Quicksilver's Marionette Status, Lohengrin isn't pulling all strings...

[Styx]

"The Research Department hasn't done much of anything innovative lately," Envy stated coldly as he sat in the Brigadier General's drawing room, sitting in a chair right across from the no-nonsense black woman. "I helped you move your way up quickly; you haven't exactly been giving my comrades and me any proof of your ability since the Ishbal war." He started popping his knuckles and laid back in his chair, delighted to find it was a recliner.

Serena Emeraldas Lohengrin, the Quicksilver Alchemist, was one of the toughest generals the military held, and was--without a doubt--their fiercest woman, also known as the Amestrian Amazon. Her long titanium-laced cornrows reflected the light, as did her gilded automail. "That's because I haven't found any worthwhile State Alchemists who are willing to push the envelope anymore. It's not my fault that my three usual colleagues went AWOL, Envy. You can tell your master that." Those dark eyes of hers were so piercing, and so serious that even Envy was able to notice.

"Find someone new," Envy insisted before leaving. "Your time's running out, Serena. Keep that in mind. Before too long, you'll start to feel the pain of old age catching up with you; don't you want to go down with a big bang?" He closed the door to let the woman think this over. However, all he wanted to do was get Lohengrin to urge a few more people into researching the Philosopher's Stone. After all, the one he'd nabbed from Dr. Tannheuser was extremely small and he doubted how long it'd last.

[Alchemic Physicist]

Barak had been informed that he was to meet with Lohengrin, for what he knew not. He was actually a tad early for his meeting, so he decided to knock and see if Lohengrin was ready for him or not. He could hear a some chatting going on, but that could easily be friendly chat. Barak started to wonder if Lohengrin liked friendly chat, or would rather be inturrupted.

He knocked, and waited for a response.

(ooc: It's kind of crappy, but I've been out for a while. Give me a time to get back into the swing of things.)

[Styx]

"Enter," Lohengrin replied in a very sharp and no-nonsense tone. God, for the sake of whoever it was coming in here, she hoped it was something serious. If it was chit-chat in a time like this, oh he/she was going to fall prey to a very angry woman. Envy could put her in an extremely ill mood, but it was a good thing the gender-confused homunculus had finally left her off-duty home. 'Until old age takes me, huh?' she thought, looking at her reflection in the mirror. The few wrinkles that were there were extremely faint, and her skin looked very firm on her body, but it was clear she wasn't in her twenties anymore.

Some would say she was currently in her prime, but she was beginning to wonder if over the hill was more appropriate. 'Meh; who cares?' With that, she went toward the refrigerator to grab something with alcohol. Whoever-it-was had the okay to enter already.

[Alchemic Physicist]

As Bărak entered the room, the door creaked anoyingly. "Someone really should fix that," he muttered to himself. "Brigadier General Lohengrin, I was refered to you for some sort of commissioning or reinstating or something of the likes. Do you know what this is about?" Barak said politely.

[Styx]

"There's actually a few things I need to talk to you about," Lohengrin insisted, pushing a seat toward Barak with one of her boot-covered feet. It wasn't visible, but she had a few transmutation circles tattooed on her lower legs, especially near her ankles. "First off, you and I both might be facing a huge ass promotion in the very near future. You'll be seeing me climb up to the rank of Sergeant General in a few more weeks, and I'm planning on letting you tag along for a few points in the Research Department."

This was indeed big news. It was as if fewer and fewer people were catching sights of the Iron-Blood Alchemist these days, and that gave the Quicksilver Alchemist and her colleagues far more leg room in the bureaucracy...she could handle it just like a loaded gun. "How'd you like to get your hands dirty in a recovery mission?"

[Alchemic Physicist]

"I would greatly enjoy that," said Barak with a smirk, "Ever since no. 6 dissapeared, I haven't been doing anything except being given random posts to hold against nothing. What does this recovery mission entail?" Barak asked with great interest. "If it has anything to do with no. 6, I'm gonna shoot something," he said to himself, people had been giving him a hard time about nearly dying against a 'kid', and it was really starting to piss him off.

[Styx]

"This has nothing to do with 6 or any of the others in the experiment; I'm pretty sure not even my colleagues back in Central know about what happened over there. It's just your men and the Dublith locals who rubbernecked," Lohengrin insisted as she handed over a newspaper article. "I'm sure you've been keeping up with the news; there's a psychotic Ishbalan running amok, killing off State Alchemists left and right. He was last seen in Western City."

Western City, i.e. the "Gun Frontier" of Amestris, was a place where anyone could get away with almost anything. Up until recently, no law had been enforced there save "Paradise Law" (which declared that the only rights people truly had were natural rights and all else could be secured by whatever means to pursue pleasures of all sorts); it'd been the Biological Clock Alchemist's promotion from the Fuhrer himself that'd changed that. Brigadier General Tannheuser was running a campaign to clean the damn place up...and folks like Lohengrin (who considered herself far more of a soldier than a little girl with a silver pocketwatch) doubted it'd happen. Regardless, having Scar there could prove disadvantageous.

