Nancy Fisher now lived in a chaotic world. Earth was no longer the perfect planet. When her sister Alexis had left for marriage to an alien on another planet, her dad had uprooted the family, leaving the mountains of Wyoming behind. California had become their new home. Its congested living space was nothing like the openness of her former world. But, Nancy had been young and adjusted well. She had finished high school with honors and gone on to college. Unlike her sister, she had no real interest in science. Her specialty was in human rights. But, that had become really complicated.

More than a decade had passed since Nancy said goodbye to Alexis. She had thought her sister insane to head off into space looking for marriage to an alien and hoping to be taken seriously as a scientist. She had gone ballistic when Alexis told her the plan. Their relationship had suffered due to the arguments. Over the years, Nancy had come to terms with her sister's choices, even finding herself smiling over the pictures of her niece. Alexis kept in touch as much as the distance allowed, and her parents had sent gifts back on the Milisarian trading vessels. Someday, she hoped to meet her Milisarian brother-in-law and niece and close the gap between Alexis and herself.

Nancy knew that Alexis had been broken-hearted when their father died six months ago. His sudden heart attack had stunned them all, but poor Alexis was too far out in space to return in time to say her goodbyes. The incident had changed Nancy's life yet again. Instead of an apartment in a singles’ neighborhood, she now resided in a house with her widowed mother. Her mom had her own suite of rooms, giving them both much- needed privacy. However, she was left holding the bag for her mom's care. Sometimes it rankled that Alexis had none of the obligations here on Earth. She had a gorgeous warrior for a husband, a brilliant career as the top scientist on Milisaria, and a precious daughter. It didn't seem fair to Nancy. Her emotions over Alexis were all mixed up. She loved her, missed her, and resented her all at once.

Responsibility awaited her, so Nancy pulled her silken blonde locks into a high ponytail, added blush, mascara, and lip gloss to her already perfect face, and headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. Her mother was up and sitting on the couch watching the early morning news on the wall screen. By the time the weather ended, she was sitting beside her mom with a plateful of eggs and toast for each of them.

An emergency signal sounded, and the regular news was interrupted. On the screen, there appeared protesters and fighting. Aliens and humans alike were pushing, shoving, and shedding blood. The announcer begged, "Stay away from downtown Oakland. Rioters continue fighting there over the experimental laboratory that was discovered yesterday. These riots are going on in many major cities all around the world. At one time, it was thought that only one such lab existed and had been extinguished by the FBI. It was brought to our attention by the daughter of the lab's owner, Valeri Cavanaugh, and raided. She and her brother went against their father and saved the aliens with the help of the Milisarians. The world believed the problem was over. The world was so wrong. Labs of the same ilk have been found in Japan, England, Russia, and now once more in America. That's right, folks; overnight, we found another one right here in the heart of San Francisco. That makes three in California. These rioters haven't even heard about it yet. We expect the conditions to worsen as soon as the news gets out. Try to remain calm and help where you can."

Nancy's mom had tears running down her cheeks. She shook her head in dismay. "What has this world come to? We finally had peace among ourselves, and then we turned on other worlds. It's so sad that some people still see aliens as lesser beings. We should have learned that lesson many years ago. This world fought wars to free other races and prove that they were equal. Thousands upon thousands have died for that equality, but here we are perpetuating the idea that one group is better than the others and kidnapping them to use in horrible experiments. We don't even use animals in that way anymore. It breaks my heart."

Nancy had to agree. "Humans don't seem to learn from past mistakes, do they? Even after seeing aliens on the news and integrating many into Earth's society, they still argue over their intelligence and right to be here. Aliens have given us so many things that make our lives better. We have better medications, technology, food, and cleaner air all because of aliens. Yet, we lock them away and torture them. I wish I had been able to meet Valeri. She did more for them than I've ever done."

Her mother replied, "Maybe you will meet her one day. Alexis said she's now a Milisarian citizen, happily married to the knight she saved, and a daughter. There may come a time that she wants to visit Earth, or you may want to make a trip into space."

Nancy began to laugh. "I'm definitely not going into space. I like my feet planted firmly on Earth. I do, however, want to continue helping the aliens. We have extended our fights for human rights to include alien ones as well. Today, I'm going to volunteer at the recovery center. They will need all the help they can get processing the aliens from the lab that was found last night. I can make more of an impact there than I can joining the protesters. Besides, I know you get worried every time I go to one of these protests. Someone always gets hurt. I realize I've been lucky so far. There's no need to worry today. I promise that I'll be safe inside the recovery center. Enjoy your day and don't overdo it."

