They got up from the table and, leaving the restaurant, headed for the platform. The train was already standing there, ready to depart, but it was noticeable that it was not going to move yet. Everything around was as usual - the carriage, the familiar noise of the station, the slight smell of oil and metal hanging in the air. They sat down in their seats, and although the tickets were for seats, not for couches, which, of course, did not add to the comfort, they were prepared for a long journey.
"So, how was the ride to Lisbon?" Noah asked, glancing at the carriage windows, where, despite the late hour, movement was still visible.
"Nothing so far," Delia Asia Vieira replied, leafing through the newspaper, "if it weren't for these seats... with these, my legs would go numb. But in principle, I have no complaints."
The trip to Lisbon promised to be long and tiring, but in its first minutes Noah and Delia Asia Vieira felt quite comfortable. They had already read all the jokes in the newspaper and discussed the best ways to spend time on the train. The topic of the trip itself faded into the background, and the conversations became more and more existential. In the end, they both began to talk about how they would fight the approaching evil, because their great mission was looming on the horizon - to defeat the Antichrist, the same Antichrist who all descriptions agreed would look like a man, but with an unusually dark force inside.
"So, how do we do it?" asked Delia Asia Vieira, still a little tired from all the long talk about trivialities.
Noah, leaning his elbows on the table, thought, not immediately finding the answer.
"Well, we'll have to be smart about this," he said, still glancing at the paper as if its pages might offer answers. "We can't just yell at him like he's some gangster. We'll have to be strategic."
"Strategically, you say?" Delia Asia Vieira gave him a sympathetic look. "You think we'll be taken for normal if we approach Gene York with a bluff? Like, 'we know you're the Antichrist, so lay out all your cards'?"
"Oh, you don't understand," Noah chuckled. "We won't bluff. We'll go in with the full confidence that they don't really know. It's a secret, and we can make it real. We'll give him a moment to think, and then, once he realizes that we can't be ignored, our plan will work.
They both thought for a moment, and the conversation gradually turned to more mundane matters. They began to discuss how to approach the settlement in Lisbon. Where they would stay, what they would eat, and how they would spend the night hours searching for a way to solve the mystery hidden in this strange city. Later in the evening, after several cups of coffee and talk about where they could rest, the question "How do you think we will defeat the Antichrist?" faded slightly into their conversations about less global matters.
But the train was in no hurry to move. Minutes turned into hours, and still no train. Noah glanced nervously out the window. Around him was the typical bustle of a train station: people were rushing along the platforms, hurrying to get on trains. But their train was standing, as if purposefully stuck in this moment, as were their thoughts.
"Have you noticed?" Delia Asia Vieira finally asked, feeling the tension growing. "We discussed everything, and even decided on a plan of action, and the train didn't move."
"That's weird," Noah said, looking out the window and noticing that the engineer had still not appeared. "Usually when things don't go as planned, it's a sign that something important is about to happen."
They exchanged glances that left no room for humor. Something about this prolonged delay seemed too unusual. They began to wonder if this was some kind of sign or warning.
"Maybe it's fate?" Delia Asia Vieira said thoughtfully, looking out the window again. "Maybe we should stay here and figure something out before we go to Lisbon?"
Noah nodded silently. He felt that this moment was a harbinger of something important, and that they were about to face something much greater than they had imagined.
"I don't believe in signs, but still... something strange is happening," he muttered, turning his gaze to the entrance of the carriage. "It could be related to what lies ahead of us."
But the train still did not move. The strange silence that settled around them only pushed them to conclusions that they would not have had time to make under normal circumstances.
The minutes passed, and each wait became more and more tense. The train stood still, and Noah and Delia Asia Vieira just continued to wait for the unknown continuation of events.
Delia Asia Vieira nodded, agreeing with this observation. They were both already standing in the corridor, ready to exit the carriage, when Noah's gaze caught on a figure walking along the platform. It was a middle-aged man, with some kind of bundle under his arm. He walked with a casual gait, but for some reason his presence attracted the attention of both of them.
