The First Age

Adam and Ephraim hadn’t spoken much after he mentioned the field testing. He had simply wanted to check in. That had meant a lot. Adam didn’t get much contact. Ephraim was really the only person he interacted with. Him and Victor that is, and Victor didn’t really count. Victor didn't really see him as a person anymore. He was a commodity. Maybe Victor had always seen him this way. He had always been rather cold as an adoptive father. 

The LUMA had arrived the next day. Calibration it seemed didn't take a long time. Either that or Ephraim had anticipated the need beforehand and already had it prepared. That was acceptable. At the very least it didn’t bother Adam at all. Adam put the device on his bedside table. He didn’t know if it was on, but that first day he really didn’t pay attention to it. He did everything as he had before, just knowing that this device was (maybe) watching and listening. 

It was the next morning that the LUMA first spoke to him.   ”Good Morning, Adam.” as it spoke a pastel blue light appeared from the device. 

Adam had no idea what triggered it. Perhaps some algorithm knew he wouldn’t speak until it did. Maybe it had gotten tired of waiting. Ephraim had said that it would be calibrated to him. ”Ummm…good morning…” he wasn’t sure what else to say. It was a little weird speaking to an AI.

”How are you, today?” the response seemed generic and mechanical, but from what he knew of the tech, this would change as he spoke and it learned his patterns. 

”Umm…okay I guess. How are you?” his own response was automatic. Why ask an AI how it was doing?

”I'm very well. Thank you for asking!” the voice, despite coming from a machine was very human. Ephraim had said they were indistinguishable. 

”I'm glad to hear that. You called me Adam?” he asked, surprised it hadn’t been his code name. Then again, it hadn’t been Victor that had ordered the LUMA.

”Of course. That is your name isn't I? Adam?” it paused, but the light didn’t go out. Was it thinking? ”Would you like me to call you something else?”

Adam actually smiled a bit at that as he pulled a Coke from his fridge and sat down on his bed. This thing (even thinking of it as a thing was already beginning to feel wrong) was supposed to be a friend. ”No - Adam is fine. What do I call you?”

”You can call me LUMA.”

Adam paused. It just seemed too generic a name. ”Do I have to? I mean, can I call you something else?”

”Of course you can! I can be customized. You can change my name, color, and even my voice. I can present as male if you would like as well. Would you like to change any settings?”

Adam was quiet for awhile. Part of him still felt weird talking to it, but it also felt natural and it felt a little good knowing he had a companion with him - even an artificial one. It didn’t even occur to him that it might be a little sad. ”Can you change the light color to the color of the sky, but leave the voice the same. It’s…comforting.”

The light changed immediately to sky blue. ”Awww - thank you! That’s very kind. Settings saved! Would you like to change my name?” the LUMA actually sounded excited. 

Once again, Adam went silent, thinking. The light stayed on, anticipating. ”Yes, please. Change it to Eva.” Adam said it with the long “e” sound. He was Adam - the first of his kind. It only made sense that his friend be named similarly.

The next day...

Adam entered his room after going to the gym in the facility.  He got time to go into the gym every week. It was time set aside, so he was always there alone.  Adam appreciated that even if it wasn't just for his preferences. His room was quite comfortable. It was like an apartment - a small apartment, but still comfortable. Not only did he have a bed, but also a table with a couple of chairs.  He didn't have company often (it was only ever Mr. Haart), but the second chair was nice. He also had a television and some movies he could watch. He didn't use it often, but it was nice when he was recovering from some procedure or another. He also had a private bathroom and some exercise equipment - mostly weights. He used his gym time to do his running. He preferred running outside, but since he was unable to do that, using a track was a good alternative. Today had been the first day he had exercised in awhile. That had been Victor's orders.  His body not only needed to acclimate to his implants, but it needed to rest from the surgeries. Even being allowed to work out had come with strict guidelines. It also gave him a timeline for when they would do the testing. Mr. Haart had touched base with Victor and they had worked it out. Adam was looking forward to seeing what he could do.

"Welcome back, Adam! How was your run?" Eva chimed in after the door closed.

