Once everyone had eaten their fill, Jen filled them in on the situation. The various degrees of attentiveness painted a picture. Lauren and Emma, at least, listened without judgment. Rafael's expression only grew more dubious as time went on, and if Gene was paying attention at all, he did a good job of hiding it. 

“I dunno, I don’t think it’s anything to worry about,” Rafael said. “Programs do wacky shit all the time. How’s this any different from the usual bullshit?”

“There’s a difference between wacky shit and worrying shit,” Lauren said, “and I think Jen has every right to be worried. I admit, I don’t know as much about machine learning, but I’ve never heard of a program doing something like this all on its own. But really, how much harm could it cause?”

“I can’t think of anything off the top of my head,” Emma said. “I mean, it’s not like it can do anything malicious, right? It’s a monitoring program, not a virus.”

Emma, also a programmer, focused heavily on cybersecurity, with a specialization in offensive security. She could code as well as the other women, but her real specialty was using her charm to talk her way through weak points in client companies’ security systems. Social engineering, as she happily told anyone who would listen, was far more dangerous than any malware. 

“I dunno,” Shane said. “If it can write its own code, then there’s nothing to say that it couldn’t take that route. I admit, I’m not as deep in the weeds on this sort of thing as y’all are, but I can think of a few ways a bad actor could wreak havoc. Maybe not spontaneously generate a quadrillion-quadrillion gallons of seawater, but shit, tsunamis? Collapse the right cliff in the right spot and you could take out a significant chunk of the Atlantic coastline.”

“Oh yeah?” Rafael asked. “Do much tsunami making for Uncle Sam?”

Shane suppressed a spike of irritation as best he could. He could be cordial with Lauren, but Rafael took some kind of sadistic pleasure in trying to make him lose his cool, like he was convinced he could be rid of Shane once and for all if he made the giant snap. It had nearly worked more than once. 

Of course, if Rafael knew what Shane really did for a living, he wouldn’t be so eager to poke the bear. The knowledge that he could pound the little shit into paste without much effort put the faintest hint of a placid smile on Shane’s face as he replied.  

“Not outside of simulation,” he said, keeping his tone neutral. “But the possibility has been explored. There are a few hotspots in the Atlantic where some well placed demo could cause all manner of hurt. The Pacific is a little harder since it’s so damn big, but it’s doable. Do some fracking in the right spot on the right faultline and you can sit back and watch the waterworks.”

“Whatever, man,” Rafael scoffed. “Even if it could make a tsunami or some shit, and I’m not saying it can, I still don’t see how that’s our problem. We’re at least 200 miles from the coast.”

“Forgive me for disagreeing, Sir, but will we not feel the economic and social impact?” Haru asked. “Nearly 40% of the world’s population lives within 100 kilometers of a coast, Sir. If anywhere near that many people are hurt or displaced, it would present a huge problem for us, too.”

Rafael’s scowl deepened. He could argue with Shane just fine, but bickering with Haru felt like kicking a puppy. 

“We could always gather supplies, shit like that,” Gene suggested. “I mean, some sort of disaster plan would probably be a good idea anyway, right? Even if this robot or AI or whatever turns out to be harmless, it couldn’t hurt. Hurricanes are still a thing.”

“We have a plan already,” Jen said, nodding towards Haru and Shane. “For a regional disaster, I’d say we’re fairly well equipped. I’m not so certain that we’re ready for anything on this scale. I don’t even know where we’d start.”

“In the event of a large-scale catastrophe, we can expect the government to come down hard on anyone with any sort of stockpiles,” Shane said. “The hardest hit areas will be without lights or running water for weeks, maybe months. They’re going to be hurting for every spare blanket and pack of ramen they can get their grubby little hands on. In that case, it’s not going to be enough to be prepared. We need to be ready to displace to somewhere remote, unless we want to rely on the tender mercies of Uncle Sam. Given the way things have been headed lately, that’s not something I’d want to bet on. Better to get the fuck out and wait until things return to normal.”

