Guybrush woke.
He felt the mattress beneath him, saw the room around him plain and bare. The clock said 6:20 AM.
Just a dream. "Just when it was getting to the good part," Guybrush grumbled.
What had happened last night? As far as he could remember, they'd showered and gone to bed. No talk, which was strange. you'd think they'd have been bursting to tell each other all the things they'd do when they got back, all the things they'd missed. But apparently each of them had their own worries to think about.
Half of Guybrush's brain pondered this. The other half was concentrating on something even more uncomfortable.
He was starting to like Elaine. There was no longer any denying it. When she'd been kidnapped on that alien planet, he'd felt the stirrings of alarm. When he'd seen her unconscious body, he'd felt rage and fear. When she came to, he'd felt relief. And when he'd read her journal... well, he didn't know what he'd felt. This dream was just confirmation of his growing feelings for her.
But would he continue to just like her... or would it turn into something more?
That was the question, wasn't it?
One thing, at least, was clear: for the time being, at least, Elaine had to stay.
A few hours later, everyone was in the rec room, eating breakfast. The
prospect of a return to the Solar System seemed to have improved their
appetites, for everyone's plate was fully laden.
"Okay, everyone," said Guybrush as they put away the last bites of food. "I think it's time for another meeting."
"Sure," said Wally.
"First thing. Elaine... I'm not sure how to say this... I think you should stay with us for the moment."
Elaine looked at him, smile half-formed on her lips. "What? Why?"
"Because we're going after those portal stones," said Guybrush. "We'll need your help."
"You mean where I got those two portal stones? I can just tell you that."
"That won't be enough," said Guybrush. "Look, this is not going to be easy. We've got to locate twelve mythical red stones, all of them probably heavily guarded, and we're just two guys in a crap ship."
Elaine looked at Guybrush strangely: she'd never heard him bagging his ship before.
"It's too big a job for us alone," continued Guybrush. "What we need is someone with power and influence. Like you. Right, Wally?"
"That's right," said Wally. He grinned earnestly at Elaine.
Elaine shifted in her seat. "Look, I appreciate the offer," she said, somewhat insincerely. "But I really have to get back to Chora Luna. With Pael out of the way Upchuck is bound to be going after it next."
Guybrush looked thoughtful. "Okay. What if I told you that Chora Luna will be in no danger in the immediate future?"
"I'd ask you how the hell you knew that," said Elaine.
"Good point. I've been thinking about Upchuck recently. I think I know why he attacked Pael. One, he wanted me."
"Too much of a coincidence for him to be attacking only an hour after we showed up," said Wally.
"Right. Two, he wanted our portal stone."
"But we made it out of there alive," said Wally. "With yours as well."
Guybrush nodded. "Upchuck left empty-handed. Which means he probably doesn't have a portal stone yet - but he's on the lookout."
Elaine shook her head. "I... no. You're not convincing me, I'm afraid. I'm heading back to civilisation and that's that. In any case, Upchuck got my portal stone on Chora Luna, so you're wrong."
"But Marko led the assault, right?" said Guybrush.
"Right," said Elaine.
"With Upchuck's backing. And a few weeks later he turns up in Pael, freelance. I think Marko doublecrossed Upchuck. Made it out of there with one portal stone. He must have found another earlier, so he could end up here.
"But that explains Upchuck's actions. First I disappear from under his nose with a portal stone, then Marko, his second-in-command, does virtually the same thing. Upchuck wasn't going to take any chances the next time around. When I showed up on Pael, he hit it with everything he had."
Elaine grimaced. "He demolished my base just to get one portal stone. Bit of an overreaction."
"Entirely in character for him," said Guybrush. "I don't want to imagine what he might do if he ended up with a portal stone... and learnt how to use it."
He looked at Elaine, and this time there could be no mistaking the pleading tone in his voice. "Time's running out. You could go back to Chora Luna, fortify your defences, prepare for Upchuck... but he's going to be out there a long time. Those portal stones won't be. Sooner or later one's going to transform. Maybe it'll be on Earth at the time.
"Are you going to help us?"
The silence dragged out a long time.
"Yes," said Elaine. "Provisionally."