Operation: Moonfall | Jimmy Crystal Revenge & Redemption

The Performance

Buster discreetly pinched himself, but this was no dream. There was Jimmy Crystal, sitting front row, a tub of popcorn in his lap, watching the koala like a hawk. Mr. Redshore City, famous tycoon, would-be slayer of Buster Moon. What was he doing in a town he likely couldn't point out on a map?

Don't hyperventilate, Buster thought, controlling his breathing. He couldn't do much about his heart feeling like it was stuck in his throat. Jimmy Crystal was just a man, he reminded himself... a violent man that could rip him to shreds, if he so desired. But the fact that he hadn't just attacked him when he had the chance must've been a good sign. Cleo was here too, and she didn't seem like someone that would tolerate that kind of violence... he hoped. Her expression was unreadable. The incident with Johnny, Nooshy and Ryan may have changed things.

"How did you get here?" Buster demanded, or tried, at least. His voice came out weaker than he liked.

The wolf flashed a haughty smirk. "Private jet. Ain't money great?"

Crap. He wasn't ready for this. Just because he had an idea of how to get through to Jimmy didn't mean he'd fully developed his plan. Now the wolf was forcing his hand. The tense silence choking the theater just made it that much more clear how taken aback he was. Someone like Jimmy could probably smell the fear radiating off him.

Jimmy let out a dry chuckle.

"Relax, Moon. I'm not here to finish you. Besides, you've got a surprising resilience to gravity." Jimmy tried to goad a response from the room with a wry grin, even nudged Cleo with his elbow, but was met with appalled silence. "What's the matter, too soon?"

Buster felt an anxious smile forcing its way in. "I see you still have a wicked sense of humor..."

"Gotta admit, you've got a nice place here. Quaint, but I see why you like it."

"Quaint...?"

"The squid tanks outside are a nice touch; I bet the colors pop at night. I'd probably do something like that with the hotel if the city didn't outlaw that kind of stuff." Jimmy grabbed a handful of popcorn but thought better of eating it. "Might want to do something about the popcorn. It's stale."

"Uh, thanks... I guess."

"That's enough small talk. This little reunion's been a long time coming. You and me, we got a lot to talk about."

"Mr. Crystal, please, wait!" Buster suddenly pleaded before Jimmy could get up. Remnants of his most recent nightmare played in his mind—his theater engulfed in flames, before the he and Jimmy were devoured by the inferno. Buster didn't think Jimmy was the type to burn a building down, but then again, he hadn't taken the initial death threats seriously until it was too late. And he had to admit, all the pieces were eerily falling into place to bring that nightmare to life. All Buster knew was he had an ominous rumbling deep in the pit of his stomach that told him if he let that wolf up on stage, everything would be over.

"I know you have a lot to get off your chest, but I do too," he explained. "I've done some serious thinking, a little bit of soul searching... and I believe what I have to say will be pivotal to what you have to say and where we go from here."

One of Jimmy's brows twitched in aggravation until Cleo leaned over and said, "You dragged me all the way out here for who knows what, we can at least hear him out."

"All right, Moon. You better give me a good show," Jimmy said, settling back in his seat.

And just like that, the gears in Buster's head spun in overdrive. Oh, I'll give you a show, alright, he thought. Just as he turned on his heels, he heard a warning from Jimmy.