After the death of her Titan best friend, JNY-3763 or 'Jenny', Second Lieutenant Sola Kione lost her mind. Unable to cope, she has boxed herself into a nightmarish PTSD loop, believing she's unable to escape. Four months later, the Militia has gotten their hands on a new AI prototype: USO - 2783, a sentient titan with the ability to learn and understand. He's the best thing that could ever happen, opening new possibility of changing titan warfare. The problem - He's too advanced for any inexperienced pilot, making Kione their best option. However, she never wants to be in the cockpit again. Will Kione's inability to let go and vengeful blood-thirst reap consequences, or will she be able to move on and help win this war? And can this Titan, in his blissful innocence and humorous flaws, help her? ||Take my Hand is a fiction-work about Living with PTSD and how those around can Help or Hurt you. ||
Briggs was walking at full stride, something those rarely saw her do unless someone was about to die. The intend stare those knew (and some, loved) was mingled with an uneasy eagerness as she descended stairs into the titan technician hanger. There was already a crowd, curious of what the commotion was about. They had heard the massive boom, felt the shake in the earth as the power flickered, then seen one of the scientist's assistants running full speed through the base shouting for Brigg until he got to the command room. Like the sea before Moses, they parted for their angry leader until she reached the center of attention.
"Smith, what in the name of fuck is going on here?" Briggs' voice sounds more like an exhausted soccer mom more then the leader of IMC resistance. Barker and Gates were already there, standing to the left and right of a 40-somthing year old science technician. This man looked like he had spent a day too long in his mother's basement; ragged hair and stubble beard that he never kept in regs. However, this man was the best tech they had, he could get away with the subtle shit like that. Smith turned, a toothless grin and crazed expression.
"I've done it, Briggs! I've cracked the code!"
"And apparently the floor." Barker commented, pointing his flask to the humongous hole in the metal floor. Gates was already fuming, smoke basically seeping from under her helmet. Briggs expression became annoyed.
"What do you mean?"
"The Information we found on Liona*, I've broke through. It's- It's amazing! It's jumping walls and barriers that even I could have never scratched, unfinished apparently. But I broke through, I filled the gaps, I-"
"Just get to the point, Smith. Why is my floor broken?"
Smith ignored her. "It's an AI, one maybe beyond Big Boy. It's storage and learning capabilities are so vast, it's- It's almost like a human brain. The data-cores couldn't even handle it, then I realized that I could upload it like we do when we upload human brains to robots. Of course, that means I had to make an entire server for it and possibly Black Market some cores-"
"Smith."
"Ah, sorry! Anyhow, what I'm saying is this Titan might be the best thing that has ever happened to us! I just had to test it out, and I accidentally broke the floor."
"What could you possibly done to have broken the floo-" Briggs looked up, stopping midsentance to see the massive Legion-Type Titan they can managed to confiscate, rear end stuck slightly in the floor. However, their was noticeable pieces that didn't belong to a Legion, but a Vanguard. A light green multicam... The commands face twisted in anger, turning to grab the scientist by the shirt and lifting him. The crowd backed up. "You son of a bitch! I told you to leave Jenny alone!"
"What else was I suppose to do with her, she was ripped to pieces months ago!" The scientist lifted his hands in defense, legs swinging in the air.
"That was Kione's Titan."
"And this is war. It's been four months, Jenny is still serving the cause even in death. Can't say the same for her living pilot, now can you?"
Briggs face twisted, looking over at Barker and Gates. She could tell they were equally unhappy, but agreeing that it was possible he was right. Sighing reluctantly, the set the scientist down. A crowd member loudly cursed the scientist, getting a murmur of agreement but he blew it off without a thought.
"You still haven't explained how this happened."
"I booted it up."
"What? Smith, I appreciate your enthusiasm to help the cause but you have no idea what it's capable of."
