The continuing war between Russia and Ukraine presented many problems that the world was trying to manage, partially because of nature of the combatants, with Russia's political leadership largely standing by its claims to the territory it had captured and still held in Ukraine and throwing out bluster at the rest of the world for not supporting its invasion. The rest came more to the bloody and terrible nature of war to begin with. While the number of attacks on Ukrainian cities had declined, they did still happen and people were harmed when these things happened, often bringing a lot of attention to treating both injuries and everything else that came as the result of these attacks.
Horizon and Animalia couldn't provide much in the way to defend against those attacks, as Horizon's research had been more on the side of genetics and thus couldn't defeat incoming missiles. And while many Animalians had often voiced an opposition to warfare and being super soldiers, often with the point that many Animalians that had enhanced senses of smell and hearing didn't like the scent and sound of gunfire, which would be a big part of warfare, their commentary on the present war showed where Animalians themselves could draw the line. Animalians who had been US veterans before their conversions had given some voice that if the US were attacked the way Ukraine was, they wouldn't be above returning to the infantry to defeat the invasion, and there were some that already had some connections to the present conflict. There were moments where Lana Sierkorsky, who had become a Mountain Lion Animalian, had voiced a willingness to return home and hunt those that attacked her home and farm and to find her sons, though some of that had also betrayed a personal interest in the conflict. Though, while working with Hunni Bunni to improve her Ukrainian while learning English from Christopher Spike... and privately developing some attraction to the translator, Lana had agreed to remain in the US, for now.
The one thing that Horizon and Animalia could provide was a means to recovery from major injuries coming as a result of the bombing and missile attacks that the Russians had launched on Ukraine. And those injuries were often severe, as even with bunkers and warning systems, that didn't mean that every person could get to them, or that these bunkers could protect people completely and this did lead to injuries that needed treatment. Those that were minor were often treated as normal, but for those were more seriously injured needed either greater care or were in greater need of what the Animalia Virus could do as a "cure all." These patents were often women or children, those who were behind the lines... and many of whom had returned to Ukraine after the worst of the invasion the previous year was reversed.
"They'll be fine?" Horizon's CEO, Melvin Qvite, asked to one of the team members that had come with them to one Polish city where the conversions for these wounded was primarily being carried out.
With the war in Ukraine ongoing, about the only ones being allowed in from the West were those who were actually going into fight in the war or carrying out diplomatic meetings with the Ukrainian government. Since Qvite was not an officer of the US government, he didn't get that option and the nature of some of the injuries that had been sustained had limited what Ukrainian doctors could do beyond stabilizing the patients. It had led to a massive amount of scaring and in a couple amputated limbs coming as a result of the damage done. From the news reports, it fueled the Ukrainians with anger and hurt Melvin Qvite's heart. Finding that the Animalia Virus could heal those wounds was one thing, but he didn't expect to find it necessary to use it on people to restore their basic mobility in this way.
"As fine as they can be physically," the team member spoke as he looked into the observation room where a female Eurasian Wren Animalian was folding and unfolding her new wings after coming out from a more private examination room where the conversion was handled, "the bigger issue for those that have agreed to it and come here would be more psychological. The Poles may let them stay for a few days for local therapists and stress tests to see how much. From there, through our translators we can provide the instructions they will need to order the updates for the vaccine for the Animalia Virus so that next year, it doesn't become inactive, and they become infectious, which is all pretty standard. Which is about the best we can do."
Melvin Qvite sighed and looked to see a young brown furred European Rabbit Animalian come out in a pair of shorts and a shirt before hopping into the Eurasian Wren Animalian's arms. Melvin Qvite watched the hug quietly and hoped that things would improve and that the war would end.
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Though, not all of these issues were often easy to work with. The number of people that had been fleeing Russia had started to go down, mostly as the Russian government wasn't openly conscripting people, though it was suspected that those actions were now being done far more silently to avoid trouble. But there were those that were still attempting to leave Russia, if only in small numbers. However, because Putin had not changed his rhetoric, and was alternating between threatening his own officers and threatening the world with nuclear attacks and more off the wall attacks in the media on those that supported the country he had invaded, there remained a LOT of suspicion over those leaving Russia.
