The rescue of the group of girls was reported on television, and Ami was pleased to see that no one was harmed in the rescue efforts. However, what came next was something to be expected in that the girls, many of whom were young and were likely intended for some sort of sexual slavery. Interpol was working to coordinate with many of the governments in the region that had reported their citizens being among those that the group kidnapped, and this would include things like protection during the course of the trial, which from what the Chinese ambassador on Heiya Island had told Ami, conviction was assured. However, so far as Ami knew, a lot of that would take time to figure out which of the girls had living family that they could be returned to after the whole crisis was over.
Ami was fine with housing and shielding the crime ring's victims while all that legal process was going on, as many of Heiya Island's residents were like the Five Elements and had been rescued from similar crime rings. It honestly made Ami wonder if they were living in some badly written action comic where the same sorts of crimes keep happening in the same areas and no action is ever taken to correct the issues that caused the crime rings to rise up in the first place. For she'd seen some of the reports on the unrest in America. Crime could and often did occur, but it was rare that police and governments would take no responsive action. Ami was happy to take part in the appropriate responsive action. However, there were health concerns that also had to be looked after, as while the Covid 19 pandemic was lowering in some places, it wasn't gone and in some places was even returning when communities tried to open up again. Thus why the first place the rescued girls were taken was Heiya Island's hospital.
"And you said you rescued one hundred and seventy?" Ami asked to the Interpol officer who had returned along with a small team of men that would be carrying out the procedural work to help see if any of the girls had living family they could be sent to when the crisis was over, "You'd told us before that the number would have only been a hundred at most."
"It could be that some of our estimates were in error... or that the group grabbed some others while I was first discussing things with you and your councilors," the Interpol officer sighed, "either that or they are the children of members of the crime ring... or some combination. But with the fact that all of them are likely to be found guilty... if they are children of the crooks... they will need some place to stay."
"But you will look to find any families for them that might NOT be connected to the crime ring?" Ami asked.
"Of course," the Interpol officer nodded, "though... before we get to your doctors... I feel I must also warn you that this ring seemed to be obsessed with Animalians in some ways..."
Ami blinked her eyes for a moment. That was a bit of a surprise, but then at the same time, she also had the sense that many people liked Animalians, and some more than others in various ways.
"We found a lot of material on computers they had in their main compound," the Interpol officer explained, "they'd put Horizon on their list of web favorites, along with the page that Animalia Ambassadoria publishes its show on... and specifically the videos in which they talk about Animalians having a stronger libido than normal Humans."
"So... you think..." Ami said slowly with her eyes widening in shock and surprise.
"Our best guess is that they were ALL intended to be forcibly converted to be willing sex slaves... and we think that this ring was very good with brainwashing techniques," the Interpol officer said slowly, "so they may know of you... and your past in adult entertainment and may wish to follow... because THAT is what these criminals WANTED them to be."
"I can assure you that that will not be done," Ami answered, "sex is wonderful... but it should be consensual, at the very least."
"Good... and a lot of that will relate on how well we can get things to go at trial," the Interpol officer spoke, "councilors will come in to determine if they have some form of Stockholm Syndrome as well, at least based on our initial assessment."
"That will have to wait until after they've cleared all the Covid 19 screenings and some period here in the hospital to be SURE they don't have it or pick it up while in captivity," spoke a Human Japanese doctor. She was female and a bit shorter than Ami, and like the Wolf Animalian and Human Interpol officer, she wore a mask that partially muffled her voice.
"This is Doctor Hirikame, part of the staff that has come specifically in response to the present pandemic," Ami spoke, "very good... since the hospital's normal staff is a bit smaller and not ready for the possibility of a major Covid 19 outbreak here."
"And that is where everyone must be extra cautious," Doctor Hirikame spoke, "of those rescued half have tested positive for Covid 19, or have tested positive for antibodies, meaning they HAD Covid 19 and recovered. Which means that the kidnappers likely grabbed them in areas that were locked down from the pandemic and that some of those they kidnapped had the disease or were carriers. It then spread among the rest of them. We have those that tested positive isolated and everything they came in contact with in line for being cleaned..."