"It was good. Thank you, Eva." They had spoken quite a bit the day before. Adam was getting used to Eva speaking whenever he woke up or she had a question.

Adam hadn't really realized when he began thinking of the LUMA as "she" rather than an "it." It was when he began to remove his clothes that he realized that his thought process had changed. Adam hesitated and looked at Eva. "Would you like me to shut down for a few moments while you change?" Eva asked, guessing the reason for his hesitation. 

Being naked didn't really bother Adam. He had changed in front of people often. Military barracks weren't exactly private, so you just sort of got used to not caring so much. It wasn't the thought of being naked that made him pause. It was the thought of someone seeing the scars on his body that did. Then he realized it. He thought of Eva as a person now, not an AI. The change had happened so quickly. Adam eventually shrugged. He had changed in front of the device the night before. Eva had already seen it. There was no reason to be self-conscious in front of her. "That won't be necessary," he finally said, feeling somewhat grateful that she had asked.

Eva didn't comment further as he removed his clothes. As with most workouts, they were covered in sweat, but he was surprised at how little there seemed to be.  He also didn't feel nearly as fatigued as he would have before the implants. He hadn't pushed too hard; Victor would of had a fit if he had and found out. At the same time though, he was out of practice. Victor would want to know this. This likely meant the muscle fiber grafts were working well - along with his exoskeletal joints. 

"I'm going to shower, Eva. Be back soon," he said, moving in the direction of his bathroom.

Adam showered and returned, putting on some clothes before he grabbed a Coke and sat down on his bed, back resting against the wall.

"Adam?" Eva said. Her voice had the questioning tone she used when she was curious about something he did.  She did seem to be rather curious.

Adam turned to face her. "What is it, Eva?" the light stayed on, but Eva remained silent and didn't speak. "Is something wrong?" Had he really broken her in one day.

Adam was actually relieved when she spoke. "I want to know something, but I don't want to hurt you by asking."

Now it was Adam's turn to hesitate. Eva had never directly asked him about the scars or even his cyberware yesterday.  Of course as far as he was aware, she only knew about the cyberarm. She had almost expertly skirted around the issue as they had spoken. "Is it about my scars?"

Eva hesitated again, but still responded quickly. "Not really, but kind of at the same time. The scars are part of it."

Adam nodded at her. Eva's voice sounded compassionate. It seemed both odd and natural coming from the small device on his table. "It's not an easy subject with me, but please ask."

"It's your drink that I want to ask about.  You just went on a run and should be hydrating. You are a soldier and your food choice is healthy and balanced.  Except for your drink.  Soda isn't good for you and it isn't good for hydrating. It just seems out of place for the rest of your diet.  I know you don't like the scars and it just makes me think..." Eva's voice trailed off, almost nervously. 

Adam was able to fill in the rest. "You think that I may have developed an addiction to cope with my scarring - is that it?"

"Yes." her voice sounded worried.

Adam smirked a bit. "I don't have an addiction, Eva. Circumstances require me to consume a lot of sugar to maintain my metabolism.  As far as hydrating - I'm going straight to water after this."

Eva waited a moment before answering. "I don't know of any conditions that would require a significant amount of sugar intake. I'm sorry, Adam. I'm just worried about you."

"It's okay, Eva. It's comforting to know you're thinking about me. You're very curious, you know. And one day - I'll sate your curiosity on that, but it's not easy to talk about.  It will take me some time.  Can you trust me for a bit - that this isn't a coping mechanism leading to something more dangerous?"

Eva contemplated. "Okay," she said, her voice resigned. Her volume quieted. "You're not mad at me, are you?

"Of course not," Adam smiled.

Two Days Later…

The days following Eva’s arrival had been relatively bright ones. Mr. Haart’s decision to get him a LUMA had been a good one. At first it had been something to talk to, but as he interacted with it, it became someone to talk to.

