The Z-Tech Chronicles Series

An ancient, powerful evil is loose in San Francisco. The heart of Silicon Valley must fight back the only way they know how — with compassion, unwavering determination, and, of course, super-technology. Anne Perrin is resigned to a life driven by an adolescent trauma: a strict routine, no socializing (outside of the safety of her waitressing job), and no romantic relationships. When her cautious lifestyle lets the perfect partner slip through her fingers, Anne vows she won't let it happen again and ventures into San Francisco to find happiness. Her first night out in a decade becomes a nightmare when her date turns on her with sadistic intent. But his nefarious plans for Anne are unexpectedly interrupted by a mysterious savior. Valiant, smart, compassionate … Charlie is exactly the partner Anne has been looking for. And best of all, he likes her too. Things go well between her and Charlie until an assailant with unexpected strength plunges Anne into a world she didn't know existed — nor could have imagined — where super-science and an eclectic group of extraordinary individuals may be the solution to Anne's lifelong loneliness … and humanity's only hope against an ancient threat.

A vampire hunter has his sights on Anne Perrin, threatening to unleash the very evil she and her friends are fighting to contain. Robbing Anne of her pulse hasn't stopped her from living un-life to its fullest: she's balancing two relationships, has returned to her waitress job, and is trying her best to not eat her customers. But Calum sees through her disguise, and no amount of charm can dissuade him from eradicating Anne and everyone like her from the face of the Earth. While Charlie is out of the country seeking help from the one person who might be able to save his life, Anne is abducted, leaving the rest of the Z-Tech crew with the desperate task of finding her before the vampire hunters finish her off — or a grief-stricken Zima destroys the city looking for her lost love. But Anne's abduction could be just the first part of a larger, darker plan that may unwittingly unleash the very plague Calum seeks to prevent.

Charlie's life force is fading. His only hope is an aged martial arts master in the remote reaches of China who, as far as Cappa can tell, doesn't like him very much. While Charlie and Cappa are away from Z-Tech, William has been raising an empire of his own — one determined to crush any who interfere with his plans for world domination. Worse, he's sided with the only other organization who had almost succeeded in erasing Z-Tech from the global market, pitting Anne and her friends in a desperate struggle for survival. The enemy has the advantage of numbers, but Z-Tech has Zima — a one-person army in her own right. Only time will tell if she's enough to offset the overwhelming forces set against Z-Tech, and if San Francisco will survive their battle.

An ancient evil in Anne's head aims to ruin her tranquil life and end humanity. It must be Tuesday. A house of her own with a white picket fence, complete with a loving partner, Anne Perrin finally has the life of her dreams — including the job she always wanted and a caring family to share it all with. But every Eden has its Pandora's Box. Anne's personal heaven is marred by a malevolent presence in her head who, if given a choice, would use her to usher in a dark age, ending humanity as she knows it. The only thing holding it at bay is an unpredictable computer implant in her chest that seems to have its own agenda. Two unexpected visitors turn Anne's delicate world upside down in completely different ways — one better than she could have ever hoped, one catastrophically terrible — pitting Anne in a nightmare battle against the very people she holds dearest: her family.

Free at last of the programming that drove her to kill, the formerly enslaved artificial intelligence known as Zima now has her own android body, and is determined to find her place in the world … and to gain the family she never had. But the transition from a regime-ending killing machine to stand-up citizen is more difficult than Zima anticipated. Years of brainwashing have left her with a litany of unpredictable, lethal reactions, which force even her liberators from Z-Tech to cast her out for fear of their own safety. Alone in San Francisco's Mission District, Zima faces society for the first time — not as a computer inside a cyborg, whose human host managed her day-to-day interactions, but as herself. Emotions, sarcasm — even things as simple as lies — become imposing hurdles in her efforts to integrate. But she's nothing if not persistent. After days of searching, she meets a teenage boy and his little sister — each with needs Zima might be able to fill. Rosa wants a big sister. Emilio is over his head as a mule for a local gang. A blonde, indestructible assassin in search of a home may be just what they need… if Zima's homicidal tendencies don't kill them first.