It didn't take long for David to arrive at the small alley, which Mr. Hill mentioned. The alley looked just like David had memorized it in his dream. Dusty buildings, grey ways and much less traffic than the last time.
'Did something change due to the incident? The houses are all intact. Nothing except the people seems to be missing.'
David quickly spotted the Sparebeer Bar down the street. There was some damage to the structure. One of the walls broke down and the entire right side of it looked downright demolished.
One carriage as at the scene. It was a small carriage; a carriage normally used for the transportation of people. Compared to Ms. Mary's carriage it looked lacklustre and colourless, but that is probably just because of Ms. Mary being a young woman.
After going nearer, David managed to discern a person leaning against the carriage. He looked like a middle-aged man with no beard. In every memory, David had seen very few people actually had a beard. Except Mr. Hill, who just grew a grey moustache.
'It seems Loenese people aren't gifted with too much hair growth.' David lampooned as he walked through the street in the direction of the middle-aged man.
The man turned his head to David. He probably heard his footsteps, he speculated. From less distance the man looked modest, and he had the bearing of a professor. Steady but careful.
As the white-haired David approached, he stood up and gave a stare in the direction of David.
"Hey, haven't you seen the entry restriction? What are you doing here?"
The white-haired brat's mind went blank as he heard those words. He tried to remember of there was such a thing, but he couldn't remember no matter how hard he tried.
"There was an entry restriction?"
David said loudly, but becoming more and more quiet as they neared each other. Now they only stood a one-meter distance away and the middle-aged man quietly stared at David as if he had just now done something unforgivable. His stare was soul-shattering.
David just looked to the side like a child, who clearly wanted to hide something, but was unable to do so and now tried its best to keep calm.
The dark-brown-haired on the middle-aged man moved like the wind. Or better said, it followed the wind. The short curly hair made him look like Sherlock, David noticed. He would never try to avert the current conversation.
The curly-haired baboon in front of David deadpanned and let out a deep sigh. How could he not have noticed David intently staring at his hair? He decided to bring a hat, the next time he is on duty.
'Did someone remove the restriction...again? I may have nothing against East Borough in itself, but the people. Very much. How do they expect me to do my work?'
William Sterling cursed inwardly and stopped staring so intently at the young man before him. As much as he wanted to relief his anger about the restriction, he couldn't beat up someone who is likely innocent. Hopefully innocent, he reminded himself.
David tried to remember as much as possible, but he didn't know of a restriction, he passed through.
"Anyway, you shouldn't stay here. This area is currently under construction and every single building could break down at any moment. We don't want civilians to hurt themselves."
They weren't able to find the thing that caused all this. His captain worked overtime and even in the the other Boroughs in the last time. He seemed to really want that promotion.
Despite the rejection David wasn't someone, who would easily give up his goal. But considering the security organizations were already here, he was unlikely to find anything else.
'The try is the most important and I don't want my way here to be useless. I wasted the entire morning and lunch time to get here. That doesn't account for all the time I spent finding the way until I met Mr. Hill. I have to get this officer to at least let me have a look.'
"Two important friends of mine were in that bar called Sparebeer Bar yesterday. I saw them the same day in the morning and told me that. I want to know what is going on."
Normally, William Sterling would immediately refuse such a request. His highest priority is the civilians, and he wouldn't violate his rules. However, the white-haired guy with a slight childish look in front of him could potentially deliver important information about it.
'Could his friends have something to do with what happened?'
Though this was pure speculation, he didn't want to exclude the possibility of it. William sighed, pressuring the upper part of his nose with his index finger and thumb of his right hand.
"Since the restriction is away, I can follow you there, but don't think about going out of my sight."
David exclaimed positively by cleching his fist in silence. They began walking in the direction of the Sparebeer Bar together.
"I need it for the protocol. Can you tell me your name and the names of your friends?"
David contemplated if he has any reason to disclose that information to the guy in the uniform on which the name "Machinery Hivemind" is written. That must be the name of their company, he guessed.
He didn't have any reason to disclose most of the information, he knew. The dream-walking in itself and him speculating it has something to do with his Beyonder powers is something better not publicly talked about. Especially not with someone from a security company, which calls itself "Machinery Hivemind".
'The naming sense of the people here is just as bad as on Earth.' David mused.
"Naturally. My name is David Smith and my friends' names are Miss Maria and Mister Settler. They told me the moment, we parted ways, they wanted to go to the Sparebeer Bar and rent a room there. Even though, I tried to persuade them not to do so, because it isn't a good bar."
A thought hit David like a truck. He didn't even know their first names. How could he call them friends? The only thing he did, was spy on them and now, he had created a strange mixture of lie and truth, directly lying to that guy.
Well, he could only thank himself for creating that.
(A/N: I feel like I created plot mistakes. I am not too sure about the Machinery Hivemind working in the East Borough of Backlund. Feel free to correct me. The wiki isn't something I fully trust.)