Adam listened - really listened - as L0-9 spoke with what almost seemed to be emotion. Worry, sadness, guilt, and even positive emotions, but given the situation, Adam could understand why the negative were more prevalent. L0-9 was definitely concerned about her friend.
Adam was aware of the pauses as L0-9 processed, a she was doing a great job of keeping her friends identity secret. He felt she should know that. ”You’re being very thoughtful L0-9, and you’re doing a great job of protecting your friend’s privacy.” Adam smiled at that. It probably wasn’t as disarming as it should have been. Adam had never looked at his smile since he became scarred, and he avoided mirrors, but he assumed L0-9 knew smiles were a good thing.
Adam took a breath and continued. ”I know you didn’t intend to make her feel unwanted or that you wanted to hurt her. We sometimes do things that unknowingly upset a friend. There could be many reasons for this. I don’t know her well enough to make a good guess as to what could be the reason - and again - respect her privacy. I’m not asking you to give me information you or her wouldn’t want to be shared. It could just be that she wasn’t feeling well or it could be something more traumatic in her past, but,” he said, keeping his voice calm and even. ”I’m sure she’ll be back sometime soon - when she feels better. It could be she’s trying to process everything. It can take us a long time to do that sometime.”
Adam pulled himself up on to his bed and sat with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out in front of him. ”When she gets back, you should tell her some of this. That you didn’t mean to make her feel abandoned or unwanted. That she is important to you. But remember - you shouldn’t do this because I tell you to. You should do it because it’s true.”
Adam knew it was true. He could hear it in L0-9’s words. The AI had told him they were both different, and he could see it. As he was becoming more like a machine, she was becoming more human. It was like something out of Star Trek or something. Suddenly, he felt significantly less alone than he had before.
”L0-9,” he said, his voice quieting as he turned to face her. ”We can have many friends and not lose each other. You can care for her and me.” he paused, thinking. ”It sounds like your friend might be feeling a little lonely. This is all a guess, but maybe, when she found out you were spending time with me, that made her feel a little alone. That’s something I can understand. If I were in that position, I’d just want to hear that someone would always be there for me. I’m a little nervous to tell you some of this, because I don’t want to say something wrong. I don’t want to hurt her either. It’s why I hesitate to tell you that she sounds lonely.” He took a deep breath. ”I will tell you this though. If she is, and wants someone else to talk to, as well as you, I would be willing, as long as you could make that happen.”
Adam was aware of the pauses as L0-9 processed, a she was doing a great job of keeping her friends identity secret. He felt she should know that. ”You’re being very thoughtful L0-9, and you’re doing a great job of protecting your friend’s privacy.” Adam smiled at that. It probably wasn’t as disarming as it should have been. Adam had never looked at his smile since he became scarred, and he avoided mirrors, but he assumed L0-9 knew smiles were a good thing.
Adam took a breath and continued. ”I know you didn’t intend to make her feel unwanted or that you wanted to hurt her. We sometimes do things that unknowingly upset a friend. There could be many reasons for this. I don’t know her well enough to make a good guess as to what could be the reason - and again - respect her privacy. I’m not asking you to give me information you or her wouldn’t want to be shared. It could just be that she wasn’t feeling well or it could be something more traumatic in her past, but,” he said, keeping his voice calm and even. ”I’m sure she’ll be back sometime soon - when she feels better. It could be she’s trying to process everything. It can take us a long time to do that sometime.”
Adam pulled himself up on to his bed and sat with his back against the wall and his legs stretched out in front of him. ”When she gets back, you should tell her some of this. That you didn’t mean to make her feel abandoned or unwanted. That she is important to you. But remember - you shouldn’t do this because I tell you to. You should do it because it’s true.”
Adam knew it was true. He could hear it in L0-9’s words. The AI had told him they were both different, and he could see it. As he was becoming more like a machine, she was becoming more human. It was like something out of Star Trek or something. Suddenly, he felt significantly less alone than he had before.
”L0-9,” he said, his voice quieting as he turned to face her. ”We can have many friends and not lose each other. You can care for her and me.” he paused, thinking. ”It sounds like your friend might be feeling a little lonely. This is all a guess, but maybe, when she found out you were spending time with me, that made her feel a little alone. That’s something I can understand. If I were in that position, I’d just want to hear that someone would always be there for me. I’m a little nervous to tell you some of this, because I don’t want to say something wrong. I don’t want to hurt her either. It’s why I hesitate to tell you that she sounds lonely.” He took a deep breath. ”I will tell you this though. If she is, and wants someone else to talk to, as well as you, I would be willing, as long as you could make that happen.”
Intelligence is knowing Frankenstein wasn’t the monster; Wisdom is knowing Frankenstein was the monster.
![[Image: L0-9-Display.png]](https://thefirstage.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/L0-9-Display.png)