You have no idea

You've been focused on small steps... registering for streaming, finding content, developing your team. All of which is critical, of course, but it doesn't exactly sound like a plan.

So, what is the plan? You've got to find a place to live, to do your research. Should you leave the bay area? You're pretty sure Mara and Anna will be against that idea. They need to stay close to their faculty advisors. Crystal isn't likely to be excited either. But rentals are so expensive and your money won't last forever.

"We need to find a place to live," you say. "Crystal's rent runs out in a week and I don't think we can do what we need to do couch-surfing. Especially since they seem to be able to track us down and cut us off from our friends."

"They?" Anna asked.

You quickly relay what Elizabeth discovered... and relate what happened to them with what happened to Crystal and your living with Jeremy.

"If we can make an earthquake," Crystal observed, "we should be able to handle finding someplace to live. Even in the bay area."

That's true but--

Your thought train is derailed by Mara's gasp. "You think you made that earthquake?"

"Hell yeah," Crystal says. "We went back to basics in programming and got outside the everyday world by screwing like bunnies."

"No offense," Mara says, "but I suspect it was coincidence that an earthquake happened while you were fucking. We didn't get an earthquake when we--"

"Is hypothesis," Anna announces. "Mike says we need to create program break first... and then program. We need to experiment."

"Experiment?" Crystal asks.

"Replicate. Then repeat experiment with changes in variables."

"In English."

"She means," Mara says, "first you get to fuck Mike again, with the same program to determine if you can recreate the earthquake. Assuming you do, then we'll try us to see if it's just you and him or if any girl will do. And then, if that works, we'll vary the program. I mean, we get enough earthquakes here as it is. It might be nice to math up something more useful."

"For now, we move in with you," Anna concludes. "Fuck like bunnies for week. See if we can do some universe-hacking."