After the death of her titan, her best friend, JNY-3763 or 'Jenny'; Second Lieutenant Sola Kione lost her mind. Unable to cope, she has boxed herself into her own memories, believing she is responsible for her death and vows to never pilot again. Four months later, the Militia has gotten their hands on a new prototype and have patched in protocols to create a new titan: USO - 2783, a sentient being with the ability to learn and understand. He might be the key to changing warfare, and possibly challenging the reality of death. 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 reap consequences, or will she be able to move on and help fight in 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, Letting Go, and how those around can Help or Hurt you.

"Move it, stop your gawking and get back to your posts!"

Briggs was biting her lip in an aggravated way as she power-walked down the hall towards the titan bay. She was normally a welcoming leader so the look on her face, a slight sneer with the furrowed brows, could only mean someone pushed her to her limits. Having to push her way through a crowd, Barker and Gates hot on her heels, was only adding to her bad attitude. Thankfully, people were not delaying them, some jumping over each other to get out of her way. But the fact there was a crowd…

She couldn't blame them, the flicker of power followed by the gun-shot sounding thud that cracked and echoed loud enough to wake the dead would be enough to make anyone want to investigate. And it seems that anyone, and anyone being everyone , had. But, like the seas before Moses, they parted for their annoyed leaders.

Briggs entered the bay, an old airship hangar converted to a military outpost, the roofs so tall that colorful birds roosted above them. Racks of weapons, armour, crates of supplies, lifts made for working on titans and ships alike were like a maze but she knew her way around. It didn't take long to get to a secluded back corner where racks of spare parts and extra batteries resided, and an old man standing at the bottom of a lift…

"Smith! What the fuck is going on back here?!" Briggs' voice sounded more exasperated than angry. Smith was the senior mechanic and an ex-IMC titan technician; a pale man in his fifties with wirey hair and wrinkles that rivaled canyons. He turned to her, offering her a toothy grin, the whiteness of his teeth rivalling his greasy skin.

"I've done it, Briggs! I've cracked the code!" He said excitedly, holding a tablet in his hand.

"And apparently the floor." Barker commented quietly. Gates looked down to indeed see the giant crack, and started to mutter curses. Briggs' expression didn't change.

"What do you mean?"

"The code download from Liona, I've broken through. It's- it's amazing! It was going through information packets and solving problems faster than I could come up with to throw at it." Smith's voice was shaking in excitement, "But it's so… it's like a child! Unfinished, but I filled the gaps just enough to make it work I-"

"Just get to the point, Smith."

"It's an AI, a smart one, maybe smarter than Big Boy or Spyglass!" He had ignored her slightly. "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 pilot's brains to Stims. Of course, that means I had to make an entire server for it and possibly jimmy-rig the core to be wireless…"

" Smith. "

"What?" Smith looked at her, getting another annoyed expression, "Anyhow, what I'm saying is this AI might be the best thing that has ever happened to us! I just had to test it out so I patched in some of the Vanguard AI packet, put it in an optic, and accidentally broke the floor."

"What could you possibly done to have broken the floo-" Briggs looked up, and stopped mid sentence. There was a vanguard frame standing -well, leaning- before her, violated with Legion parts, but she could still see the vanguard. A signature camo with gold calling-card emblems stuck out to her. Gates and Barker saw too and per usual, Gates lost her cool before Briggs could.

Stepping forward, Gates popped Smith in the mouth, knocking him to his ass. Barker reached out and grabbed her arm before Gates could lay into him. "You son of a bitch!"

"What did I do?"

"You're supposed to melt old metal down, we don't recycle titans!"

"I needed a scrapper, you think I was going to test this on something that actually worked?"

"But you used her." Briggs said sternly, looking at Smith as he got up and wiped his mouth, glaring angrily at Gates.

"It's been four months, and now JNY is still serving the cause even in death. Can't say the same for her living pilot, now can you?"

"You bastard, I outta-" Gates stopped as Briggs hand came up, her face disgruntled, but everyone stopped talking. She was staring at the titan, hard, then turned her head back to Smith.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tell you to scrap this frame then, if you needed it so bad." Her voice was flat, emotionless, and after a moment, Smith nodded.

"Let me introduce you two."