"I plan to sit right here and watch some old movies. The only work I have thought about doing is to make you a nice dinner. I like to cook. All these new-fangled technologies that allow you to let computers make your meals annoy me. I am going to do it the old-fashioned way. You'll see, it tastes much better." She paused for a moment, hesitant to broach the subject of Alexis. But, she decided it was important. "You know, dear; it might be a good idea to reach out to your sister for help. The Milisarians may know something more about what's happening here than we do. They tend to travel all over the sky and learn interesting things. It's possible that Alexis knows the extent of these issues and can find a solution. I know you two have not been the best of friends, but you're both adults now and should leave your differences in the past. If not for your sakes, then for these poor tormented aliens."

Nancy wanted to blow off her mother's suggestion but knew she had a valid point. She rolled her eyes and replied, "I'll think about it." Then she stomped out of the room. She could feel her mother's disapproval and knew she was probably shaking her head at Nancy's childish behavior.

It was hard to live up to her sister's legacy. Alexis had heeded the call for wives on a faraway planet. She had been kidnapped by a Milisarian King and was chosen to become his wife. Another knight had killed the king to save her and the other human women. She had discovered a cure for the Arkani women, as well as one to save her own life during childbirth. Alexis had saved the lives of the new Milisarian king after a deadly battle, Ohber after his torture on Earth, and just recently a human named Josephine who had been caught in a war between the Milisarians and a species known as the Pura. Nancy couldn't compete with that. No wonder her mother told her to seek her sister's help. It made Nancy resentful and yet proud to claim Alexis as her sibling.

Not knowing what she would be assigned to do in the recovery center, Nancy decided it would be best to dress comfortably. She left her hair in a ponytail to keep it out of the way and slipped on a pair of faded, soft jeans. The day was slightly chilly, so she pulled a sweatshirt over her head. It had the logo of her college on the front and made her feel safe and nostalgic. Sneakers and a wrist communicator finished her look.

In the kitchen, she packed some snacks for later. There was no way to know how long she would be needed at the center. For all she knew, the aliens from other California cities might have been sent to San Francisco for processing. She doubted there would be time to sneak away for food and she didn't want to take away any from the poor aliens. They needed all the nourishment they could get after being part of vicious experiments.

Before leaving, she thought it best to check the news one more time. If the rioting had begun here in San Francisco, it might affect the way she got to the center or stop her altogether. What she saw on the kitchen screen was both frightening and fascinating. Rioting had broken out with a vengeance in front of the San Francisco lab accused of unlawful experiments on aliens. The streets were filled with screaming individuals, alien and human, bearing signs that ranged from intelligent words to vile threats. The military had been called in to hold back the crowds, but there were pockets of fighting on every corner. In the midst of the angry chaos, individuals of every known species were calmly and gently bringing out the sick and injured aliens. Humans, wearing protective rubber suits, held Voltuni's in their arms, not caring in the least that they could be electrocuted if their suits were breached. Four of the thin Arkani struggled with a giant Milisarian Knight who had his legs wrapped in bandages and tried valiantly to keep his weight off of his rescuers. A Reptilarian wrapped his scaly arms across the backs of two of his own species and aided them in limping to the waiting transport.

The rescuers ignored the protesters and gave their full attention to the victims. The cameras panned to the back of the building where the scientists were being led in handcuffs to police transport. The anger and disbelief on their faces was evident, though several tried to hide from the cameras. Nurses were being arrested as well. The ones in the Cavanaugh lab had not known the true nature and illegal means of the experiments, but after that raid, there had been more than enough publicity for these nurses to know exactly what was happening. They had chosen to stand by and watch the aliens' torture and do nothing to stop it. From the looks of the victims, the nurses had not cared for them very well either. Each lab they discovered seemed to be worse than the one before. Where were the people like Valeri, who had stood up to her own father and notified the government of the atrocity? Was money so important that the world of mankind had forgotten their humanity? Would they have stood aside and allowed this to happen to humans on other worlds? It shocked Nancy to the core. She was ashamed to admit that at one time she had thought humans to be the only truly intelligent species. Time and perspective had changed her attitude, at least to a degree. A part of her still resented it when she was bypassed for a job, and it was given to a newly integrated alien. But, that didn't mean she wouldn't stand up for their rights.

Nancy picked up her food and went looking for her transport pass. She found it behind a picture in her room. The photo brought a smile to her face. It had been taken at a protest march last month. In it, her face looked fierce and her stance combative. It was a statement of her passion for the rights of all, no matter where they were born. She was proud of her work and hoped she would make a difference at the recovery center today. She put the photo back where it came from, went in search of her mom, kissed her cheek goodbye, and went out to face the mad world she still loved.