“Hey, I’m not letting anyone take my shit,” Gene said, indignant. “I worked hard for what I’ve got. No fucking fed boy is gonna take it away. ”

“And you’re going to stop them, how, exactly?” Shane asked, trying and failing not to let his exasperation show. 

“That’s easy,” Gene replied. “I can fight. Anyone comes near my house, I’ll fuckin’ shoot ‘em. ”

“Christ on a crutch,” Shane muttered. “Look, there’s a big difference between thumping drunk college kids at a bar and taking on a trained, professional fighting force. You start taking potshots at cops in an emergency and you’ll be buried up to your neck in three letter agencies before you can say ‘oopsie.’ Think with your upstairs brain, man. Trying to act like a hardass is going to get you killed, and probably take the rest of us down with you.”

“Fuck you, man, you don’t know me,” Gene snarled, jumping to his feet. 

Shane didn’t have to stand to look the other man in the eye. He simply sat up straight in his chair. He didn’t glare, exactly. He didn’t have to. He fixed Gene with a level stare that told Gene exactly what he thought of his fighting prowess. 

“Please, Sirs, let’s not-” Haru began. 

“No, fuck that,” Gene said. “I’m not gonna let this prick talk down to me.”

“Please, there’s no need to-”

“Why the hell are you even here, Shane?” Rafael asked. “You’re not part of this family.”

“I never said I was,” Shane said. 

“Then make like a tree and get the fuck out,” Rafael said. “You’re not welcome here.”

“It’s not your place to decide who is and isn’t welcome in my house,” Jen said, her tone frosty. 

“Can we please not fight? Please?” Haru pleaded, her voice cracking. 

“No one’s gonna be arguing once this asshole is gone,” Rafael said. “Come on, Gene, let’s throw his ass out. We can take him.”

Shane rose to his full height slowly, a manic grin stretching his face into a rictus. He’d tried being nice, he really had. Now it was time to take a different approach, one he was much better suited for. Despite Haru’s near panic, he found himself looking forward to putting Rafael in his place. It was a long time coming, and once Gene was on the floor in a boneless heap, he could take his time with it. 

“You’re welcome to test that assumption at your convenience,” he said, a low rumbling laugh bubbling up from deep within his chest.  

Both Lauren and Emma threw themselves in front of their respective men, pleading with them to calm down before things got out of hand. Jen was on her feet too, shouting that no one was going to fight in her house. 

Shane didn’t say much of anything. He just stood there, grinning. Two on one wasn’t much of a challenge, not against amateurs. They’d need at least three more to make it a fair fight.  

The commotion was too much for Haru. She burst into tears and sprinted up the stairs, desperate to escape the imminent violence. 

Everyone froze. Just like that, the tension was gone. 

“Well, shit,” Shane muttered, rubbing the back of his head in shame. 

“Go to her,” Jen ordered. “I’ll take care of things down here.”

“You sure?” he asked. 

“Maybe I should-” Lauren began. 

“No!” snapped Jen. “You know damn good and well it’s the Jolly Green Giant here she wants when she’s scared, and it’s your fuckboy harem that’s got her all worked up. You’ve done enough damage. Fucking Christ, I should let Shane twist them up like pretzels on general principal.”

Lauren and her coterie stared at her, incredulous. Jen was never sociable, exactly, but no one could remember the last time they’d heard her raise her voice, much less publicly chew someone out. Shane had seen that side of her, but it had been ages. She was very quick to lay down the law when he and Haru first started dating. 

“Hey, it’s not our-” Rafael began. 

“Zip it, Raf,” Jen said. “You can be as much of an asshole as you want on your own time, but you’ve officially worn out your welcome. Either shut your fucking mouth and say ‘yes ma’am’ or get the fuck out of my house. Do you understand me?”

“Yes ma’am,” Rafael replied sheepishly, staring down at his feet. 

“Shane? Go. Like I said, I’ll take care of things down here.”