"Is this another strange passenger?" Delia Asia Vieira teased, grinning.
Noah watched him with that same intuitive wariness that always haunted him in moments of uncertainty.
"I don't know, but let's not pay attention to him," Noah answered with a slight grin.
They exchanged meaningful glances, noticing how the strange passerby held his bundle close to his body, as if he were hiding something important. At that moment, they both realized that there was actually nothing special about this man, and - strange thing! - they completely forgot about him almost immediately.
They would have forgotten it altogether if it weren't for that moment when the train suddenly started moving, without any warning, just as they were starting to lose patience.
"Here comes the train," Noah said with unexpected ease, watching the light outside the window begin to change as they left the station.
"Well, as always," Delia Asia Vieira replied, settling into her seat. "Perfect timing."
The train rolled forward, dragging the night darkness along with it like an inexorable stream of time. The lights of the stations flickered through the windows, the illuminated signs and buildings flashed past the horizon. Each of these fleeting images became part of the endless space of the night, leaving behind only a memory of itself.
The carriage was becoming quieter and quieter. At first, conversations, the conductors' footsteps, and the noise of the train could be heard, but now these sounds died away, like the sound of rain that suddenly stops. Only the quiet crackling of the engine and the grinding of wheels on the rails broke the silence, creating an atmosphere of comfort and calm, where one could simply sit and reflect on what was happening around.
That man with the bundle? His image gradually dissolved into the air, like a cloud. Only a strange, almost elusive feeling that something important might have been missed remained with them. But they did not pay attention to it anymore. It was as fleeting and insignificant as those lights that disappeared behind the windows, further and further with each kilometer.
"It's a strange case," Noah said, finally breaking the silence. His voice was quiet, but with a slight note of displeasure, like that of a man who had just awakened from a brief reverie. "It's strange that we even noticed this guy."
Delia Asia Vieira didn't answer right away. She just stared out the window, watching the night landscape change over the horizon, and thought about how everything about their trip had been too ordinary and too unusual at the same time.
"It's not that important," she replied after a few minutes. "We have much more to look forward to. The more we get distracted by trivialities, the less likely we are to see anything that really matters."
Noah nodded silently. He was unusually pragmatic, but he couldn't help but agree with what Delia Asia Vieira had said. Everything around them - the same stations, trains, passengers, everything seemed predictable and meaningless. However, all this was just an appearance. Somewhere out there, ahead, they were about to meet something much more important and terrible.
The trip was long and tiring. The journey from New York to Lisbon seemed endless, and the train crawled slowly along the rails, as if it did not want to hurry. Delia Asia Vieira and Noah sat in one of the compartments, not knowing how to kill time. Conversations had long been boring, newspapers with jokes did not arouse interest, and looking out the window was boring.
Noah, trying to think of something, came up with another idea:
"Maybe we should look at the passengers? Someone has to be interesting."
Delia Asia Vieira shook her head, but her face remained calm, although something resembling slight irritation flickered in her eyes.
"It's impolite. And not interesting," she said quietly, looking away slightly.
Noah raised an eyebrow and looked at her curiously, not understanding what had put her off so much. He couldn't help but notice how she suddenly blushed, as if she felt his gaze. He continued to stare, unable to look away.
Delia Asia Vieira felt his gaze and suddenly, quite unexpectedly, felt uneasy. She quickly pulled herself together and said in a restrained voice:
"Noah, don't look at me like that."
Noah froze as if he suddenly realized what had happened, but there was a mixture of apology and embarrassment in his eyes.
"Sorry, I didn't mean to... It's just... you're so..."
She frowned, but his confused look immediately calmed her down. Delia Asia Vieira chuckled, her expression softening, her smile the most charming it could possibly be.
"I know," she said, her eyes lighting up. "You're just a really good person."
