charactersfrankparker

    A former Navy SEAL and CIA black ops operative, Frank Parker is an unlikely hero. With an extensive background in "black ops" all over the globe, Parker was captured while on assignment in Somalia and tortured by "technicals" -- locked in a metal box in the hot sun for a week with no food or water. When he was recovered, he didn't even know his own name. That breakdown landed him in a CIA mental institution on Hansen Island, where the Back Step team soon found him.
     Parker has apparently had setbacks in his personal life. We've learned that he was raised in an orphanage while growing up. Parker's need for action and the resulting stint on Hansen Island spelled the end of his marriage to Patricia, who has since remarried to a guy named Mike Clary. Frank and Patricia have a son, Jimmy.
     During Parker's initial evaluation by the team, Nathan Ramsey pointed out that he was a drunk, a gambler and had had problems with authority all his life. His unpredictability and a caustic sense of humor weren't pluses either. Depsite those marks against him, Parker beat out the other candidates. His high pain threshold and a photographic memory were qualities the team felt would serve him well. Donovan -- a Navy buddy and now fellow team member -- persuaded the team that Parker was their best choice, saying "When the whip comes down, Parker's gonna be there for you."
     While on assignment, Parker is referred to as "Conundrum", serial number 923880305. He does not appreciate the confinement to base the project require (though it has to be better than Hansen Island) and enjoys playing pranks on his "chaperones" on the rare occasions he is allowed to leave.
     From their first meeting, Frank has been attracted to beautiful and intelligent Olga Vukavitch, another team member. Because of Frank's overt flirtacious manner, and of course the backstepping, he development of their relationship has suffered a number of setbacks.