Chapter 122: A Test
Supervisor Black's intimidating appearance masked the soul of a strict nanny.
He combined the roles of instructor, social etiquette teacher, medical orderly, and guidance counselor into one relentlessly efficient package.
Before dawn each morning, he appeared fully dressed with his chrome megaphone, moving through the barracks to provide personalized wake-up calls.
Once the trainees assembled outside, he conducted a meticulous inspection of their attire and grooming, scrutinizing every detail under his practiced eye.
The first day's relaxed management had been deceptive, designed merely to ease environmental adjustment. From day two forward, selection training began in earnest.
No morning run today. Instead, Black devoted those precious pre-dawn hours to virtually hand-holding each trainee through FBI dress code requirements.
From approved hairstyles to proper tie-tying techniques, from shirt-pressing methods to shoe-polishing procedures, he repeated every instruction with infinite patience and mechanical precision.
"Gentlemen," Black announced with characteristic authority, "from today until training completion, immaculate appearance is mandatory. Dress and grooming are part of the assessment categories."
Most trainees had heard rumors about FBI appearance standards before volunteering for selection. But a formal assessment of grooming?
This revelation prompted collective groaning followed by intensified study efforts.
Everyone complained vocally while their bodies responded honestly.
After all, they'd volunteered for this opportunity while countless others lacked the qualifications even to apply.
The selection training appeared rigorous but functioned more like an intensive academic boot camp. No punishment mechanisms existed; individual learning and assessment success depended entirely on personal effort.
The program didn't limit admission numbers based on arbitrary quotas.
Tasks like tie-tying, except for oddities like Billy Hawk, posed little challenge to most men. But shoe polishing and shirt pressing?
These required serious instruction.
Such activities were considered exclusively women's work in 1961. Most trainees had relied on their mothers during their youth, then their wives after marriage; many had never touched an iron.
Black had conducted this training before. He efficiently produced stacks of practice rags, requiring trainees to perfect their technique before touching actual uniforms.
So it was that in cold January darkness at five AM, on the Quantico Marine Corps base, seventy-five grown men awkwardly wielded irons against defenseless fabric.
Under harsh floodlights, white steam rose while the acrid smell of scorching cloth permeated the air. Black moved through the crowd like a diligent gardener, responding methodically to trainee queries and various minor disasters.
Only after daylight did he release them for breakfast in the cafeteria.
The morning's domestic education seemed to focus everyone's attention; classroom seriousness increased dramatically.
Today's legal instructor was an experienced retired prosecutor, whose wealth of courtroom knowledge focused on evidence legitimization techniques.
Theodore strongly suspected all subsequent legal sessions would cover similar material.
He listened briefly, then opened his notebook to add "Legal Counsel" to his theoretical team composition before resuming his sketches and theoretical notes.
The FBI maintained a Legal Counsel Office for consultation on complex matters. For field agents like Theodore and Bernie, police academy legal training sufficed for ninety-nine percent of situations.
Theodore suspected that this curriculum was designed for agents lacking police experience or those destined for assignments in the Legal Counsel Office.
FBI agent quality exceeded local detective standards, but this didn't require agents to become omnipotent supermen.
The twin detectives had not yet joined the Justice League.
The course was becoming tedious.
The physical evidence technology class, following legal instruction, proved more substantial.
Yesterday's instructor expanded fingerprint applications and introduced crime scene preservation techniques.
For most trainees, this subject resembled advanced mathematics, simultaneously difficult and crucial.
This was arguably the core curriculum of the selection training; unlike the theoretical legal course, it offered practical skills for all agents.
Only by mastering evidence technology could trainees truly transform from soldiers, local detectives, or university graduates into FBI agents.
Many participants recognized this reality. They frowned intently while scribbling notes, watching the instructor with unblinking focus, terrified that momentary inattention might render his words incomprehensible.
For Theodore, however, this course felt like a waste of time.
If the legal course was bothersome, evidence technology was utterly useless. Theodore had taken this instruction before, just not in this era.
He listened briefly, then returned to his notebook for continued sketching and note-taking.
Afternoon tactical training commanded Theodore's complete attention. This curriculum was designed specifically for field agents and focused on personal survival.
Theodore considered it his most significant selection training benefit.
Following tactical instruction, an FBI Public Affairs Office representative taught a media relations course on how to handle press encounters professionally.
Later sessions would feature Security Division agents covering confidentiality protocols, and Archives Division personnel teaching proper forms and report writing.
During evening self-study, a familiar FBI agent appeared with an actual case file for trainee examination.
The agent introduced the case and distributed processed files, organizing trainees into discussion groups for analytical simulation.
This session generated tremendous enthusiasm among participants. Most attendees were experienced local police personnel with extensive backgrounds in independent case handling.
Competitive instincts and professional pride emerged as agents displayed their expertise, much like peacocks spreading their elaborate tail feathers.
Theodore and Bernie remained conspicuously quiet during this exercise.
The agent had brought a robbery case, specifically, a post office robbery case.
Two perpetrators, stocking-masked, one armed with a shotgun, one with a pistol. The more intensely other agents discussed the case, the more silent Theodore and Bernie became.
Billy Hawk confidently declared that accomplices existed among the victimized postal employees.
He approached Theodore and Bernie, seeking their approval for his theory.
Theodore met Billy's expectant expression, wanting to speak but hesitating.
Bernie shook his head repeatedly in warning.
Harold Wilson closely followed Billy's analysis with his perspective.
Coming from Chicago, a violent city with murder rates reaching ten per hundred thousand, Harold suggested additional accomplices among the robbers themselves.
His experience led him toward opportunities in organized crime.
After an hour of animated discussion, the FBI agent announced the 'correct solution,' prompting gasps of amazement.
Several trainees began questioning the case's authenticity.
The agent glanced meaningfully at Theodore and Bernie, declined to argue, announced the case discussion's conclusion, and departed without backward glances.
Theodore listened to the noisy reactions surrounding him and closed his notebook quietly.
This was precisely what made him anxious.
The evening's exercise had been more than routine training; it was an evaluation.
Someone was testing whether Theodore and Bernie would reveal their involvement in the actual case resolution.
The post office robbery hadn't been randomly selected. It was their case, presented to gauge their discretion and professionalism.
Theodore understood the implicit message: their reputation preceded them, their capabilities were known, and their conduct was being assessed at every moment.
The silence they'd maintained wasn't just professional caution; it was the beginning of a much larger test that would determine their future roles within the Bureau.
As fellow trainees continued debating the case's plausibility around them, Theodore recognized that selection training was simultaneously evaluation, indoctrination, and careful observation of promising candidates.
The real question wasn't whether they could pass formal assessments.
The question was whether they could be trusted with the Bureau's most sensitive responsibilities.
[End of Chapter]
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