Invisibility, part two:
'getting from behind'
They were all in a line and divided into couples: the first – blindfolded – had his back to the second, who was grasping a rubber knife.
The purpose of the exercise was getting close without the blind-folded guy hearing your foot-steps
One of the couples was made up of Messner and Barry.
Barry was now behind the blind-folded Messner, who stood his back to him.
Barry slowly took a couple of steps, carefully putting the tip of his feet first, and the heel later, doing exactly as he had just been taught, being very careful to avoid making the slightest sound.
“Again” said Messner.
Barry went back at the starting point, raised his rubber-knife again and started walking toward him again.
This time he stood on two very minute stones, that squeaked one against the other.
“Again”
Barry went back again.
“Again”
“What the fuck, Messner... I haven't even re-started yet”
Barry restarted going forward again, but slowly.
This time he almost got within reach.
“Again”
“Goddamnit! - said Barry, throwing his rubber knife on the ground - This is fucking impossible!
“I heard your breath” said Messner.
“Oh come on! It can’t be”
“Pick your knife up, ” said Trautman. He was in front of the recruits.
“Yessir!”
“The way you are putting your feet on the ground is wrong”
“I know – Barry said –, I know”
And the two started again, and kept going on until they were worn out.
***
After two weeks of daily practice, everyone learnt how to manage his breath in the proper way, and they could walk at the speed of an average person, but producing no sound at all.
Even more, they gained a perfect knowledge about what sounds a human ear can hear and what it can't, at any range and in any kind of environment.
Because – as Trautman pointed out – sounds don't spread out everywhere in the same way.
In the jungle – for instance – everything sounds closer than in an open field... And what's usually very silent in the jungle might not be silent elsewhere.
So, once sent into Vietnam, they would all start training over there again.
Just like they were going to do with a million other things... And for all of their lives.