Zima’s transition from a regime-ending killing machine to stand-up citizen is more difficult than she 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.