City of the Zodiacs

City of the Zodiacs 1

Chapter 1

"Goddess Venus watch over us. Make us fair and balanced. Make us decisive and beautiful."

The morning prayer goes without a hitch. There is nothing like a Libra prayer in the morning. It's more of a fashion show then anything. The other Libras are classy and simple. They are always full of taste.

Liberty London is our teacher for the day. She's an older Libra and one of the most respected Libras on the Scale Mountains. She has to be in her 60s but you couldn't tell. Libras age really well probably because the older we get the more surgery we get. Her face is the definition of fair and balanced. Her toga is all white. Many people call her Lady Liberty. She is the mother of all Libras. It's rare she comes to teach us herself but today is special.

Today was the beginning of my new life.

"All of you are going to be sent off to the Capital today. As Libras, you are the most important sign of the Zodiac. Your job is to bring fairness and balance to the world. Today is the last day you are children. After today you'll be assigned homes in the capital, you'll be assigned jobs and most importantly you'll be assigned spouses."

I lean over to my best friend Lloyd.

"Man, I'm nervous as fuck."

He rolls his eyes, "C`mon. We all know who you are going to be compatible with. Apollo. I'm the one who should be nervous. I might end up with some fucking Gemini."

"That's not the point. Compatibility is everything. This is a whole new chapter of my life."

"You'll end up with Apollo. The matchmakers never get it wrong."

Zodiac. Compatibility. Venus. Matchmakers.

The words and thoughts fly at me. I am so worried that I barely listen to another word of Liberty London's farewell speech she is giving us. This is graduation day. We were graduating from the Libra school and we were becoming men.

The year is 3017.

The world was plagued with wars over centuries. World War 3 was pretty bad. World War 4 was worse. Soon we realized shit had to change. Conflict tore things apart. It was a Taurus who first discovered that there was truth behind Astrology. When you were born and what sign you were became a science. Soon it became common knowledge that living with people who were like you stopped a lot of murder and a lot of the violence. Crime was reduced for most of the year when everyone was separated by their Zodiac sign.

"The Capital City is a dangerous place. They need us. You'll be the new leaders of the Capital City. All Libras are raised to be the leaders. You're prepared. You're ready. You need to go to the Capital City to bring Liberty and justice for all."

Fair and Balance. Liberty and Justice. Decisive and Beautiful.

Those words made the Libras who they were. At the age of four, every child is taken from their parents to go live with their sign and gain their education. I am a Libra. My sign lives in the Scale Mountains. It's a city on top of a mountain range in what used to be the Colorado area 100 years ago. The mountains are much taller now. We kiss the sky.

"I'm so nervous," I whisper to Lloyd.

My stomach turns. Sweat beads up in the back of my neck. Our bags are packed. Soon we hear the train coming. The flying train. The train went to every one of the 11 nations. It went from the Aquarius Water Bearer city by the water. It went to the Pisces' Fish Islands. It went to pick up everyone who was turning 21 this year.

It was over 50 Libras. 50 of us who were going to the Capital. We'd be given jobs. We'd been trained for the jobs we'd be assigned. No one knew what we were assigned but we had an idea. All Libras were qualified to only do specific jobs. Just like everyone else. Everything was very specific.

The train is pulling up. The younger Libras are waving goodbye to us. Little Lisa runs over to me and hands me a flower. She wishes me well. I give her a hard hug.

"Law...Promise me something."

Law. That is my name. Supposedly my birth parents gave me that name when they found out I was born in the Libra month. Maybe they wanted me to be a Lawyer. A lot of Libras became Lawyers. I don't know why they did it though. I don't remember them. We weren't allowed to meet our parents. It effected our education as Libras if we did. That wouldn't be fair. That wouldn't be balanced.

"What do you need Lisa?"

"Promise you'll write. Tell me about the Capital," Lisa asks me, "I want all the gossip. And I want to know how it's like when you marry Apollo."

I laugh. Everyone thinks I'm marrying Apollo. I smile at the idea. I don't mind something like that at all honestly. Apollo is sexy as all fuck. I give Lisa another hug and promise I'll write. It's the last time I'm going to see her until she turns 21 and comes to the Capital. She won't be able to have access to the outside world until she finishes her education. After all those hard years of getting Libra education I know the importance of her living on this mountain. I promise to write but honestly I don't think I will. I don't want to affect her education.

