I believe I fly

"I heard you correct, right? You say you have no pilot?" Jasons and the others were simply baffled. The Titan didn't even bother to look over at him, "Affirmative". It was still analyzing me, and I mildly uncomfortable under its scrutinizing gaze. "Well I'll tell you what ZP-", I sighed and shifted awkwardly, knowing that it would only keep staring until something happened, "give me a boost to that ledge just below the top, I'll climb up and do your recon." The ledge was about thirty meters below the recon point on the outcropping and I knew full and well that it would be a pain. Jasons looked at me concerned, saying something along the lines of "that's a long a while to climb" and someone else grunted "you're no pilot". I looked at ZP awaiting a response, "Well, how 'bout it? I can remove my ruck for now and that'll be easy enough to climb". I was bluffing, I didn't have a jumpkit to catch me if I fell or any of the climbing gear, but I wasn't going to show anyone my nervousness, as I had adopted my position as "Mother Hen". ZP seemed to gather that the risk was worth the information that could be gained, "I recommend you leave your rucksack with these riflemen here." Before ZP had said this, my ruck was already off my back, and I had set off a lot faster than the Titan seemed prepared for. I began walking across the clearing towards the outcropping when ZP put its hand in front of me. "It will be faster if you let me carry you." I looked at the Titan, "I thought you guys only do that kinda thing with pilots."

"I do not have a pilot."

"Ah, yes, I almost forgot."

"I'm detecting sarcasm"

I climbed into the Titan's hand, after which it proceeded to give me a "finger" to hold onto as it crossed the clearing in a few seconds. I was disoriented from the vertical ascent, but it quickly cleared by the awe of being in a Titan's grasp. I've seen plenty of Titan's in action and had to run around them mid-combat, and god, that's a bitch to do, especially when they are unleashing a core. (Salvo cores are the worst.) Never have I been in, on or in the hands of a Titan and I had to keep childish glee from showing. "It's more fun than I thought"

ZP got to the ledge, flattened out it's palm as a platform for me to stand on, and proceeded to inspect me some more. Looking up the ledge, I saw that it was far more than 30 meters to go, but I'd make it without all of my armor and weapons. I began to remove my arm and leg armor, only leaving my helmet and chest piece on and left it in ZP's palm. I set my rifle there as well which prompted, "You are going into unknown area, and I cannot aid you there. It is not recommended that you leave your weapons here". I didn't look up, feeling naked without all of my armor, and bundled all my belongings together "And that's why I'm keeping my pistol…" I droned out into a stretch, swung my arms, and prepared my body for the climb.

Looking towards the ledge, I backed up a bit, jumped onto it. I had leapt out at the last second and managed to cling to it. "This is gonna be fun" Once I stabilized myself on the ledge, I turned to look back the Titan who was inspecting the small partial set of armor in its hand when its blue lenses turned to look at me. "I will maintain radio contact with you during your reconnaissance and will monitor your video feed." I nodded slightly and returned my attention to the wall that needed climbing. Most people that climb walls and other things try not to look down afterwards to avoid vertigo, but of course everyone does, including me. As I looked against better judgement, I saw that ZP had moved backwards to watch me, or possibly catch me, I don't know which. "It is not recommended that you look down." ZP's voice came through my helmet's headset. Under other circumstances, I probably would have jumped, but I didn't quite have that option at that moment. I kept climbing through my weakening strength and progressively sorer muscles for what felt like a few hours but was only thirty minutes or so. I didn't ever bother to look up as I feared I would only see that I had more to go. I guess somebody decided that I needed a break as I had found the top edge soon after my muscle began burning. I clambered over the edge and remained on the ground as I tried to regain control over my breathing and rest my body for second. "Are you alright rifleman?" I peered over the edge, looking down at the Titan below me. The Titan was seemingly small compared to its normal size. "Yeah," I wheezed, staring at the blue dot that was its optics, "and call me JJ". There was slight static before the Titan responded. "Noted."

As I stood on the ledge looking over everything in the nearby landscape, a memory of my home came back to me. Typhon was just as breathtakingly beautiful as my home was. To the south were mountains, and to the north, was a luscious forest. To the east, the landscape transitioned from said forest to mountains, and there was a giant waterfall on a giant rock-faced cliff around the middle of it all. The resulting river carved a path through the forest, and along it, a gathering of small buildings, most likely a town or something. There were lights flickering and small explosions, more than likely they were huge, and I just couldn't tell because of the distance. Further down the stream was a dam, it was not the largest of them, but big enough to power the aforementioned outpost in addition to powering a small town, probably. I looked around my own location to make sure I was still in the clear. The rocky outcropping was actually a flat of smooth rock jutting out from a dense forest, with no cover on it whatsoever. Which, of course, meant I stood out like a sore thumb. Suddenly, I felt the all too familiar sense of imminent danger, and I wished for the Titan to be there, and I missed my rifle dearly. I scanned the edge of the forest and found quick, inhuman movement. No IMC grunt moved like that, it was too… precise. I decided not to risk any more time in the open and darted for the nearest cover I had, trees. I must have moved at the right moment, since the area I was just standing at became pocked by bullet holes. I scanned for what shot at me as I ducked for cover behind a thick tree. And then I saw it, a metallic flash of gray and red, meaning Specters. "Oh, joy" I sighed. "ZP-" I glanced around my tree, "do you have a sonar knife?" If I could see them before they saw me I'd be able to something as a means for defending myself. "Please have a sonar knife." I ducked back into my cover just as ZP replied with, "Negative". Hearing the Titan's voice was soothing, oddly enough. I held my pistol at the ready and scanned again for anything that gave away the specters' locations. I spotted the glowing red sights of a gun poking out from a tree close by to me. I took my grenade off my belt readied it, and hailed ZP again. "Do you think that if I jumped off this ledge could you catch me?" The Titan responded instantly "Affirmative, but it is not rec- ". I sighed knowing that there was no way I'd have time to climb down, the specters would catch up and more than likely I'd get shot. "Get ready to catch me!" I yelled as lobbed the grenade to where the sights were still poking out. As I threw the grenade, I immediately turned to towards the ledge and began sprinting and when I got there, the Titan below angled itself to catch me. Around its feet were the ragtag group of militia from the cave, way too small to see any detail. I stood at the ledge, peering down, fear rooting me to my spot.

It was stupid to think I could jump, there was no way I could jump. Before I could convince myself to do anything at all, the signature clink of a grenade rolled off somewhere behind me and I found courage like no other. As I leapt off the edge, the grenade, which turned out to be my grenade, exploded and caused me to lose all control of my descent. I had planned to jump how we are trained for long falls, feet first, but I was going to end up landing on my left leg and shoulder before I had any time to adjust. I closed my eyes and waited for fate to tear me a new one, I felt ZP's hand close around me as he seemingly snatched me out of there. As my body impacted the hard metal, I felt my shoulder dislocate, and my leg felt like it shattered. I didn't stay awake for very long after that, as I started slipping into unconsciousness while enclosed in ZP's hand. Before I fully slipped away from the pain, I heard the Titan and the squad open fire on the ledge, or maybe on the specters. I felt ZP move me somewhere, and in my already fading consciousness it seemed dark, and very comfortable. As I fully fell asleep, I heard the Titan say, "She is injured, but alive".