Troy Stark is an agent with El Grupo.
That's the nickname those in the small organization he currently works for call it. The official name is the European Rapid Response Investigation Union, or ERRIU. As that certainly did not roll off anyone's tongue easily, it was better known as "El Grupo Especial" and then shortened even more. It was a part of the larger Europol.
Stark came to that department by way of a special request for an American liaison with NYPD's counter-terror group where Stark was a temporary member - details of which are recounted in the first recorded adventure.
The youngest of 4 brothers, he is also the shortest though at 6'2" it is hard to call him anything but tall. He joined the U.S. Navy right out of high school already earmarked for SEAL trials. He passed those rigorous tests and became a SEAL at 19 years old.
"Two tours in Afghanistan. More training. A couple of classified deployments with Joint Special Operations Command. Further training. Then things got a little squirrelly. He was on loan to the CIA for a while, bouncing back and forth between there and the SEALs. Then he went on loan to another agency, if you could call it that, a black budget line item that didn't even have a name. In the Pentagon, they called the group 'The Metal Shop'. Or often, just 'The Shop'.
"Troy had been in war zones and under deep cover in a lot of places, for a long time. He was 32 years old. Now he was on his way out, staring down the barrel of a general discharge. That was not ideal, but he was coming to terms with it. People who liked him had pulled strings to get him that. It was better than an OTH by a lot, and a hundred miles better than a bad conduct discharge."
Little-by-little through the adventures we learn more of the bad situation that Stark faced and how he dealt with it that led to his being let go from his chosen career.
It was while home from the trouble that brought about his release from the service that he would help out in fighting terrorists in an attack in New York City and that would lead to his time with El Grupo.
Playing a major role in his new career, and in his life although both might smirk at that, is his new partner in the organization. A woman named Mariem Dubois, described as "small, trim, petite", she was a light-skinned black woman, with braided hair tight to her scalp". Her friends call her Mari, Stark steadfastly calls her 'Dubois'.
Good Lines:
- When asked about his occupation and who he worked for, Troy Stark responded, "I turn up places and people are surprised to see me".