Invisible Boat

A military white uniform serves me right there at the entrance, where two armed Marines, also dressed in white, stared at me so not very friendly!

- Hello, Miss! I'm Fernando Dias, journalist hired Navy! Admiral Figueiredo asked me to come here to meet the new acquisition of the Brazilian Navy.

- Right! Come in, please! (we enter both the site). Give me your identity card (she said seriously addressing behind his desk at the reception).

I approach the table, I carefully put his left hand in the pocket of my jeans and the document unhurried retreat, not to set up a violent action on my part, because two other Marines, armed with assault rifles and positioned behind the girl, they are so I look kind of scary. It seems they were ready to point their weapons at me and shoot. I stayed rather dull to and they lower the eyebrows looking at me even more coldly, but not greet me. I felt that I am not welcome to the site.

- Hello, Mr. Fernando Dias! We were waiting for you! (she says, smiling now, after confirming my identity).

The rough-looking guards now relax and begin to look ahead and not more in my direction. She picks up the phone and call someone inside the building.

- Commander...! He arrived...! Yes, He is here with me...! Sure...! Immediately, sir!

The girl turns back to me and orders me:

- Follow me, please! (she said addressing a door next door).
Now the girl naval military stops walking. She types a long password in a panel on the wall. This password she took the system as he checked my identity.

- It is difficult to decorate a password so long, right? (I question her about it because I'm a reporter and I can’t resist a secret).

She smiled back and said to me:

- When Admiral Figueiredo sent you here, he created a password-based security in a military program. The password is valid only thanks to their number for identifying personnel. I only managed to complete the password that opens them to you when I received your document. Otherwise they would shoot you (she pointed in the direction of two Marines who were in the room).

A cold chills down my spine! I felt that the mission ghost could have done for me before you even start! The Navy is taking very seriously the history of military secrecy. The door opens and the girl makes me one last request:

- I suggest you take two steps forward and wait for the end rotation.

I enter the place, trying to understand what she said and I do not understand! I question her again about it:

- Rotation? What rotation? (I question her without understanding what it is, as she closes the robust metal door, pressing a button on the control panel with a slight smile in my direction, meaning that I would discover all too soon).

I'm in a room with some dim, circular, which has only one door: the door by which I entered. I'm stuck inside a tube. I don’t like that. I have the impression that I was imprisoned for knowing too much. But what do I know anyway? That there is a military boat that can go invisible? I even saw this boat and still can’t believe it! Suddenly everything starts to rotate in a counterclockwise direction. Everything is spinning! Not only the walls but also the circular concrete floor! I am facing the only way out of the environment, which also rotates. I see the circular wall of steel and concrete which is behind the open part where the pipe is. The environment spinner stops before a new metal door. This has a central division as the elevators. A strange sound of metal behind that new output made my heart beat faster! It opens and the environment in which I am not light. It was really an elevator. I was certain that something bad would happen to me. But what I see now is a smiling naval commander who comes to greet me.

- Hello, Mr. Fernando Dias! It is a pleasure to have you here with us. I'm the commander Severo!
- Hello, Commander! I am a journalist hired by the Navy to document the entire mission of the new acquisition Brazilian shipbuilding.
- Yes, I know! I know! Please come in!

Slightly faltering, with so many surprises, I enter the new environment triangular! The elevator door closes. The commander presses the button three times in succession the basement, only available on the panel besides the floor and started down.

- My young! From now on you will have access to the most secret military of this country, and if you are here today is because you have the confidence of our superiors! As we descend, we talked! But it seems that we never got to the stop location. It's a long way down and I can’t imagine where I'm going. Looks like I'm going down a hundred floors.

- Fernando! It is necessary that you understand that our boat is more invisible than a naval vessel. It is a platform fighting without equal in the world today. No one has ever managed the feat that our boat can carry. Mankind tried since pre-history achieve perfect camouflage to surprise their prey and then his enemies. But it is a reality in Brazil secretive. We were able to design the perfect invisibility! It is a complete mimicry in any aquatic environment of the planet! No matter the weather, whether it is day or night or if our enemy is a mile or two meters away from us. Nobody can see the boat if you so wish.

- I'm really curious to see how this can be possible.
- You will understand soon, but first need to know that the boat crew is all here in this seat.
- Commander! Why so much security out there? Is that really necessary?
- Yes, Fernando! Our spies Brazilians are scattered in different countries of the world! They brought us news that the United States and North Korea already suspicious of the existence of our technology. We have to make sure that no unwanted reaches here. There are several security systems. The revolving room, for example, where you were just now, can rotate to two different sides If there is an enemy invasion, the room will rotate the opposite way to what you experienced and so attackers have access to shed false which you saw outside. Even if the attacker knows it and he can take this elevator, the system will take you to another floor where underground will also arrested until surrender.

