Origin
He was recruited by Tobias Messenger for his mutant team the Promise. Ernest seemed to act as Tobias’ intelligence man when it comes to feeding information to Tobias when needed.
X-Men: The Hidden Years
When the X-Men were still fairly new in the world Tobias and the rest of the Promise decided to try and take the newest members of the X-Men, Lorna Dane and Alex Summers unwillingly into their group. Since Lorna and Alex had the least connection to Charles Xavier and his beliefs and perceptions of mutants Tobias felt they’d come around to their cause more easily. Lucy Robinson talked Tobias into also taking Warren Worthington III as well. Through the use of “teaching circuits” Tobias had hoped the new recruits would wake up with an understanding of his cause and join willingly after that.
However Lucy was able to rig her and Angel’s suspended animation cylinder causing them to awaken in a much shorter time. She wanted out of the Promise because she believed Tobias has become obsessed with his dream and that he doesn’t care who’s lives he ruins in obtaining his goal. Lucy herself abandoned her family for Tobias’s crusade to save the world.
Eventually Lucy was able to wake up Lorna along with the rest the Promise but suspiciously Tobias wasn’t able to awaken even though his vitals were normal. It’s suggested that Lucy had something to do with it. Ernest and the remaining members of Promise decided it best to remain awake and help mutants now before a war that may or may not even happen.