homework by his sister's bedside, speak to her as she laid in the bed, hooked up to all of those machines. It was a painful time. When Eli was ten, and his sister was only five, she lost her battle with the disease.
Though it was difficult, Elijah continued his schooling, doing his best to move on from the little sister he lost. He was identified of having eidetic memory. While he doesn't have perfect memory, he can recall things in higher detail than most; when he put in the effort, he could practically memorize text books, a skill that came quite in handy in the academic field.
His home life was difficult. After his sister's death, Eli pulled away from the emotional aspect of life, instead preferring to rationalize what he saw. He eventually threw himself into his studies, excelling at Bay Ridge Preparatory School.
He eventually graduated in 1995, a year early, as a Salutatorian. With tuition, he quickly enrolled at Columbia University, with a mind to gain at least one degree, if not several, in the sciences. He was well aware that his brain was an extraordinary thing, and felt that he should apply it in the best ways that he could. Genetics was his major, with Microbiology and Immunology as a minor. He also dabbled here and there at Neuroscience and Biochemistry, but Genetics was his true love.
He got himself a place in the Bronx. Cheap, easy to maintain, and nobody bothered him if he didn't bother them. That was the way he liked it. He enjoyed living alone, having his place to himself. When he came home, he would study, then go to sleep. It was a happy existence for Eli, who felt best when improving his knowledge of the world. His eidetic memory came quite in handy, helping him to excel in his many classes. The tuition had paid for almost all of his education, so he maximized it.
Being alone didn't last long, however. He knew that he was sharing the same building as his cousin, though he didn't really see much of her until one day. His cousin, who he had only seen in passing while she was still pregnant, came to his door and begged him to help with her daughter. Normally, Elijah would have turned her away. Him, help with a baby? That was like asking a robot to care for your infant, as far as he was concerned. But then, he saw that beautiful little girl, and she reminded him of Svetlana, they looked so much alike. Reluctantly, the young college student agreed to assist his cousin.
And so Elijah would help with Bethany, watching her while her mother worked at first. He would study while he watched her, and in ways he used her as an aid, doing his best to explain his studies in ways that the little girl could understand. As she got older, her situation at home steadily declined, so she spent more time over at Eli's. He helped her with her school work, and she in turn helped him with his studies.
He knew that Bethany could never replace his little sister, but he loved her all the same. He called her his 'Malinki Koshka' or little cat. He taught her to speak Russian, and they used Eli's native tongue as a 'secret language' of sorts. And she was the only one who ever really got to see emotion coming from the young man.
He also knew that her situation at home was a bad one. He had seen the poor girl's bruises from her mother's boyfriend, and while he preferred to avoid getting involved with such a dangerous fellow, he also could not stand by and do nothing. Instead of getting into a particularly dangerous confrontation, Elijah passively offered Bethany a place to stay when it got too bad for her to handle.
Things changed in 2004. Elijah finished all of his schooling and his postdoctoral work in a lab, and gained his Ph.D. in Genetics, with a minor in Immunology. Many places were interested in employing him due to his sheer brilliance, but one place in particular interested him more than any. He became a geneticist for The Company shortly after he graduated.
Even more, things changed at home, as well. His new financial situation enabled him to 'upgrade' his living situation, starting with material objects, and working toward a much nicer place for him to live. Striving to succeed wasn't just for Elijah himself, however. It was also for Bethany, who had spent a large part of the past several years in his care, rather than her own mother's. Bethany begged him to take her in, to take over her care. She had been hinting at it for months, but after a particularly bad situation at her home, she showed him a bruise, and he made his choice.
First, he approached Koshka's mother when her boyfriend wasn't around, in one of the rare clear moments that she ever had. They spoke at length, and came to a mutual decision (after Elijah barraged her with the simple facts) that Elijah should be her legal guardian. And so, after a long and far too drawn out legal process, which involved far too many signatures and far too many explanations, Eli was awarded sole custody of Bethany, with her mother having visitation rights (which were sadly never used).
He did not shirk his duties, and instead of being the older brother that he was before, he did his best to become a father for Koshka. They moved, once the legal process was over, to a nicer home, and Elijah took on responsibility for Koshka's upbringing. He ensured that she would receive an education, and that she would grow up well.
The first year went well. Elijah was closer than ever to Koshka, and he slipped easily into the role of a parent, giving Koshka the loving home life that he felt the poor little girl deserved. He even taught her to speak Russian over the years, and at home, they would speak in Elijah's native tongue. After all, if she could learn Russian, she could probably learn other languages if she chose to. Vacation days were spent doting affection on the girl, taking her to parks and museums and amusement parks; while he was extremely busy with work, he always found time for her.
In fall of 2006, Elijah was placed on a team of researchers studying what would later be known as Suresh Linkage Complex. It was fortunate that his promotion came when it did, as he took a week of vacation time to bring Koshka out to a cabin in the Catskills, far removed from the rest of the world, to celebrate his promotion. Despite his inclinations toward the academic side of life, he also enjoyed the outdoors (so long as he could sleep in a bed, of course), and tried to pass that love on to Koshka.
It wasn't until they returned that they discovered what had happened. New York was still in chaos after the bomb had struck on the Eighth of November, and confusion was abound. Koshka wanted to go and help people, but Elijah would have none of it, much to the girl's chagrin. It wasn't safe out there. It was safe in their apartment, which had thankfully gone untouched by the bomb and its fallout. There were arguments, and they weighed hard on Eli, but he was supposed to be a father before a friend.
When the news of Evolved existing came into the public's eye, Elijah was rather unsurprised; after all, he worked for the Company, and he was studying the genetics of the Evolved. His intricate knowledge of their inner workings, in fact, gave him a rather neutral outlook on them; to him, they are no different than him.
In 2008, the discovery of SLC was announced, with Elijah being one of the team members who had helped to find it. Sure, he recieved a rather pleasant bonus as a result, but it always was a little irksome that Suresh got all of the credit for the discovery. It was a sore spot, but one that Elijah bore quietly, always the quiet type to not give voice to his opinions unless directly asked. When the test kits came out, he discreetly gave Koshka and himself a test; he came out negative to SLC, while Koshka was positive.
In 2009, Primatech Bronx, Elijah's workplace, was destroyed by the Locos. Elijah was fortunately off on another excursion, this time to his mother's. Stunned to find that his place of work had been destroyed, Elijah quietly accepted a transfer to Chicago, bringing Koshka with him. It was the only way, he told her, to keep aloft and continue to live their lifestyle.
Chicago is when things began to fall apart. Sure, work was going well, but there were things that were brewing that Elijah's brilliant mind could see below the surface, but couldn't quite make out. Mutiny was on the face of many as 2010 rolled around.
In June of 2010, Elijah found out why. A new face approached him, and gave him a job offer far better than what the Company was offering. He would be working for the Commonwealth Institute if he would accept. He would be continuing his work, studying the neurotoxins that negate abilities and how they react to SLC, just as he was with the Company. But, he would be paid much better, and he would have better funding and equipment for his work.
Unable to see a logical reason not to, Elijah took the job. It was early fall when he did this, and he was to begin in New York once more in September, and give no word as to his future plans.