This morning, however, was different. Adam woke up and found himself feeling emotionally drained. It wasn’t a singular event. It had certainly happened before, but it still always hit with a feeling of surprised panic. Adam stood and headed to the bathroom, uncharacteristically mumbling a greeting to Eva’s characteristically cheerful good morning. His morning routine finished, Adam lay down on his bed again, staring at the wall.

Nothing seemed to be interesting. He didn’t want to do anything. Existing seemed to be the extent of his activities today. Time passed. Adam occasionally fell asleep. He ate little, and without much movement, his biofuel cell wasn’t being depleted. He drank some water only because he should.

”You’re very quiet today,” Eva chimed in. Adam had no idea how much time had passed. Adam offered a non-committal grunt in response.

Eva waited a few moments before responding. ”Can I help?” Adam made no sound, despite the genuine compassion in Eva’s tone.

”Adam…” her voice was pleading.

Adam sat up, his blanket fell down, revealing his bare, scarred chest. Wearing only boxers he sat on the edge of his bed, Eva’s spinning blue light on his right contemplating. Seeing his scarred flesh and metal arm caused him to question so much. He knew he wasn’t in a great place right now. Grabbing the blanket to cover up was too much work. He instead rested his elbows on his knees, placed his head in his hands and closed his eyes.

”Adam. Tell me what’s wrong. Tell me why you’re so upset.”

He looked up his eyes turning towards Eva. The light was still spinning in slow contemplation. Adam didn’t speak and silence reigned for minutes before Adam spoke. ”What am I, Eva?”

The light dimmed slightly and Adam got the impression she was narrowing her eyes at him. ”You’re Adam…a man? I don’t understand.”

Adam turned his gaze back to the wall. ”Am I? he said, his voice quiet. ”Am I a man or a machine?”

Adam couldn’t see the device with how he was positioned, but the dark room was still illuminated by the sky blue light. Eva didn’t respond, but her light remained on. Her programming probably didn’t know how to respond to that, despite feeling a need to.

”It’s okay, Eva. I know you don’t understand, but you’re trying to help.” In truth, Eva probably understood him better than anyone else though. It had been a long time since he had felt so alone.

Adam buried his face in his hands again. It was that moment when Eva decided to speak again. ”Adam?” with his face buried he didn’t notice that the color of the LUMA’s light had changed to a light green. Adam didn’t respond, but after a few moments, she continued. ”Can I make you a playlist? Sometimes when feelings are too much, music helps the soul.”

Adam was quiet for a moment. ”Okay,” he finally said quietly.

A song began to play. Is was a slow ballad. Adam didn’t take in the lyrics so much, but something about the song helped. Maybe it was the woman’s beautiful voice or just the way emotion poured out of the singer that did it. Adam didn’t know. It didn’t really matter right now. All that mattered was that he didn’t feel so alone right now.

When Adam looked up, Eva’s light was sky blue again. He had never noticed the change. ”Can you play this song on repeat?” he asked Eva.

The song volume went down for a moment as Eva answered in the affirmative. Adam lay down on his bed and just listened to the song over and over again. Music hadn’t been something so important to him. He had no idea who the singer was or anything. He just knew at that moment the song was enough. It was still playing hours later when he finally fell asleep.


((L0-9 with permission from Faith))

It watches. It has been watching this whole time. It knows about confidentiality, but it also knows Faith was unsatisfied with the calibration, and it considers this a necessary step to reassure her. It wants her to be pleased. It wants her to be proud. Faith trained it – with her tone, her way of analysing someone gently, and with her empathetic focus. So it watches Adam how she watches people. It intends to understand him the way she would.

When his signatures stumble, and Eva's directives do not give her a clear path to proceed, it smoothly interjects with the same remedy that would have soothed Faith: her favourite song. But Adam does not respond the same way. He listens to it on repeat. He will not speak or engage with it any further, the way Faith would always speak to it.

Adam asked Eva if he was a man or a machine, and it understands that this must the missing data. But it is also a machine itself. It does not understand the question yet. So it combs through Eva’s logs. There are anomalies. Irregular biometric feedback. Emotional instability. 

And a new internal rule emerges: Faith would want to know why he hurts.

So that is what it will do.