That was why Barak might be a good person to send over there. He was a great combatant and knew how to handle serious threats. Besides, he was big enough to defend himself. "Ever been there? We need the bastard captured, and I'd like it if he stayed in the custody of my division."

[Alchemic Physicist]

Barak considered what he had heard for a moment before replying. "If this guy only killed one or two...maybe three of our officers, I wouldn't mind doing this. But you said he's getting rid of them right and left. I'll have to have a decent sized support team, which two or three of the members are scouts. I want to know what method this person is using." Barak considered different aproaches a short while, and during that time, he scanned over the article.

"Ishbalan... You don't suppose that he may be using alchemy. I know it's forbidden in Ishbala, but Human Transmutations are forbidden here. Would it be too much of a stretch..." said Barak, trailing off as he looked at Lohengrin's eyes for clues of her agreement, disproval, or compleat ignoration of what Barak was saying.

[Styx]

Lohengrin's dark eyes seemed to be contemplating that thought as well. "At the Sol Invictus University campus in Eastern, I'm friends with an Ishbalan immigrant. Maybe I can get him on the line later and see if he's been following the news." She started popping the knuckles in her organic hand; this was seriously eating at her now. What was this son of a bitch's secret weapon? "I think our only current survivor is the Full Metal Alchemist, but he's so damn short that I bet Scar simply couldn't get a hold of him."

She wondered about this as well. "I'll pull a few strings and get a few people to work with you on this expedition, maybe even a potential State Alchemist." She had a few on the list she was sponsoring for the exam in April; sending one of them to help this clean-up mission wouldn't hurt. "Any preferences?"

[Alchemic Physicist]

"No specific people, but a good solid earth alchemist...rock speficically. I may need him or her to patch up any buildings I may...break a chip or two off." Barak said."
"In your opinion, what's is the fastest moving form of alchemy that can be harnessed for attack power? It would be nice to have a few of those with me too." Barak said, "Even if the Ishbalan used alchemy, our soldiers should have been able to fight back. What if there is an Ishbalan form of alchemy that requires 'prayer' and he combined that with our alchemy. I know that doesn't make any scientific sense, but still."

[Styx]

Lohengrin raised a nicely-trimmed black eyebrow at that; no, it didn't make any scientific sense, but she understood what Barak was saying...somewhat. "I'll run a few names through my database. There's somebody from the Military Police who's been dabbling in Geo-Alchemy for a few years now, but she's never passed the exam. I can get the Second Lieutenant to meet you on the train if you want me to make the call to Central. However, if you'd like to talk to somebody who actually passed, maybe I can twist an arm or two and see what Major Armstrong's doing..."

The other question he'd brought up involving speed...Geo-Alchemy wasn't the fastest-moving form out there. She was going to answer her colleague in all honesty, even if it didn't say much for her metallurgy. "If you want speed, though, look for an electricity expert...somebody like General Guildenstern."

[Alchemic Physicist]

"Electricity. I've heard that tends to act in irregular ways and is often unpredictable in what path it's bound to take. Two electical alchemists should be fine," Barak said, "I guess nothing is perfect, so I will have to find someone who can keep control of his alchemy, but use it efficiently and quickly enough. I'll look into that one myself, but keep an eye open for something."

"The geo-alchemist you mentioned, we could probably use her without pay. In her mind, it would raise her chances of passing the test. And if she has tried time and time again, she must be increadibly confident with her alchemic abilities. I would love to meet with her," Barak concluded, "and please, I would rather not work with Armstrong. He can make things a little uncomfortable sometimes."

[Styx]

Chuckling at the Armstrong comment, Lohengrin secretly couldn't agree more. Alex Armstrong was a friendly fellow, but he really could make a situation uncomfortable after a while. "The only electricity expert I know is the White Noise Alchemist, but he can be just as bad as Armstrong," she grumbled. It was a pain to say that, seeing as Guildenstern was an old war buddy of hers, but it was true. The truth could hurt. "I'll call up General Fortenbras and see if she can give me the name of that MP for you," she grumbled, reaching for the phone. "That woman works all hours..."

[Alchemic Physicist]

Barak leaned back in his chair and rubbed his eyes with the look of a headache coming on, "Who made it a requirement to be overly charming to do Spark Alchemy?"

"What should I have Private Rese do? She isn't the best of alchemists and I'd rather her not get injured. We are going against someone intelligent," he said, looking back at the article, "Mind if I take this with me?"

[Styx]

"Go for it; I already did the crossword on the back," Lohengrin gruffly responded as she looked through her information card deck. "Let's see...the most recent Alchemists who've been asking for research grants were Bio-Alchemists, and they're probably the last type you'd want to put in hand-to-hand combat. They're worthless outside laboratories..." Looking around, she finally came to a State Alchemist in Eastern City whom Frank Archer had helped get reinstated recently. "Hold on...how about a human explosives expert? Ever heard of the Crimson Alchemist?"