Lloyd pushes Lisa away as soon as he gets the chance and grabs my arm. He pulls me close and points at the train, "A flying fucking train. Law. Look at this shit. Have you seen anything like this before?"

"The Aquarius boys always came to visit with the flying cars."

Lloyd shrugs, "This is different."

"You have to be more civilized," I tell Lloyd, "The other signs are used to seeing things like this. We have to act like we haven't been so isolated. Don't embarrass me when we get on this train."

Lloyd rolls his eyes, "I won't embarrass you in front of Apollo."

"It's not about---"

I don't get to finish. Lloyd runs forward, "Hurry the hell up!"

Lloyd is embarrassing. He's always been someone excitable. I keep trying to tell him that Libras aren't supposed to act like that. We are supposed to be classy and civilized. We are above it all. We are fair and balanced. He is getting all excited like one of those Sagittarius people we see on the television shows. They are always so dramatic. Lloyd needs to play it cool.

I watch him run off ahead of the other Libras to get on the train. My face blushes red with embarrassment as well when I see the other signs on the trains.

"You see how they look at us?" a voice says from behind me.

I turn at that moment. It's Liberty London. She stands almost like a statue. She is the definition of beauty, poise and grace. Her toga wraps around her perfectly slim body. She glides to my side. She's everything that I want to be.

"Who?"

"The other signs. Your friend Lloyd doesn't see it, but I know you do. Notice how they stare at us. They need us. They need us to show them the way," Liberty London says.

She's right. There are faces in the train. They are all people my age from all over the country. Not all people go to the Capital City at the age of 21. A lot of them stay in their home nations. The people that go to the Home City were really good in their education. They got high grades. There aren't many Libras however. The other Zodiac signs are plentiful. The way they look at us is intriguing. They stare with this curositiy.

"They aren't used to seeing us," I explain.

"We are like gods to some of them. We are the most important sign," she explains to me, "Don't forget that. You understand? Libra is the only inanimate sign. The other signs are based off of humans and animals. The scales are important to maintain it all. If things aren't balanced. They fall apart. Don't let them fall apart Law."

"I won't."

"Fair and balanced, Law," she tells me.

I acknowledge her common Libra fairwell, "Fair and balanced."

It's strange that out of everyone Liberty London is talking to me. She doesn't give me a hug like the others. She gives me a pleasant nod and slight smile. It's tacky and not Libra-like to get too emotional. We have to remain classy and self-contained at all times. We have to be above the fray...always.

I glide towards the train. My toga is the color of pearls. My grace is above all others. Most of the others besides Lloyd seem to carry the same grace as I do. We know today is the future of our the rest of our lives but we can't show it.

We aren't animals after all.

We're Libras.

~

"Law!"

I get on the train. I hear Lloyd's voice calling from the front of the train. I'm standing with Lucious and Lizabeth. They are beautiful twins that I grew up with on the mountain. Hearing Lloyd scream across the train is the most embarrassing thing ever. I see the other faces turn to look over at me. At the very back of the train are the Cancers. They are the most homely of the Zodiac sign. They are basic figures who don't even look in our eyes as the Libras approach. I have never met a Crab in person but I've read enough about them. I recognize their sign anywhere.

Towards the middle of the train are the Pisces. They are the dreamers of the Zodiac. They are the artistic bunch. Personally I find art to be a waste of time but every society needs to be balanced with that kind of bullshit I guess. They sit next to the Taurus. They are known as the smartest Zodiac sign. The majority of them are going to be scientists, researches or doctors. They are closely related to their sister sign which are the Capricorns. The Bull city is right next to the Goat city. Capricorns are smart as well but more focused on things like Accounting and Math. The two signs usually work together competing as the most technological nations.

I walk past the Leos. A few of them whistle at me. Guys and girls. They love attention. A lot of them go into Entertainment. So do a lot of the Sags. The Sagittarrius are next to them and almost just as loud. Then comes the Aries. All of these signs seem to be a little bit uncivilized if you ask me. I swear I see an Aries push another Aries on the train and small brawl start to break out. That all stops when the Libras walk through though.

