Azur Lane: Future Warp (Discontinued)

Chapter 8 - A New Fabricated Identity

---June 6, 2012 - 7:25 AM---

Richard is in the bathroom, rinsing his face from the sink... still reeling from his experience right on his doorstep that nearly had his face beaten into a pulp... What Rick Hall said earlier when he was physically confronted... It had begun to haunt him again. His flashes of memory began to whir into his head.

All he can hear in his head is a gunshot, then his picture of himself pushing a man... and a tire screech breaching on his senses... It all lasted in a second and he stood still, heavily breathing... He shook his head, trying to get rid of his memories. It had worked and he's by himself again. After 6 minutes, Helena knocked on the bathroom door...

"Richard... Can I please go in? I need to pee..." she said, wimping as she tried to hold it in. Richard complied, and he unlocks the door and walks out, while Helena rushed in and closed the door before sitting on the toilet. At this point, Richard looked at the time, and he finally came back to the original idea. He hadn't checked on Enterprise since he had last dropped her off back at the hospital last evening and he is also getting close to being late for work.

---7:41 AM---

After Helena finished the bathroom break, they have all changed their clothes, brought in small packed lunches in their bags, and headed for the Vicerone Department Store branch. Today's traffic has slightly improved, and all the while on the journey, the morning news kept getting updates regarding the robbery-hostage situation at Brooklyn.

WNBC: "Right now, we are getting more updates regarding the robbery situation at Burrito Bar & Kitchen at Flatbush Avenue near Brooklyn. Luckily, there were no deaths or injuries reported thanks to the quick and timely arrival of a former NYPD police lieutenant Richard Ambrose, who was able to kill the assailant after attempting to apprehend him but was shown to have resisted arrest. Sources say the only damage done was a few broken lights and windows, and one security camera destroyed; presumably by a well-aimed shot. In addition, there is some fire damage in the restaurant's kitchen, though the exact cause is still being investigated.."

"It's a good thing we are near when the gunshots rang out, and you stepped out and saved everyone... " said Helena.

"Yeah," said Richard.

"Can you tell me? How did you pull that off?" asked Helena. "And what's with that a fire at the kitchen at the restaurant that it was said at the news?"

"I... told one of the hostages to pass the message. I said to someone named Adeel Farooqi, a guy from Faisalabad, Pakistan, to pass me a message saying to start the small fire in the kitchen by adding a small amount of lighter fluid on the stovetop and set it on fire at which... they will yell FIRE!, so that way it will be used as a distraction, giving me time to tackle and disarm the perpetrator," he explained.

"Wow, you sure are clever... and destructive," remarked Helena.

"It's in my experience with the police force after all," he thought to himself though he feels a tiny bit despised due to his history with the NYPD.

"Umm... Richard... do you know these people?" she asked him again, wondering about police Lieutenant Senna and Sergeant Hall at the doorstep.

"Yeah..." Richard sighed. "I know them... They used to be my colleagues... I used to work with them when I was working with the NYPD."

"Is it really true?" Helena asked. "What the angry Sergeant had said? The news broadcast that said you were fired?"

Richard is becoming slightly frustrated by the relentless questioning because he wished he did not want to bring it up, nor he wanted to remember what he did last night, but he remained determined but decided to relent a bit in the hopes that Helena would stop questioning him.