Free Heaven Bent by Robert T. Jeschonek

tunnels, but M.J. said it could have been worse. There were usually more troops stationed at Heavenless, but many had been sent off to deal with the aftermath of the bombing at the theater--which had been the whole idea behind it, of course.
    So between the masked man's karate, M.J.'s dance fu, and my mix of Muay Thai, Krav Maga, Wing Chun, and Systema, we were able to get through the worst of it. We took some hits, I knew I'd be sore later, but nobody got shot or caught.
    We emerged from the hole chewed in the dome by the masked man's maggots, gasping for breath in the cool night air.
    As soon as we stepped outside, the masked man stuck fingers in his mouth and whistled. Seconds later, I heard thrashing from the brush, and a familiar roar. Thundercloud the giant, winged platypus burst from the thick foliage and waddled toward us on padded feet with claws like scimitars.
    The masked man ran to her and heaved the mummy over her back. "Good girl, Thundercloud!" He patted her head, then grabbed hold of the brown fur on the back of her neck and pulled himself up after the mummy.
    "Yay, Thundercloud!" M.J. ran up and kissed her on the tip of her big black bill. "My hero!" Then he mounted her behind the masked man.
    I almost jumped aboard without saying anything, then caught myself and jogged back to pat Thundercloud's head. "I, uh...thanks," I told her. "You're a real sweetheart." Then I gave her a wink.
    The glossy black eye on that side of her head watched me, unreadable as a marble.
    "C'mon, Stag!" said the masked man. "We're outta time!"
    I gave her one last pat. Just then, over the whine of the sirens, I heard snarling barks in the distance, like the cries of frenzied wolves on the trail of prey.
    "Stag!" The masked man gestured impatiently.
    The barks were getting closer. Chills rushed up my spine--and then adrenaline blazed through my bloodstream.
    Leaping into action, I ran around Thundercloud, grabbed handfuls of her fur, and hoisted myself up behind M.J.
    The second my butt hit her back, the masked man kicked, and her black wings started to flap. Instantly, we rose into the air.
    I held on tight as Thundercloud climbed above the trees, leaving the frenzied barking behind. She carried us up alongside the black dome of Heavenless, then above it--and then she looped away from it, heading inland with great strokes of her leathery wings.
    Soon, it was as if all the running and fighting had never happened. We soared lightly under the moon and stars, casting a rippling shadow over the jungle treetops far below. We flowed through the night like a streamer of cloud, the cool headwind caressing our cheeks.

    *****
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    "Great work, Stag." The masked man, who was standing behind me, handed down a golden cup filled with dark red wine. "You really held your own back there."
    "Thanks." I raised the cup. "You're not so bad yourself."
    I was sitting by a campfire, deep in the jungle--miles from Heavenless. Thundercloud had landed here after our flight, smack in the middle of a rebel encampment operated by the Heaven Liberation Front.
    Just then, M.J. strolled over, the gold buckles and epaulets on his military jacket gleaming in the firelight. "Good news," he said softly. "They say he's going to be all right."
    "That's fantastic." The masked man filled another cup with wine but didn't offer it to M.J. Instead, he tipped it to his own lips and drank. "I wasn't sure he'd come out of it after hibernating for so long."
    "They think he'll wake up sometime tomorrow." M.J. clapped his hands and spun around, then dropped to sit beside me on the same fireside log. "I can't wait to see him."
    "So who is he?" I asked. "Who was it under all those bandages?"
    "The one who started all this." The masked man gestured with his wine cup, sweeping it around to take in the encampment. "The one who kicked off the revolution."
    M.J. giggled. "It figures."
    "They froze him five years ago," said the masked man. "They thought it would stop the movement if they