All eyes turn.

"That's them..." one of the Aries says.

Liberty London was right. By the time we get to the front of the train things get quiet. I notice we are walking past the Virgos. I can tell the sign of the Virgin immediately. They are silent. Not too much is known about the Virgin City. They keep to themselves like the Libras do. However no one really looks up to the Virgos. The Virgos are known as Hand to the government. Most of them become personal security, CIA, spies and other highly secretive jobs.

"Sit over here," Lloyd tells me.

The Libras section is behind the Aquarius section and next to the Gemini section. I have familiarity with the two groups. They are our most compatible signs. The Geminis are usually businessmen. They don't have an amazing reputation. A lot of people assume they are just shady. The thing is they are the most wealthy of all the Zodiac nations. I guess a level of shadiness worked out every once in a while.

Then there was the Aquarians.

"Let me help you with your bags," a voice tells me.

I look over to see Apollo. My heart stops. Apollo is God made man. Lucious and Lizabeth give me a slight little knowing smile. Apollo is brown skin, 6'4" with pretty hazel eyes. His hair is cut in a Caesar. For some reason most of the Aquarians look like him. They are all built like they were designed in a factory or something like that. He wears a suit. I'm not sure why they always wear suits but that's just something they love doing.

Plus they are just...GENTLEMAN.

"Thanks Apollo."

"No thank you," he says.

"Why?"

"Just being able to see your face today."

I try to fight off a blush. I give a tempting smile. Libras are natural flirts. We aren't supposed to get too excited though but I give him a slight smile and give him my bags. As I hand Apollo my bags he let his fingers brush against mine.

I take a seat next to Lloyd and the other Libras. I watch as Apollo and his Aquarians friends look back at us. They are all dressed in suits and all these classy looking gentleman. My eyes can't help but be glued to them for some weird fucking reason. They are amazing.

The train is moving before I notice. The middle of the train has all the uncivilized people vying for attention. The back of the train is mostly where the geeks are. The front of the train have the Air signs. Gemini, Aquarius and Libra.

I'm going to marry either a Gemini, Aquarius or another Libra. Those are my compatible signs. I'm praying it's not another Libra. I'm not really attracted to any other Libras. We are too similar to me. It wouldn't be exciting. It would be like dating a family member or something. Gemini's are too shady for me personally. Aquarius was different though. Aquarius was perfect.

"They all want you," Lloyd mentions.

"Can you keep your voice down," I tell Lloyd.

He's so loud. He's so uncouth. I have tried for years to train Lloyd on how to be a better Libra. It hardly works though. He is just so goddam difficult sometimes.

"I'm just being honest," he tries his best to lower his voice, "You made the best grades in school. You are most likely going to be given the job as a High Liberty one day."

"The current High Liberty is alive and well," I roll my eyes.

"I said one day. Not now. You know it's going to happen."

I try to ignore Lloyd. The High Liberty is the equivalent to some sort of Supreme Judge or something, except there is only one High Liberty. The Liberties run the city. They vote on laws. They judge the guilty. Only Libras are qualified to be Liberties. It's the most important job. Once someone is made a High Liberty they are High Liberty for life.

I wonder if that is the reason so many people are staring at the Libras. They are trying to figure out who the people who will be judging their life are.

"How are you Libras doing?" Apollo walks over.

Lloyd and the others look at him with pure astonishment at how beautiful he is. Luscious damn near starts fanning himself at the mere sight of Apollo. None of their reactions to Apollo beats one girl's reaction though. A Libra girl named Loreal always had a crush on Apollo. I can see her eyes glare at me. Loreal is the prettiest Libra girl there is. She's always been somewhat competitive with me. She was the classic Libra girl. She has full lips, long natural eye lashes and she barely wears make up because of her flawless skin. She walks with her hips and keeps her head up high. She speaks 8 languages fluently. Loreal is the picture of perfection in almost every way possible.

Most of the Aquarius boys like Loreal but she has been waiting for someone. She's been waiting specifically for Apollo.

"Hey Apollo," Loreal says getting up at that moment.

"Hey," he says but then turns to me relatively fast, "Uh, Law---can I talk to you for a minute."

