Jimmy didn't bring his CIA credentials or the smartphone with its battery removed this time; bringing CIA credentials to FBI academy training would truly be asking for trouble.
Although CIA headquarters in Langley is not far from Quantico, and one of Tom's cell phone pings had been in Langley, Jimmy had no plans to conduct an investigation while he was there for training, as it was too dangerous.
Jimmy had yet to replace the battery and check the contents of that smartphone; he feared that once the phone connected to a network, it would be located by the CIA.
Although James had already asked Jimmy to drop the matter with Tom, Jimmy had no intention of listening to James. If there was a chance, he still wanted to see if he could find Tom's last cell phone location.
Jimmy was very grateful to Tom; he had been in the United States for over two years now, and if he had really started out as a vagabond, he didn't know what his life would've been like today.
Jimmy tidied up his things and then lay down to rest. The biggest advantage of training at the academy was having a regular routine; there was no other entertainment here, and after a tiring day of training, it was best to sleep early at night.
After a period of firearms training, Jimmy and the others began new training, tactical driving training.
The academy had specialized driving training, including not just normal high-speed driving and PIT training, but also emergency evasive driving and other professional training modules.
Due to limited space, Jimmy and his group had been waiting until now to begin driving training.
"Welcome to TEVOC (Tactical Emergency Vehicle Operations Center), the center for emergency tactical vehicle operations. I'm Senior Agent Green. The training you'll practice here is a series of tactical driving maneuvers every new agent must learn, including the PIT maneuver, emergency evasion, rapid stopping and shooting, among a series of tactical actions. Your instructors will now take over and explain each one."
Jimmy took the driver's seat, with an instructor sitting in the passenger seat.
This was a specially modified sedan, with foldaway rearview mirrors, window nets for added support, a racing-style safety belt with four-point anchor system, and additional rubber bumpers around the vehicle's exterior.
Jimmy drove onto the track, which was 1.6 kilometers long, and as instructed by the trainer, he brought the car up to a speed of 80 km/h, then was suddenly PIT maneuvered, losing control of the vehicle, which spun twice on the road before stopping on the grass beside the track.
Jimmy experienced being PIT maneuvered for the first time; previously, he had been the one performing the maneuver on others. Now it was his turn, and crucially since the rearview mirrors had been folded, Jimmy had not noticed the vehicle approaching from behind, resulting in a completely unprepared and frantic effort to keep the steering wheel straight and press the brakes as he was being PITed.
After the car stopped, Jimmy gasped for a few breaths and turned to look at the training instructor in the passenger seat.
Jimmy, "Instructor, is being PIT maneuvered on the first drive standard procedure?"
Instructor, "Of course not, it's just that you were unlucky and happened to be selected for this experience."
Jimmy looked at the instructor speechlessly. He had nothing much to say, turned back to the front, started the car, and drove back onto the track.
Seeing the car back on the track, the instructor said to Jimmy, "Let's go back to the start; we're changing cars."
Jimmy drove back and pulled up next to a normal sedan, which was very ordinary except for the huge bumper guard at the front.
Instructor: "You've already experienced what it's like to be on the receiving end of a PIT maneuver. Now, let's begin PIT maneuver training."
Although it was Jimmy's first time being PITted, taking the offensive to PIT someone else was a different matter entirely; he effortlessly took out the Agent driving the modified car earlier at a speed of 100 km/h.
Next was the task of clearing non-convoy vehicles. During FBI escort missions or protective details, it's possible for non-convoy social vehicles or even accomplices' cars to enter the convoy. In such situations, you can use front nudging, side squeezing, rear pressing, and collisions in four ways to push non-convoy vehicles out and ensure convoy safety.
The following exercise was emergency evasion training. Jimmy had to dodge obstacles placed on the road without stopping, all while maintaining a speed of 80-100 km/h. After he became proficient, the difficulty was heightened: Staff members would randomly throw additional obstacles onto his path, which Jimmy needed to avoid all while keeping control of the vehicle.
Making full use of the ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) to maneuver around obstacles and stay within the lanes marked by cones is definitely a special driving technique. Most people would choose to slow down, navigate around them, or even stop to avoid obstacles.
This type of training mainly exercises the driver's judgment and reaction skills, as well as familiarity with the vehicle's anti-skid capabilities, which are extremely useful during high-speed pursuits.
In the days that followed, Jimmy frequently visited the Emergency Tactical Vehicle Operations Center and practiced driving skills. In addition to previously taught ones, this also included serpentine driving, reverse serpentine driving, 90-degree turns while moving, 180-degree turns, stationary 360-degree turns, and reverse 180-degree turns.
Each of these exercises had their own special methods and even requirements for the vehicle itself, with some maneuvers needing front-wheel drive cars and others rear-wheel drive cars.
Put simply, these techniques involve using the steering wheel and brakes to achieve vehicular inertia movement. Drifting around corners seen on the market is a similar concept, but the FBI's tactical driving training isn't as flashy, focusing on practicality, primarily maneuvers related to turning, and U-turns.
Besides tactical driving training, Jimmy also needed to familiarize himself with information about commonly found vehicles on the market, engine parameters, top speeds, drive types, and driving methods, among other things.
Of course, there's one more critical skill that hasn't been mentioned: emergency stop and shooting training.
For FBI Agents, sometimes they don't have many colleagues to back them up during urgent pursuits, so they are required to be able to draw and fire their guns at a moment's notice in emergencies.
Aside from the timing of drawing and firing the gun, it's also necessary to determine the posture and movement when exiting the vehicle, based on its characteristics and the ground surface, to ensure a successful first shot hit.
Jimmy's driving training was completed quite well, still benefitting from his previous experience as a Patrol Officer frequently involved in high-speed pursuits in both highway and urban environments.
The only regret was that this driving training didn't include skills like picking locks or starting a car without a key.
The hours dedicated to driving training weren't extensive; it was only because there were fewer trainees now that Jimmy could practice multiple times. Had there been 1,000 students, the practice time for each would probably be cut in half.
Jimmy was also to take part in action and reaction drills. With a gun in both hands aimed at the Agent opposite, who held his gun at his side, Jimmy needed to shoot swiftly when the other raised his gun, ensuring he hit the target before his opponent could fire. Although wearing protective gear and using training ammunition, getting hit was genuinely painful.