?In that case, I?d like some groupies,? said Shaun, settling in the chair next to mine. I kicked him in the shin. He yelped but grinned, unrepentant.
?I?ll see what we can do.? The senator rose, rapping his knuckles against the table. The last small eddies of conversation in the room died, all attention sliding back to him. Even Buffy stopped typing as the senator leaned forward, hands on the table, and said, ?Now that we?re all here? how the hell did that happen?? His voice never rose above a conversational level. ?We lost four guards last night, three of them at our own front gate. What happened to the concept of security? Did I miss the meeting where we decided that zombies weren?t something we needed to be concerned about anymore??
One of the aides cleared his throat and said, ?Well, sir, it looks like there was a power short on the anterior detection unit, which resulted in the doors failing to shut fast enough to prevent the incursion from??
?Speak English at this table or I will fire you so fast you?ll wind up standing at the airport wondering how the hell you got from here to there without any goddamn pants on,? the senator snapped. The aide responded by paling and dropping the papers he?d been holding. ?Can anyone here tell me what happened and how, in simple English words of two syllables or less??
?Your screamer wasn?t working,? said Buffy. Every head in the room turned to her. She shrugged. ?Every perimeter rig has a screamer built in. Yours didn?t switch on.?
?A screamer being??? asked one of the aides.
?A heat-sensitive motion sensor,? said Chuck Wong. He looked anxious?and with good reason. Most of his job involves the design and maintenance of the convoy?s automated perimeter defenses. If there?d been a mechanical failure, it was technically his fault. ?They scan moving objects for heat as well as motion. Anything below a certain range sets off an alert of possible zombies in the area.?
?A really fresh one can fool a screamer, but the packs we saw last night were too mixed for that. They should have set off the alerts, and they didn?t.? Buffy shrugged again. ?That means we had a screamer failure.?
?Chuck? Care to tell us why that happened??
?I can?t. Not until we can arrange for a physical inspection of the equipment.?
?It?s arranged. Carlos, get three of your men and take Chuck for an inspection run. Report back as soon as you have anything.? Carlos nodded, heading for the door. Three of the other bodyguards moved away from the walls and followed, not waiting to be asked.
?I?ll need my equipment?? Chuck protested.
?Your equipment should be with the convoy, and since that?s where you?re going, I?m sure you?ll have everything you need,? the senator said. There was no arguing with his tone. Chuck obviously saw that. He stood, thin-boned hands twitching by his sides as he turned toward the door.
?Mind if I go along?? asked Buffy. The room looked at her again. She flashed her most winning smile. ?I?m pretty good at seeing why field equipment decided to fry. Maybe I could be a second opinion.?
And maybe she could get us some footage for a follow-up report. I nodded, and caught the senator watching the gesture before he, in turn, began to nod. ?Thank you for volunteering, Miss Meissonier. I?m sure the group will be glad to have you along.?
?I?ll ring back,? Buffy said, and hopped off the counter, trotting out the door after Chuck and the bodyguards.
?There she goes,? Shaun muttered.
?Jealous?? I asked.
?Tech geeks trying to figure out why a screamer broke? Please. I?ll be jealous if she comes back saying there were actual dead guys to play with.?
?Right.? He was jealous. I folded my arms, returning my attention to the senator.
He wasn?t looking his best. He was leaning forward with his hands braced against the table, but it was clear even in that well-supported position that he hadn?t had nearly as much sleep as Shaun and I. His hair was uncombed, his shirt was wrinkled, and his collar was open. He looked like a man who?d been faced with the unexpected, and now, after a little time to consider the situation, was getting ready to ride out and kick its ass.
?Folks, whatever the cause of last night?s catastrophe, the facts are this: We lost four good men and three potential supporters right before the first round of primaries. This does not send a good message to the people. This sort of thing doesn?t say ?Vote Ryman, he?ll protect you.? If anything, it says ?Vote Ryman if you want to get eaten.? This isn?t our message, and I refuse to let it become our message, even though that?s the way my opponents are going to try to spin it. What?s our game plan?? He glared around the room. ?Well??
?Sir, the bloggers??
?Will be staying for this little chat. We try covering it up, they?ll report it a lot less kindly when they manage to root it out. Now please, can we get down to business??