7:50 am Saint Lucia, Some local restaurant

-Commander-

We arrived at a fancy restaurant and I entered it with a smirk on my face, shaking my head slightly and thinking to myself - money does open doors. How many self-important pretentious pricks failed to get a dinner reservation here, and me, I was standing here in this empty grand hall with just a single table for two. Yeah, someone's idea of a joke is going a tad too far...

The only grander thing at this point was an impressive amount of gorillas assembled in this hall.

Is this a royal precession? Where I can find a monkey king around here? Perhaps my guest's name is Jane and I'm being cast for the role of Tarzan. Movies huh, I always wanted to be a movie star I thought to myself.

Amused? Intrigued? Maybe I was at first by this little game of hers, but my mood went straight out through the window when I took in the measure of men that were surrounding us in this hall.

These were no pups or your casual bodyguards these were battle-hardened operators, you could see it in their scared, hardened faces even without trying.

You don't use men like these to protect, you use men like these to kill. I decided to confront my mysterious guest as soon as we sat at the table, but even with all of my dark past, there was no way in hell that I could have guessed what I'm getting myself involved in.

Commander - So, speak woman, what the fuck is going on.

Unknown woman - How rude, what about our date? I tried so hard, but it looks like even after all my hard work and effort - you're still just a damn brute.

Commander - Cut the crap. I'm done with your games. It's not funny anymore.

The stranger obliged, she glanced at one of the bodyguards, he approached the table and handed her a case file. There was a slight pause followed by unease and uncertainty before she dropped the case file towards the commander and started to talk.

Unknown woman - Suit yourself. My name is Lilian Frost and you Drake, you are no fun at all.

These words were delivered in a cold voice tone and she continued similarly.

Captain Drake Allard, real identity unknown, age unknown, no personal info available, but what we do have, is the supposed date when you join French Legion. That, and some records during your time there.

Your rise in ranks was the most unprecedented development in the history of the legion. You served in the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment under General Nicolas Foster and rose to the rank of Major in only 5 years, another few and you attained the rank of Lieutenant-Colonel.

Nothing about this makes sense, you don't make any sense.

Demoted twice, first - for lack of respect to a superior officer and the second - for insubordination and hitting a superior officer. Normally you should have been court-marshaled, but with the interference of General Nicolas Foster, you got away only with a demotion.

After that incident, you Quit the French legion and got recruited into the CIA as a Black ops operative. After four years of service, you suddenly disappeared, and General Nicolas made sure that no one would bother you. He was a well-known, influential, and respected man but you Mr. Allard - are a ghost.

The majority of your mission reports are destroyed and the few ones that are left are redacted beyond recognition, if not for Nicolas - we wouldn't even know that you exist.

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We went through a lot of trouble to acquire these bits of limited intel, and even more, trying to locate you.

Mr. Allard, it would be quite an understatement to say that - you are a hard man to find.

Drake - Old man huh... Well, that explains a lot.

Drake- He always knew my taste in women, geez you geezer, you, and your shitty jokes, it's time to grow up already.

Suddenly Drake was smiling, all the hostility that he was emitting towards Lilian subsided.

So, what do you want from me? Just so you know, whatever you're selling - I'm not buying, so you can skip that part already and tell me how is the Old Man doing?

Even after Drake stopped showing signs of hostility Lilians behavior and manner of speech did not change, she continued in her cold voice tone as before.

Lilian - Unfortunately I can't tell you about that.

Drake - Ooh? And why is that?

Lilian - There are two reasons why I can not provide you with this answer.

Drake - And what would those be?

Lilian - First, I'm not acquainted with the man.

Drake - And the second?

Lilian - The second... General Nicolas Foster is dead.

Drake - Old man? Dead? Stop screwing around, that old geezer will outlive us all.

Said Drake with disbelief and started to clench his teeth.

Lilian - I'm Sorry for your loss.

