?I?ll give her your compliments.? I gestured toward the door. ?I should join the feeding frenzy. Buffy?s going to want to start assembling today?s footage, and she always goes overboard without me standing over her.?
?I see.? The senator paused for a moment. His voice was uncharacteristically stiff as he continued, ?I wondered if I might ask you a small favor, Miss Mason.?
Ah, the first demand for censorship. I was going to owe Shaun ten bucks; I?d been betting that Senator Ryman could make it at least until we hit the actual campaign trail before he started trying to control the media. Keeping my voice level, I said, ?And that would be, Senator??
?Emily.? He shook his head, a smile tugging at his lips. ?I know you?ll release whatever you want to, and I look forward to having the chance to read and watch it all. I don?t figure we caught half the cameras and recorders you three had on you?some of the ones Miss Meissonier was carrying were barely in the range of our sensors, which leads me to believe that she had others we couldn?t see at all, and if she ever wishes to pursue a career in espionage, I only pray she offers her services to us first?so you?ve doubtless got some great footage. And that?s fabulous. But Emily, you see, well? she?s not so comfortable with a lot of media attention.?
I looked at him, thoughtfully. ?So you want me to minimize the use of your wife?? That was odd. Emily Ryman was friendly, photogenic, and, except for the horses, just about the sanest politician?s wife I?d ever met. I expected him to milk her as the asset she was. ?She?s going to have to feature in this campaign. And if you win??
?She understands her role in things, and she doesn?t mind being written about, but she?d rather her picture wasn?t used excessively,? he said. He was clearly uncomfortable with the request. That made me a lot more likely to grant it. ?Please. If it?s at all possible, I would see it as a great personal favor.?
Lowering my sunglasses enough to let him see my eyes, I asked, ?Why??
?Because she raises horses. I know you don?t approve of keeping mammals that meet the size for Kellis-Amberlee amplification, but you?re polite about it. You write articles and you lobby for stricter controls, and that?s fine, that?s your right as an American citizen. Given your family connections, it?s even unavoidable. Some people, however, get a little more? aggressive.?
?You?re talking about the bombing in San Diego, aren?t you?? It was the darling of the news feeds for a while, because it was such a huge event: the world?s largest remaining zoo and wild animal conservatory, bombed by activists who believed Mason?s Law should be used to shut down every facility in the world that kept animals capable of undergoing viral amplification. The same fringe group, in other words, that supports lifting the bans on big-game hunting across the world, and wiping out North America?s large indigenous mammals. They call themselves ?pro-life,? but what they really are is pro-genocide. Their proverbial panties get wet just thinking about the opportunity to go out and slaughter something under the illusion of following the law. Hundreds died in San Diego because of what they did, and I?m not just talking about the animals. We got a lot of firsts out of that stunt. ?First confirmed Kellis-Amberlee transmission through giraffe bite? wasn?t the weirdest.
Senator Ryman nodded, lips pressed into a thin line. ?I have three daughters. All of them are at the ranch with their grandparents, waiting for their mother to rejoin them.?
?Trying to avoid making them a target??
?That?s unavoidable, unfortunately. It?s the nature of modern politics. But I can keep them out of the spotlight for as long as I can.?
I kept my sunglasses pulled down, studying him. Unlike most people, he met my eyes without flinching. Having a wife with retinal KA probably helped with that. Finally, I slid my glasses back into place and nodded. ?I?ll see what I can do.?
He offered a quick, boyish smile, his relief showing clearly. ?Thank you, Miss Mason. Don?t let me keep you any longer. I?m sure you?re anxious to check the state of your vehicles.?
?If your goons scratched my bike, I?ll have to get bitchy,? I cautioned, and left the room, following the path Shaun and Buffy had taken to the yard. Leaving Emily out of things would be relatively easy. The way the kitchen was lit meant we could limit footage of her without changing the overall tone of the afternoon, and without being too blatant?looking like you?re hiding something is the fastest way to bring the vultures down. I?d have to leave it up to Buffy, of course. She?s our graphics wiz.