Expedition Commander
Age: 54
Birthplace: Beaumont, Texas
Parents: Lt. Col. Jackson and Rachel Lee Rourke
Expertise:
Joined U.S. Army in July 1875. Rose to rank of Artillery Sgt. 1877. Fought at Wounded Knee uprising 1890. Censured for use of excessive force and refusal to acknowledge white flag surrender. Graduated second in class from West Point Academy, 1886. Tour of Duty with Army Rough Riders, 1888-1901. Wounded seven times in battle, commendation for valor, commendation for saving the life of a superior officer, commendation for leadership of Company under fire, censured for summary execution of prisoners. Rose to rank of Captain on battlefield of Spanish-American War. Ranked expert Marksman (awarded Golden Rifle four consecutive years). Retired from Army 1901 to become hand-to-hand combat instructor at Fort Dix, Missouri. Also taught courses in survival tactics, strategy, and chess. Began freelance career in May 1903 for British National Museum. Led expedition to Valley of Kings in Egypt, 1903. Led return expedition to Egypt, 1905. Led expedition to Bolivia and Peru under Professor Thatch to retrieve Idol of the Sun, 1906-08. Led expedition to Antarctica 1909; credited with discovery and destruction of the lost City of Shub Nigruth. Led expedition to Iceland to retrieve the Shepherd's Journal 1911. Currently on retainer.Background:
Born the son of a cavalry Officer, Lyle T. Rourke learned the transitory life of a military man at an early age. Rourke Sr. was killed at Battle of Spotsylvania, leaving behind his wife and only son, Lyle. After repeated expulsions from boarding school (fighting), Rourke determined to follow in his father's footsteps and joined the military at the age of fifteen by lying to his induction officer about his age. Rourke exhibited a remarkable talent for leadership, owing to his analytical mind and charisma. He was married in June of 1887, but his wife left him after only four months of marriage. He does not make friends easily. He is a pragmatist both personally and professionally; he tends to take what he needs and discards that which he considers "useless baggage."
I still can't believe I was such an idiot. Rourke had seemed so fatherly, and that he was really interested in knowledge. I was wrong, and I should have guessed it when I learned the other crew members were, at that time, in it for the money. All those troops should have clued me in, too. Since the expedition to Iceland, the last expedition Grandpa would ever be on, he was after the Crystal. He was a realist. He couldn't understand just how powerful the Crystal was, but, even then to me, I knew its power for a fact and couldn't quite believe it. If he had gotten to the surface with it, and sold it, who knows what he might have unleashed.
If it weren't for my friends, he would have also been credited with the destruction of Atlantis. With their help, we were able to defeat him and get the Crystal back to Atlantis just in time to save the city. I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if the team hadn't helped, and I don't know if they'll ever know how thankful I am to them.
-M.J.T.
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