Guybrush and Wally ran into the XStation base. Paper was swirling in the air - they were disoriented for a moment, then with a chill Guybrush saw bodies on the floor.
He came to the first and turned it over. Mancomb. Nearby Wally had found the Hermit.
No sign of anyone else.
Ignoring Wally's shouts, Guybrush ran on. Down the passage, jump through the hole, along the gantry...
There she was.
Guybrush pelted to the side of Elaine's fallen body. Blood was slowly oozing from her forehead and nostrils. He passed a hand over her head - still breathing.
No time to waste. Lifting Elaine by her waist, he slung her over his shoulder in a fireman's lift and began climbing the ladder.
A short while later, they had all regrouped in Boss Hog.
Guybrush was in the rec room with Mancomb and Elaine. The Hermit had recovered shortly after being dragged back into Boss Hog, and had immediately gone straight back into XStation. Periodically he'd pop in and out, lugging large piles of paper.
Guybrush looked to his right at Mancomb. Even in the dim red emergency lighting, he could see ugly burn marks on his arms and hands. And he was still out cold. Probably a blessing though, as those burns would be plenty painful when he woke up... and they weren't exactly stocked up on medical equipment.
Elaine, though, had regained consciousness. She held a wet rag to her head (which had now stopped bleeding), and was telling Guybrush just what had happened.
"He was insane," said Elaine. "But I can't work out why he should have been so protective of the portal stone."
"Well, it's not like he had a whole lot of possessions to his name," said Guybrush. "And you never know what'll set a madman off. How are you feeling now?"
"Well, my arms are pretty numb, my nose is a tomato, and this dull lighting's giving me a killer headache. So - like shit, basically."
"Wally's working on getting the power back," said Guybrush. "We weren't expecting-" He was interrupted by the bright flash of the lighting blasting back to full power. Various hums and whirrs echoed through the ship.
Wally, poked his head around the door. "Got it back," he said triumphantly, dripping grease on the floor.
"Fully operational?" asked Guybrush.
"Had to take weapons systems offline, they're too much of a strain with the ship still recharging. Give me an hour though, and we're back in black."
"Great. Time to go check up on that portal stone of Lane's..."
He helped Elaine up from the chair, shot a glance at Mancomb, decided to let him sleep it off, and together they headed for the cockpit.
On the way they passed the Hermit, yet another bundle of paper in his hands. "That's the last of it," he said happily, before disappearing again.
"What's he-"
"Best not to worry about it, I reckon."
Guybrush slid into the pilot's seat. Wally tapped a few buttons and the radarscope screen lit up. A green blob in the centre - them. Close by, slowly moving outward, a much smaller blob - the portal stone.
"One down, seven to go," said Guybrush. "Any chance of getting just a small bit of power to the weapons systems? My trigger finger's getting a little itchy."
Wally shook his head. "Too risky."
"Damn. Well, we can wait." He sat back. Half a minute passed.
"Anyone for I Spy?" said Elaine.
Before Guybrush could frame a suitably sarcastic reply, however, the radarscope blipped.