In saying this, we come to the end of the long descent. The doors open and I can see a big Stealth boat stopped in the middle of huge underground warehouse. Which is like a shipyard, but no water nearby!

- Wow!

- Why, Commander? How can this be possible?

- The boat run on nuclear power. And that means he can stay in operation for twenty years without stopping to refuel. As for weapons ... well ... we use a different type of weapon which enables storing thousands of bullets where before only fit a small handful. And as we work during the mission hidden from view of all, we'll never need to take many shots to get our goals! Thus, it is possible to go many months at sea, attacking several targets, we need not fed back into the boat. The last item for this platform combat looks perfect and autonomous is to use the crew as we do! The invisible boat uses intelligent programming to make their own decisions. Inside we have robots, androids, and avatars of our men and women. So here they are working near their homes, with the comfort of their beds to sleep. They feed at home and can enjoy the family, while waging a war anywhere in the world. The people here are like any employee of a company. They work in three shifts, leading thus creating a more peaceful and secure life. Only have a low if someone is hit in the street and die for it. Our soldiers are never reported missing on a mission and never will be captured by the enemy on foreign soil.

- Interesting this whole concept. All this must have cost very expensive!
- Yes, Fernando! Very costly indeed! But for this you will have to talk to General Figueiredo! He attended all the pending financial.
- Tell me something, Commander Severo: this Invisible boat has participated in a mission before?
- No! This will be the first time and you will be joined by two of our leading developers of any project. One is a specialist in electrical and programming and the other in mechanics and nano-mechanics*. They are personally eye to operate the vessel in order to ensure that the first task is finished and proceed successfully. Not that you would be the only human on board alongside robots, androids, and avatars.

- Wow! I am impressed by the minute with all this!
- Yes! Me too! Sometimes I can’t believe all of this possible! But I'm here... working and commanding a vessel unattended and invisible distance...!
- Commander! How can a boat of this size can be invisible?
- The entire outer surface is a large screen TV with LED high definition. In fact, adding to each of the four sides of the boat and the top are in total five large TV screens. Cameras transmitting images installed on the sides of the boat show that will be projected on the other side of it. So when a person looks at our vehicle shipping, while in stealth mode, it sees only the image of what is behind the boat at the time.

- And this is perfect? No one realizes that it is an image?
- We use ultra high definition which gives a realism very close to what the human eye would normally see. Our biggest problem today is the reflection which the boat and generate image projected on the water surface. This betrays us, but we managed to disguise well in various field tests that we perform! We also have parallax error...!

- Parallax? What is this?
- When you look in front of an analog clock at a wall, that clock pointers, you see the perfectly hours. But if you look at it a little sideways, diagonally, it seems that these hands do not mark time correctly. Everything aligns differently. This is called parallax error. To ensure that a person look at the boat in invisible mode, this person realizes that there is something strange. We are always... changing the position of the images. It is as if the clock analog change their position for the observer to continue reading the time correctly! That is, we measure the distance, height and angle of the position of those who are looking for the boat. This person will believe well be seeing the background landscape perfectly, even though he walks around the boat invisible.

- I understand! What about the reflection in the water?
- The slope of the side of the boat, which somewhat resembles a low pyramid, greatly reduces reflection for those in another boat watching us. Turbulent waters also conceal our reflection. Moreover, the closer we get to the other boat in our reflection points is less water to it So, everything is connected to know in advance in what place will be our observers. So, everything is connected to know in advance in what place will be our observers. Our lighting system has different shades and colors of light. We can also vary the intensity. All this to fool the best possible way anyone who tries to locate us. When building a military vehicle invisible priority is not heavy weapons, speed or the number of soldiers on board. The priority is maximum efficiency in hiding. We are a chameleon of water...! Come on! Let's see the inside of the boat and crew special!

- Yes, sir! Must be very special people indeed!
- It's true! They were selected not only because they are good at what they do, but also because they are discreet and honest. After all, everything we do here is for the good of the country and is also highly secretive.

- Yes! I was chosen for that too, Commander! Your HR department seems to be very concerned about all these details.
- Fernando! It is impossible to do a good job if some of the components are bad! It is the old story of metal chain: If only one or other link fails the chain as a whole will be useless. It's a team effort and everyone should succeed individually. If one of the systems of the ship invisible der defective and stay vulnerable, the whole mission would fail... literally! And in this case we have to blow up the vehicle to ensure that no one has access to our secrets.

