Chapter 50
Luca
Form temporary alliances with other characters to reach shared goals.
We did it. We’re first place in the public vote. And it’s the worst thing Elsa could have possibly told me.
“And that’s why I don’t understand your withdrawal. As things are now, you’d win. Are you sure?” Elsa stares at me thoughtfully, head tilted to one side. “Hank didn’t give me a reason, so I wanted to get your opinion too.”
I was prepared for this. The moment I gave Maleek the go-ahead to forward Sophia the video and the code, I’d already let go.
Or so I thought. But then why is everything inside me falling apart?
After my message to Maleek last night, Amanda checked out Sophia’s photograph and recognized her too.
But unlike me, she was able to say where from.
Because, unlike me, she’s on the developer team for Lawless.
She spent the entire morning today digging through folders and old save files until she finally found what she was looking for.
Not in time for the nomination ceremony, unfortunately, but still early enough to hand over the materials to Sophia.
Though I knew full well what was going to happen, I can now feel my lungs deflating.
I can’t even look Elsa in the eye; all I can see are the myriad details around me.
The large train station clock, just like the one in our game.
The torch replica one of our visitors has just happily walked away with.
Elsa’s presence here, and the fact that Hank has withdrawn, means two things.
One, the plan worked. And two, Sophia is back in the race.
As for us—we’re out. Maybe forever, because I shudder to imagine what’ll happen once Hank learns who was behind all this.
Maleek clears his throat, mercifully taking over.
He arrived about half an hour ago, taking the first train he could right after we ended our call.
“Yes, that’s all correct,” he says, stepping in front of me in an almost protective way.
“We’re withdrawing from the competition.
We are sorry that this is all coming so short notice. ”
“Is Hank all right? I was very surprised to find that he had to leave so suddenly. I suppose you’re his replacement?”
I suppress a wry laugh. Of course—Hank has fled the scene. The wuss. Maleek simply nods. “That’s right; I’m helping out here for the rest of the day, and then I’ll be helping with the cleanup too. Hank is doing fine, he . . .”
“He just can’t handle the consequences of his own actions,” I interrupt Maleek. I don’t feel like covering for Hank or making excuses for him a single minute longer.
Elsa raises her eyebrows in surprise, her gaze darting back and forth between us, but when neither Maleek nor I have anything to add, she nods.
“Right then. Well, I suppose we’ll have to see who’s got the most public votes here at the convention, apart from the two finalists, and then we’ll put that studio in the top three.
Now that the allegations against PixelPulse have been dropped and they’re back in the game, I have a suspicion who that candidate might be .
. .” She gives us a smile. “I wish you both the best of luck.” We exchange a last nod, and then she disappears back into the crowd.
I let go of the breath I’ve been holding, and Maleek gives my shoulder a comforting pat. “Aw, I’m so sorry, mate.”
“D’you know what gets me the most?” I ask, and Maleek nods at me to continue.
“We did it. Our game would have won if it weren’t for Hank.
You know, Hank—the man I thought was going to make us successful.
I thought he was our only option of getting our game funded and out there.
And now, thanks to him, it was all for nothing. ”
“We can do it again.”
“I don’t think Hank will want to support us now. I’m not even sure he’ll be able to keep running the company. If Sophia wants to take revenge on him—and I wouldn’t blame her—that’ll be goodbye for Bytes I’m too restless.
Maleek suggested we go up to my room and watch a show or set up the two gaming PCs to play a round or two, but despite everything, I wouldn’t want to miss the awards ceremony.
I wouldn’t want to miss Lara. As expected, she’s now in the top three.
Hank’s withdrawal has already been beaten to death in the media, and so is the news that he’s dropped his accusations against Sophia.
It’s a strange look for him, but he’ll come back from it in time—which is something Sophia certainly wouldn’t have been able to do if she’d gone to the press with her version of events.
PixelPulse is back in the race. I hope with every fiber of my being that the few hours in which people were allowed to vote for them online were enough for them to win.
“I think that’s it,” Maleek says, stuffing the LED lights and a few antique-looking books into the last box. He glances at his sports watch. “It’s a quarter to seven. Should we grab a drink and find ourselves a seat?”
“Sounds good,” I reply, quickly hitching a smile onto my face when I realize how flat my voice sounds. I don’t think it’s convincing, because Maleek frowns at me.
“Honestly, there’s no need to do this to ourselves. We could do it like Hank and just bugger off.”
I snort. “One more reason to stay. If there’s one thing I don’t want, it’s to have anything in common with that geezer.”
“Understandable.” Maleek balances his box on top of the others and puts his hands on his hips. “Right then. Off to the pub! I heard drinks are on the house, and I plan to make the most of it.”
“Course you do,” I retort, and I chuckle in spite of myself.
“What? Might be the last time.”
“Then again, you’ll get affordable onion chutney from Waitrose soon.”
“Too soon, mate, too soon. Let me have another day to enjoy the fact that we’re successful programmers, and that our game has just cracked the one-hundred-thousand-wish-list-adds benchmark.”
Maleek drapes an arm around my shoulders, and together, we stroll over to the lounge.
There are several pairs of eyes on us—or me, rather.
The news of our withdrawal has already made the rounds.
I try to ignore the stares as best I can.
Fortunately, we’ve come in during a lull at the bar and manage to order a gin and tonic each without too much faff.
By the time we get to the stage, nearly all the seats are taken already.
A DJ is pumping it up on stage, and visitors are carrying glow sticks and bracelets that they’re waving around to the beat.
There’s a countdown clock ticking off the seconds on the big screen behind the DJ.
There are maybe five minutes left before the live stream and the awards ceremony begin.
“Look, I found two seats together over there.” Maleek points at the stands with his glass in hand, and I follow him up the stairs.
We squeeze past a man in a Master Chief cosplay from Halo, and I sink down on my chair with a groan worthy of a man twenty years older.
But that’s exactly what I feel like after today.
“Cheers. Here’s to endings and new beginnings, I’m sure.” Maleek raises his glass.
“Look at that, you do have a sappy streak after all.” I clink glasses with him, nearly spilling some of my drink on my jeans when Maleek punches my arm in response.
I appreciate the attempt to cheer me up, and I wish I could be there for him too right now.
Desolate Dread may have been my one big labor of love, but Maleek has poured all of his time and energy into our game over the last years too—and now, it’s all for nothing.
I can hardly believe that he and Amanda are putting so much on the line for me and for Lara, a woman they don’t even know.
But maybe they just wanted to do the right thing.
It’s strange, having to start from scratch again.
If I get sacked, I won’t be able to afford the London rent anymore.
Sure, our apartment belongs to Maleek’s aunt, and she’d never kick us out, but then what?
Could I leave everything behind and start at a new studio?
Work on someone else’s ideas? And what about Maleek?
There’s no way we’ll be that lucky—like we were just now when we found two free seats together in the stands.
It’s unlikely that we’ll find jobs in the same dev team again.
I sigh, and I’m about to take a swig of my G we’ve been collecting good karma.”
I shake my head in disbelief and look down at Sophia, where she’s rejoined Lara and Nataly.
All three of them are looking up at us, and I press the letter to my chest, mouthing the words thank you at them.
Sophia nods and turns back around. But Lara’s eyes are still on me, and they never waver from my face, even when the timer reaches zero and Elsa greets the audience in her usual cheerful manner.