Ally wondered if she would have been better going to the appointment without Joshua. Her courage might have risen to the occasion and she would have been bolder without. But the moment she caught sight of the building, where ‘Horizon Nemesis’ banner was stretched across it, the flagship game for the year, her knees felt weak and her breath shorted.

Her log in card no longer worked so they had to register as visitors. The man at the desk immediately recognised her name.

“I was told to expect you. You’re to go straight up.” He frowned. “You know the way?”

“I do.” Ally nodded. Joshua took her hand and looped his fingers through hers. While it was a romantic gesture of a couple, Ally could feel his strength in it. She led him to the lift where the door closed behind them.

“This place is pretty impressive,” Joshua admitted, “lots of glass…”

“It’s supposed to be a testament to their transparency and honesty…” Joshua snorted. “You’re a bit biased, you know.”

“I’m allowed to be with the woman I love.” He said firmly. “Looks like we’re here.”

Ally could feel her stride shortening and her breathing was sharpening. Joshua stopped her from walking and turned her to face him.

“You are Ally Sterling,” he said without room for doubt, “an author, a creator and the most tender hearted woman I know. Who else would spend money on a dying plant?” She smiled weakly. He brushed her hair aside. “Whatever is said in there,” he jerked his head towards the office, “it can’t define you no matter what they say.”

Ally licked her lips and nodded. “Yeah…”

He held her hand again and let her lead him into the PA’s office. Ava beamed at her entry.

“Ally! It’s so lovely to see you again!”

“Ava, this is Joshua,” Ally gestured, “he’s my…”

“Not a problem,” Ava tapped his name in, “Ally and Joshua. Excellent. Right this way.”

She led them into the CEO’s office where Andre Simons was standing at the windows, looking out. Ally’s heart retreated as far as it could behind her ribs when he looked at her with a mask of indifference on his features yet oozing a sense of repulse. He turned to the high backed chair where someone was speaking on the phone.

“Ally Sterling and company are here.”

The chair spun around and Ally blinked, stunned at the sight of, not Fred Farrows but rather, David Kingsbury seated behind the desk. He waved them in, ending the call.

“Sorry sir,” Ava apologised, “you said to bring Miss Sterling straight in when she arrived.”

“No apology necessary. I’m always happy to see the best writer Commando has ever discovered.” David Kingsbury had olive hued skin with slick black hair and a little along his top lip. He was lean in his suit that she suspected had a prestigious and unpronounceable label. He stood and walked around the desk, his arms wide. “Miss Sterling, how lovely it is to see you again!”

“Mr Kingsbury,” Ally swallowed, “this is Joshua Knightly.”

“A pleasure, Mr Knightly,” Kingsbury shook his hand then urged them forward, “please, have a seat. Would you like anything to drink?”

Ally shook her head tightly.

“No thank you.” Joshua replied calmly. She envied his detachment then he squeezed her hand in a motion that no one could notice yet reassured her.

“Well, let’s get down to the matters at hand.” David Kingsbury sat on his chair and pulled it forward to put his elbows on the desk and looked at Ally with a deathly serious expression. “First on the agenda…an apology, heartfelt and grovelling.”

Ally winced away from Simons’ glare. “Me apologise?”

“No, my dear girl,” Kingsbury shook his head, “I’m apologising to you for the mishandling and treatment of you and the final instalment of the Horizon series.” She swallowed, stunned beyond words. “Not only was it mishandled…but my assumption that the situation would be handled with confidence in your work as a priority turned out to be a terrible misjudgement of character.” He pressed his fingers together. “I believed Fred Farrows, who demonstrated the ability to follow my direction to the letter, would carry that into this office during my honeymoon…but it seems the power went to his head.”

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“With all due respect, Mr Kingsbury…”

“Which is why,” David held his hand up and Simons was silenced, “Mr Farrows has taken an extended leave of absence. He failed to truly appreciate your creative genius and the direction you were taking the Horizon series.”

“Mr Kingsbury,” Simons interrupted, “a single individual cannot determine the direction an entire company or even a game series takes. It’s a product of the focus groups and writing think tanks…”

“All of which produced drivel and contradiction.” Kingsbury said sharply. “And as I trusted Miss Sterling with the storylines of the first two games, both of which were unqualified successes of the Commando line, I’d say the proof was not just in my confidence but in the Horizon fever that has captured the imagination of gamers all over the world.”

