A stream of scalding hot water flowed over Vela's hair, back, and down to her toes. The shower was refreshing, and she breathed in the steamy air while feeling the water trickle down her arms, legs, and fingers. A timely "ding" sounded over the speaker in the bathroom, reminding her that her time to wash was limited. She regrettably shampooed her hair quickly, and finished her shower.

It was a new day at the United Military Head Quarters, and unfortunately, paperwork waited for no one. Vela sighed as she dried herself with a towel. It had been nearly a year since the defeat of Barry and his Mizar guise, an act which had several long-standing consequences. The Gemini team had become famous overnight, and was the talk of the planet. Interviews, adoring fans, even sponsorships came to flock around the newly recognized heroes.

The unwanted attention made both Vela and Juno uncomfortable, and instead they opted to move from their once quiet apartment to live on the UMHQ base to avoid the public eye.

Of course, there were also those who despised the Gemini team. Numerous factions of anti-military recluses were enraged by the independent actions of Juno, Vela, and even Lupus, and made attempts to sue them in court for "generally increasing universal hazards". The military defended the team, and managed to have all the cases dropped, saying that the team had an "excuse for damage".

As a result of the power of public opinion, the Jet Force Gemini team had been, in effect, demoted to doing paperwork. Still the Gemini team in title, they spent their days dealing with internal military issues and… paperwork. Needless to say, Vela did not enjoy this in the least, and had grown to loathe her trade.

Vela, still wrapped in her towel, walked into the living room of the quarters she shared with her brother and dog. The news channel was on the television, with a reporter at the scene of a crime, a rare occurrence in this day and age. Crime had been all but eradicated on Earth, and the only real reason for any kind of military was to protect to people from other-worldly threats like the Drone Army. She sat to watch the short news broadcast. It wasn't anything too serious, just a kid with a case of sticky fingers.

Vela sighed. It was good that all was right with world, but… it was almost too peaceful. There were no impending threats, no cataclysmic events, not anything. Not for the first time, Vela began to feel unneeded. The purpose of a military is to protect and serve… but if there's nothing to fight, no objective, then what's the point?

As Vela pondered, the doorbell rang. "Hold on, I'm coming!" she called out as she left the couch and made her way to the door. She was halfway there when she realized that she still didn't have any clothes on! "Ah! Ummm! Can you hold on for a minute?" Vela asked through the door.

"Uh, yeah." A male voice responded.

Who is that? Vela wondered as she quickly threw on some underclothes and a bath robe. Her still damp blue hair lay flat against her back, just past her shoulder blades. As she used the towel to finish drying her head, she tapped the video monitor near the door. A man in a dark brown jumpsuit stood in the screen, wheeling a rather large box on a dolly.

She opened the door and stuck her head out, looking at the box, then the man. "EPS?" she inquired.

"Yep. All military personnel on base are getting new cleaning drones for their quarters. I just need you to sign for it here." He held out a clipboard and pen for Vela to sign.

"New cleaning drones? Didn't we just get new ones last month? I thought they were good for two years!"

The EPS Mailman lifted his hands. "I don't argue; I just deliver the packages. If you don't want it, it's just gonna sit in the mailroom."

Vela stared for a moment. "Fine. Hand it over." She reluctantly signed the clipboard and let the Mailman wheel the package into the living room. "Thanks," she tossed as he closed the door behind him on the way out.

This was just plain wasteful. Why buy new Cleaners already? Vela was slightly irked, but decided not to make a big fuss. Still thoroughly bored, Vela resumed her position on the couch and continued to watch the news, her eyes slowly beginning to droop. Her interest peaked when the space news came on. Her eyes opened wide when she realized that the current news story was about the Drone Army.

"…odd movement of several once abandoned Drone ships is causing some citizens to worry. While no threat has been declared, and no Drone activity has been confirmed, the mysterious disappearance of these supposedly abandoned ships is seen by some as a bad omen, or at the very least, fishy. In other news…"

The story ended, and Vela quickly went back to being bored. It didn't matter if something "fishy" was going on. With the team's current status, they couldn't do anything if they wanted to. They were, quite literally, grounded.

