Cat and Mouse game

Chapter Five

Four years ago.

When Agent Elias Morales completed several complex operations to prevent weapons smuggling in Chile and Argentina, he was finally able to feel like an experienced and effective CNI agent. He was very proud of himself. And as he thought, obviously deserved some rest after all.

However, as he returned to Mexico, Chief Guerrero was not about to let him take a well-deserved vacation so easily. Elias didn't really expect it to be any different, though. He had already gotten used to his demanding chief. It had always been like that.

As one of the youngest agents in the Bureau and the most promising agent in the CPLW department – the department of Combating the Proliferation of Illicit Weapons - Elias was sent to participate in a special joint training program between the U.S. and Latin American intelligence agencies.

The program took place in Washington, D.C. and was organized under the auspices of the CIA. To be more precise, it was held at the National Intelligence University, where Elias had to encounter arrogant American agents at every turn.

The two-week intensive course was designed to exchange experiences between agents from different countries, as well as to improve their skills in disciplines such as close combat, shooting, emergency response, cryptology, and so on. At the end of the program, each agent was expected to be fully tested in theory and practice across all the past disciplines.

However, Agent Morales, who had already learned a lot and was smart and diligent, had no doubts about his skills. From the very beginning of the training, he was a serious competitor to any other agent, even those with more years of experience.

At least, that's how it was in the first week of the program, until the day the training groups were reshuffled.

In his initial group, Morales confidently held the first place by the results of practical and theoretical classes, and with a decent lead over other agents. But during the first shooting session in the new group, he quickly slipped to the second place. He became the one with a significant gap from the first place.

Not only in shooting, but also in disarming explosive devices, decryption, opening locks and combat practice, Elias always finished the training day in the second place. The name "Eric Raven" was always at the top, and Elias was only ten points behind him.

Staring at the name on the list, Elias sighed heavily. The name he already hated. Footsteps sounded from behind; two CIA agents approached the rating board, eager to check their scores.

"Oh, he is taking part in the program this time too?" one American agent asked his colleague.

"Yeah, of course he is," another one replied. "The Directorate sends him to all the joint programs to demonstrate the 'highest' level of our intelligence. I wonder if he even has time to actually work in the field, ha-ha!" he said, laughing.

"Well... Those who ended up in the group with him are very unlucky. They will inevitably develop an inferiority complex, as there's no doubt about who will take first place when Raven is in the training," the first agent stated.

"That's to be expected. As I heard, he comes from a family of a high-ranking military, like a Major General or something. And his mother is a prosecutor. Superiority is literally in his blood!"

"Hmmm, but look at this," the agent said, pointing to the second place, "it seems like the gap in scores is not so significant this time."

"Huh, significant it is or not, a gap is still a gap. No matter who Agent Morales is, there's no chance of him rising to the top," the American reasoned.