For prior to the present conflict, the Russian government had successfully sent spies and agents out to engage in various forms of espionage to try and secure either positions of power for potential allies for Putin or for business deals that would benefit Russia in a one-sided manner. And with most of those who had been leading Russia being male, that spurred continued suspicion of continued espionage, particularly when requests for conversions also came. As the Russians had been interested in the possibilities that Animalia could create or provide super soldiers as much as nearly everyone else and had often wanted direct control over the Animalia Virus within their own borders, something that Horizon had never shared, on the expectation that they'd lose money as a result of it. It also compromised the various projects where Horizon was willing to exchange scientific data, but the recreation of the Mammoth Steppe was something that was also effectively on hold while the war was on.
It was only those like Yashka and Bystrouska that had chances of getting through what was considered mandatory screening to make sure there were no spies trying to obtain an advantage by underhanded means. Which largely left nearly all Russian refugees out of the line for conversion, and represented on how much Putin’s actions to take advantage of world was backfiring on others. Some were disappointed, but they ultimately, many of them were relieved to simply be out. Those who ultimately did get the chance to convert were Russian-American citizens, many of whom had immigrated most recently in the nineties or had a legacy that went back to the start of the twentieth century. But with many having been frustrated by the previous administration's coddling of Russian ambitions, modern Russian-Americans with no connections to the Russian government either felt threatened or determined to try and connect themselves with the US more than they would have done in the past. This brought them to Lyre/Animalia to convert and often picking animals more associated with the US.
This then brought some of the earlier converts to Animalia who'd had similar reasons for converting. At the Horizon Labs, Antonia Soon, still preferring "Susan B. Anthony" to keep herself apart from memories of her own family's past in North Korea and all the hurdles they'd had to get away from the North Korean government, came in on request from the labs to provide the milk for the conversion of one of these Russian-Americans. She knew his first name was Sergi, and his family had actually immigrated in 1947, mostly doing their best to escape Stalin's rule. It brought back ill memories that Susan B. Anthony still shuddered at and made her all the happier to help. And in the end, Sergi did make a handsome Eagle, and Susan B. Anthony was there to talk with him after he came out from the changing room.
"I must say... the dye... is... well..." Sergi spoke politely, noting that Susan B. Anthony's feathers were still dyed to give her a rather red-white-and-blue look as much as possible, "colorful."
"It makes for fun at the Meat Market," Susan B. Anthony smiled, "and provides for a way to show that I'm not some North Korean toady. That I served the US with honor and love the freedom this country provides."
"We are alike there, then," Sergi chuckled, "at least in liking America... though for my family it was getting away from Stalin. And now... now it feels like the Cold War all over again at times."
"They think you're a Soviet spy?" Susan B. Anthony asked, catching onto the similarities in their respective family's stories, even if they came from different countries and at different times.
"Russian," Sergi managed, "but yes... there was distrust when my family first arrived. As men like McCarthy ran his committee accusing anyone who might have been remotely connected to the Communist Party in for suspicion, which naturally made anyone who was fleeing Stalin a target in the 50s. Things calmed a little later, but not by too much... and real healing really didn't come until the eighties and nineties when Soviet Union began to cease to become a threat. And then Putin starts causing trouble, and while we've urged opposition to him, the previous administration's coddling of Putin... has only made people angry as more is found out on what was essentially given to that tin pot despot in Moscow. They forget how long my family has lived in this country... and why we came in the first place."
"Well... you couldn't have picked a better bird to be," Susan B. Anthony spoke with a smile on her beak, "and the flight instructors for Eagle Animalians are available all year, at least so long as there is no blizzard or high wind..."
Sergi nodded and stretched his wings a little behind him. It would be good to fly... and be free.