?Like the viral substrain?? I asked. ?Right. Governor Tate, my crew and I were several hundred miles from the ranch at the time of the outbreak at the Ryman family home, and security records will support this. Further, with the exception of Mr. Cousins, we were all traveling with the campaign for months prior to the outbreak. Mr. Cousins was traveling with the convoy of Congresswoman Wagman, who should be able to vouch for his whereabouts. I?m not a virologist, but I?m fairly sure it takes special equipment to isolate the live virus without risking infection, and that said special equipment would not only be delicate, but would require special training to operate and maintain. Do you see where I?m going with this, Governor Tate, or should we draw you a diagram??
?She?s right,? said Emily. Governor Tate looked toward her, eyes narrowing. She met his gaze and said, ?I took virology courses at college; they?re required for an animal husbandry degree. What Peter is describing is lab quality. You?d need a clean room and excellent biohazard protections just to isolate it, much less load it into any sort of a? a weapon. They just didn?t have the resources. You?d need something a lot more secure than a pressure cooker in a hotel room to do something like this.?
?Furthermore,? I said, cutting Tate off before he could speak again, ?even assuming we could somehow come up with the resources to do something like this, and had some sort of ?silent partner? we could get out to the ranch while we were occupied at the convention, we?d have to be idiots to turn around and be the ones who found the proof that the outbreak was man-made. So now that you?ve insulted our patriotism, our sanity, and our intelligence, how about we move on??
Governor Tate leaned back in his seat, eyes narrowed. I kept my own eyes wide, playing off just how disturbing the unbroken, too-too-blue of my contacts is to most humans. He looked away first.
Satisfied, I turned toward Senator Ryman. ?So now that we?ve had that little throwdown, what else did you feel needed to be handled behind a firewall??
To his credit, he looked embarrassed as he said, ?We were wondering, given the circumstances, if, well? if it might not be the best idea for the four of you to go home.?
I gaped at him. Rick did the same. Buffy, who had been uncharacteristically silent through the entire exchange with Tate, continued staring at her hands.
In the end, it was Shaun who spoke, slamming his feet flat against the floor as he stood up and demanded, ?Are you people fucking insane?!?
?Shaun?? said Senator Ryman, raising both hands in a placating gesture. ?If you?d just be reasonable here??
?Pardon me, sir, but you gave up your right to ask me to do that when you suggested we run out on the story,? Shaun snapped, voice tight. Out of everyone in the room, I was the only one who understood how much that degree of self-control was costing him. Shaun?s temper doesn?t show itself often, but when it does, ?duck and cover? is the best approach. ?Don?t you think we owe it to our viewers to finish what we started? We signed up for the long haul! We don?t get to cut our losses and run as soon as things start getting a little bit uncomfortable!?
?My daughter died, Shaun!? said the senator. He was suddenly on his feet, leaving Emily abandoned and looking lost on the couch. ?Do you understand that this is more than a story to us? Rebecca is dead! Telling the truth isn?t going to bring her back to life!?
?Neither is telling a lie,? said Rick, his tone so calm that it seemed almost out of place among the heated exchanges. We all turned to look at him. His head was up, his expression clear as he looked from Senator Ryman to Governor Tate. ?Senator, believe me when I say I understand your pain more than you can know. And I understand that concern is making you listen to bad advice,? he glanced toward the governor, who had the grace to redden and scowl, ?that says we?re civilians, and you should get us out of harm?s way. But, sir, it?s too late for that. This is news. If you send us away, you?re just going to get other reporters sniffing around, looking for a story. Reporters who, if you?ll allow me to beg your pardon, you can?t control. Now, we have a working relationship, and you know we?ll listen to you. Can you honestly expect that from anyone else who might be attracted to this scoop??
?I think we should go,? said Buffy. I turned to her, eyes going wide. Still looking at her hands, she continued. ?We didn?t sign up for this. Maybe Rick?s right, and maybe other people will come, but who cares?? She glanced up through the fringe of her hair and licked her lips. ?If they want to come and die, that?s their problem. But I?m scared, and he?s right. We shouldn?t be here anymore. If we were ever supposed to be here at all.?
?Buffy,? said Shaun, sounding stung. ?What are you talking about??