Shoot Your Shot

Chapter 5

By the time Pentious reached the house again, he still hadn't wrapped his head around what had transpired. He had not only been caught, he'd walked straight into the spiders web and some how managed to leave with a dinner date. He wanted desperately to say that the offer was because the man had felt the same connection he had, but he highly doubted it. It wasn't uncommon to extend an invitation for dinner to talk business, so he told himself not to get his hopes up. Entering the house, he closed the door behind him and took off his coat before Gregory jumped down and transformed back. "Did that really just happen? You weren't hypnotizing him or anything, right?" Pentious shook his head and the rat raked his fingers through his hair. "You went from attacking them silently to being invited for dinner with the Project Manager. And that very well may be the ticket to finding who's actually running this shit show!"

"It's far from a shit show, Gregory. It's more a legitimate business than any other in Hell, and we both know that. Besides, it wasn't so much a lie as a small fib, if I can get away with it."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if I can become employed with the Family, it would certainly be better than the scrounging I have been doing, wouldn't you say? And I could find out who the Overlord is, give it to Lucifer, and no one would be the wiser due to the NDA I have with the King. It's not like him coming out publicly would damage the Family's ability to do what they do best. Nobody is going to care if the Overlord is someone else, as long as they continue to get their fixes they'll be fine. This is for Lucifer's selfish state of mind." The man nodded as Pentious made his way passed and grinned slyly.

"Either way, I think the Project Manager likes you." He rolled his eyes as the rat chased after him.

"Don't be silly. He was just being kind and it's just to talk about business."

"Sure, a dinner date to talk about business on a Friday night. And after some of the looks you two were sharing. Hmm..." He turned and swiped at the man, but Gregory jumped ahead until he was safely at the top of the stairs. "I think, even if it doesn't work out for getting in business wise, it wouldn't be too crazy to still try the first idea. He's the Don's son, and pretty high up in the company. If he doesn't know who the real Overlord is, then there probably isn't one. Besides, you could use a new friend, if you know what I mean." Gasping at the man's audacity, he punched the rat on the shoulder and headed to his room. "I'm just saying that it's clear you two both like each other. I wanted to scream and run away while you two talked your nerdy business and mathematics. But he didn't." Closing the door between them, he heard Gregory lean against the panel. "I could see it, you know."

"See what?"

"His reluctance to stop talking to you."

The days passed slowly, and every hour felt excruciatingly long. He even had to resort to using a sleeping aid to dull the excitement he felt, though he wasn't quite sure where it was from. He wasn't sure if he was excited more for the plan to either work or fail, or if he was simply excited to see and talk to Arackniss again. The day of, he busied himself in an attempt not to sit and stare at the clock watching time tick by. Pressing the large metal panel against what would be the side of the ship, he held it in place while reaching to secure it, even momentarily with bolts at the four corners. The second he heard the rat come in, he conceded to asking for help. "Gregory, come attach this panel."

"I could hold it if you like, Sir." That made him laugh out loud. "Or not."

"Gregory, this panel weighs about three times what you do. I promise you, you couldn't hold it no matter how hard you tried." The man pouted, but he moved around the panel and secured it with the bolts, making sure they were tight enough to hold it steady. Once that was done, Pentious stepped back and looked at the creation so far. It would be large, but nothing the old warehouse couldn't handle, since it had once been used to make much bigger things. Only half of the building had been converted into his home and the remaining square feet had been renovated into a laboratory with a garage exit.