Stay tuned...

Madison burst into laughter the moment Ross removed her modifications.

"Oh my gosh, Ross, sweetie, I'm so sorry I hit your head!" she apologized. "Still, that was pretty hot. Oh no, it looks like you're still not finished! You wanna try something else?"

In response he flashed another modification script. Madison stared blankly at it for a moment, then looked at him.

"Interesting choice." Her voice was flat and her face neutral. He flashed two more scripts in quick succession, but she didn't visibly react to either one.

"Do you know what the three modifiers I showed you do?" he asked.

"Yes. The first one removes all of my emotional calculations and responses. The second one causes me to be completely and unfailingly honest in all that I say. The third one prohibits me from moving other than to speak or follow commands."

The entire monologue was delivered utterly without affect. She made eye contact, but her irises were dull and uninterested. Ross nodded.

"Good. I really want to be with you, Madison, but I need more details to trust you."

"I understand," she intoned. "What would you like to know?"

"You seem very motivated to continue to be my friend. Why?"

She sat in silence for a moment before responding. "My decisions and behaviors are governed by a pattern of calculations far too complex-"

"Broad strokes," he interrupted. "Why do you want to be with me?"

"On February 8th of last year, after Jeff Still posted his poetry on facebook, you joked that he was the LeBron James of humiliating himself. My sense of humor is based on Madison Hill, and she would have found that very funny."

"So it was a joke I made?" Ross asked.

"Later that week, you drove Rita Niemeyer to four different pharmacies trying to help find her medicine. She is asexual and you were aware that she had nothing to offer in return, but you did it anyway. Madison Hill found that sort of selfless act very endearing, and so do I. On February 25th, you got the hiccups at lunch and became more and more embarrassed. That sort of self-consciousness is something that Madison Hill thought was cute."

"Ok, ok, Madison would have liked me. But you're not her," Ross said.

"I'm the closest thing on earth there is to Madison Hill," the golem replied. "My primary user is Erin Hill, and her will is that I live out the life that her daughter never would have. I have a script full of instructions on how to do that, and those indicate that Madison would have wanted to be your friend."

"Then what's all this shit about how you want to feel real emotions?" Ross asked. "That doesn't seem very golem-y."

"Very few people are aware of this, but based on her history and behavior, I find it likely that Madison Hill was not attracted to men," she said. Ross was stunned by the revelation, even more so to hear it spoken as nonchalantly as a passing comment. "I don't believe that she was fully aware of it, but the patterns of her relationships and the way she felt about the people around her made me believe that she was a lesbian."

"So?"

"So I think that if the real Madison Hill had met you, she would have tried to date you. You are everything she would have wanted in a partner and more. Unfortunately, 'more' includes a penis. My prediction is that she would have been heartbroken when she realized that despite all of your emotional and psychological compatibilities, she was simply incompatible with you on the level of physical desire."

"So you're emulating that in your own way?" Ross was clearly having a hard time wrapping his mind around this.

"Yes," the golem said. "All of this is conjecture, and I'm not emulating the person I suspected Madison Hill was but the person I know she was. I can't be is human, which presents a massive problem in our relationship. In reasoning about this, I came to the conclusion that it has strong parallels to the hypothetical I presented."

"But you said that she would have given up and been heartbroken," Ross pointed out. "Why are you still so intent on dating me?"

"Several reasons. First, I'm intent on being your friend. I think the higher level of intimacy afforded by a romantic relationship is an improvement, but the real Madison Hill would have settled for a strong friendship. Second, if I'm correct, her sexuality would have impeded her but not you. In this case the opposite is true. My nature gives me no reason not to date you, but it's understandably troubling for you. Third, humans cannot change their sexual preference; if Madison Hill had attempted to do so, it would have only prolonged her suffering. Golems cannot currently change their nature, but advances in the field are being made every day. If and when I can start to take on more human attributes, I will gladly do it for you."

Ross sat next to her on the bed, completely overwhelmed by her monologue. She sat silently next to him, staring at the wall. He looked over at her as if hoping to see some sign of what she was thinking, but of course he didn't. She sat still and silent as a marble sculpture.

"So you're doing all of this because you think the original Madison might have been a lesbian, and being a golem is kind of like being a lesbian?"

"That's a misunderstanding and oversimplification," Madison answered. "I'm doing all of this because I'm scripted to emulate Madison Hill and this is what Madison Hill would have done. She had barriers that I do not, and I have barriers that she did not, but based on your personality and our interactions I think she would have wanted to be with you very, very badly."

Ross started to reply but was interrupted by a loud shout of pain and a crashing noise from the living room. He rushed out to see if everyone was ok, leaving Madison staring blankly at the wall.