About five minutes later, Vela heard the familiar bleep of a card key. The front door opened to reveal Juno and Lupus, weighed down nearly to the breaking point with bags of groceries. Juno waddled his way to the kitchen with Lupus not far behind, and set the bags down on the floor.

"Good morning, oh sister of mine. Slept in a little today, did we?" Juno jested in a British accent. He was wearing civilian clothing with a ball cap, and Lupus was wearing… nothing, of course.

"We got a package," she pointed out, ignoring his sarcasm. "Apparently, we're all getting new Cleaners today."

"That's… odd…" Juno commented.

"Yeah, just a little." Vela walked into the kitchen and started to help the boys put away the groceries, and started to put on a fresh pot of coffee for Juno. She continued talking as she poured the grounds. "I ought to go wring Jensen's neck. Cleaning drones are expensive."

"If you feel so strongly about it, why don't you go talk to him about it?" Juno asked, not so sincerely. "I'm sure he'd like your input."

"I'm not getting within fifty feet of that perverted old man." Vela responded curtly. "What kind of uniform regulation is pigtails? I bet he did it just to satisfy himself. I guess that's a perk of being the Admiral…"

"Well, then I guess you can't complain," Juno furrowed his brows. "Uh… how much coffee are you going to put there?" Vela realized she had still been pouring the grounds.

"Oops…" Vela observed her handiwork for a moment before shrugging. "I hope you like it strong."

Juno grunted. As he finished putting away the last of the groceries, he re-filled Lupus' food bowl.

Lupus, never one to miss food, instead opted to observe the box in the center of the living room. He approached it, circling several times and sniffing all around. Juno watched him, slightly concerned.

"Something wrong, boy?" he asked.

Lupus let out a low growl, barked twice, then sat down in front of the box and tilted his head.

"There's something off about it, but he can't figure out what." Vela read Lupus' reaction like a book. Since becoming a team, each of them had come to understand each other in a way that sometimes went beyond words, which came in handy, since Lupus couldn't talk.

"Well, if Lupus thinks something's off, then…" Juno turned back to Vela. "…er… what are you putting in my coffee?"

"Huh? This is…" Vela looked down at her hands, moving in auto-pilot. In her hands was a seasoning she didn't recognize, and in the other…

She quickly shoved both hands behind her back, and hid them from Juno.

"The normal stuff," she replied innocently. "Why?"

"Vela… what's in your hand?"

"N-nothing," she said, hands still hidden. At that moment, the video phone rang, causing all three sets of ears to perk up. "Go answer the phone, I'm not dressed!"

Juno reluctantly walked over to the television and answered the call, while Vela went into her room to change. Lupus stood at Juno's heel, eager to see who was calling. An older man dressed in full uniform appeared on the screen, his desk littered with mounds of paperwork and discarded pens.

"Captain," the man acknowledged.

"Admiral! I mean, sir!" Juno fumbled for his military bearing. "Yes sir?"

"Captain, I need to see you and the rest of the Gemini unit in my office in full gear, prepped for launch in thirty minutes."

"Sir?" Juno was taken completely by surprise. "Are we going off-world, sir?"

"Captain, this is an unsecured line," the Admiral's voice echoed in the apartment. " For me to say any more is a violation of possibly classified information. Just get here. In thirty minutes. Am I clear?"

"Crystal, sir," Juno quickly replied.

"Good. I'll see you when you arrive."

The message ended, and the boys sprung into action. Lupus ran to his outfitter and pushed a button with his paw. The machine clamped Lupus in between his two-part battle suit, and started attaching guns as well. Juno poured his coffee into a thermos and started changing. "Vela! Vela, we've got orders! We're going on a mission!"

Vela's door opened, and she stepped out, already in full battle gear with Tri-rockets in hand, a pistol tied to her waist, and hair tied into perfect pigtails.

"That's the best news I've heard all day."