Feed: The Newsflesh Trilogy - By Mira Grant Page 0,33

of my role as the hard-nosed reporter in our little crew. Maybe Buffy and Shaun call me a Luddite, but when the government goons take away all our equipment for examination, they lose everything. I, on the other hand, retain my MP3 recorder, cellular phone, notebook computer, and stylus. They?re all too basic to require much examination.

Of course, I can?t keep my hands on the vehicles, which had me almost as restless as my companions. The van and my bike represent the most expensive articles we travel with, and most of our livelihood depends on their upkeep. At the same time, they?re probably the easiest items to repair?a good mechanic can undo almost any damage, and my bike isn?t that customized. As long as the feds didn?t bust up the van, we?d be fine.

?You?re clear,? the senator said. He didn?t bat an eye as Shaun and Buffy ran out of the room, despite the fact that neither of them said good-bye. I remained where I was, and after a moment, he turned toward me. ?I must admit, we were impressed by the structural reinforcements on your van. Planning to last out a siege in that thing??

?We?ve considered it. The security upgrades were our mother?s design. We did the electrical work ourselves.?

Senator Ryman nodded as if this explained everything. In a way, it did. Stacy Mason has been the first name in zombie-proof structural engineering for a long time. ?I have to admit, I don?t really understand most of your professional equipment, but the security systems Your mother did a truly lovely job.?

?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