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.
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.
Intelligence is knowing Frankenstein wasn’t the monster; Wisdom is knowing Frankenstein was the monster.