Gage Hartline is a freelance agent.
He has not always been a for-hire operative but then again, he has not always been Gage Hartline.
Born Matthew Schoenfeld, he was a man who very much enjoyed a challenge and always came out on top when he found one. He enlisted in the military as a young man and excelled from the beginning. "He'd aced nearly everything he was ever tasked with, making sergeant in only two short years." When required attendence at a Special Forces seminar gave him a chance to see how difficult an undertaking that would be, he knew right away he was in.
Wanting in and getting in are always two different things and the obstacles the trainers threw at everyone was fantastic but Schoenfeld refused to give up, ending the rigorous training at the top of his class, broken foot and all. Being as good as he was got him noticed by a Colonel in charge of an ultra-secret branch, created to do the jobs that Delta, being watched all the time, could not be seen doing.
It was so secret that Schoenfeld, who had no family, ceased to exist and Gage Hartline came into being.
His training continued with language school to learn Russian and German followed by more instruction into all the things an undercover operative, needing to work often behind enemy lines, should know. He learned very well. And his record in the field was impressive to say the least.
Then came the debacle at Crete and the end of his career and the start of the headaches.
The migraines were horrendous. The nightmares even worse. Stopping cigarettes and booze helped some. So did sunglasses, often even at night. The work that he took kept him busy but after Crete, his willingness to do wet work limited his opportunities.
As the series progresses, his world will get worse and then better but always interesting. And always challenging. Just the way he still liked it.