Drake - She's sorry for my loss - brilliant, mockingly said Drake.

The following words came one by one with a short pause in between them.

Drake - What happened to the old man?

Lilian already knew that Drake will get furious with her answer, but she proceeded nonetheless.

Lilian - I'm, I'm sorry for your loss, but that's classified.

This time the answer was delivered with a softer voice tone than before.

Drake simply just repeated his question

Drake - What happened to the old man? I will not repeat myself again.

Lilian - That's Classified.

Lilian was preparing for Drakes's emotional outburst but instead, the man was sitting composed with a slight grin on his face.

Drake - Classified...? suddenly he yawned and started to stretch his hands to the side like he's preparing to go to bed.

Well, fuck this shit said Drake nonchalantly.

Drake - I'm going back to bed woman, you can play those silly games yourself.

Lilian - If you leave now, you will never know what happened to him.

Lillian - To tell you the truth all of this charade was the General's idea.

Lilian - There was an envelope with special orders if something were to happen to him.

Lilian - His words were "He has a shitty sense of humor, but still, seek him out if something were to happen to me".

Lilian - I can't reveal any of the details before you accept our job offer. We are in a dire situation and you were our primary pick from few suitable candidates.

Me!? Drake chuckled slightly

Drake - a Candidate for what?

Lilian - A Commander's position in a secret project.

Drake - So, you won't tell me anything about the Old man if I decline?

Lilian - No.

Drake - And why do you think I won't leave after hearing the all of details?

Lilian - He wrote that you won't and that if things come to worst - that we can count on you to carry out his duties.

Drake leaned backward and said quietly.

Drake - Fuck this, screw you, geezer, I bet you're laughing your ass off now after another of your retarded, bad jokes and I'm the one with a shitty sense of humor...

They both stayed quiet for while, a bit later Drake reached into his pocket and took out a small, thin cloth sash, and started to fix his long, dark hair into a ponytail.

The short pause between their interaction caught Lilian off guard and she relaxed a little.

It looks like Drake was in no rush with whatever he was doing so Lilian decided to look closer at the man's face who sits before her.

He had handsome, youthful, and gentle facial features, he did not have scars or hardened looks about him, like that of those that stood around them now. She guessed that he is in his mid-thirties and despite that, to her, that face somewhat resembled the face of a boy rather than a man.

Blue, big-eyed lost puppy, the thought crossed her mind again and she grinned a little. Few short moments passed and she did not realize how fear started to creep in, the grin vanished and she became quite pale as she continued to look into the eyes of the person that was sitting before her.

There were no traces left of his playful, gentle personality he cocked his head right and stared at her, no it looked like he's stared past her with an intensely focused gaze and a smile?

And that smile was what terrified her.

During her career, she interrogated a countless number of operators, ruthless killers, and terrorists. She interviewed butchers and psychopaths in psych wards and prisons, she saw people shifting gears many times and received a fair share of those cold, warning deadly looks, but never with a smile, never like this. He looked thrilled, his jaw was clenched and it looked like he's about to start to shake with anticipation.

Her body and instincts were screaming to run away and she was filled with primal fear like never before. There was no doubt left, this man is a ruthless, calculating killer. No, that face, that smile, it did not resemble that of a man, it was a facial expression of hunting beasts who's prepared to gorge on his prey.

Drake suddenly broke the silence and said "Ok, Old Man... Let's do this one last time"

Right after that, he closed his eyes and started to scratch his left eyebrow, a moment later he opened them and looked at Lilian with his boyish playful smile again like nothing happened and all of this was just but an illusion. Drake reached into his wallet, and took out a card with the name "Big Foot's" and gave it to her.

Drake - 9 pm, wait for me there, don't come early or late.

After those words, he stood up and left, as the fear was subsiding Lilian remembered the last written words of Nicolas Foster. "It's time to wake him up from slumber, it's time to bring my little Beast home"

Drake Allard,

Codename: Beast.