Had this idea bouncing around in my head for a while now and finally got the inspiration to write it out. This is a standalone one-shot and not connected to any of my other Sing stories.
Across the prison yard, a boyish falsetto serenaded the prisoners. Sitting on a bench and surrounded by an entourage, Jimmy Crystal scrutinized the singer with his arctic gaze. Benny, a caracal no older than nineteen, finished his song and watched Jimmy with an eager grin.
"Did I do good, Mr. Crystal? You think I have a shot?"
Perched near Jimmy's side was his current right-hand man, a grizzly bear everyone called Smoky, named not after the famous bear but the geographical range due to his mountainous musculature, and he seemed just as eager as the caracal to know Jimmy's opinion. He slapped Jimmy's back, much to the wolf's chagrin.
"Yeah! How'd he do?"
Jimmy mulled it over, letting the yard teeter on suspense until he said, "You got potential, kid. Keep working on it."
Benny beamed and left with a bounce in his step. Even that level of praise was rare from the famous Jimmy Crystal.
"That's enough for today," Jimmy said. He got up and dusted off his hands, signaling that today's episode of Prison's Got Talent was over. As the crowd dispersed, a leopard with piercing eyes of amber stood his ground as if awaiting his turn.
Smoky was the first to notice. "You deaf, Delgado? Auditions are over."
Jimmy and Delgado's gazes matched, a silent language passing between the two. Just as Smoky began to descend upon the leopard, Jimmy said, "Wait. I wanna hear this."
Delgado folded his arms behind his back, planted his feet on the ground, and cleared his throat. Then he took a deep breath, and a silky-smooth baritone filled the yard.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
"Stop," Jimmy interrupted, his voice bored and flat. "Bold song choice, but I've heard farts with more range."
"I barely got into the song," Delgado protested.
"That was more than enough. I know a loser when I hear one." When Jimmy realized the leopard wasn't budging, he made a dismissive gesture with his hand. "Why are you still here? Get out of my face while you still can!"
Delgado's dangerous glare was only broken when he spit on the ground and finally stalked away.
"That one needs to know his place," Smoky said.
Jimmy broke away from the rest of the inmates and found a private corner, where he took in shade and some solace from his crushing reality. Meanwhile, Benny did a victory lap around the yard to let everyone know that his performance was one of the few to elicit anything other than scorn or disappointment out of Jimmy Crystal. After coming across a few skeptics, Benny turned to look for Jimmy as proof when he saw Delgado closing in on the wolf and recognized the dull glint of a shank. Everything happened before Benny could warn him.
"Here's some range for you, bitch!" Delgado cried out.
The shank went in three, four, five times before Jimmy kicked the leopard away from him.
"Oh, damn! He got Crystal!" Smoky said. He moved deceptively fast for his stature and tackled Delgado to the ground. Benny was right behind him when prison guards flooded onto the yard, causing all hell to break loose.
"Hang in there, Mr. Crystal! Help's coming!" Benny said.
Jimmy brushed the caracal away. Holding his stomach, Jimmy sank to the ground, hands and fur stained red from blood.
"Don't bother, kid. He got me good..."
Buster scurried after Porsha, clipboard in hand, making notes of all the changes she suggested as they navigated the complex Planet of Joy set.
"Oh, oh! What if, like, some of them fought back?" Porsha pushed one of the inflatable aliens with her finger and watched it teeter. "And then it would be like something out of a superhero movie, except I'm exploding them with my superpowers of happiness."
Buster used his pencil to scratch behind one of his fluffy ears. "Porsha, Johnny already has the fight scene for the Planet of War. We don't want things to get too... incongruent."
"If it's the Planet of War, why is he singing a love song?"
"Uhh..." Buster drew a blank. "Love is a... battlefield?"
Porsha narrowed her eyes and smacked her lips in distaste. "And who is this song addressed to?"
Buster ran a hand through his headfur. "Okay, so, a lot of this show was finalized under duress... so what I mean is we don't want things to get even more incongruent. But I'll keep your suggestions in mind."
