The dialogue wheel appeared.

“Marco, if you’re reading this, you’ve either found the file or the world’s ended. Probably both. Install this. Start a new save with Chesterfield. When the first press conference asks you why you’re confident, answer ‘Because I ate a map of Sheffield.’ That’s our code. I’ll do the same on my end. If the game syncs… maybe we’ll find each other again.”

“You took your time. Wanna co-op? I’ve got Perth Glory in the A-League. They’re worse than Chesterfield.”

Liam had moved to Australia in 2013. They'd lost touch after Liam’s girlfriend left him and he’d deleted all social media. The last Marco heard, Liam was coaching junior football in Perth, his FM obsession replaced by real grass and real kids.

Marco’s throat tightened. He didn’t have FM11 installed. Didn’t have a CD drive. Didn’t even know if the old Steam backup still worked.