To Non, it felt as if hours were passing. The air was heavy with tension. Turtle had exhausted herself and finally fallen asleep in her corner. Iluvmonkeyz was fading fast, and every time she coughed, blood and bits of her lung tissue came up. Shadow was stroking her back and shoulders, but could do little else to help.
"Guys," said Non wearily, "I don't think we're gonna get rescued any time soon."
"Don't think like that," Shadow murmured. She gripped Non's hand tightly. "There's no other way."
"No..." said Iluv. Her voice was so faint, it took Non a moment to realize she had spoken.
Non moved closer to her. "What are you talking about ?"
"There's one last option," Iluv said weakly. She coughed again and spat a mouthful of bloody saliva on the carpet. "One that even you don't know about, Non... and one that I never wanted to tell you."
Non felt a twinge of trepidation, but she pushed it away. She reached for Iluv, gently brushing the hair out of her face. "I'll do anything if it means saving you."
"That's the problem," she whispered. "If it works... everyone in the base will die. No exception. If I supply a diversion, I need you to get out and run... I need to know CookieCrew will live, without me."
Non's heart nearly stopped. She gripped Iluv's hand. "Do you even know what you're saying?!"
Her cry woke up Turtle, who looked around in alarm. Then she looked at Iluv and an understanding seemed to pass between them.
"No," said Shadow quietly. "She's right. I'd rather go out knowing one of us is still alive."
Non looked from Iluv to Shadow to Turtle, horror growing with every second. "I'm not leaving you here to kill yourselves!"
"Would you rather wait and end up like her?" Turtle asked. She nodded to where Amaphora's headless corpse still lay. "We're going to die anyway and I'd rather take some of them with us than wait to get executed."
"Why me though?" Non whimpered. "I can't do this... Iluv please, you have to come with me!"
"Only I can set it off," Iluv said. "The detonator is linked to the faction leader and I can't put you in danger. If more than one leaves, you're going to get caught... You're our best chance of surviving, Non... Please. Do this for me."
Non took a shaky breath as tears spilled down her cheeks. Turtle crawled over and wrapped her arms around her.
"It'll be alright."
"How can you be so calm about this?" Non sobbed. "I can't do it!"
"Look at me, Non," Iluv gasped. "I don't have much longer... I believe in you. You've grown so much since I first met you; you're smart, kind, caring, and you'd sacrifice the world to save CookieCrew... Consider this my way of repaying you for everything you've done for me. There's going to be four small explosions at the end of all four hallways leading from the hub, and then one major one that will rain primed TNT from the ceiling followed by a two-block-deep layer of sand. Once the sand settles, the floor will explode. Nothing lives and nothing leaves. Please Non, I'm giving you one last order... Do it for me."
Tears dropped onto the red carpet, leaving small dark spots. Iluv was weeping too. Non's heart nearly shattered at the sight. She leaned into Turtle's gentle arms as she tried to think about what Iluv had said. "How are you going to do this without them hearing or seeing you?"
"The detonator-" Iluv broke off, coughing again. "The detonator is structured so that it's accessible from any room in the base. There are four levers, which start the beginning explosions, and then a button that triggers the last one. When I start the four, that's when you need to use the emergency route and get out of the base. They'll try to see what's going on but after the last one, there's nothing they can do. We'll stay here... to make sure it goes as planned. If it doesn't work, we're no worse off than we are now. And if it does... we have a chance."
Non nodded slowly. She knew where the emergency exit was, but their attackers were now standing barely a block away from the hidden entrance. It led to a cave system that wound through a ravine, then tapered to the surface of dry land. If she could get far enough away from the base, she could contact one of CookieCrew's allies to help her rebuild.
"Are you going to do it?" Shadow asked her.
"I don't have a choice do I?" Non said. "I'm not letting any of you down."
Iluv smiled and closed her eyes. "Thank you Non... I know what I'm asking of you, and I understand how much it must hurt..." She coughed, longer and louder this time, and blood ran steadily from her mouth. "We will meet again Non. Somehow. I promise..."
Non did her best to stop her tears. "Don't talk anymore. Save your energy."
Shadow supported Iluv's shoulders as she lay back and her breathing eased slightly. Non checked all of the chests in the room for any armor or weapons that had been overlooked, but all she found was a worn iron chestplate and a gold sword. It was better than nothing.
"Tell us when you're ready," Shadow said quietly.
Non gripped the hilt of her sword and nodded to Iluv. "What do you need to do?"
Iluv staggered to her feet, pushing away Shadow's helping hand. "Stay back," she told Non. She pulled back a square of black carpet to reveal a hidden chest, and flipped open the lid.
A high whine split the air as a redstone charge triggered by the chest opening raced down the hall. Seconds later, a blast fifty times more powerful than the combustion fuses went off. Non's ears rang from the noise. Four sets of running footsteps pounded down the hall, accompanied by Prysms' yell of "What the fuck was that?"
"What the hell are you doing here?" shouted a new voice. Non's heart leaped- it was Waffles of Vanquish.
Realization hit Non moments later and she frowned at Iluv. "Did that open the base?"
Iluv shrugged slightly. "Well... a little. Should keep them occupied for a while. Here, move."
Iluv forced herself over to the two obsidian blocks that sealed the entrance, then produced four items that looked like fireworks but were golden. Non knew what they were.
"Where did you get these?" she gasped.
"Long story, no time," Iluv said shortly, and she shoved two of the combustion fuses into the cracks between the blocks. The obsidian glowed brightly and then burst into tiny fragments. Any noise it had made was drowned out by the sound of the Vanquish fighters attacking the four RezDynasty members stubbornly holding their position.
"Go!" Iluv hissed, and shoved her towards the opening. Non hesitated, but quickly threw her arms around Iluv. Shadow and Turtle briefly joined their embrace before Non reluctantly pushed them away.
"You'll be fine, just hurry! It won't last long," Shadow urged her.
Non looked back at them one more time, sealing the image of their faces in her memory. She knew she might never see them again.
"I'll never forget you," Non whispered. Tears blurred her vision and she forced herself to leave before they fell. Iluv gave her a last little salute before dragging herself to the next trapped chest as Turtle and Shadow supported her.