Just as Porsha began to celebrate, Sandy, the hare from Wardrobe, stormed across the set, pushing and kicking any alien that dared cross her path. Buster recognized a bulldozer when he saw one coming.
"Hey girl, heyyy!" Porsha called out to Sandy. The hare threw a phone to Porsha with surprising strength.
"Your phone's been blowing up for the past ten minutes and I got tired of hearing it," Sandy complained, hands on hips. "Either turn it off or keep it on you." Then she stormed off just as quickly as she came.
Buster gave Porsha a nervous grin and shrugged.
"Oh, wow," Porsha murmured, looking through her phone. "Jerry called me like ten times and sent a bunch of texts saying... Soos? Sohs? Sauce?"
"Sauce?" Buster repeated in bewilderment until Porsha showed him the texts. "Porsha, that's S.O.S. It means there's an emergency."
"I better see what he wants," Porsha said, returning the call.
Buster could hear Jerry's panicked voice pick up on the other side but couldn't quite make out what was being said, but he knew it was bad when the color drained from Porsha's face. She lurched forward, something anguished trapped in her throat.
He raced to her side. "Porsha, what's wrong?"
"My dad!" the wolf girl cried. "It's my dad! He's in the hospital! He got stabbed in prison and they don't think he's going to make it through the night!"
With steely eyes, Buster knew exactly what needed to be done.
"I'll have Ms. Crawly take over things here. I'm taking you to the hospital."
Porsha couldn't wrap her head around it. When her father was officially sentenced to prison, her new friends gave her comfort by assuring her that prison wasn't just a place of punishment and misery, but rehabilitation. He was supposed to come out a better man than he went in. Once that happened, maybe they would start over... maybe he'd be the dad she always dreamed he could be, and maybe she'd be more mature by then instead of the spoiled princess that used daddy to get what she wanted.
Now, their mistakes would not be repeated... not because they grew as people, but because that second chance was snatched from them.
Bursting through the doors of Redshore Medical, Porsha was thankful Buster was there; she was nothing less than a wreck, her vision a blur. Buster was a trooper, though, leading her to the front desk to find where her dad was, then she followed Buster through the labyrinthine hospital, her body feeling like it was on autopilot. She saw forlorn faces all around. Were they just like her, waiting for the inevitable to happen to a loved one?
They took an elevator to the ICU, where Porsha was met by a small army of doctors and nurses. They told her about her father's condition, how he refused the surgery, they even gave condolences, but all their voices were muffled and distant like she was underwater. Porsha didn't gain full awareness again until she was entering her father's room, and she let out a quiet gasp seeing him in the bed with a menagerie of tubes, wires, and complex machines monitoring his condition and keeping him alive. She used to think he was invincible. Seeing him like this shook her world to its core.
But then Porsha was struck with a thought. For as scary and devastating as this was for her, she couldn't imagine what it was like for her father. Taking a deep breath, Porsha suppressed the tempest of emotions inside of her long enough to leave Buster by the door and creep toward her father's bed. Gingerly, she took one of his hands and rubbed the back with her thumb, ignoring the remnants of dried crimson.
"Hi daddy," Porsha whispered.
Jimmy's eyes fluttered open. "Hey baby," he said, his voice hoarse and arid like the desert beyond the city. It was subtle, but she thought she saw a smile in his eyes.
"Why aren't you getting the surgery!?" she barked, resisting the urge to shake him. Sure, the doctors said the success rate was remarkably low, but that still might have given them a chance.
"I could either die on the table while they try to stitch me back together or I could spend this time with you. I made my choice."
Choice. Someone made a choice to do this to her father and now they didn't have any kind of future together. With her ears pulled back and teeth bared, Porsha shocked Jimmy with how much she looked like him in that moment.
"I hope the guy that did this burns in heck!" Porsha growled.
"Don't think like that, baby. You shouldn't worry about him."
"I wish things happened differently." Porsha laid her head on her father's chest and he stroked the fur between her ears. It reminded her of her childhood. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time he was this affectionate.
"You need to hear this," Jimmy suddenly said, grabbing her attention. "I didn't change my will... even after you betrayed me."
Porsha shrank back, guilt and pain etched across her face. "Daddy..."
