Mug gasped. “Why? WHY ?!?” He screamed it out as loud as he could, disturbing all the birds in the rainforest.

“Why what?” Brass Eagle said, limping along with Grasshopper in tow.

“What do you mean, ‘what?’ Brass Eagle’s dead!”

“Oh. Really? Don’t feel like it.” Brass Eagle inspected his body for possible signs of decomposition.

Finn just stared slack-jawed in amazement, while Anonymous sat upon a rock, having regain his composure. It still took Mug a little while to register, even after looking up and seeing both the people he most wanted to see in the world at that moment.

Finally, Mug’s mind started to work again. He let loose a scream that would’ve put most first-grade girls to shame. “Eagle!”

Eagle embraced Mug in a rib-cracking bear hug. “Why all the w—” Eagle started, then dawned with realization. “Crap, the clone, wasn’t it?”

“A clone?”

“Long story. I’ll have to tell you later.”

Grasshopper moaned from where he had been dropped.

“Oh, yeah,” Brass Eagle said.