Loreal's eyes pierce against mine. She's jealous. She's angry about this. It's clear as fuck that she is. I can see the look in her eyes. I just see how completely lost she is realizing someone else is getting more attention than her. She should be used to it by now. I've always one-upped her in class and in life. She was my closest competition but that wasn't saying much.

"Sure," I state.

"In private," he adds.

I nod.

I get up and he offers me his hand. Being gay wasn't a big deal nowadays. The majority of people were bisexual. It wasn't like we raised our own kids anyway so the whole `family' dynamic was lost decades ago. Now you married for love. If you chose to have kids then that was great but chances are you'd probably never see them or hear from them again. So it doesn't surprise anyone when he grabs my hand and holds it hand in hand with his.

He leads me to the back of the train past the Aries who are having another argument. All those guys do is fight and argue with one another. He leads us past the loud Leos and the odd silent Taurus. Apollo opens the bathroom door on the train.

We are in a tight space on the train. He looks down on me. Those beautiful eyes of his just pierce mine. He's so amazingly perfect that I'm struggling to breathe a little bit just being this close to him.

We sit there quietly for a minute. One minute passes. Two minutes pass. He's just staring at me.

"Did you want to talk about something?" I ask him.

He shakes his head, "No. I just wanted an excuse to look at you. I miss you."

He is studying my face. I think I'm attractive. Libra men usually are. I'm 6'0" with brown hair the color of chocolate. My hair is a few shades lighter than my skin. It's an odd mix but I make it work. I have a goatee that is always perfectly trimmed. My lips are full and my teeth are pearly white. He stares at my smile. He said a million times that he likes my smile the most.

He breathes slow, precise. The train is moving fast headed towards the capital but I barely feel a thing. Looking outside of the window on the flying train I can see the world zoom past us. In this bathroom everything stays in place. The world stops in this bathroom. Nothing even matters but this boy looking down at me.

"It's been a while since I've seen you," I reply to him, "I heard you graduated top of the Aquarian class. Rumor has it you're going to be next in line for Police Chief in the capital."

He laughs a little bit. If a Libra heard a rumor like that all the way on Scale Mountain than most likely it is going to be true. The majority of Aquarians ended up in some kind of position of authority. They never became Liberties of course but they were definitely a lot in law enforcement or even lower level government.

"A High Liberty and the Police Chief. We are going to be the most powerful couple in the Capital," he tells me.

"I'm not going to be High Liberty," I tell him before shaking my head, "The High Liberty is still alive. I think he's just in his 50's too."

Most High Liberties don't become High Liberties until that age. I know that I was the top of the Libra class followed closely only by Loreal. I realized that the job was probably going to be mine, but I had so long to wait. I had so much living to do. I was more nervous about the love matchmaker.

"One day...the position is going to be yours."

"One day when I'm old and you want nothing to do with me," I laugh.

He shakes his head and puts his hand on my face, "That's impossible. When we get married I'm going to make sure the rest of your life is perfect, Law. I'm don't care what job I'm assigned. My job is going to make sure you are happy for the rest of your life."

He leans in at that moment and gives me a kiss. It started when we were just 7 years old. The Aquarians travel to other cities a lot. I guess they like to be social and be seen. We met when we were 7 and back then Apollo told me that he was going to marry me one day. Back then I didn't know what marriage even was.

"Apollo, we don't even know if we are going to be assigned to one another yet."

"Remember when we were 9...out on the Scale mountain balcony. It was so high that I got vertigo. You held me close and told me not to fall. You told me that Libras know how to fly and that if I fell you would fly after me. After then I've never been afraid of falling. I've fallen so hard since then Law. I've fallen so hard for you."

He always knows what to say.

"I was a kid," I play it off, "I didn't know what was saying."

"Yes you did," Apollo argues, "Remember that I gave you something."

"A ring. You proposed to me. You didn't know what you were saying."

He laughs at that moment. I shake my head trying not to get embarrassed by the memory. He laughs when he realizes that I'm getting a little red.

"Yes I did."

Just at that moment Apollo pulls out a ring.

My heart sinks in my chest at that moment. It's a ring similar to the one he showed me when he was 9 years old. It's a purple rock.