"No, listen. Soon you'll be a billionaire. You're getting just about everything. But not the company. There's a reason I never pulled you in and showed you the ropes. This industry is cutthroat; you compromise yourself a little bit here and there to make things work until you reach a point where there's nothin' you won't do, and you don't recognize yourself anymore. It happens to everybody..." He threw a spiteful glance toward the door. "Even your precious Moon is ethically compromised. I never want you to transform into the person you'd have to become to survive in that jungle."
She gave a sad smile. "It's okay, daddy. I was never cut out to run the company anyway. Not my scene."
Jimmy whispered something to her. She made her over to the door where Buster was still waiting.
"He wants to speak to you, Mr. Moon."
A flicker of concern appeared in the koala's eyes before he nodded. Buster clambered up onto the chair next to the bed and waited for Jimmy to acknowledge him.
"Hey, Moon..."
"I never wanted any of this to turn out this way, Mr. Crystal," Buster said.
"You're still a two-bit conniving little lowlife of an amateur loser."
Buster clenched his jaw. "Well... it's nice to know you're feeling enough like yourself to keep tearing me down."
"It's a gift," he retorted, a bit too proud of himself. "But there's a point to what I'm saying. I've got enemies, Moon. Obviously." Jimmy smacked his lips with distaste. "Naturally."
"You're thinking... they might go after Porsha?"
"It's possible. I need to know you'll protect my Porsha under any circumstance."
"I'll do my best."
"She needs better than your best, Moon!" Jimmy tried to sit up but broke into a coughing fit. After a moment, he calmed down enough to continue. "This conman with a heart of gold schtick ain't gonna cut it with these people. They're ruthless and they'll have even less tolerance for your nonsense than I did."
"I know what you're implying but violence isn't the only answer. Like I said, I'll do my best."
"You better, or I'll come back to haunt your ass. Can't arrest a ghost." They shared a rare laugh until Jimmy made a dismissive gesture with his hand. Buster got the gist and switched places with Porsha.
"What have you been up to?" Jimmy asked his daughter. "After... you know."
Even the slightest amount of interest in her personal life made the wolf girl light up like the sun. She started to ramble about her life with her new friends before going into meticulous detail about her role in Out of This World, including all the ideas she had to improve the Planet of Joy segment, and made sure she was loud enough with that last part for Buster to hear. She was so enthralled that she didn't notice her father becoming detached and unresponsive. Porsha felt embarrassed once she realized how long she went on. Even though she was afraid to broach the subject of prison, she wanted to ask him how he'd been, hoped that his life hadn't just been torture since she last saw him. But once she recognized the state he was in, her blood ran cold. Just before she could call out to him, the machines began to wail.
"What's happening?" Porsha cried out. Medical staff flooded into the room and shuffled her out as they began trying to resuscitate her father. "Daddy! Daddy!"
Porsha fell to her knees and hugged Buster tightly. "It isn't fair. This shouldn't be happening," she murmured repeatedly. The koala tried to say uplifting things but eventually fell into silence; he knew what it was like to lose a dad, and there were no words to stifle the agony. Through the cracks in the walls of bodies they could see Jimmy's listless form as life-saving measures were performed on him.
When time of death was called, Porsha heard an ear-splitting scream that rattled her bones. It wasn't until she felt her throat burning that she realized the scream was her own.
Jerry's resolve was a dam crumbling under the pressure of anguish and grief. He would not, could not allow himself to cry, because it meant Jimmy Crystal was really gone. Jerry was thankful he had the hospital's morgue to himself. Sitting on that cold stool, he stared at his beloved boss's enshrouded body on that metal slab for so long the image would be emblazoned in his mind for the rest of his life, and he knew he'd lose the battle with his emotions sooner rather than later.
After a long, miserable silence, Jerry's voice filled the room, giving in to the sudden urge to air out his feelings.
"What I'm about to say is going to sound strange. Maybe even pathetic. You'd likely laugh if you could hear me now, but... I've spent most of my life looking for some kind of fulfillment, something to keep me happy and content, and the most I've ever felt that way was working for you. Sure, the pay is great and there's prestige to working at Crystal Entertainment, but the reason I got out of bed and came into work every day is because I took great pride and pleasure in assisting you in achieving your goals and reshaping entertainment. Your agenda is mine..."
