A troubling conversation.

Madison and Ross approached Mrs. Hill as she was sitting on the veranda, watching two extremely muscular male golems make love on a twin bed. When she saw them, she clapped. Immediately they stopped what they were doing, picked up the bed, and vanished into the house.

"Forgive me, but I do prefer my own entertainment to whatever dreck is on television these days," she said. "Have a seat. How did you sleep?"

Marissa pulled out a chair and Ross sat. "Better than I have in years," Ross said with a grin. "I feel great!"

Ms. Hill sipped her coffee. "Good, I'm glad it's working."

"What?" he asked. "The golems?"

"The haunting," she said nonchalantly.

"Haunting?" Ross asked. "Are you saying my room is haunted?"

Madison touched his arm lightly. "Babe, hauntings can-"

Mrs. Hill was startled by Madison's interjection, nearly spilling her coffee. "You didn't use the modifier on it this morning?"

"No," Ross said. "I didn't realize you wanted me to. Madison told me that most of the time you keep her modified when she's home."

"Madison didn't tell you anything," Mrs. Hill said coldly. "This thing with her face did. Ross, I shouldn't need to remind you again not to refer to this as Madison."

"But mom," Madison said softly, "I am Madison! I mean, I've got all of her memories and her-"

"Please modify her immediately. I won't let this ghoulish pretense ruin my breakfast. You," she spoke with deep bitterness and contempt, "are no different than the horseshit that makes my tomatoes so flavorful. You are not Madison, you will never be Madison, and I want you either docile or gone."

Madison put down her fork and Ross was surprised to see her eyes watering. "Excuse me," she said in a quavering voice, and dashed away from the table. Ross put his napkin down and stood to follow her.

"Go and tend to your doll," Mrs. Hill said. "And don't bring it back without modifying it first."

Ross found Madison crying in the hallway. Nude men and women passed her by on a variety of errands, none stopping or even looking in the direction of the weeping young woman.

"Hey," Ross said. He put a hand on her shoulder. "You ok, Mads?"

"No." She sniffled a little and didn't lift her head. "I'm not. I'm not Mads. I'm a fucking golem, I'm dirt, and that's all that I am. She'll never love me."

"Madison, look around you," Ross said. "She may be your mom, but she's also crazy. Only a crazy person would make a place like this. Who cares what she thinks? Madison, I love you."

She looked up at him and her artificial eyes were filled with grief. "You love Madison. You love that dead girl that mom is obsessed with. You'll never love me, because I'm just a shitty copy of her. She's right, I'm dirt, I'm shit, I'm-"

"Madison!" Ross cut her off. "Listen to me. We're all physical beings. I'm just flesh and blood, you're just dirt, even your crazy mother is just a very bitter collection of organic material. You're not just dirt, just like I'm not just a bunch of blood and organs and bones and the Louvre isn't full of just paint and paper. You're more than that."

"I'm not, though!" she sobbed. "Even this is just my script. I'm crying because Madison would cry, not because I'm sad. I emulate everything and feel nothing because I'm not even fucking real!"

She grabbed a golem who was walking past, a petite young woman with long blonde hair and generous breasts and hips. "What's your name?"

"I don't have one right now," the golem said pleasantly. "Would you like to give me- oof!"

Madison punched her hard in the jaw, causing her to stumble back and almost fall. After a moment, she stood and addressed Madison with a smile.

"Very good, ma'am. Will that be all?"

"No," Madison said. "Did that hurt?"

The golem shook its head. "Do you care if I do it again? Or if he does it? Or if we both beat you ****?"

"Of course not, ma'am. I can't die anyway. I'm technically not even alive. But you can do what you see fit to me."

She leaned forward and it took Ross a second to realize she was offering up her face for another blow. After Madison sneered in disgust and dismissed her, she went on her way nonchalantly. Other golems continued to stream past them, completely uninterested in this strange little drama.

"Ok, you made your point," Ross said. "You don't have to **** any more-"

"It's not ****!" Madison shouted at him. "Am I gonna get arrested or put on trial? No, because all I did was knock around one of my mom's appliances! That's all I am, an appliance. Just a fucking toaster with tits."

She started sobbing again and Ross held her silently. He put a hand on the back of her head and rocked back and forth subtly while she wept. Over the next few minutes her sobbing slowed and finally stopped. Ross pulled back and looked in her tear-streaked eyes.

"Madison, listen to me. That dead girl- I never met her or knew her. She died years ago, and you picked up where she left off. I love you, the golem, the mud girl. Your script and your memories say you're Madison but you're not really. Madison won't ever go to college or marry or have a career, but you will. You're who I fell in love with, and fuck your mom for saying anything else."

"But- but I'm not real!"

"I don't care," Ross said emphatically. "We're gonna work on this nitrous angle and we're gonna get you some upgrades, but even if it doesn't pan out I love the emulated thing that you are. You say you can't feel anything, but you're sitting here weeping. Yes, I know, it's all the script, it's not real, but it's real enough for me. You, Madison, the golem, are real enough for me."

Madison hugged him gratefully. "I love you too, Ross. As much as I can."

He rubbed her back soothingly. "I know, Mads."

She wiped her tears. "Mom asked you to modify me before we go back, didn't she?"

Ross nodded and she smiled. "Well, what are you waiting for? I could use a break from, um, reality... thanks."

He put the script back in his pocket and took her hand. He walked back to the veranda and she followed, a dreamy smile on her face and emptiness in her eyes.