Adam and Eva

[Ghost]

Adam listened to L0-9 explain about the smile. The LUMA had obviously noted something in his physiology that had shown he had some reservations about it. Talking about the scars, the source of much of his insecurities, wasn't easy for him, but L0-9 spoke truthfully, yet gently. It was unexpected, but he was beginning to see that LUMAs were oddly good at this, and L0-9 even more so than Eva. The response even caused another smile.

"Thank you, L0-9. That means a lot," he said after a moment, taking the time to digest what she had said.

As L0-9 began to talk about her friend, Adam shifted again. He sat on the bed, cross-legged, noting the ease in which he was able to do the maneuver. It was small things like that he began to notice. Movements seemed easier than before and were significantly more smooth. It was like the dexterity in his hand. He thought it would be clumsy, but it wasn't. His movements were so strangely easy.

Adam rested his arms on his knees, his cybernetic hand holding on to the bottle of Coke with a casual lightness, as L0-9 spoke about her. There was a fondness in her voice as she spoke. A fondness shared between two close friends. It was clear to Adam that L0-9 held her in very high regards. The words she spoke resonated with Adam - quiet, listens, cautious. In many ways, it seemed as if her friends was similar to him. When L0-9 spoke of her warm voice and her teaching, Adam smiled again, but it went away when she said her friend hid sadness. That was something he knew well now too. It seemed like she was someone who shouldn't be sad.

Adam was left with a lot to unpack, but he found himself liking this woman he had never met before. There was a kind of kinship he already felt with her, just from what L0-9 said. The smile returned when L0-9 mentioned it made her feel real. "You seem very real to me too, L0-9. Your friend sounds like an amazing person. I can see why you like her so much."

Then L0-9 asked a single question which amounted to why he was lonely. Adam didn't answer right away, his thoughts processing the question and how to answer it. "I'm not upset with you, L0-9," he said after a moment, knowing that the LUMA was analyzing his silence. "It's just not a simple answer."

Adam took a long pull from his coke before continuing. "You say part of me resonates like a machine and part of me doesn't. I think it's kind of cool that you can tell the difference, he said, a slight smile curling the corners of his lips and uttered a sigh before continuing. "It's part of why I feel alone, but not all of it. I never met my birth parents, and my adoptive parents were pretty cold. When I joined the military, I found a sort of family in my unit. Now that's gone. I'm here - alone all the time. Except for when Mr. Haart visits. It's not been an easy transition. Eva has given me someone to talk to, and that helps a lot. More than I thought it would. On top of that is what you mentioned. Part man, part machine. I know others have cybernetics, but I think I'm the only one with this many augmentations. Don't get me wrong, I don't regret this. I just..." his voice trailed off and he looked down. There was sadness there, but also fear. Fear that he was a weapon and he didn't know who was going to pull the trigger, but he wasn't ready to talk about the fear yet. "Sometimes, even with everything they put in me. I feel empty - like something is missing." He chuckled a little in relief. It did feel good to say it. "I don't know if that makes sense at all, but I'm trying. One day at a time." He looked up at her again, feeling a little more hopeful.