Operation: Moonfall | Jimmy Crystal Revenge & Redemption

The Ride

I don't respond to every comment (or even in a timely manner), but trust me, I read every one of them, and I appreciate the feedback. Putting your work online can be an anxious and lonely experience. Knowing there are people out there willing to spend their time engaging with it makes it all the more worth it. Thanks to everybody for sticking it out this far. Only two chapters left after this one before we hit volume two of the Moonfall saga!

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"What did you do to Moon!?"

Jimmy winced. The gorilla had a death grip on his collar and held him close enough to be bombarded with every unpleasant blast of breath from each demand shouted at him.

"That's between me and that little lowlife!" Jimmy managed. "Who are you? And what's it to you?"

"Maybe this'll jog your memory," the gorilla said, reaching into his back pocket. Even with one hand, Jimmy couldn't break his grip. When the gorilla slipped a bunny mask over his face, Jimmy was stunned with outrage.

"You!"

"Yeah, me!" Big Daddy said. "You got some nads showin' up in my city like this. Rich tossers like you think they can do whatever they want!"

"Wealthy," Jimmy corrected, and received a good jostling in response.

"You think I care!? And don't even think about calling your security unless you want a repeat of what happened last time."

"Take your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape!" Jimmy yelled and regretted it almost immediately when Big Daddy pulled him in closer than ever, close enough to see the uvula at the back of the gorilla's throat.

"That's it! You have no idea how much I bloody hate that movie!" Big Daddy bellowed in Jimmy's face. "Since you don't learn your lesson, I'm gonna have to teach you one. You like throwing people from high places, don't ya? You don't realize how close I was to throwing you from that catwalk like you did to Moon, but I didn't want to do anything like that in front of my boy or your daughter." Something wicked traced the gorilla's lips. "But they're not here now... lucky for you, this theater's not that tall. So, I'll do somethin' different. Break an arm here, a leg there... and if that don't work, I'll keep breaking things 'til you learn your lesson, or I run outta things to break."

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to desist," Cleo said, stepping into the lobby. All eyes were glued to her. "Buster Moon is fine, and we were just leaving."

The gorilla looked Cleo over with a mixture of annoyance and disbelief. "Miss, you really throwin' your hat in with this bellend?"

"I can take care of myself. Maybe you should think about taking care of yourself."

"What did you just say?"

Cleo made a pinching motion with her fingers. "Walter Kilborn was this close to fully outing your role in the theater seizure and potentially dragging your son into the inevitable fallout." She pointed at the gorilla's jumpsuit. "From what I can tell, this little community service stint of yours is part of your parole... you don't want to do anything else to jeopardize your freedom, do you?"

Big Daddy's nostrils flared. "Izzat a threat?"

"A warning. Many people have been making poor choices lately. Don't be one of them."

Muttering under his breath, Big Daddy let Jimmy go with much reluctance, but he stood his ground, his broad back straight and his arms crossed like a mountain of muscle and disdain keeping the wolf from leaving the theater lobby.