Jerry pushed his stool next to the slab, climbed up to pull the sheet away from Jimmy's face, and sat there for several minutes, taking it all in. There was a beautiful tranquility taking hold of Jimmy's features. Jerry couldn't remember ever seeing him so serene, like all of life's burdens had been lifted and left him in a deep, peaceful slumber.
"I live vicariously through you and experience life in a bold and unrelenting way I'd never be able to on my own... thank you, Mr. Crystal. You're a hard man, life made you that way... but I see you. I always did. I should have told you what you meant to me when I had the chance."
Jerry leaned forward and kissed Jimmy on the cheek, and that's when he knew he could no longer hold back the tears. Just as his vision blurred, Jimmy's eyes shot open.
"Never took you for a necrophiliac, Jerry."
The cat crashed to the floor with a series of shrill screams. Jimmy sat up, threw the sheet off, and swung his legs over the side of the slab, looking down at Jerry with a dumb grin.
"Mr. C-c-crystal!?" Jerry sputtered. "You're not d-dead!?"
Jimmy pushed himself off the slab and lifted the hospital gown up beyond the prison-issued boxer shorts and past his stomach. Jerry flushed beet red but never looked away as Jimmy thumbed the area of his stomach where he'd allegedly been gutted. Save for some stubborn remnants of fake blood staining his pristine white fur, there wasn't a scratch on him. And in that moment, Jerry fully understood.
"You're faking your death?"
With a labored sigh, Jimmy sat against the slab. "I couldn't do it anymore, Jerry. They want me to spend years and years in that hellhole."
"But... you would've been released eventually, right?"
"Only because I took that plea deal after they started throwing around words like 'life!' Can you believe that? I turned this city into the entertainment capital of the world! I changed so many people's lives and gave them superstar careers! And they were just gonna put me away for the rest of my life?"
Jimmy looked at his hands as if all the answers were slipping through his fingers, then clenched his fists with a frustrated growl.
"I ain't exactly a spring chicken, Jerry. The world moves fast when you get older, even faster when you're not in it. Second chances are a myth; you have to make your own 'cause no one's gonna hand you one. I could've escaped, but I refuse to be some fugitive on the run. I won't rot quietly in a cell. And I'll be damned if I stick around that place long enough for someone to actually shank me."
"You don't have to explain yourself to me sir," Jerry said. "I'm just so glad you're alive. Moon didn't destroy everything I love."
Jimmy looked over the tabby with uncertainty, but loyalty and admiration radiated from Jerry like a warm aura. He decided to continue sharing his view of the world in a way he never could back in prison since the inmates there practically came from another universe.
"You know why all those stories never let the so-called bad guy actually conquer the world? It's because they're afraid to write the truth. The world's a shitty place to rule. Being responsible for all those people, cleaning up their messes... it's a thankless burden that'll eat you alive. And all it takes is one asshole koala peddling a scam to have it all come crashing down on you. I'd love to watch my haters try to walk a mile in my shoes. It'll teach them a hard lesson."
Jerry's eyes wandered in thought. "Is... is that why you opened the way for Suki to run the company?"
Jimmy let out a sharp laugh. "No one in their right mind would let a talent scout and a traitor like her sit on the throne. Not without purpose. Lane's got an ego on her; unlike me, she didn't earn it. Reality will knock her to her knees. How are things going over there?"
Jerry winced. "Not great..."
A deep chuckle rumbled within Jimmy. "A lot of people were gunning for that throne. Lane's gotta run the company and keep the sharks at bay. I wonder how long she'll last before they eat her alive or she quits and heads for the hills." Then his face slowly straightened out.
"You've been a great assistant, Jerry... the best I've ever had, honestly. Trust me, I burned through a lot of losers before you showed up." He paused, his eyes burrowing into Jerry as if making a mental picture of the current moment. "This is where we part ways. For good."
Jerry's heart leapt into his throat and he spoke before he even realized what he was saying. "Wait, wait, wait! Take me with you!"