"And the rest?" Ami asked.
"The results on the other half haven't come in yet," Doctor Hirikame answered, "though it would be best not to get to close... The Interpol officers have so far tested negative... so again... be safe and avoid a lot of contact and you SHOULD be fine."
Both nodded, as Doctor Hirikame then lead them into the wards that were set up to serve as a quarantine area for those that the Interpol officers had rescued. Much of the building was set to balance the needs for Heiya Island's medical needs, but prior to Covid 19, its needs were smaller and with greater emphasis looking at basic family medicine and reproductive health, likely with the expectation that the new Animalian residents would soon start families there. There were some rooms and wards set for surgeries and other issues as a "just in case" measure, but like many, they weren't ready for the Corona Virus pandemic. Heiya Island's best defense against it had been cutting off all outside access to the island outside of instances where those coming in had been tested.
The rescue operation and the need for Heiya Island to serve as a "base" to protect the victims of this new crime ring had put that issue to the test, and thus why Doctor Hirikame had been called in, along with a specialized staff of nurses from Japan and China that had all worked in their country's responses to the pandemic. A Doctor Yaun had also come in from China to serve the same purpose as per Heiya Island's unique status. It was politically part of Japan, but was serving as a sort of experiment to try and heal Japanese/Chinese rifts through Animalia. He, though, was scheduled for the night shift and thus wasn't presently available. Together, they had set up shift rotations and schedules for how to operate the Heiya Island hospital in order to quarantine those rescued, particularly if some tested positive for Covid 19 and thus contain those infected and treat those that showed symptoms safely.
The organization included setting up the emergency room area for immediate triage and testing. Those showing clear symptoms would be kept there and isolated, thankfully, none of the rescued girls showed severe symptoms. Some did and a good portion tested positive, but they were in strong enough condition that they could be moved up into some of the ICU and other wards in the hospital. It required in some cases putting at least two to a room and drawing curtains between them so that things wouldn't spread. Those that tested negative were on the top floors and were in some of the other wards. Again, the hospital had to fit multiple people to a room, as Heiya Island wasn't really prepared for the hundred rescued girls that the Interpol Officer had initially expected to rescue and certainly wasn't prepared for the one hundred seventy that they got.
Ami was attentive as Doctor Hirikame lead them through the wards, and that let her get a look at the girls that had been rescued. Despite the positive Covid 19 tests, none seemed to be seriously ill with it, which Ami hoped would mean that they would recover. The fact that they had been kidnapped and exploited during a global pandemic tugged at her heart and she wanted them to eventually see some sense of freedom and happiness. Most were Chinese like the Five Elements, but there were some Koreans, Chinese, Indians, Vietnamese, and even a handful from the countries of Central Asia, which was in line with what the Interpol officer had stated when he'd first met with her and her councilors.
The one thing that made Ami the most nervous was that when many of the rescued girls saw her, they recognized her and reacted in a way that she didn't expect. It was almost as if it was a conditioned response to see her as a "mother" or someone to be copied, which only tied into what the Interpol officer had told her before entering on the tour. That the crime ring had put a lot of effort into trying to brainwash them into being willing sex slaves, with the possibility of trying to use the Animalia Virus in the long term to help them in their endeavors along those lines. That would be something that would have to be fixed and corrected, for Animalia couldn't be used as a means to enhance or spread the sex trade, and a part of her even blamed herself a bit, given her past performances at the Meat Market before Heiya Island was established as a colony. To have such young girls seem to faun over her made Ami uneasy...
Though, she couldn't say as to how long it would take or where things would stand. All of them had to have family out there waiting for them... Ami knew that, and hopefully, the girls could be healed and recovered from all they had been exposed to, which would then allow for their return to their families, if families could be found. But with one hundred seventy... that would take a lot of time and work to treat.