Operation: Moonfall | Jimmy Crystal Revenge & Redemption

The Con

Crystal Entertainment—a cerulean sentinel of steel and polished glass towering at the heart of Redshore City. It was here that Jimmy Crystal strategically placed what he called his second home. His office was a display of ego and opulence, a shrine of art dedicated to himself. But its priceless feature was the breathtaking view of the city, a festival of moving colors during the daytime and a sparkling cavalcade of neon at night that could rival the stars in the sky.

Jimmy settled at his desk, back turned to the morning skyline, his eyes drinking in the steady stream of news on his laptop. In that moment, the reports on his upcoming show stirred him more than that view of Redshore. Many of them focused on the anomaly that was Buster Moon, the unknown theater producer from Catalina or wherever he was from, it didn't matter. Jimmy found the media's curiosity a bit quaint; he'd been known to elevate the stardom of amateurs and nobodies alike just by hovering in their vicinity. As long as the koala delivered, he'd be another Crystal Entertainment success story.

And what a story it'd be! Clay Calloway! How'd such a prize just land in Jimmy's lap? Calloway could play any stage in the world, yet somehow, he was coming to the Crystal Tower Theater. Jimmy was walking on air and couldn't help but whistle a tune. The thought of his enemies and haters yowling in torturous defeat under the shining star of his success like vampires exposed to sunlight left him giddy. He wanted to see that blubbery loser Lester McCray's face on opening night when he got the very public reminder that the Majestic Palace Theater would always be an also-ran. He couldn't wait to see Cassidy sulking in her office when she'd have to admit to herself once again why the place is called Crystal Entertainment.

It was almost too much for Jimmy. He had energy to spare and wanted to indulge in a bit of childishness to burn it off. Before he knew it, he was spinning his chair around. On the fourth rotation, he noticed his assistant having already made half the trek across his spacious office. Going unnoticed was Jerry's superpower, but something was different about the portly cat's body language today. Jerry's limbs were hugging close to his body as if bound by invisible rope and he tightly clutched a phone with both hands. He took methodical, deliberate steps through an unseen minefield until he reached Jimmy's desk, his face a mélange of guilt and fear.

"Mr. Crystal, I am so sorry about this," Jerry said. "You know I hate to deliver bad news..."

"Then don't," Jimmy snapped.

Jerry flinched. "S-sir, please, I only do this when it's important."

Jimmy rose, his nose upturned just enough to cascade what appeared to be contempt down onto Jerry. Then his face softened, but just a bit. It wasn't Jerry's fault. In fact, it rarely ever was. That was something Jimmy had to remind himself of on a daily basis.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"So Legal is on the phone and, uh... it's about Calloway..."

Jimmy almost broke into a laugh. "How much is he asking for? You know I can afford him. There's already a fortune going into this show. Everybody knows I don't pinch pennies around here."

"It's not the money... they said he's..." Jerry started to fuss with the fur on his face. "He's not... uh... oh god..."

Jimmy rolled his eyes and held out his hand. He was obviously not going to get a straight answer out of Jerry. The cat handed over the phone and backed away a healthy distance.

"What's the problem?" he spoke into the phone. Any joy and levity leftover from before evaporated from Jimmy's face as he was dealt a devastating blow on the other line. "He's never heard of him?" Then it fully dawned on him. "He lied!?"

Jerry cringed, leaving one eye open to witness the tragedy unfold.

Jimmy squeezed his eyes shut and asked, "Is Calloway's lawyer coming after us?" He rolled the back of his hand across his forehead upon hearing that the lawyer wasn't taking any action against them.