Jimmy did a doubletake, then his eyes narrowed as he scrutinized the cat. "Jerry, do you know what you're asking? It's a one-way ticket. You gotta leave it all behind. Your friends, your family."
"You don't... I have no one, Mr. Crystal. There's nothing to leave behind."
"Everything you've built for yourself, life as you know it, it'll end tonight. For this to work, for you to accompany me, you have to die too. Understand?"
There was an audible gulp from Jerry followed by a slow nod. "There's no one that would care if I did die."
"Damn, Jerry. That's depressing, and this is comin' from a man that just died today."
"I'm sorry."
"What are you apologizing for? Life dealt you a shitty deck. Maybe that's about to change."
Jerry looked on with a twinkle in his eye. "It's not all bad..."
Jimmy pushed himself away from the slab. "I don't know what you think this is between us..." he said, gesturing back and forth.
"I'm not a fool, sir. Just a dreamer."
After what felt like an eternity, Jimmy said, "All right." He snapped his fingers and several black-suited members of his security entered the morgue. The leopard known as Delgado approached Jimmy with a change of clothes.
As Jimmy began to change into a set of sneakers, jeans and a black hoodie, he told them, "Slight change of plan. Jerry's coming with me."
Jerry could feel the leopard eying him through his shades.
"Sir, his purge is a bit last minute," Delgado said. "It's not going to be clean."
"Suicides rarely are."
Jimmy hopped back onto the slab and covered himself with the sheet. Just as Delgado prepared to wheel him out of the morgue, Jimmy reached up and tapped him twice across the face. It was too light for a slap but had enough power to rattle the leopard.
"By the way, Delgado, if you ever call me a bitch again, I'll snap your goddamn neck. You got that?"
"Yes, sir. My apologies, sir."
Jimmy's extraction crew broke into two teams. The main team shuffled Jimmy through the hospital's secret underground tunnels reserved for celebrities, politicians, and other sensitive patients, where he'd be chauffeured to a private jet at an airstrip on the outskirts of the city. A second, smaller team escorted Jerry in a black SUV back to his apartment, where he'd be allowed to gather a miniscule number of important items.
As Jerry perused his home for the last time, he was surprised at what little he felt he couldn't live without. Years spent building up a tidy, cozy little apartment, and yet he was willing to let it all go at the first opportunity. Maybe Jimmy was onto something about the deck he was dealt.
He packed a small bag of vital possessions, but there was one more task before leaving. Jerry had to begin setting the trail of breadcrumbs leading to his "suicide." He sent Suki a mammoth text filled with all the accusatory bitterness and anger he swallowed watching that traitor rake in the fruits of her treacherous labor, all the things he couldn't say in fear of losing his job. If Jimmy got out one day and retook his rightful throne, Jerry wanted to be there to welcome him back. He didn't have to worry about that now.
Jerry left his apartment for the final time. Delgado drove the SUV to a deserted patch of Redshore's beach. Jerry began leaving evidence of his demise, dropping articles of clothing he took from home and scattering them across the sands while Delgado watched like a sentinel. He finished staging the scene by dropping his ID. In the morning someone would find it and put two and two together.
Taking a deep breath, Jerry let the moment wash over him: the sound of the waves caressing his ears, the glistening moonlight on the ocean's surface, the smell of saltwater wafting through his nose. It occurred to him that this would likely be the last time he'd ever step foot in Redshore City, the place where he'd spent most of his life.
He was ripped out of the moment by a buzzing in his pocket, remembering there was still one last thing he needed to ditch. Jerry grabbed his phone and saw that Suki replied to his message. He didn't bother reading it, instead hurling the phone into the obsidian waves. What she had to say didn't matter anymore. This chapter of his life was over.
Then his whiskers twitched in alarm. Jerry looked over his shoulder at Delgado. It was strange, he didn't see or hear the leopard move and yet he was closer than ever, like a wall pushing him closer to the water. His mind began racing with paranoid thoughts. Jerry had the sinking feeling that he'd just set up the perfect murder. Having staged his own suicide, no one would be none of the wiser when his body actually washed ashore.
