| rdfs:comment | - Zachary Hale Comstock was formerly known as Booker DeWitt, but after the events of Wounded Knee, Booker attended a baptism conducted by Preacher Witting to ease his horrific memories and wash away his sins at Wounded Knee. He emerged a new man, named Zachary Hale Comstock. After the baptism, Comstock became a farmer and small-time preacher. At some point, he claimed to have been visited by the archangel Columbia, who showed him a vision of a city in the sky. Zachary said he was told it was his duty to build and uphold the values of this city. Comstock convinced the U.S. Congress, to build the city, named after Columbia, to uphold Christian and American values and share them with the world.
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| abstract | - Zachary Hale Comstock was formerly known as Booker DeWitt, but after the events of Wounded Knee, Booker attended a baptism conducted by Preacher Witting to ease his horrific memories and wash away his sins at Wounded Knee. He emerged a new man, named Zachary Hale Comstock. After the baptism, Comstock became a farmer and small-time preacher. At some point, he claimed to have been visited by the archangel Columbia, who showed him a vision of a city in the sky. Zachary said he was told it was his duty to build and uphold the values of this city. Comstock convinced the U.S. Congress, to build the city, named after Columbia, to uphold Christian and American values and share them with the world. The Congress agreed to fund the city, believing it could be a showcase of American exceptionalism. Zachary was later introduced to Rosalind Lutece, a respected quantum-physicist, who was able to indefinitely suspend an atom in midair — her colleagues referred to the process as "quantum levitation," while Rosalind herself dubbed it the "Lutece Field". The two worked hand in hand and created Columbia within the year 1892. The city travelled around the world to showcase American ideals and glory. Comstock — through a faction known as the Founders — became Columbia's leader. He started a new religion expounding some Christian and American values, but which also contained elements of racism, elitism, xenophobia and Laissez-faire business practices. Segregation was prominent in Columbia, and other religions were persecuted. Upon further experimentation with the Lutece Field, Rosalind discovered that the quantum atom she was observing was also being observed from another dimension. It turned out to be a male version of herself, Robert Lutece, and she communicated with him via Morse Code. Rosalind Lutece then created the the Trans-Dimensional Machine, a machine able to open passages, called 'Tears', across dimensions. With the creation of the machine, Comstock used it to enhance his status as a "Prophet." Unfortunately, mass exposure of the machine caused Comstock to age rapidly and his genetic traits to dissipate, rendering him sterile. Viewing another Tear, he discovered that if he did not have an heir, Columbia would fall. Because he could not have a child with his current wife, Lady Comstock, Rosalind proposed that they could recover a child of his from another dimension, and it would be technically the same. Comstock agreed. With the assistance of Robert, the three discovered Comstock's alternate self in Robert's universe had remained Booker DeWitt after not taking the baptism, and later had a child. Seeing that Booker was in debt, Comstock sent Robert to Booker to trade his daughter, Anna DeWitt, in exchange for clearing that debt. Booker agreed and handed Anna to Robert. Booker immediately regretted his decision and went after her. As Robert, Comstock and Anna were passing back through the Tear to Columbia, Booker attempted to retrieve Anna but failed, severing part of her finger as the Tear closed around it. Comstock brought Anna into Columbia and renamed her Elizabeth Comstock. He referred to Elizabeth as his "seed" that would one day take the throne of Columbia. Upon viewing another Tear, he saw Elizabeth was destined to destroy the surface world when she became ruler. In order to compensate for the sudden presence of Elizabeth, Comstock said that his wife was only pregnant for seven days to give birth to the "Miracle Child". While Lady Comstock initially abided by this claim, she eventually realized that Elizabeth was not her child.
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