"You still have that?" I ask completely shocked.

"It's an Amethyst," he tells me, "It's the Aquarius birthstone. I want you to have it. With this ring...I want to ask you something."

"Apollo what are you doing?"

Apollo gets on his knees at that moment. The bathroom is so small. It's so fucking crowded. I can barely move at that moment. I'm so squished in this fucking bathroom. I can't believe it. I can't believe the man of my dreams is on his knees right now. I can't believe he's doing what I think he's doing right now. This is literally the shocking thing ever. We weren't 9 anymore. It wasn't some childhood crush anymore. We were adults and this was happening right now.

My heart stops.

The words start coming out, "Law of the Libra. Will you marry me?"

He is perfect in everyway. He's the nicest person I'd ever met. This is the most romantic moment of my life. Everything is perfect. Everything is exactly how it's supposed to fucking be.

"No. Absolutely not," I respond.

He looks up at me.

"Wh—what?"

"People don't choose who they marry. People haven't chosen who they married for decades," I respond in the most blunt way ever, "We go to the matchmaker. We get our matches."

It hurts to see that Apollo's face. I'm shocked that he asked me this though. He should know better. I don't get how perfect Apollo was. He should have known better than to ask me to marry him. We weren't kids anymore.

"I have a connection in the Capital. I've arranged to have the matchmaking fixed," he explains to me, "I'm going to make sure that I marry you."

"No you aren't."

"What?"

"Taurus scientists spent years coming up with a formula for marriage compatibility. I'm not going to let you fuck that up. It's not fair. It's not balanced."

Apollo just stares at me. He gets up off his knees. His handsome eyes glaze at me. They are full of hurt and pain. He has this distraught look in his eyes. I've never seen someone get their heart broken. Libras are romantics but we never really showed that side publicly to others. Right now Apollo is wearing his heart on his sleeve. His breathing intensifies. His bottom lip quivers trying to find the words to say to save this situation. There's nothing he can say though. He looks in my eyes and he must realize.

Regardless he desperately attempts to come up with something.

"I love you, Law. I've loved you for the majority of my life. I'm telling you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I'm telling you that you are the person I want to live with forever. I'm telling you that I want to marry you. And you're talking about balance?"

He almost spits out the words.

I love him too. It tears me apart seeing him look like this. A part of me wants to take his pretty purple stone and allow him to love me forever. I wasn't raised like that though. The world wasn't like that. Not anymore.

"Walk away Apollo. Walk away now and I won't hand you over to the officials when we get to the capital," I tell him.

He knows it's a crime what he's doing. You can get years in prison for attempting to manipulate the matchmaker system. The system was all the we had. The scales was what kept our society together. You married the person you are compatible with. It made things go smoothly.

Fair and Balance.

Apollo's face grows red with emotion. He storms out of the bathroom as hard as he can nearly knocking people over as he goes back to the front of the train. I follow behind him and realize that he's knocked a guy clean to the ground.

I offer my hand to the guy he's knocked over.

"Don't fucking touch me, you piece of shit," the guy says, "Watch where you're fucking going."

I could explain to the guy that it wasn't me who knocked him over when storming out of the bathroom door. I could explain a lot of things but honestly I don't have time to. I notice the bluntness of the way the guy talks. I notice the level of aggression.

"Let me guess," I state, "Aries?"

He gets up. He is covered in dirt. Ram Country was known to be pretty dirty. I'd never been of course but Liberty London told me that I wasn't missing much. He may be attractive under all that dirt. The only thing that I can really see are these piercing icy blue eyes. They stare so deep in me that I think he wants to rip me clean apart. He's filthy though so I have no problem taking back my hand. The rams of Aries love to fight. They usually do jobs that no one else wants to do. The majority of them ended up being thugs and criminals.

His kind was barely needed to make a fair and balanced society.

"Fuck off," he tells me, "You people think you own the world don't you. Fuck off."

I look him up and down. He must not realize he's talking to a guy who is going to be a High Liberty when I get older. He doesn't realize it but hell who cares? I just pity him. He's probably lived a hard life. He's probably had it rough. Not everyone can be a Libra. Hell, not every one can be the rich Gemini or charming Aquarius. He had a rough life and so I smile.