The words were spoken with such sincerity that Noah felt a slight warmth in his chest, and his heart seemed to squeeze. But no matter how hard he tried to find an explanation, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more between them.
At that moment, the door to the compartment opened and the conductor walked in. Noah and Delia Asia Vieira both flinched at the same time.
The conductor was in uniform, but he looked strange. Instead of the usual cap with a cockade and shoulder straps, he had an awkward hat made of gray felt, from which long ear-antennas hung. Everything about him was unusual, as if he were dressed for a masquerade ball.
Noah looked him over carefully, and Delia Asia Vieira frowned. She couldn't shake the feeling that this guide wasn't what he was supposed to be. Maybe something about his appearance reminded her of her own artificiality?
"Good afternoon," said the guide, his voice monotonous but somehow strange, as if he didn't quite understand what he was saying. "Excuse the intrusion, but I must inform you of some peculiarities of the upcoming route."
Delia Asia Vieira looked at him suspiciously, but said nothing. Noah, unable to contain his curiosity, asked:
"What's special? We've been on the road for a long time, but the train still hasn't arrived."
The conductor curled his lips into a barely noticeable smile.
"Everything will happen in due time. Don't rush. We are not quite where you think."
His words sounded strange, and his gaze remained focused, as if he was trying to understand what they knew.
Delia Asia Vieira suddenly felt her system go into overdrive, trying to analyze his words, but in that moment she realized that something was wrong. Something about this train, this man, was alien. Alien to her.
"Noah," she said quietly, "something is wrong. I can feel it."
Noah turned to her, a little confused.
"What are you talking about?"
She didn't answer, but only watched the guide attentively, who was still standing as if he didn't sense their suspicions.
"I don't know," she said, but her eyes were as sharp as a knife blade. "But we have to be careful."
The conductor suddenly disappeared, as if he had dissolved into thin air, leaving behind only a strange, dull feeling that he had never been there. The carriage became unusually quiet, as if all life inside the train had died down. Noah exchanged glances with Delia Asia Vieira, and in her eyes he saw the same surprise and worry that had tormented him. It seemed they both understood that something was wrong with this conductor. His behavior was strange, and Noah could not understand what it was.
Delia Asia Vieira nodded quietly, indicating that she had also noticed the strange disappearance of the guide. Concern flashed in their eyes, but it quickly died down, giving way to wariness.
"Did you understand anything?" Noah asked in a whisper, his voice full of doubt.
Delia Asia Vieira shrugged slightly, but her attention was focused on the empty passageway where the conductor had just stood.
"Not exactly. But I definitely feel like something is wrong here."
At that moment, as if by a wave of an invisible hand, the guide "materialized" again. He appeared right in the air, as if emerging from the void, and again stood in the same suit as before - with a gray cap and antenna ears, but now a strange smile appeared on his face. It was strange in the sense that it seemed unnatural, as if artificially stretched.
Noah and Delia Asia Vieira stood frozen in anticipation.
The conductor slowly approached their seats, continuing his unnatural smile, and spoke in a tone as if he were saying something completely ordinary:
"I apologize for the previous misunderstanding. This is part of a new route, which is carried out by an unknown method. Our train does not travel on the ground, as you might expect. We travel directly through the air, through an invisible channel that crosses the sea. So you may have the impression that you are flying over raging waves, but in fact this is not so. Everything will be safe, do not worry."
Noah and Delia Asia Vieira were stunned for a few seconds. They looked at each other, unable to believe what they were hearing.
"Is this some kind of joke?" Noah finally said, not hiding his surprise.
"I... I thought we were going to some airport, not straight to Lisbon!" Noah said, trying to comprehend what was happening.
Delia Asia Vieira smiled reservedly, but her eyes were still filled with worry. She glanced out the window, but there was no sign of an air route, only an endless sea, and the train seemed to not exist in this space. Her artificial senses tried to understand what was happening, but the data did not match reality.
