MD:MI AU Happy Family Timeline

Lexi's Bet pt.0 Get Stronger

Something has been bothering Lexi for a while now. In gym she was always the one with the worst throw, couldn't dodge, jumping was a joke, and anything they did she failed. The only thing she was good at was running for short amounts of time.
Even in training against her aunt, dad, and even her mom, her movements were sloppy no matter how much she focused on form. Losing every one-on-one.
It became apparent on one of her after-school adventures with Anya.

Rumors of a dinosaur in the bunkers led them into a battle with a sentinel.
It kept leaping after Anya & tried dragging her away if it wasn't for Lexi pushing herself & standing in its way. Anya nearly got dragged outside the colony when Lexi managed to climb on its back with a pipe & slowly with all her might, tear the Sentinel's neck apart.
She fell to the floor struggling to make any movement. She short-circuited her arms & needed help from Anya to walk back home. It was an easy fix, but that's when she started to realize her limits.
But she had to be sure.

"So, what is it you want me to do?" Anya asked, gazing around the Doorman family's indoor training grounds.
It was quite spacious, with exercise equipment against one wall, padded flooring for a sparing area in the center, & weapons decorating the wall farthest from the door. She also noticed Lexi's laptop opened to the side.

Lexi walked over to a punching bag hanging from the ceiling and placed a big sticker with a target on it. "I need you to punch right here, as hard as you can. Like this." She mustered up 100% of her strength into one strike on the target sticker. The bag barely reacted with a light sway & Lexi recoiled her fist from the backlash.

Anya watched confused, then shrugged with an, "ok." she copied what Lexi did & struck the target with everything she had, a big sway from the bag concerned the young purple one.
She went over to her computer nonetheless & started typing away. "So, wanna tell me what this experiment of yours is about now?" the blue-haired drone joined her friend by the laptop.

"It's about a theory I've been questioning for a while. That target takes the force of contact & turns it into data. These readings confirm it though. I'm built weaker than everyone else in this Colony. It has to be 'cause I'm a newer model." Lexi stared down at her now-closed laptop in defeat.

"So this was about measuring your strength? Lex, there's more to life than being strong." Anya tried to comfort her friend, but it just frustrated Lexi more.

"It's not just that!" She stood up & walked towards a mirrored wall. "Dad & Mom saved me all those years ago. I hoped that one day I could return the favor. I want to protect the people I care about, but how can I when I'm the weakest drone on the planet!? & not only is my strength limited, but my skill development is a joke! The humans made it so we couldn't revolt, even if we tried!" Her fist was clenched & her whole body shook in fury. Her visor was filled with pixelated tears.

Anya thought for a moment before approaching Lexi again. "There's other ways of protecting people. Like... You're the smartest drone I know! You could use intelligence to outsmart your enemies."

"I doubt intelligence could've stopped that Sentinel," Lexi spoke calmer than before, but still, a bitterness laced her words.

Thinking about that day made Anya rub her arm that had been torn by the Sentinel's teeth. Anya had thought about it often, wondering why it wanted her in the first place.

Lexi noticed her friend's uneasiness from bringing up the Sentinel attack & sighed with guilt, "I'm sorry, Anya. I didn't mean... I'm just worried if something like that happens again, I might not be able to protect you. I... I don't want to lose you. I was so scared that day, I thought I'd never see you again! I can't lose anyone else, ever." she held her friend's hands.
She was talking about all the friends she lost in the mines.
However, Anya was a lot more special to Lexi. She would do anything for Anya. She fell in love with her over the years they've been friends & can't bring herself to confess.

Anya exhaled, "I know, Spacegirl. I don't want to lose you either." she hugged Lexi. "You're the first in a long time I've ever let in, you know?"

Lexi hugged her back, "Yeah. Thanks, Anya. I'll figure something out, I promise."

"Sounds good. Anyways, I should get home now, before Pops gets too worried." Anya chuckles, letting go of her friend. "see you tomorrow at school."

"Yep! See ya, & sweet dreams!" Lexi waved her off and then went to clean up her experiment. "How can I get stronger?" she asked herself, before in walked a tall silver-haired drone.

"Hey, Lexi! Ready for our training session?" N asked stretching in his WDF uniform.

"Oh! Is it that time already? Alright, let's do this!" Lexi pushed her stuff to the wall and grabbed her training sword. "Maybe I'm just not trying hard enough." she thought to herself.

To be continued in the comics...