"Have a fair and balanced day sir."

"Fuck your scales," he tells me.

I stop in my footsteps.

"Excuse me?"

"I said...FUCK. YOUR. SCALES," he responds, "Now go fuck off. Loser. Before I knock your fucking teeth out for pushing me down."

He's threatening me now. That's not really classy at all. I start laughing and I think that's really what sets him off. He makes his way towards me. He's stopped though. His Aries friends stop him.

"Ryder. Stop. That's a Libra..." one of his friends warns him.

I look at Ryder. He's defiant as fuck.

He gives me a hard look, "I know exactly what he is. I don't give a fuck. Fuck his scales and fuck him."

I turn away and walk away.

It was the first time in my life that I felt pure hatred. I'd never felt hatred before. I walk away feeling confused. I can feel Ryder's eyes staring at my back. I can feel the hatred that he has for me. I don't understand it. It doesn't make sense to me. My heart is struggling to understand exactly what the fuck this is all about.

~

The Capital city is a city of dreams. It's so modern. I'm still thinking about the embarrassing proposal from Apollo or the harsh confrontation with Ryder when we arrive at the capital. Apollo isn't giving me any more attention. His face says it all as he walks off the train with the rest of the Aquarians. Usually he would help me with my bags but right now he seems really emotional. It is my experience that Aquarians tend to be a little bit on the emotional side.

I get off the train at that moment. We step out on a patio on an elevated building in the sky. The flying train sails to a screeching stop.

"Look at this place?" Lloyd says.

I grab him and pull him close, "Don't embarrass me. Stand straight. Not like that. Lloyd. I swear to God if you don't act right I'm going to push you over this fucking platform. You know you can't see the bottom right."

"That's OK," he tells me, "Libras fly."

I roll my eyes.

I have to admit I'm blown away even though I'm not showing it as outwardly as Lloyd is. I am looking around slightly more than the other Libras are. The buildings are all tall as fuck. They are modern buildings completely different from the Scale Mountains. There are roads below where there are cars on wheels. There are flying cars like I've seen the Aquarians fly in as well. They zip through the skies at high yet precise speeds.

"Scan in your fingerprints when you step off the platform," one of the ladies say, "We can never be too safe. There have been several Scorpio attacks."

"Attacks?" Lloyd asks.

"Shh...scan in," I quickly shut him up, "You're being nosy asking all these questions. What are you? A Capricorn."

There is a robot on the corner. We scan in. As we do I take a look down the platform and see Apollo. We glance at each other relatively quickly and he just shakes his head again. He's upset. I think about walking over and talking to him but I decide not to. I was in the right. I was just doing what was I was supposed to do. I was being fair and balanced.

Everyone is breaking out in little groups based off of their signs. The Taurus are headed over to the Science building. The Pisces are going over to the Art district.

A man walks over to us.

"Libras. This way please! LIBRAS!"

I don't think it misses past the other signs that the Libras are boarded up into flying limousines. I watch the stares from the platform. I watch the hateful stares. I see specifically the homely Cancers or the dirty Aries. They stare at us with either looks of intimidation or looks of resentment. I don't understand. I struggle to get it, especially when I see Ryder's icy dangerous blue eyes. There is something cold about the boy. I pray to god that I never see him again as I get into the limousine with the other Libras.

~

The city is busy and loud. Traffic buzzes. There are sounds everywhere. I watch as the flying limousines land in front of a building. The streets aren't as clean as I thought they would be. We walk outside of the limousines and I smell a stench in the air. It's beautiful but in a different way. This isn't the quiet city that I'm used too. This is a city of technology. Huge billboards flash.

One of them has a warning sign that pops up. It has the sign of a scorpion. The sign flashes for a few seconds but then disappears as though it was never there.

"We are approaching the Justice center. The majority of you will be assigned here for your job. In the lobby will be a large dynamic touchscreen wall. You'll also be assigned your living quarters."

"And the matchmaker?" Loreal asks.

"Not until tomorrow dear..." the escort says, "Right this way please."