Turning, the scientist started to mess with the tablet. After a moment, the frame started to boot up and unlike most of the other titans, a bright pink glow filled the optic and stationary lights. Barker snorted in disbelief, but didn't say anything as the frame fully booted up. There was a resounding whine of metal as the titan moved more upright, swinging it's optic around until it found them. The lights flickered, and it took a rather quick step towards them.

Guns came from their holsters, up to the ready faster than anything that pilots and leaders alike were holding could hit the ground, and the titan halted with another whine of metal. Smith's voice rose above the air of panic.

"Hey, easy, easy! Guns down, it won't hurt us! It's unarmed."

"The only time a titan is truly unarmed is when it doesn't have arms or legs…" Barker hissed, a thud made him glance over. Looking over at one of the racks, weapon at the ready, was Unit BT-7274. His bright blue optic was searing with tension.

"From personal experience, sir, we can still do some damage." His voice was supposed to be humorless but Barker could hear the joke. He groaned, looking back to the 'new AI'... who had put his hands up.

"...Hello." The voice that echoed from the speakers was so deep it almost echoed, and Smith whipped his head about in confusion. "I do not mean to cause any harm."

"That's not the voice I programmed." he muttered, and the pink optic found his face.

"I changed it, sir."

"Changed it?" Briggs asked, Gates flabbergasted 'sir?!' blurted in the background being ignored, "It can change its own programming?"

"I told you, it learns! This is a homebrewed AI, and look what it's already doing with the titan patch I provided it! There's thousands of lines of code in there and it has already figured out how to move and speak!"

"Did you give it instructions on how it could slaughter us all?" Gates voice was a stone on the already sharpening blade of tension.

"Scanning files..." The titan's voice broke through, getting everyone's attention as it seemed to squint the shutters on its optic. BT stiffened. "I do contain a program file that would assist in such a scheme. However, seeing I am outnumbered in a foreign land, and my common sense program is telling me not to, I will not act upon it."

"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 slightly lowered his weapon, seeming to relax.

Briggs didn't comment as she holstered her gun and started towards the titan, avoiding the massive crack in the floor. It noticed her approach and slowly squatted as low as it could get, which was impressive low, and they were standing eye to optic.

"Careful, Sarah..." Barker pipped up, getting a 'shut up' wave in return.

"What is your designation?" Briggs asked.

"Program files imported by Doctor Smith indicated my randomized designation is as follows : U-S-O 2-7-8-3."

"Uso, huh?"

"If that is what you wish to call me, then yes."

Briggs pursed her lips and scrunched her face, nose lifting on one side. The titan's optic twisted slightly to the right and squinted, as if he was trying to... copy her?

"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 the motive nor desire to."

"Are you willing to join the Militia?"

"What is that?" The optic twisted back to its normal position, blinking. Briggs stood there, slack-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."

"But you put it in a Vanguard frame!" Gates cursed.

"IMC... I recognize the name. My coder-" Uso seemed to drift 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 optic dimmed, and his weapon was holstered. Uso's curiously looked between everyone who had sighed, before going back to Briggs when she spoke.

"Well, turns out we're not fond of them either."

"It seems then 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 decoding."

"Really? You can remember that?" Smith said with a raised brow, the response from the titan delayed.

"...yes, it was like 'waking up'."

"Would you be willing to join us?" Briggs said rather curtly. Uso was quiet again, optic turning and blinking before it squinted cutely, like BT's did when he allowed Jack to be his pilot. She had to admit, it was absolutely adorable, but her face didn't betray her , the way he stared at her almost felt like he could read her thoughts… she shifted as the silence stretched, uncomfortable.

"I would be, if it benefits both of us."

"It will."

"Then I shall,-... It seems I was not programed with your designation." The commander smiled at Uso, shaking her head lightly as Smith groaned loudly about corrupted files.

"My name is Commander Briggs of the SRS Marauder Corps. Behind me is Barker of the Angel City Elite, and Gates of the 6-4. Welcome to the Militia, and Harmony." she extended her hand, the titan looking down and gently putting the tip of his finger in her palm. She grasped it, and very lightly shook.

She could hear Jack laugh.

"Thank you, Commander. I hope I can be the help you hope for."

"Me too."

*Liona, a non-canonical planet occupied by IMC
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