The guide, seeing their bewilderment, continued to explain in the same calm tone:
"In a world where humanity has learned to fly to the Moon, such innovations should not be surprising. We are at a new level of travel. Time and space are no longer limitations."
Noah sighed and leaned back in his seat. It seemed as if the world around him had long ceased to be ordinary. After flights to the moon, exploration of other planets and endless scientific achievements, even such surprises ceased to be truly amazing. However, inside him there was still a residue of anxiety. What if this trip was not as safe as the guide claimed?
"Is it... is it true that the train flies through the air?" Delia Asia Vieira asked, still not believing it, her voice quiet, almost uncertain.
"That's right," the guide replied, smiling again. "And we'll soon be in Lisbon. So relax and enjoy the journey."
Noah, finally realizing that he had no rational explanation for what was happening, sighed and allowed himself to relax. He looked around - everything seemed normal, as before. The train was as cozy and calm as always. Delia Asia Vieira, in turn, also sat more comfortably, but her eyes were still wary.
"Well, to be honest," Noah finally said, trying to regain some calm, "if humanity was able to fly to the moon, maybe it's not so strange."
Delia Asia Vieira chuckled, her face becoming a little calmer again.
"Yes, you're probably right. After all, if you and I see no limits to what's possible, then this train seems to have no limits either."
When the train finally reached the edge of the American continent, Noah and Delia, like all the other passengers, were prepared for what would happen next. But none of them expected that the train would actually head straight through the air.
As funny as it may sound, that's exactly what happened!
When the train's wheels stopped touching the ground and a barely noticeable sound was heard in the carriage, as if an invisible force was tearing it away from the rails, the passengers began to look at each other. But no one could believe their eyes when the train, which had been moving along the empty horizon, suddenly appeared, as the conductor had promised, right above the raging sea waves.
"It can't be!" someone exclaimed in the corner of the carriage, looking out the window, when the sea that had just become familiar suddenly became beneath him.
Everything in the air was strange - the train moved as if it had no restrictions, no fear of the ocean. People stare out the windows, checking: is this real? This is not a dream, is it? But the iron wheels roll calmly along invisible tracks, and they do not feel any turbulence.
Noah, shaken by what was happening, clutched the back of the seat tightly. He looked out the window, his breathing ragged, his heart beating faster. It seemed as if they were flying, not driving, and beneath them was not just water, but a mysterious, silent abyss of the ocean. At some point, Noah caught Delia Asia Vieira's gaze. She was calm, as befits a robot, but in her eyes there was the same interest that reflected his own feelings.
"Do you see it?" Noah asked when he couldn't hold back any longer.
"Yes," she answered calmly. "And this is not a dream. We are really flying."
Noah couldn't believe it. How was this possible? How could it even be possible? They were riding through the air, not on a train. This was something completely different - something that humanity had never encountered before. But the idea that this train could perform such an incredible transformation was incredible in itself.
Meanwhile, faint whispers and sighs could be heard throughout the carriage, and passengers were turning their heads in confusion, trying to understand what was happening. Some even went to the windows, holding their phones in their hands, trying to capture this moment. But all the shots they took were just a blurry picture of the sea and the horizon - the camera could not capture the invisible air line along which the train moved.
"The guide said it was a new method," Noah muttered, trying to explain it to himself. "Maybe it's just... an innovation that no one wrote a line about in the news?"
Delia Asia Vieira nodded briefly, but her expression remained focused. She thought that this was more than just advanced technology. After all, if they could move along invisible air routes, could it be that the world around them was also different from before? And besides, wasn't she a high-tech creation herself?
Several hours passed when the train, still in the air, without stopping its movement, crossed the vast expanses of the ocean and approached the shores of Europe. It seemed that the magic of nature itself allowed this miracle to move where ordinary transport could not reach.
