Hearst frowned and remained silent, standing up as they were dismissed.<br/><br/>Since the train had been derailed there weren't any more locomotives heading out that way (it had only been three days and the area was classified as highly dangerous and top-secret, so no Alchemists had been dispatched to repair the damage yet) so the two of them were going on horseback. Ironic, since the attackers appeared to be doing the same.<br/><br/>Two military horses with lots of baggage attached were waiting out front for the two of them. "You've got to be kidding me." Hearst shook his head. "Wasn't it me who helped invent a self-perpetuating electric engine? Why the hell can't we take a jeep?" he complained.<br/><br/>"Sir, the terrain around the area is unsuitable for jeep travel and horses will be less conspicuous. If the enemy sees a military jeep they'll know you're there, if they spot two horses, it'll be less suspicious." the grunts explained.<br/><br/>"Tch..." he grumbled.<br/><br/>"And you two have been instructed to do this mission undercover. Here are your civilian disguises." they handed Hearst and Andrews each two thin cardboard boxes with what he presumed were some fairly bland civilian outfits.<br/><br/>"How nice." he rolled his eyes.<br/><br/>"Mission begins in half an hour. You may change clothes and make any calls to loved ones necessary in that time." the grunts saluted them and went back inside HQ.<br/><br/>Hearst looked over at Andrews. Outside of that uniform, he was surprised to say, she would probably look cute. Just one more complication for him to deal with. Lovely.<br/><br/>"I'll meet you back here at the appointed time." he told her, winding his National Alchemist's watch, the symbol of belonging to the military.<br/><br/>He went into the men's locker room and changed. Black jeans and a white t-shirt with a forest-green sweatshirt. Yeah, real inconspicuous. He'd have to bust the balls of whoever commissioned this crappy combination of clothing when he returned.<br/><br/>He wasn't normally this irritable. He had been pulled away from a very important assignment that he was very fond of. In between working with one of their top scientists on a gigantic perpetual energy generator that could have provided energy to the entire country and push them into advancement beyond any other nation, he was also working at the hospital, providing artificial defibrillation to patients with heart conditions to keep them from going into cardiac arrest. He may not have been a medical officer but his talents as the Volt Alchemist weren't just for combat. He even helped with electroshock therapy in the mental patient wing.<br/><br/>So not only was he pulled away from being extremely useful and admired, but this was a very unsatisfying mission with trouble written all over it. And to be partnered with a female, another Alchemist at that, was the last thing he wanted. In his experience, all Alchemists (himself included) liked to show off, though often at the expense of those around them. So between the two of them, there was likely to be a lot of difficulty working together.