“Unqualified success?” Ally swallowed. “My work?”

“The fact that you even need to ask that tells me that you haven’t been treated as you ought, certainly not in regards to the Forbidden West DLC or Nemesis.” Kingsbury cleared his throat. “While the online world might have been silenced regarding any negative feedback on Burning Shores, I received the figures and despite some creative wording,” he eyed Simons briefly, “it was plain to me that it wasn’t a success…and after looking at Nemesis on the boards and how it ends, I have to say I am less than impressed.”

“You know Ally had nothing to do with the writing of Burning Shores,” Joshua said strongly, “and as to the ending of Nemesis…” She squeezed his hand and he looked at her, sensing she didn’t want him to say anything more as to what it had done to her.

“That was immediately obvious to me.” David reassured them. “It lacked something in the heart of it…the nature of Aloy that so many have come to love and travel the journey with. I couldn’t believe the ending…”

“I did write that.” Ally admitted.

“I noticed that all the meetings with Farrows were not recorded,” Kingsbury leaned back, “in particular, the one the week before the ending was submitted.”

“Miss Sterling only needed to request that the meetings were recorded. There was nothing underhanded…” Simons was silenced at a glare from Kingsbury that could have stripped paint.

“Your protestations about my confidence in Miss Sterling’s work and my authority to give her the room to work at her discretion are a matter of history, Mr Simons. You always resented that she could open doors which you could not.” He shifted towards him. “Unless you want to join Farrows on his leave of absence, I suggest you start doing your job and stop pretending you can do hers.”

Simons’ lips clapped shut and his eyebrows glared.

“So…you still liked my work?” Ally asked quietly.

“I maintain that your ability to capture the human soul in a game is second to none.” Kingsbury insisted. “Which is how I could sense the reluctance and even the complete absence of your work because the soul was missing.”

“Thank you.” Ally nodded. “It’s good to hear that.”

Kingsbury shook his head, grief in his eyes. “I can only imagine what this must have done to your confidence.”

“It might have been a little…broken.”

Kingsbury leaned forward again, his forearms on the desk, hands clasped together and looked Ally in the eye. “Miss Sterling…is there anyway I can compel you to finish Horizon Nemesis the way it ought to have been?”

“The game is already completed.” She stammered. “It’s done.”

“And the shareholders will not agree to a delay on the release date.” Simons added.

“The game is finished, that I have to concede to and we can’t change it…but we can give it an alternative ending.”

“Alternative?”

“The other two games have had DLCs…why should Nemesis be any different?”

“The think tank writers are already deep in production…”

“If you would be so gracious as to agree to it,” Kingsbury completely ignored Simons, “I wonder…would you write a DLC that proposes an alternative ending? Something that gives our gamers hope and doesn’t leave them shattered?”

Ally looked at Joshua who smiled at her. She gave a little, hesitant shrug and he nodded.

“I…I’ve already written it.”

Kingsbury sat up straight, his dark eyes sparkling. “Truly?”

Ally nodded. “It takes the bulk of Nemesis but…changes the story and the interactions of some of the characters. There’s a lengthier ending as well as a wrap up that concludes the story arc.” She glanced at Simons briefly before returning to Kingsbury. “As the main game will have the official ending, other games in the Horizon series can launch off it…but this one…”

“Please tell me Aloy has a better ending after all she’s gone through.”

“She does.”

David Kingsbury relaxed into his chair and gazed at her warmly. “Miss Sterling…would you permit me, with all the copyright and protection I can muster on your behalf, to read this ending? And when, for I have complete confidence in you, it is accepted as the story for the DLC, it will be produced as the alternative ending?”

Ally pressed her lips together, took a deep breath and sat up. “As long as I am able to play it before it’s released or confirmed to make sure it remains faithful to my work?”

She felt Joshua’s hand tremble with a thrill at her decisive tone.

“Simons, shut it,” Kingsbury said as he stood and held out his hand to Ally, “you have my word,” he looked at Ava, “which is on record.”

“Yes sir.” Ava nodded.

Ally stood and held out her hand. Kingsbury clasped it warmly.

“Miss Sterling…it is so good to have you back.”