And then, just when they thought the journey would never end, the train touched the ground again, first with a slight tremor, and then, as if by magic, it stepped onto the rails again. They felt the familiar clatter of wheels on the iron tracks again, but now it didn't seem so ordinary. This moment had become something more for them.
Slowly, as if nothing had happened, the train approached Lisbon. Soon, as any train should, it stopped at the station, as if it were a normal route, as if no one had noticed the miracle that had just happened to them.
The passengers began to get out, tired but with amazement in their eyes. No one could fully comprehend how it all happened. It seemed as if the world itself around them suddenly turned out to be different from what they knew.
Noah and Delia Asia Vieira got up from their seats and walked out onto the platform. It was scorching hot at the Lisbon station. The sun's rays mercilessly scorched the ground, and the temperature seemed incredibly high, as if the atmosphere itself were filled with hell. People were literally sweating. The rows of officials and dignitaries, despite their formal suits and caps, could not hide their discomfort: their faces were flushed, their steps were stiff. They scurried along the platform, trying to appear important and not pay attention to the unbearable heat, but the air was heavy and saturated with humidity.
Delia Asia Vieira and Noah got off the train like all the other passengers and immediately found themselves in the thick of things. They were neither the only ones nor exceptional in the crowd. Travelers, leaving the train, began to merge into the stream, and the noisy and polyphonic Lisbon station absorbed them.
They walked along the platform, avoiding glances and ignoring those who tried to grab them by the shoulder or pester them with questions. Enormous bronze statues of horsemen passed them - symbols of greatness and strength, as if ready to set off at any second. Against the backdrop of these monuments, which seemed motionless and eternal, the crowd of people moved somewhere on their own business, as if everyone here was part of the inexorable flow of time.
But there was one problem amidst this routine. The guides. They circled around like flocks of hungry birds, forcing their services on everyone. It was almost impossible for a person who had just arrived from the train to escape their attention. One guide would come, then leave, but soon another would appear, and so on without end. There were so many of them that it was impossible to turn your head without encountering a new face, a motley collection of cultures and accents.
From Arabs to French-Belgians, each of them enthusiastically offered their services. They quickly tried to grab you by the hand and take you to "the most interesting corners of the city", without giving you time to think.
"Hey, you!" one young Arab exclaimed, grabbing Noah by the hand. "Let me show you around Lisbon! I have a unique tour! We will show you all the secret corners of the city that others do not see!"
Noah winced and tried to pull away, but the guide was obviously not one to give in so easily. He pulled his arm again, preventing him from leaving.
"No, no," Noah said, holding back from raising his voice. "We can handle it ourselves. Thank you."
He didn't calm down:
"Don't you want to see Lisbon through the eyes of a local? Along the ancient streets, where you can still feel the spirit of ancient times?"
But Noah was determined. He pulled his hand away and stepped forward, but the guide followed him, pressing against his shoulder.
Delia Asia Vieira didn't share Noah's problems. In her world, such complications didn't exist. She simply stood there and ignored these people's endless attempts to get their attention. Like a robot, she could effortlessly ignore anyone who tried to distract her. She simply kept walking, confidently making her way, as always.
One guide, who had unsuccessfully pulled her hand, immediately found himself empty-handed. She turned to him, her face impassive, and said:
"We don't need a guide. Thank you."
There was no aggression in her voice, but there was no hint of softness either. The guide froze in place, unsure of how to react, and after a moment he moved away, realizing that it was useless to argue with this man. Delia Asia Vieira continued to walk forward, ignoring the other attempts.
Noah followed behind her, a little taken aback by how easily she handled it.
"You're so quick to turn everyone down," he said, already beginning to avoid the gaze of the new guide, who was trying to approach him again.
Delia Asia Vieira turned her head towards him and smiled.
"I just don't waste time on things that don't interest me," she said, and Noah couldn't help but notice the calm confidence in her voice, the way she perceived the world.