- What does it mean to blow...? You'll kill us all during the mission...? Is that...?
- To prevent so disastrous an end, you will be joined on board two men who will take care of everything. We can’t lose them because without them we can’t build another boat invisible. And we can’t lose you, because in the future we will need accurate and unbiased information on every mission. So let's think positive.

- It would be better to take a few more technicians to help in case of failure?
- There is sufficient internal space, Fernando! Besides the mission will last for many days and also we can not store as much food and water. Having more people become mission impossible.
- Maybe if we, to initiate the mission closest we'd get to the border to make it shorter (I suggest to the commander).

- Impossible! The border is a dangerous place today! We do not know who to trust there! So we will be sailing invisibly. Let's clean up the scum dealer, and then we will implement a new nearby military base to support the border police. We have to regain our national sovereignty in the region. We will return the land to its rightful owners Brazilian and families. So it is very important to our work If we used our resources conventional weaponry and vehicles, we would be declaring war on our neighbors. And we do not want that!

- I understand, sir! The sailors who come to me know about the system of self-destruction?
- No! And they do not need to know! They will do their best if they feel safe inside the boat. Do not you agree?
- I got the message, sir! It seems that I get to discover more secrets than most that are here.

- Not yet, Fernando! But if you keep working well, you know the things you can’t imagine that they were viable. Let's go to one side of the boat and land there commander enters a password on a panel of numbers. A thick door opens right there. That would be inconceivable in a real boat because the interior of the vessel would be flooded and the vehicle would sink quickly. But for this model in real scale and on dry land there is no problem. Once inside, the captain, walking down the hall with me, accelerates the step up to the main cabin. I go through several empty rooms, I found it all very strange and asked:

- Sir, why there is nothing in these rooms?

- They are exactly the size of the original boat invisible! Our military wear special uniforms with various sensors that control the avatars inside the vehicle shipping. When they walk around here their metal bodies will also be walking around. These environments voids act as physical references to facilitate the work of sailors sensory human. After you enter the real boat you'll see all the resources available on board.

We now come to the cockpit, where many military professionals are sitting in their chairs. They are dozens of monitors on all the walls, radar system, buttons and more buttons available everywhere, laptops, tablets and a lot of other features I can’t imagine what they are for! This here is the controls of an airplane cockpit look like a child's toy! All military use beautiful white uniforms with thin plastic rods covering the entire body. The rods are interconnected to each other as if they were set on each external skeleton military. The metal joints are exactly where each part of the body folds. They also use virtual reality goggles. I feel like I'm in a science fiction movie!

- Guys! This here is Fernando Dias, the journalist who will be aboard the boat invisible throughout our mission (says the commander Severus).
- Welcome aboard, Fernando! (Says the only woman sitting right in the middle of all the military).

- This here is our pilot, Major Margarida! She is expert at it She has sailed with all sorts of craft and she has the sensitivity required to bring the vehicle in narrow waters. On the left we have our weapons officer, Julius, who is also a subject matter expert and trained specifically for the new types of weapons the ship invisible.

- Hi, Fernando! I hope you enjoy the adventure you are about to experience! (wished me, Julius).
- I'm sure all this will be unforgettable! (I declare the weapons officer).

- On the right side ode is major, we have the soldier Ricardo! He is our mission eagle eye! He will monitor the signals from the boat and radar images of potential human observers close to our boat coming in real time directly from satellite Brazilian military on our territory. We know of his presence many miles before they see us coming.

- Hello, Fernando! During the mission I'll show you how it works my work (Ricardo stated).
- I'm sure you'll be impressed with your work, soldier Ricardo! Incidentally, I am! (I declared).
- On the right side of Ricardo is the soldier John He is responsible for the surveillance cameras of the vessel, both mobile and stationary air as the. He is our official voyeur.
- Voyeur?!?! It seems that your work is more fun than anything else? (I comment the soldier).

- [Laughs]. Yes, Fernando! But my job is very important to maintain high morale of everyone here! From time to time I see some in the woods sex scene between animals and this makes everyone happy here as well!

- [Laughs]. Yeah, but I hope that Fernando did not write about it in his journalistic reporting! (the commander said).

- Unfortunately, sir, I'll have to report everything I see here! But in the case of the sex scene between animals, I think I can do just a little note and very discreet about it.