"Actually, I do." Smith smirked, turning to the controls and pressing a few buttons on the screen. The titan rumbled, optic flickering until it came online, the regular blue bulb replaced with a bright pink one. Cautiously, it looked around before trying to rise. Pilots and commanders alike panicked, drawing their weapons to raise a bead, a nervous sweat breaking out on Brigg's forehead as the scientist tried to ensure them everything was alright. The Titan stopped when it got to a squat, blinking.
"Hello." The deep voice that echoed from the chassis of the titan was enough to make several people, including Barker, jump in their spots. Spilling his precious alcohol, the Angel-Leader cursed loudly, grabbing the attention of the titan. Smith's face twisted into shock.
"That's not the voice box I installed."
"I apologize Sensei, but I prefer a male voice over-" The voice changed suddenly to a very high pitch, feminine voice, "your choice of vocalization." The voice went back to the first, "I do, however, appreciate your selection of optic."
"Oh, well, you're welcome."
"Why is it calling you Sensei?" Briggs stated flatly, already unsure about all this.
"The code was in Japanese, something I oh-so knew would one day come in handy to know. I left a few things in there, I guess honorifics was one of them."
"You sure you didn't leave something that could slaughter us all?" Gates voice was a stone on the already sharpening blade of tension.
"Scanning flies..." The titan's optic squinted. "I do contain a program file that would assist in such a scheme. However, multiple protocols state I should not, as does common sense."
"Ma'am," Jack Cooper, who had been squatting on the shoulder of his titan the whole time, called out for Brigg's attention, "I think Smith's new pokemon just used Sarcasm."
"What does that even mean?" Gates tossed her hands up at Cooper, who only chuckled as BT stared down the Legion.
Briggs sighed, holstering her gun before she ambled forward, avoiding the massive crack in the floor. Making it to the scaffolding, she climb up until she was eye to optic with this new titan. It blinked, the entire eye mechanism spinning 360 degrees left until it stopped, focusing.
"Careful, Briggs." Barker pipped up, getting a 'shut up' wave in return.
"What is your designation?"
"Program files imported by Sensei indicated my randomized designation is as follows : U-S-O-2-7-8-3."
"Uso?"
"If that is what you wish to call me, then yes."
Briggs scrunched her face up, nose twisting to the side. The titan's optic twisted slight to the right and squinted, as if he was trying to... copy her? It seemed so, what was this Titan capable of?
"Can I trust you, Uso?"
"I am a simple AI, there is no way to prove loyalty. I am a machine bound to the protocols of following orders. If you are asking me if I plan on slaughtering your men, the answer is no. I do not have motive nor desire."
"Are you willing to join the militia?"
"What is that?" The optic twisted back to it's normal position, blinking. Brigg stood there, slacked-jawed, before turning back to Smith.
"What didn't you put in this Titan?"
"Hey, I didn't know if there was IMC software. Only yesterday did the scan come through clean!"
"IMC... I recognize the name. My coder-" The titan drifted off into thought, tensions rising again, "...was not fond of them."
There was a massive sigh that resonated through the room, Jack smiling softly as BT's optics hopped from each person who had made the curious noise. Uso's seemed to do the same.
"Well, turns out we're not fond of them either."
"It seems it would be mutually beneficial to aid you in whatever tasks you are trying to achieve to halt the IMC's actions. I have had some... interaction, but it was nowhere as calm and non-intrusive as Sensei's decoding."
"Really? " Smith smirked, turning to his assistants. "And you guys thought I was being too harsh with it."
"Then I ask again, Uso. Would you be willing to join us?"
Uso was quiet, optic turning and blinking before it squinted cutely, like BT's did when she allowed Jack to be his pilot. She had to admit, it was absolutly adorable.
"Yes-... It seems I was not programed with you designation."
The commander smiled, shaking her head as Smith groaned loudly about corrupted files.
"My name is Commander Briggs of the SRS Martauder Corps. Welcome to Militia, and to Harmony."
*Liona, a non-canonical planet occupied by IMC
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