"H-he was never going to bring me... was he?"
The leopard was like a statue looming over him. Jerry, prone on his feet, held his breath and waited. Whatever Delgado did next would answer his question.
Delgado's left ear flicked, and he tapped the earpiece in it.
"Mr. Crystal is ready for you."
Jerry exhaled as Delgado went back to the SUV. It was a few minutes before he mustered up the nerve to follow.
The airstrip was slick with a fresh drizzle of rain when the SUV arrived. As Jerry jumped out to the whine of the engine, the stairs beckoned him onto the jet. He climbed the stairs, gave one last look back, and entered a world of comfort and luxury.
Jimmy sat by a window, still dressed in his jeans and hoodie in stark contrast to his surroundings, and yet Jerry always thought he looked like a million bucks. Two glasses of champagne were on the table before him.
"Jerry," Jimmy said in acknowledgement. His attention was focused on the TV where reporters gathered outside Redshore Medical, waiting for an update on his condition. "You did everything you needed to?"
"Yes, Mr. Crystal. I'm ready." Jerry took the seat right next to Jimmy. He'd consider that too bold if the champagne wasn't already waiting for him. "Thank you for letting me accompany you."
Jimmy nodded and sipped his champagne.
Once the jet was loaded up, a small number of Jimmy's security team boarded. They took off in silence, and Jimmy watched through the window as the city he once ruled over shrank into a glittering expanse in the darkness. Somewhere among those lights, Porsha was mourning him. Somewhere down there, she would have to forge her own path without him. Those thoughts weighed heavily on him.
"My daughter thinks I'm dead, Jerry. I'll never hold her again..."
Jerry stared at his boss with his bright eyes full of sadness. "Did it have to be this way?"
"Mourning is a form of healing and closure. You don't get that when people just up and disappear. This way, Porsha can accept that I'm gone and..." Jimmy felt the words get stuck in his throat. "And move on with her life."
Jerry took a risk and lightly placed his hand atop the wolf's for comfort and was relieved when it didn't pull away.
The muted news report on the TV was still describing Jimmy Crystal as in critical condition. In the morning, the city would wake up to the news that Mr. Redshore City tragically died from his injuries, survived by his daughter Porsha. There may even be a companion piece about his missing former assistant. Jimmy and Jerry would be long gone by then, though, jetting toward a fresh start and their new lives.
Jimmy turned to Jerry with a genuine smile on his face. "The world is ours to explore, Jerry. You think about where you want to go?"
Jerry blinked, stunned by the question. "Actually... I think I'd like to visit a place where the trees change color during autumn. Maybe experience a white Christmas." He was struck with a sudden realization. "Wait, where are we going?"
"Down to St. Lucia where a team will give us makeovers and new identities. Maybe we'll bounce around the Caribbean a bit until I get my affairs in order, tap into some offshore accounts. After that we can go anywhere."
"Anywhere..." Jerry repeated like a child first becoming aware of the concept. "This may sound cliché, but I've always wanted to go to Paris."
"I'll add it to the list. Think of a new name before we land."
"I've always liked Jacques."
"Jacques, eh?"
"For you."
Jimmy hummed, and though he did not respond, the crook of a smile on his muzzle proved he wasn't completely opposed to the idea.
Outside, the sky began to brighten with the first slivers of dawn. Soon the sun would begin crawling over the horizon. Jimmy was stirred by the imagery and had an idea.
"Hey Delgado, take it from the top, will ya?"
Delgado got up and obliged. With little preparation, the leopard began crooning.
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
There's a land that I heard of
Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Skies are blue
And the dreams that you dare to dream
Really do come true
Jerry let out a content sigh watching the sun rise and even Jimmy found himself appreciating the sight. In the sky, the clouds were a canvas of indigo and gold against the nascent morning light. The arrival of the sun brought forth the start of a new day, and the beginning of the rest of their lives.
Someday I'll wish upon a star
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where troubles melt like lemon drops
Away above the chimney tops
That's where you'll find me
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
Birds fly over the rainbow
Why then, oh, why can't I?
Song
Over the Rainbow (Judy Garland)