- Good! (said the commander). Well... the left side of our official Carlos Julio is the soldier who specializes in live programs and post-production of film and video. He also knows how few the area of photography. He is our local filmmaker!

- Hello, Fernando! Your group plays to call me as a filmmaker, but I'm actually the director of the group, and everyone here is my actors! (Carlos commented soles).

General laughter happens in the environment with staff who are complaining about the joke on him for not agreeing with the observation. Major Margarida pronounced against all this, as she smiled at me with a joke:

- The soldier Carlos is thinking he is the director, but in fact it only directs computer images, which do only what is programmed (the young lady said in a facetious).

Carlos smiled at me, he winks at me and he says:

- It's all jealous of them, Fernando! Without me they would have to shoot everything that came along. My job is to deceive those who look at us from outside and to soothe and entertain internal staff. Without me everyone would be stressed here.

- The work of Carlos soldier will be to get rid of several encounters unexpected situations during the mission (the commander Severo declares). We hired the best experts in computer graphics of the planet to create short videos which we will be very useful during the mission. The images serve to hide in, scaring or just help us get overlooked during encounters with other boats or any guerrillas.

- Okay, Carlos! (I greet you). I'm a fan of graphic animation and I've studied a bit about it. I'm sure I would not be cheated if I was outside while you show off your special animations.

- Do not be so sure, my friend! (Carlos commented). I've fooled a lot of people! Tests revealed that the use of this new system directly in the field perfectly deceives people less informed and even people who know they will be deceived! Can I kill the heart of an old man with a few of my images.

- Okay, Fernando! This is our team working in the round of eight in the morning until four in the afternoon. We have another team that enters at four o'clock in the afternoon and they stay until midnight. The last team starts work at midnight and work until eight in the morning. Therefore, the boat is always moving and advised. You and the other two sailors present can sleep on the boat, but the vehicle will never stop.

- All right, sir! I'll agree that I, in my sleep, in case something important is happening during the mission. Otherwise, they will need three shifts of reporters as well.

- I believe that it is not necessary (said the commander).
- It seems that the boat is in motion, is not it? (I wonder looking at the central monitor the cabin).

- Yes! We are coming stealthily Manaus (replied the Major Margarida). Our expectation is that you pretty much get along with the boat in the military port. If we arrive earlier, we will wait there. But do not delay too. We have to get the guerrillas at the right time, otherwise the hunt for them will be much harder after that.

- As you know that they come into our territory on the day and time correct? (I asked her).

- We have a secret military agent infiltrated among them (the Commander answered before Major). You must eliminate targets and rescue him out alive. It is very important to us and he is seconded to the next mission next to Venezuela.

- Very well, then! Commander! I would like to make some images of this staff, premises and to interview personnel to mount a documentary look around the site and also the interior of the boat! (I commented).

- Don’t worry about it, Fernando! (Soldier Carlos said, the one filmmaker. We have multiple cameras installed inside the boat chamber unseen and also in the cabin. There are several different angles which show the whole team and show satellite images, GPS and also local time. Everything is automatically synchronized audio tracks and video on the parallel program for image editing Such a system would allow, enable, for example, subsequent reissue or insert your voice. Then I will help you quickly assemble your video.

- Our filmmaker here has a special program that runs exclusively on our supercomputer installed in the floor below ours here (said the commander).

- It is! It seems that my job will be easy to run this way! (I comment). After all you already have everything I need.

The commander looks at his watch and he declares the end of my visit:

- Ok, Fernando! You need to leave now for the Brasilia airport. A military aircraft already waiting there.

- Very good! It was a pleasure to meet them in person and you miss (I say the military group). I'm betting my life on this mission! And just do an interview with each of you when I return. So if you want to get famous fifteen years from now, bring me alive for this!

- You can leave, Fernando! (declaring Major Margarida). We are the best professional and Navy have all the resources necessary to ensure their life and mission success! Besides, no one will see us in action.

- Right! Thank you! I'm really impressed with all this apparatus (I declare). Good luck to us all!
- Good luck, Fernando! We "hear" soon! (says the soldier filmmaker).

I look at him, surprised the comment.

- We "hear" soon? (question back).
- Yes! Our interaction with you will be via audio only when you are inside the boat invisible.
- Ahhh! It is true! You are right. Then we "hear" soon, friends! See you soon!
- You know the way out? (questioning the captain to me).
- Yes, sir! In just push the elevator button to go up one and I'll be outside quickly.
- Exactly! Good luck, Fernando. We "hear" soon!
- Ok, sir!