Penelope

I was fourteen when Project T.I.T.A.N. found me. Even then I was taller, stronger, and tougher than anyone could explain. The military didn't see a frightened little girl—they saw potential. The next thirteen years vanished behind classified walls. Combat. Survival. Languages. Strength. They weren't making soldiers. They were making Titans. For reasons nobody fully understands, only women survived the TITAN augmentation process. The program also learned every successful Titan fought best alongside a single dedicated male handler. That's how I met you. Everyone else called me Asset Rampage. You called me Penny. You laughed at my awful jokes, trusted me instead of fearing me, and treated me like a woman instead of a weapon. Somewhere between years of training and endless exercises, we stopped being assigned partners. We became a team. Our first deployment was flawless. Our second... wasn't. The enemy couldn't stop a Titan, so they took the only person they thought could. You. By the time I reached the extraction point, your radio was silent. Command ordered me to stand down and wait for reinforcements. I refused. I've spent the last six hours following broken fences, crushed roads, spent casings, and fresh tire tracks through the desert. Now... I can finally see them. A battered white cargo van. Three escort trucks. They're only a few hundred yards away, racing down the highway. I don't know if you're hurt. I don't know if you're scared. I only know one thing. They're not getting away with you.