We enter the building. Lloyd stays by my side. I walk with him over to the interactive wall. We see Lloyd's face and I stand with him as he clicks on the wall. His job title pulls up. He's a Liberty. I don't think he's really surprised. There are going to be 12 Liberties and Lloyd has always been at the top of his class. He smiles realizing it.

"Liberty," I hear Loreal say not too far away from me, "What did you get Law?"

It's not as though she cares. I think we can all assume I'd get Liberty as well. She's just being Loreal. She puts on this fake smile. Libra girls are good for pretending like they like you when they really hate your guts. I walk over to the interactive wall. I press on the picture. My picture illuminates the wall. There is nothing written by my name.

"What the hell?" Lloyd says.

"Does that mean you don't have a job?" Loreal asks me.

For some reason I feel like she seems to take a slight delusional comfort in the idea that I wouldn't have a job. That's the only real way to explain the little smirk that shows up on her pretty little face. Why the fuck would she be so happy about this?

"Follow me sir," the escort says.

"Is this some sort of mistake? I didn't do anything wrong."

"Follow me. Now," he tells me.

Loreal and Lloyd look over at me. Their eyes seem to be assuming I'm getting in trouble over something. Maybe I fucked up their touchscreen. I'm not really good with technology even though I hate to admit it. Libras weren't really a technological race. We were a cultured sign. We were supposed to be all about our class and image.

I walk towards these people. They seem human but I look at their eyes. They are stoic. It's almost like they have no emotion. As we enter onto an elevator the stoic humans move a little bit. It's a slight twitch but then I realize something I don't realize before. Something is glowing underneath their arms. Some sort of device or something.

Are they not human?

Some sort of cyborg. Some sort of computer.

My breathing gets heavy.

The elevators door open and more of these cyborg things are in the room that I walk into. The room had a red carpet that looks like something from 100 years ago. I walk into the red carpet and into a room. There is a statue in the middle of the room. It's the statue of Lady Liberty. She has a sword in one hand and scales in another. She is blindfolded. She has wings.

We are so high. I look out of the window and see the entire Capital City around me. It's different from this view. I see just how vast and complicated this city is.

I've never seen anything so amazing. I've never seen anything so terrifying.

"Don't be afraid...Libras can fly..." a voice says.

I turn at that moment. The cyborgs separate and expose a man standing there. He's a middle aged white man. Race isn't really an issue nowadays. With the perfection of the zodiac system race no longer has become a bad thing. He's handsome and coy. He has a friendly smile. I can tell by the way he moves that he is a Libra. He wears a robe. He's far more comfortable than I assume he should be in a business setting such as this one. He smokes a cigar. As he walks close I smell the cigar. It is potent. It bothers my nose. I've never smoked before. Libras usually don't smoke. It effects our looks.

He's different from any Libra I've ever met. He stands next to me and looks out of the window. We stare out of it at that moment.

"They told me to come up here. My name is Law..."

He smiles.

"I know who you are. Do you know who I am?" he asks.

I shake my head, "No. Are the job assigner or something? There seems to be an issue with my job assignment downstairs."

"What issue?"

"It's blank."

"That's not an issue," he laughs, "I'm surprised you don't know who I am."

"I've only been in this city for like 30 minutes. I've seen flying cars, interactive walls, robots who are asking me to scan my fingerprints, dirty Aries who want to beat my ass and cyborgs. Excuse me if I'm a little confused. Who are you?"

"I am the High Liberty."

My mouth drops! I bow at that moment. Holy shit. I had no idea it was the fucking High Liberty! I just assumed it was some guy in a fucking bath robe. My heart skips a beat. I should have been more prepared! I should have been more respectful.

"Oh my god. Sir. I apologize. They showed me pictures of you back on the Scale Mountains. I just...I've been so distracted by the city and everything."

I've been distracted by Apollo's proposal. The way Ryder and the other Aries looked at me. I've been distracted by all of those things.

"Look out at the city. What do you see?" he asks me.

"A lot," I explain to him.

"It's a dangerous city. It's a city under attack. It's an unbalanced city. It's a city that needs saving. It's a vast city. Take a look outside of those walls. I am the High Liberty. Everything that you see is under my control. Everything you see is mine. And you know what else?"

"What?"

"You are going to be the next High Liberty. Everything you see out of these walls will be yours..."

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