Val works as an editor for a company that creates current events newsletters for client corporations. Her first creative sale was a premise to Paramount Studios that was made into an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation. She lives on the Rhode Island coast with her two children and husband, Jim.

The day Mary turned Daniel on, they were sitting under the apple tree. She had chosen this spot in the garden because it was the last place, perhaps the only place, that she could remember being happy with him. The trial had been over for six weeks. He had been sent to her days ago, but she had put this moment off, knowing that she needed more time to heal and to adjust to the idea of having him home again.

She tried now to find some hint in the plastic face of the man she had known, but could not. Relieved, she entered the activation code she had been given.

Daniel’s eyes opened – they were blue, as she had requested – and he sat up. Wary now, Mary addressed him in a tentative voice. “Hello, Daniel.”

The plastic head vibrated. She knew his brain was adapting to its new housing and it would take a moment for his speech center to synchronize with the vocal synthesizer. They had explained all this to her.

“Mary,” he said at last. His voice was tinny and not as deep as Daniel’s first voice had been. “Mary.”

“Yes,” she said. “I’m Mary. And you’re Daniel. The trial is over. You’re back at our house on Sunset Lane.”

Daniel’s doll-like eyelids slid down and cleaned his eyes. “Mary,” he said.

She sighed. Perhaps this would take longer than she had been told. “Yes? I’m right here. Can you see me, Daniel?”

“Yes. Different.”

“Yes,” she agreed. “Everything is different.”

Daniel raised his arm and his eyes shifted to regard his hand. He opened and closed his fingers and then repeated the action with his other hand. Mary could see the faint glow of the sensors in his palms.

“Doesn’t feel…like me.”

“You’ll get used to it. You’ll even be able to go back to work.”

Daniel’s head swiveled towards her. He reached out as if to touch her neck, but his hand froze part-way between them. “Mary,” he said again.

“Yes?”

“I want to kill you.”

Mary pressed her teeth together, angry all over again. “Yes, I know. That’s what this is really all about, isn’t it? But like you said, things are different now. You can’t hurt me anymore.” She raised her chin. “From now on, you’ll bring me flowers and say nice things. You’ll do everything I tell you to do. Do you understand?”

Daniel’s head vibrated some more. “Yes,” he finally said. “How long?”

“Forever,” Mary said. She stood and brushed off her skirt. “It’s what you promised, remember?” Her lips drew up in a sardonic smile and she walked toward the house, not bothering to look back to see if he was following.