Elysium

Chapter 13: The Cavalry

The scenery that opened before us in the yard resembled a recent warzone. The windows of the farmhouse were broken, there were marks of blasts on the walls and in the remnants of the smashed door. Some of the grass was burned. I saw at least two bodies lying in the direction of the main building – they looked like the vigilantes who had kept us captive, but I couldn't see their faces.

In some strange way, I felt pity for them. They had been our enemies and I might have used lethal force against them if it was about my liberty, but now when I saw them slain by the superior weapons of the Palatines, I felt sorry for them. Was it Stockholm syndrome, or was it related with my tendency to side with underdogs? I wondered what had happened to the old woman, who had brought us food. Was she, too, lying dead somewhere among the debris the battle had left? The house looked like it had been thoroughly stormed. I doubted the Palatines had knocked before smashing the door and shooting.

We had been brought out of the shack under the threat of firearms, constantly asked to keep our hands up. Now, one of the Palatines snapped handcuffs to all of us, one by one. So much for the liberation from the vigilantes.

"Be not afraid", said Captain Kush ominously. "The Palatine is always in the service of the people."

I didn't like the mechanical sound of his words. There were too many old earth examples in my mind of those who had spoken in the name of 'the people'.

"Why are we treated as prisoners?" demanded Max. "We have done nothing wrong."

"Oh, you have", said Kush. "Haven't we all?"

He seemed to enjoy Max's murderous stare. Another signal I didn't like about the captain.

"Anyway", Kush said. "I don't think your offenses are going to land you in front of an execution squad. We still need to interrogate you. My bosses will have many questions. And I have my orders."

"Then you are no better than the guys you just massacred", snapped Max. I tried to give him a warning glance – this was not a moment to start a fight.

The vigilante Allan was standing nearby, handcuffed like us, and for a moment I saw him glance at Max with something that looked slightly like compassion or kinship. Wasn't it strange how the turned tables made a man change his perspective?

"Oh, really, is it so?" asked Kush, and for a moment he looked seriously annoyed, but then he shrugged and gave us an indifferent smile. "You should know we're in war, now, kid. Some of the Templars have resorted to high treason, and legitimate order needs to be restored. Besides, we have the menace of the Resistance, trying to return us to the animal kingdom. We need order, and discipline. Otherwise there won't be a society. There will be chaos, and chaos ushers in barbarism. The Duke knows an omelette cannot be made without breaking the eggs."

While he spoke, we were walked along a grassy path from the yard towards the gates of the farmhouse. The gates were smashed and broken, too. I did not see Lefuet's carriage or horses anywhere. Instead, I saw three black automobiles standing where the somewhat drivable track ended. They were of the same kind we had seen in the night we escaped from the meadow and found the carriage and Nikos by the road. The cars looked old-fashioned to me, as if they were from the fifties. I wondered whether they had produced them in Elysium or if they were another weird wish fulfilled by the titans.

I also saw a column of prisoners being brought out of the farmhouse. Lefuet was not among them, but Lupu was there, apparently wounded. I recognized some of the younger vigilantes who had ambushed us at the shrine. Bogos was there, with his weird crest of black hair, and Bez was there, too. Petar was not among the six vigilantes brought out. Perhaps he was among the dead.